The Russian air component deployed in Syria consists of more than 50 aircraft. This is what the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said a few minutes ago, officially commenting on the first attacks against the Islamic State in Syria.
"The contingent was deployed as quickly as possible. Ammunition and logistics were landed at the port of Tartus and then transferred to the operational bases. We hit eight ISIS facilities. In action our Su-24M and Su-25. Our bombers have destroyed a terrorist stronghold and an ammunition dump near the town of Idlib We have razed a command post in a three-storey building in Hama, a headquarters of Islamic states in near the city of Al-Latamna. Also hit by the vehicles loaded with explosives that would have been used by suicide bombers ".
The forces on the field at the first of October 2015
RUSSIA: Tartus naval base on the Mediterranean coast of Syria is protected by five warships with the Slava-class missile cruiser, the Moskva. The Bassel al-Assad International, airport at 20 km south of Latakia on the Mediterranean coast of Syria connected to the main port of the country, has a force capable of hitting targets on the ground. The Russians have twelve Su-24 Fencer low-altitude tactical bombers, twelve Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack and support aircraft, four Su-30SM fighters and fifteen heavy attack helicopters. Kamov Ka-52 'Alligators' have also landed in Syria. Hmeimim air base activated. The airports and the Tarus naval base are protected by three battalions (about 500 men) of marine infantry. The land force also includes nine third-generation tanks T-90, 35 BTR-82A and 500 soldiers. All bases are protected by different ground-to-air systems. The Bassel al-Assad International is also used by the Kremlin for all reconnaissance and attack missions of drones deployed in Syrian territory. The Russians fortified the Al-Sanobar military base, seven kilometers north of Latakia and the Istamo storage complex, three kilometers west. Overall, Moscow has in Syria between the 1500 and the 2000 soldiers. The presence of at least one attack submarine near the Syrian coast is certain. The last time Putin asked for permission to use armed forces outside national borders dates back to the early months of the 2014 during the Ukraine crisis.
CHINA: Liaoning aircraft carrier and missile cruiser deployed near the Syrian coast. The Chinese have not yet reached an offensive capacity. The carrier docked at the port of Tartus is still without its air component, but has been made available to the Russians. Chinese warplanes will arrive in Syria by mid-November, flying through Iran or transported by Russian cargo. The Chinese would be setting up a squadron of J-15, fourth-generation multi-role fighters, Z-18F antisom helicopters and Z-18J early warning. Beijing will eventually deploy a thousand soldiers.
IRAN: a thousand soldiers belonging to the Revolutionary Guard Corps to assist Hezbollah in Zabadani The "military coordination cell" was created in Baghdad by Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria a few days ago. The joint coordination command appears as a counterpart to the "War Room" set up by the USA in Jordan, north of Amman, to coordinate the operations of the United States, Arabia, Qatar, Israel and Jordan in support of the Syrian rebels against the Assad government . Two rival cells, therefore, came into operation: one to protect US-led rebels and the other to support the Russian-led Assad regime.
(photo: MoD Fed in Russia)
