Monday, February 12, 2018

Israel: Iran Established Air Base Outside Major Syrian City

The Times of Israel reports: The Israeli military on Saturday accused Iran of controlling an airbase outside the Syrian city of Palmyra, from which the army said the Iranian drone that was shot down over northern Israel earlier in the day was launched.
“Iran and the [Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ special unit] Quds Force for some time have been operating the T-4 Air Base in Syria next to Palmyra, with support from the Syrian military and with permission from the Syrian regime,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Saturday night.
Notably missing from the army’s statement was an accusation that Russia — the main powerbroker in Syria and dictator Bashar Assad’s most important supporter — had also been allowing Iran and its Quds Force, responsible for operations outside Iran, to operate the air base.