The Syrian military has used drones supplied by Russia to target jihadist fighters from the so-called Islamic State in northern Aleppo province, according to security sources.
The Russian drones have bombed the area around Kweiris airport in eastern Aleppo, which is under attack from IS, according to the unnamed security sources cited by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
“For the first time, the army today used drones received from Moscow in operations against extremists in the north and east of the country,” the UK-based watchdog cited a security source in Damascus as saying on Wednesday.
The source said did not elaborate on the type of drones used or say exactly where they were deployed.
The deployment came amid a Russian military build-up in Syria, over which the United States has expressed deep concern.
It also comes a day after a senior military official said Damascus had received new weaponry from Russia, including at least five fighter jets.
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s forces have stepped up air strikes in the past week, killing at least 38 IS fighters in central Syria, especially Palmyra, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The monitor relies for its information on a network of activists and doctors inside Syria.
