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INSIDE THE WAR ZONE

Horrifying images reveal extent of fighting in Syria’s war torn Aleppo as Russia teams up with Iran to blitz ISIS

Russian airstrikes from Iran mark the first time the country has used another base to target IS fighters

RUSSIAN warplanes have targeted Islamic State fighters from an Iranian base in an unprecedented move that has widened Moscow's bombing campaign in Syria.

The long-range bombers took off from near the Iranian city of Hamedan, around 175 miles southwest of the Iranian capital on Tuesday, striking targets in three provinces in northern and eastern Syria.

 A locally built cannon firing at the regime forces in Aleppo, Syria
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A locally built cannon firing at the regime forces in Aleppo, SyriaCredit: Splash News
 Syrian medics treat a man at a makeshift hospital in the Tariq al-Bab neighbourhood of Aleppo, after he was wounded during reported air raids that targeted rebel-held areas in the northern city
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Syrian medics treat a man at a makeshift hospital in the Tariq al-Bab neighbourhood of Aleppo, after he was wounded during reported air raids that targeted rebel-held areas in the northern cityCredit: Getty Images

A wave of airstrikes on the rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo killed at least 15 civilians and wounded many others on Tuesday but it is not clear whether the strikes were those carried out by the Russian or Syrian government’s airforce.

It is virtually unheard of in Iran's recent history to allow a foreign power to use one of its bases to stage attacks from.

Russia has also never used the territory of another country in the Middle East for its operations inside Syria, where it has been carrying out an aerial campaign in support of President Bashar Assad's government for nearly a year.

The announcement suggests cooperation on the highest levels between Moscow and Tehran, both key allies of the embattled president.

 A Free Syria Army member seen fighting in the heavy battle in Aleppo neighbourhood of Sheikh Maksoud
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A Free Syria Army member seen fighting in the heavy battle in Aleppo neighbourhood of Sheikh MaksoudCredit: Splash News
 Free Syria Army fighters aiming at Russian fighter jets using anti-aircraft artillery
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Free Syria Army fighters aiming at Russian fighter jets using anti-aircraft artilleryCredit: Alamy
 Clashes are currently taking place between the Free Syrian Army and the regime Army in the eastern outskirts of Aleppo
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Clashes are currently taking place between the Free Syrian Army and the regime Army in the eastern outskirts of AleppoCredit: Splash News

It comes a day after Russia's defense minister said Moscow and Washington are edging closer to an agreement on Syria that would help defuse the situation in the besieged northern city of Aleppo.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the agreement would “allow us to find common ground and start fighting together for bringing peace to that territory,” adding that Russian representatives are “in a very active stage of talks with our American colleagues.”

A U.S. official said, however, that discussions with the Russians are still ongoing and no agreement is close. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media about the ongoing talks.

Russia and the United States have been discussing greater coordination for striking extremists in Syria, but they have been unable to reach agreement on which militant groups could be targeted.

Russia has criticized what it describes as U.S. reluctance to persuade the Syrian opposition groups it supports to withdraw from areas controlled by al-Qaida's branch in Syria.

In Tehran, the state-run IRNA news agency quoted Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, as saying that Tehran and Moscow have exchanged “capacity and possibilities” in the fight against the Islamic State group.

Shamkhani said: “With constructive and extended cooperation between Iran, Russia and Syria and the resistance front (Hezbollah), the situation has become very tough for terrorists and the trend will continue until the complete destruction of them.”

Russia and Iran have been expanding their ties in the past months after most of the sanctions against Iran were lifted following the nuclear deal with world powers that put restricted Iran's nuclear program from weapons-grade capability.

A top Russian lawmaker, Adm. Vladimir Komoyedov, said Russia's decision to use a base in Iran will help to cut costs, which is “paramount right now.”

The Russian ministry's statement issued said Su-34 and Tu-22M3 bombers took off earlier in the day to target Islamic State and the Nusra Front militants in Aleppo, as well as in Deir el-Zour and Idlib, destroying five major ammunition depots, training camps and three command posts.

 Fighters from the Free Syrian Army fire rockets at the regimes positions during the clashes
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Fighters from the Free Syrian Army fire rockets at the regimes positions during the clashesCredit: Splash News
 In the process, the Free Syrian Army and Ahrar as-Sham have moved from a defence to an attack and advancement strategy in the area
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In the process, the Free Syrian Army and Ahrar as-Sham have moved from a defence to an attack and advancement strategy in the areaCredit: Splash News
 Syrian men stand next to a body bag in front of a makeshift hospital in the Tariq al-Bab neighbourhood of Aleppo, following reported air raids that targeted rebel-held areas in the northern city on August 16
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Syrian men stand next to a body bag in front of a makeshift hospital in the Tariq al-Bab neighbourhood of Aleppo, following reported air raids that targeted rebel-held areas in the northern city on August 16Credit: Getty Images
 A resident of the Tariq al-Bab neighbourhood of Aleppo, inspects the damage caused by reported air raids
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A resident of the Tariq al-Bab neighbourhood of Aleppo, inspects the damage caused by reported air raidsCredit: Getty Images

The Nusra Front is al-Qaida's branch in Syria. However, the group recently announced it was changing its name to Fath al-Sham and severing ties with the global terror network in an apparent attempt to evade Russian and U.S.-led airstrikes. Russia and the U.S. have dismissed the name change as window-dressing.

The Russian Defense Ministry released a video showing a Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bomber dropping bombs in strikes described as “terrorist objects in Syria.”

The nearest air base to Hamedan is Shahid Nojeh Air Base, some 31 miles north of the city. The base has seen Russian aircraft land there before. A report in December by the American Enterprise Institute, based off satellite imagery, suggested the air base saw a Russian Su-34 "Fullback" strike fighter land there in late November. It said a Russian Il-76 "Candid" transport plane also landed there around the same time before both took off, suggesting the Su-34 may have suffered a mechanical issue.

 Rebels aiming at Russian fighter jets with it recently revealed Russia was not using a base in Iran to target Islamic State fighters
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Rebels aiming at Russian fighter jets with it recently revealed Russia was not using a base in Iran to target Islamic State fightersCredit: Splash News
 The rebels have recaptured positions previously taken by the Syrian government
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The rebels have recaptured positions previously taken by the Syrian governmentCredit: Splash News
 An image from Russian Defense Ministry video footage that was issued 16 August 2016, showing a Tu-22M3 long-range bomber in flight after releasing its payload above Syria
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An image from Russian Defense Ministry video footage that was issued 16 August 2016, showing a Tu-22M3 long-range bomber in flight after releasing its payload above SyriaCredit: RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY

The report described the air base as “quite large with a 15,000-foot runway, extensive taxiways and multiple hangars and bunkers all seemingly in good repair”. It said it is “ideal for providing covert ground support to Russian combat missions.”

Iran's constitution, ratified after its 1979 Islamic Revolution, bans the establishment of any foreign military base in the country. However, nothing bars Iranian officials from allowing foreign countries to use an airfield.

 The rebels have recaptured positions previously taken by the Syrian government forces in the Handarat Palestinian refugee camp in the northern Syrian town of Aleppo
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The rebels have recaptured positions previously taken by the Syrian government forces in the Handarat Palestinian refugee camp in the northern Syrian town of AleppoCredit: Splash News

The announcement from Russia marks the first significant stationing of its troops there since World War II, when allied British and Soviet forces invaded Iran to secure oil fields and keep Allied supply lines open.

Russia says its bombing campaign in Syria is focused on extremist groups but it has frequently struck other, including more moderate rebels fighting Assad's forces.

Last week, Russian bombers launched a wave of airstrikes on the city of Raqqa, the Islamic State group's de factor capital in northern Syria, killing at least 20 civilians according to Syrian opposition activists.


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