Moscow on Tuesday made further reinforcements at its Hmeimim Air Base in Syria’s Latakia province, after several drones with improvised explosive devices have targeted the military airport.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced it has provided the base with an amended version of the Pantsir missile system, a family of self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile systems.
It said the previous Pantsir version had failed to repel attacks.
On Tuesday, Russian newspaper Izvestia released details on the measures taken by the Russian Defense Ministry to enhance the Hmeimim Air Base’s defensive powers, after discovering gaps in their level of protection from close range weapons.
The Ministry’s measures came as Syrian regime troops enhanced their presence in Latakia and in the province of Idlib.
Damascus is preparing to launch a military operation in Idlib amid diplomatic efforts led by Moscow and Ankara to reach an agreement on the province.
Separately, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday that Druze community elders in Sweida assigned on Tuesday several people to a committee tasked with negotiating the release of kidnapped men and women from the province.
On July 25, ISIS launched coordinated attacks in the southern province, causing over 250 victims. ISIS members also kidnapped about thirty women and children, while at least 17 men went unaccounted for.
“Due to the present circumstances ... a negotiating committee is formed with regard to the abductees of the Sweida province,” a statement issued by the Druze elders said.
It added that the work of the committee is limited to following up the case of the captives and reaching out to the concerned authorities to secure their release and return them to their families unharmed.
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