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Russia Launches First Airstrikes in Syria, Officials Say Russia Launches First Airstrikes in Syria, Officials Say
(about 2 hours later)
MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia suddenly escalated the stakes in his contest with the West over influence in the Middle East on Wednesday, as Russian pilots carried out their first airstrikes in Syria. MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia ordered a round of airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday, adding an unpredictable and potentially destabilizing element to a complex sectarian war that has drawn in the United States and regional powers while creating millions of refugees.
Russian warplanes and helicopter gunships dropped bombs north of the central city of Homs hours after Mr. Putin pushed a measure through the upper house of Parliament approving the use of Russian military forces abroad. Russian officials and analysts portrayed the move as an attempt both to fight Islamic State militants and to try to ensure the survival of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Moscow’s main ally in the Middle East. While Moscow’s stated purpose in Syria is to fight Islamic State militants, Russian warplanes and helicopter gunships dropped bombs north of the central city of Homs, in an area held by rebel groups opposed to Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally. The attacks were unleashed hours after Mr. Putin pushed a measure through the upper house of Russia’s rubber stamp Parliament authorizing the use of force abroad.
“The only right way to fight international terrorism — and it is gangs of international terrorists that are fighting in Syria and in neighboring countries — is to act preventively, to fight and destroy militants and terrorists on the territories that they already occupied, not wait for them to come to our house,” Mr. Putin said at a meeting of government officials on Wednesday, in remarks broadcast on state television. At a meeting of government officials in Moscow on Wednesday, Mr. Putin defended the Russian intervention as a broad stroke against terrorism. “The only right way to fight international terrorism — and it is gangs of international terrorists that are fighting in Syria and in neighboring countries — is to act preventively,” he said, “to fight and destroy militants and terrorists on the territories that they already occupied, not wait for them to come to our house.”
Russia’s intervention will most likely prolong and complicate the war, as it could keep Mr. Assad in office and adds Russia to the already tangled patchwork of forces deployed there. Western diplomats warned that Russia would be sending a dangerous message if its attacks were aimed primarily against opponents of Mr. Assad, rather than the Islamic State.
John Kirby, the State Department spokesman, told reporters at the United Nations that Russia had warned the United States before the attacks, and that it had requested that American and allied aircraft avoid Syrian airspace during the missions. “We need the Russians to understand that in coming to defense of the regime to attack ISIL, what they will do is forge a single united force under ISIL leadership against the regime,” said the British foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, using an alternate name for the Islamic State. “That’s the huge danger we face.”
“The U.S.-led coalition will continue to fly missions over Iraq and Syria as planned, in support of our international mission to degrade and destroy ISIL,” Mr. Kirby said, using an alternate name for the Islamic State. Analysts have warned that Russia’s military activities are likely to prolong and complicate the war, as they could keep Mr. Assad in office and add Russia to the already tangled patchwork of forces deployed there.
The information came from a Russian official in Baghdad, who informed staff members at the United States Embassy there that Russian military aircraft would begin conducting mission, according to American officials. John Kirby, a State Department spokesman, told reporters at the United Nations that Russia had warned the United States before the attacks, and that it had requested that American and allied aircraft avoid Syrian airspace during the missions.
They emphasized that the Russians did not provide specific information on the mission or take steps to “deconflict” the airstrike with American air operations in the region, as the United States had hoped. Secretary of State John Kerry raised Russia’s handling of the mission Wednesday morning with Sergey V. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister. The United States had no immediate information about the effectiveness of the strikes. But Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking at the United Nations, made it clear that U.S.-led airstrikes would continue, and said that the latest strike against Islamic State targets was carried out “in the last hour.”
As a practical matter, coalition warplanes rarely fly in the area of Syria where Russian jets carried out their strikes, because Islamic State militants do not operate there. However, there have been occasional American strikes against the Khorasan Group, a group of senior Qaeda operatives who American officials say are plotting attacks against the west. “These strikes will continue,” he told the Security Council.
A spokesman for the Russian defense ministry, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, said its pilots were engaged in precision strikes “against the military equipment, communication centers, transport vehicles, arms depots, ammunition, and fuels and lubricant materials belonging to ISIS terrorists.” American officials in Baghdad said the Russian warning came from an official in Baghdad, who informed staff members at the United States Embassy there that Russian military aircraft would begin conducting a mission. They emphasized that the Russians had not provided specific information on the mission or taken steps to “deconflict” the airstrike with American air operations in the region, as the United States hoped.
Although Russia and Syrian state television broadcasts said that the attacks had been against Islamic State targets, it was not immediately clear how they reached that conclusion or what they were targeting. The Syrian government has a tendency to label all of its opponents as being part of the Islamic State. The United States military, as well as opponents of the Syrian government on the ground, said the militants did not have a presence, or at least not an obvious presence, in the parts of the central provinces where much of the Russian firepower seemed concentrated. At a briefing Wednesday afternoon, Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, confirmed that United States military officials had yet to have any conversations with their Russian counterparts to ensure that the two sides do not accidentally attack or stumble into each other.
The attacks, according to state-run television, occurred north of Homs and into Hama Province. As a practical matter, coalition warplanes rarely fly in the area of Syria where Russian jets carried out their strikes, because Islamic State militants do not operate there. However, there have been occasional American strikes against the Khorasan Group, a group of senior Qaeda operatives who American officials say are plotting attacks against the West.
But they appear to have hit areas controlled by rival insurgent groups that oppose both Mr. Assad and the Islamic State, according to one rebel commander in Hama Province, Jamil al-Saleh. His group, the Izza Gathering, is one of the remaining fragments of the loosely-knit Free Syrian Army, relatively secular groups that have received some Western support. A spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, said its pilots were engaged in precision strikes “against the military equipment, communication centers, transport vehicles, arms depots, ammunition and fuels and lubricant materials belonging to ISIS terrorists.”
In a video on YouTube, Mr. Saleh said that his forces had eavesdropped on communications between Syrian Air Force pilots and their bases, which confirmed that Russian warplanes were aloft. Although Russia and Syrian state television both said the attacks were conducted against Islamic State targets, they appear to have hit areas controlled primarily by rival insurgent groups that oppose both Mr. Assad and the Islamic State.
Recent advances in Hama by a coalition of insurgents opposed to Mr. Assad as well as to the Islamic State have posed new threats to the coastal Alawite heartland where Mr. Assad enjoys his strongest support. In a video on YouTube, a rebel commander in Hama Province, Jamil al-Saleh, said that his forces had eavesdropped on communications between Syrian Air Force pilots and their bases, which confirmed that Russian warplanes were aloft. His group, the Izza Gathering, is one of the remaining fragments of the loosely-knit Free Syrian Army, relatively secular groups that have received some Western support.
In his comments, Mr. Putin said that the only long-term solution for Syria was through political change and dialogue between the opposition and the government. “I know that President Assad understands that and is ready for this process,” Mr. Putin said. He added that Russia hoped Mr. Assad would make “compromises in the name of his country and his people.” Mr. Earnest said the Pentagon had not determined who the targets were. “We have a variety of ways, particularly given our presence in the region, to evaluate exactly what Russia’s military operations are resulting in,” he said, “and that’s something our Department of Defense is looking into.”
In Syria, the state-run news media strongly endorsed the move by Russia. Supporters of Mr. Assad seemed particularly pleased that Russia was sending military aid because they felt his endorsement at the United Nations two days ago was a bit tepid. The attacks, according to state-run television and rebel sources, occurred north of Homs and into Hama Province. Recent advances in Hama by a coalition of insurgents opposed to Mr. Assad as well as to the Islamic State have posed new threats to the coastal Alawite heartland where Mr. Assad enjoys his strongest support. That coalition has a range of groups including the Nusra Front, Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria; less extremist Islamist groups, and relatively secular groups like Mr. Saleh’s.
The vote by the upper chamber, the Federation Council, was unanimous, 162 to 0. Although such approval is generally considered a rubber stamp, a similar vote preceded the deployment of Russian forces in Ukraine in March 2014, including to Crimea, which Russia annexed. In his comments, Mr. Putin said that the only long-term solution for Syria was through political change and dialogue between the opposition and the government. “I know that President Assad understands that and is ready for this process,” Mr. Putin said. He said Russia hoped Mr. Assad would make “compromises in the name of his country and his people.”
The Federation Council withdrew that approval in late June 2014. After that, Russia described any soldiers fighting in southeastern Ukraine as “volunteers,” although Ukraine and its Western supporters continued to accuse Russia of deploying its forces across the border. The United States has long held that Mr. Assad, who has presided over a war that has killed well over 200,000 Syrians, many at the hands of his security forces, must step down before a stable peace can be achieved. Lately, President Obama has added some nuance, saying that Mr. Assad could be part of a “managed transition” to a new government.
The Russian authorization of force on Wednesday came just two days after Mr. Putin and President Obama met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where they clashed over Syria. Mr. Putin says Mr. Assad is a bulwark against the Islamic State, while Mr. Obama says the Syrian war cannot be resolved until Mr. Assad leaves. In Syria, the state-run news media strongly endorsed the move by Russia. Supporters of Mr. Assad seemed particularly pleased that Moscow was sending military aid because they felt his endorsement at the United Nations two days ago was a bit tepid.
Mr. Putin called for a grand international coalition to fight the Islamic State, saying in his speech at the United Nations that the world needed to support Mr. Assad and Kurdish forces fighting on the ground in order to defeat the Islamic State, much as the world fought Hitler during World War II. But Mr. Obama emphasized that the United States wants Mr. Assad to leave office, a position seconded by crucial allies in the region, like Saudi Arabia. The two countries agreed to coordinate flights in the region, since Western warplanes have been flying missions against the Islamic State for a year. Mr. Kerry said the Obama administration would welcome “any genuine effort” by Moscow to target the Islamic State and Jabhet al-Nusra, a rebel group linked to Al Qaeda. But Mr. Kerry made clear that the United States would have “grave concerns” if the Russians bombed other moderate rebel groups.
The Federation Council vote came on the same day the government announced intensive maneuvers involving MI-28 attack helicopters and others in southern Russia. He also called for a revival of a stalled United Nations-led peace process, with the understanding that Mr. Assad must “decline to be part of its long-term future.” Any international effort to broker a political deal would be seen as “a farce” if it sustained Mr. Assad’s hold on power, Mr. Kerry added.
The Russian airstrikes came the same day the government announced intensive maneuvers involving Mi-28 attack helicopters and others in southern Russia.
Mr. Putin harbors both international and domestic reasons for interfering in Syria.Mr. Putin harbors both international and domestic reasons for interfering in Syria.
On the international front, he wants to restore Russian influence as a global power and to try to force an end to the diplomatic and financial isolation the West imposed after Moscow seized Crimea and supported separatists in southeastern Ukraine. He also wants to maintain control over Russia’s naval station at Tartus, in Syria, its only remaining overseas military base outside the former Soviet Union. On the international front, he wants to restore Russian influence as a global power and try to force an end to the diplomatic and financial isolation the West imposed after Moscow seized Crimea and supported separatists in southeastern Ukraine. He also wants to maintain control over Russia’s naval station at Tartus, in Syria, its only remaining overseas military base outside the former Soviet Union.
Domestically, he wants to draw attention away from the Ukraine conflict and the troubles it has caused, as well as to burnish his image as an international man of action who solves problems. Domestically, he wants to draw attention away from the Ukraine conflict and the troubled Russian economy, as well as to burnish his image as an international man of action who solves problems.
“Geopolitics and the desire to protect Russia’s influence in the Mediterranean is the main motive,” said Alexei Makarkin, the deputy director of the Center for Political Technologies. “The second motive is to limit the flow of Islamic State recruiters into Russia.”“Geopolitics and the desire to protect Russia’s influence in the Mediterranean is the main motive,” said Alexei Makarkin, the deputy director of the Center for Political Technologies. “The second motive is to limit the flow of Islamic State recruiters into Russia.”
For weeks, the United States said that Russia was deploying military equipment and soldiers to a Syrian airfield near Latakia. Russian officials said the cargo carriers flying to the site were delivering humanitarian aid. Russian surveillance drones have been sighted over parts of Syria where other rebel groups are deployed, specifically those around Aleppo in Idlib Province that threaten Latakia. Drone activity has been absent in northeast Syria, where Islamic State militants controls major urban centers.
Russian surveillance drones have been sighted over parts of Syria where other rebel groups are deployed, specifically those in Idlib Province that threaten Latakia. To American officials, the drone flights confirmed suspicions that Russia’s primary purpose in Syria is to bolster the fortunes of Mr. Assad’s deteriorating forces, not to fight terrorism. Military experts in Moscow, however, suggested that Russian drones lack the range to reach northeastern Syria, but had to stay within range of their base in Latakia, on the Mediterranean.
Russian drone flights have concentrated on northwestern Syria, over Idlib Province, where rebels threaten the gates to Latakia. Drone activity has been absent in northeast Syria, where Islamic State militants controls major urban centers.
That use of drones led some American officials to speculate that the Russians were not going to target Islamic State militants, but rather other opponents of the government. Drone experts in Moscow, however, suggested that the Russians did not have long-range drones, only drones that cannot wander too far from their Latakia base and hence keep an eye on its surroundings.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz, quoting anonymous Israeli officials, reported that Russia had also informed Israeli security officials about an hour before the aerial strikes in Syria. Last week Mr. Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel agreed to create a coordination mechanism to avoid confrontation between Israeli and Russian aircraft over Syria.The Israeli newspaper Haaretz, quoting anonymous Israeli officials, reported that Russia had also informed Israeli security officials about an hour before the aerial strikes in Syria. Last week Mr. Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel agreed to create a coordination mechanism to avoid confrontation between Israeli and Russian aircraft over Syria.
Russia had already said it would establish an information center in Baghdad so that Iran, Iraq and Syria could pool intelligence about the Islamic State, which controls wide stretches of territory in Iraq and Syria.Russia had already said it would establish an information center in Baghdad so that Iran, Iraq and Syria could pool intelligence about the Islamic State, which controls wide stretches of territory in Iraq and Syria.