Idlib generates an escalation: Tu-22 - to strengthen, Su-35 - to intercept

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Idlib generates an escalation: Tu-22 - to strengthen, Su-35 - to intercept - Politics News, Russian News - EADaily: 

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February 15, 2020

The aggravation of the situation in Syrian Idlib, where Russia and Turkey still cannot develop a de-escalation algorithm, has provoked a stream of messages in recent days about the absentee confrontation of external forces around and in Syria itself. An impressive part of the rumors exaggerated on the pages of Western and Middle Eastern media is initially unreliable. So, this week, some military-related portals pointed to the plans of the Turkish command thwarted by Russia to strike from the T-122 Sakarya multiple rocket launchers deployed in Syria at the Khmeimim airbase. Although Ankara actually deployed these strike systems in the Greater Idlib region (Idlib and Hama provinces, parts of Aleppo and Hama provinces),

Nevertheless, messages are coming from northwestern Syria that have not yet been confirmed by officials, but may well prove to be a reality. So, today, February 15, information appeared about the strengthening of the Russian air group in Khmeimim by long-range Tu-22 bombers. Reference is made to an unnamed source in the Ministry of Defense of Syria.

According to military experts, the transfer of Tu-22 to Syrian territory makes sense, since the direction of these air platforms to perform combat missions in Syria from the airdrome in Mozdok, as was done before, can now be fraught with objective difficulties.

Middle Eastern media also report that Russian multi-role Su-35 fighters intercepted Israeli F-16s in the sky over Damascus during a recent air raid . When reflecting the next raid of the Israeli Air Force in the form of launching missiles from Lebanese airspace at Damascus International Airport, the S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems delivered by Moscow were used from the Syrian side. The Israelis attacked military installations located in a suburb of the Syrian capital with Delilah air-to-ground cruise missiles. At the same time, at least two Israeli F-16s tried to “trick” the Syrian S-300s by penetrating into the airspace of the SAR from Jordan. It is alleged that they were hijacked by Russian Su-35s to intercept the Khmeimim base, forcing the Israelis to retire.

As reported by EADaily , on February 12 and 13 in the Turkish border region near the city of Reikhanli, opposite the Bab al-Hawa checkpoint on the border with Syria, a large number of transporters with multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) T-122 Sakarya were noticed. Several MLRS were unloaded there and crossed the Syrian border on their own. Others - with wheeled vehicles, were taken away along the road leading to the Syrian city of Atareb.

On the eve of February 14, additional military equipment and army special forces units were transferred across the southern province of Hatay to northwestern Syria. Another convoy with special forces from various military units of Turkey proceeded to Idlib on Friday night.

The military-political leadership of Turkey continues to demonstrate its own determination to reverse the offensive of the Syrian government forces in Idlib province. The Turkish general is following the order of the President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the country, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to strengthen his "observation posts" in the Idlib de-escalation zone, which have long gone beyond monitoring the situation on the ground. The “observation” posts of the Turkish Armed Forces in the neighboring Arab Republic have become full-fledged strongholds for Islamic militants supported by Ankara, as well as firing points from which the positions of the Syrian army are constantly fired upon.

Last Friday, a Syrian army helicopter was shot down in Idlib province, the second for this week. The SAR Air Force combat vehicle was attacked in the vicinity of the village of Urem-Kubra, where pro-Turkish militants are based. The helicopter crew died.