Armed attack on Russian Hmeimim airbase in Syria, casualties reported
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An unidentified armed group attacked the Russian Hmeimim Airbase in Latakia, sparking clashes and communication outages.
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A Russian fighter jet taxi on the tarmac of the Hmeimim Air Base, a Syrian airbase currently operated by Russia, located southeast of the city of Latakia in the town of Hmeimim, Syria, on Monday, Dec.16, 2024 (AP)
An armed group launched an attack on the perimeter of the Russian Hmeimim airbase in the countryside of Syria's Latakia on Tuesday morning, leading to violent clashes with the base's garrison, where machine guns were used, according to local sources.
The sources confirmed that the sounds of clashes were heard in several villages near the airport, which prompted school administrations in the area to suspend scheduled exams for the day to ensure the safety of students.
#بالفيديو.. مجموعة مسلحة تهاجم قاعدة حميميم الروسية في #سوريا.#الميادين pic.twitter.com/y0NPgy9hQO
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) May 20, 2025
Residents also reported that the Russian base conducted large-scale jamming operations on communication networks, causing near-total outages in the surrounding area for several consecutive hours.
Preliminary reports indicate the clashes resulted in fatalities on both sides, including Russian troops, however, neither the Russian Defense Ministry nor the Syrian authorities have issued any official statement so far.
Russia denounces ethnic violence in Syria
Russia has raised serious concerns over growing ethnic violence in Syria, where armed groups are attacking civilians along sectarian lines, as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov highlighted during an Orthodox Easter event while warning of the alarming Middle East situation, particularly in Syria.
“The situation in the Middle East is particularly troubling, especially in Syria, where groups of radical militants commit real acts of ethnic cleansing and mass executions on ethnic and religious grounds,” Lavrov stated.
Lavrov also criticized Western countries, alleging they deliberately ignore atrocities that don't threaten their geopolitical interests.
“It’s astounding how easily the West fails to notice numerous crimes in various parts of the world as long as those crimes don’t prevent the West from promoting its global agenda, clinging to its elusive dominance, and trying to continue living at the expense of others,” he stated.
Fears grow in Syria over hardline factions
Syria has been facing escalating sectarian tensions as hardline factions target minority communities, despite the government's alleged efforts to restore stability, with recent attacks and harassment of Christians, Druze, and Alawites, sparking fear and protests in different areas of Syria.
The Murshidiyya sect has sounded the alarm that they might be "next after attacks on Druze and Alawites," calling on Syria's government to ensure equal treatment for all sects and crack down on unauthorized armed groups undermining stability.
Thousands of members of the Murshidiyya sect staged a silent sit-in protest in the towns of al-Ghassaniya and al-Aqrabiya in the countryside of al-Qusayr west of Homs, condemning the abuses committed by hardline faction members against residents, including physical assaults, death threats, and spreading hateful sectarian rhetoric.
Residents of the town of Shattha in northwestern Hama had earlier held protests condemning harassment committed by hardline factions, one of which maintains a headquarters near the surrounding areas of the town, while demanding that the state return all armed factions to military barracks.
