(Dan Tri) – New theories have been put forward about who is really behind the mass attack by high-tech drones on Russia’s air force and naval bases in Syria on the night of June 6.
Inside Russia’s Hmeimim air base in Syria (Photo: AP)
The attack was unprecedented
A statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense said that on the night of January 6, 13 drones simultaneously attacked Russia’s Hmeimim air base and Tartus naval base in Syria.
Russian forces quickly shot down 7 drones, while the remaining 6 drones were controlled.
This is the first time terrorists have used modern drone technology to attack a Russian military base in Syria.
Russia did not specifically accuse any force behind the above attacks, but pointed out that the technology used for the attack was worth mentioning.
The attack occurred just about a week after the Hmeimim base was attacked by mortars on December 31, killing two Russian soldiers.
Who is behind the attack?
This is the first time terrorists have used high-tech drones to attack a Russian military base in Syria.
Hmeimim base is considered the headquarters of the Russian military campaign in Syria.
“They think this base is absolutely safe, but now it is also vulnerable,” said Maxim Suchkov of the Russian Council of International Relations.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Cafarella, an expert at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, said that the attack also raised doubts about the sustainability of Russia’s achievements in Syria.
However, the biggest question is probably who is behind the `unprecedented` attack on a Russian military base when Moscow has only announced the withdrawal of most of its forces from Syria less than a month ago.
President Putin ordered the withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria
On January 9, the Russian Ministry of Defense accused the US of possibly providing the technology for this attack.
However, Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said that allegation was `completely false`.
Related to this comment, analysis by defense consulting organization IHS Markit shows that most of the drones that IS uses against the US-led coalition have a range of only 1-2km.
Another hypothesis is that the Syrian opposition could be a suspect because this force operates near the base.
In addition, there is also the theory that the Alawite sect in Syria and Iran-backed forces are behind the attacks.
While attention turned to the US and US-backed forces in Syria, Russia’s Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper quoted news from the Russian Ministry of Defense saying that the drones in the attack were launched from the area.
“Ankara needs to fulfill its obligation to ensure that armed organizations under its control comply with the ceasefire agreement and needs to step up the installation of observation posts in the Idlib de-escalation zone to prevent attacks.
So who is the real `culprit` is still an open question.
Minh Phuong
According to Washington Post, Sputnik