Russian Air Defenses in Syria Shoot Down Drone Launched by Terrorists in Idleb

The number of violations of the cessation of hostilities agreement by terrorist groups operating in the Idlib de-escalation zone has increased by 50 percent in the past week, Maj. Gen. Alexei Tsygankov, head of the Russian Center for Syrian reconciliation, said Monday.

“Despite the established ceasefire regime, the number of violations by illegal armed groups operating in the Idlib de-escalation zone has sharply increased over the past week. A total of 65 instances of shelling were registered between July 23 and 29. The number of violations has increased by 50 percent compared to the previous week,” Tsygankov said at a news briefing, according to Sputnik.

 Moreover, Russian air defenses at the Hmeimim airbase in Syria shot down another aerial drone launched by terrorists, Alexei Tsygankov said.

“Air defenses at the Russian airbase in Syria’s Hmeimim detected an aerial drone launched from the territory controlled by illegal armed groups after the nightfall on July 29. The aerial target was destroyed at a safe distance from the base,” Tsygankov said at a news briefing.

According to the general, the operations at the base were not affected by the drone incident.

The Russian military has been deployed in Syria since 2015 to support the internationally recognized government forces in their fight against terrorism.

The Russian forces carry out airstrikes against terrorist targets and provide humanitarian support to the affected regions. Additionally, Moscow is actively engaged in the settlement process within Astana and Geneva formats. Russia along with Turkey and Iran are guarantors of the ceasefire regime in Syria.

H.M