Russia launches a big operation against Islamist terrorists in Homs, Idlib

DEBKAfile was founded by a team of journalists in June 2000 as an independent Internet Web site, providing an intelligence and security news service. November 15, 2016, 4:43 PM (IDT)

“Today we launched a large-scale operation against Islamic State and Al-Nusra terrorist positions in the provinces of Idlib and Homs,” Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Tuesday  at a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the top leadership of the Russian Armed Forces.. Sukho Su-33 fighter jets took off from the ‘Admiral Kuznetsov’ aircraft carrier, the first time that this flagship of the Russian Navy, has taken part in a military operation, he said. Cruise missiles were also fired from the frigate ‘Admiral Grigorovich.”
Shoigu added: “The main targets of the strikes are warehouses with ammunition, [terrorist] gatherings and terrorist training centers, as well as plants for the production of various kinds of weapons of mass destruction.” He stressed that they were actual factories, not merely workshops.

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