(Zaman Al Wasl)- A military source in the Syrian Air Force said at least seven military airbases are invloved in the all-out regime assault on northwestern Syria that so far has killed 400 civilians and has displaced more than 330,000.
The source has provided Zaman al-Wasl with satellite images and the military data of the bases and helipads used for launching the major aerial offensive on Idlib and Hama provinces.
The Syrian regime and Russia have upped their bombardment of the region since late April, killing more than 400 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Idlib region, home to some three million people, is supposed to be protected by a months-old international truce deal.
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, led by ex-members of Al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate, extended its control over the region, which spans most of Idlib province as well as slivers of the adjacent provinces of Latakia, Hama and Aleppo.
Russia and rebel backer Turkey brokered an agreement in September, but that deal was never fully implemented as militants refused to withdraw from the planned buffer zone.
Syria's war has killed more than 560,000 people and displaced millions at home and abroad since it started in 2011 with the repression of anti-regime protests.
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1 – Al-Mujanzarat School in the northwestern Hama province contains: 5 helicopters, Mi-8 Mi-17 and artillery 63 which are transport hulls, as the regime use it to shells the liberated areas by the explosive barrel, so these helicopters transport the food, supplies and weapons to the working forces.
It also contains two ‘HESA Ababil’, the unmanned Iranian military aircrafts.
2 - Jubb Ramlah Helipad in Hama province: It contains five Mi-25 helicopters from the 64th artillery. Anti-armor shields are assigned directly to the moving and armored targets in the areas of operations of the opposition forces. It also contains two ‘HESA Ababil’, the unmanned Iranian military aircrafts.
3 - Hama Military Airport: It contains the regime’s largest air forces:
• Helicopters Mi-8 Mi-17 for support and logistics transport
• Helicopters Mi-14 from the 618 Squadron used to throw barrels and sea mines.
• Gazelle helicopter used to transport commanders and military experts.
• Two Iran-made reconnaissance aircrafts (Shahed 129 UAV)
• Two Russian reconnaissance aircraft (Orlan-10 Drones)
• A detachment consisting of three Soukhoi Su-22 aircraft, one of it was hit in mid June after by opposition forces.
• A detachment consisting of three type of MiG-23 aircraft
• A detachment consisting five Aero L-39 Albatros, high-performance jet trainer developed in Czechoslovakia.
The opposition’s anti-aircraft missiles damaged one of it.
4- Istamo Airport contains:
• Squadron 618 (Kamov hovercraft + Mi-14 helicopters)
• Two Mi-8 Mi-17 transport helicopters from the 59 artillery helicopters.
• Two Ulan-10 reconnaissance aircraft.
5 - Abu Duhur military airbase in Idlib province, which was a major airbase of the regime’s Air Force. The base has been used a reserve airstrip for the regime’s helicopters, and is not suitable for landing of aircraft with a fixed wing due to the large destruction of runways landing.
It also contains two ‘HESA Ababil’, the unmanned Iranian military aircrafts.
6. Al-Nairab Airport in Aleppo province (Known as Aleppo International Airport): It is used to transport militias and various support vehicles to the Aleppo. It is also a temporary landing pad for the helicopters and planes involved in the shelling of Idlib and its countryside, if necessary.
7- The Russian-run Hmeimym Airbase in coastal Latakia province: where the Russian air forces is located, and dozens of flights are carried out every day targeting the opposition sites, its building and its safe inhabitants.
Zaman Al Wasl
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