Iran allowed Russian warplanes to take off from its territory to strike opposition targets in Syria. “The Russians are showing they have options in Syria,” said Andrew Tabler, a Syria expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Russia and Iran have strongly backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the civil war, with rebel groups supported by the U.S. and allies such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia. When Russia intervened militarily in Syria last August, the West claimed privately that its action would ultimately sideline Iran and its proxy Hezbollah force in Syria, making Mr. Assad more conciliatory in a peace process. It is virtually unheard of in recent Iranian history for a foreign power to use an Iranian base to stage attacks.

Source: The Hindu August 17, 2016 18:56 UTC