MOSCOW (Reuters) - Six long-range Russian bombers launched an air strike against Islamic State positions in Syria’s Deir al-Zor province on Monday, destroying two command points and several arms storehouses, the Interfax news agency reported, citing Russia’s Defence Ministry.

Related Coverage Syria warns against safe zones set up without its consent</s>SOUTHWEST ASIA, Jan. 29, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 15 strikes consisting of 24 engagements in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed an oil truck and two oil wellheads.

-- Near Bab, a strike destroyed an ISIL headquarters building and a bunker.

-- Near Raqqah, Twelve strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units; destroyed seven bridges, an ISIL headquarters building and a fighting position; damaged a supply route.

Attack and fighter aircraft conducted two strikes consisting of five engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Mosul, two strikes destroyed an ISIL anti-air artillery system, a fighting position and two barges; suppressed two mortar teams; damaged three supply routes.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.</s>Russian long-range bombers have destroyed two Islamic State command centers, along with weapons and ammunition depots in Syria's Deir ez-Zor province - the latest in a series of strikes against the jihadists in the area, the Russian Defense Ministry has announced."On January 30, six Tu-22M3 long-range bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces took off from an airfield located in the territory of the Russian Federation, flew over territories of Iraq and Iran, and carried out an airstrike on ISIS terrorists' targets in the Deir ez-Zor province of the Syrian Arab Republic," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.The precision strikes targeted and destroyed two Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) command centers, weapons and ammunition depots in addition to jihadist manpower, according to the statement. Sukhoi-30SM and Sukhoi-35S fighter jets from the Khmeimim air base provided protection for the Russian bombers.The strikes against the designated targets were confirmed by "impartial monitoring" means. Upon completion of their mission all Russian planes returned to bases safely, the Defense Ministry said.Following the liberation of Aleppo in December, Syrian government forces are now focusing their efforts in expelling terrorists from the city of Deir ez-Zor, that has been under IS control since July 2014.Most of the city and its countryside is under the IS terrorists' sway, but government troops are still holding out in several neighborhoods in the western part of the city and command the military airport.Deir ez-Zor's military airport, controlled by elite units from the Syrian Republican Guard, has withstood repeated assaults by IS over the years. Last week, IS extremists encircled the military airfield threatening to capture the last line of defense of the Syrian army.Now the Syrian army and the National Defense Forces (NDF), backed by Russian warplanes, have been focusing on repelling a large-scale attack launched by the terrorists in the oil-rich province.Government forces continued to battle terrorist positions on Monday on the southern outskirts of the city, inflicting massive damage, Sana reports . Besides Russian air power, the Syrian air force has also targeted IS positions in the area.The Province of Deir ez-Zor is of strategic importance for IS because it serves as the backbone of the country's petroleum extraction industry. The province also links IS terrorist units to the group's Iraqi capital of Raqqa.</s>"On January 30, 2017, six strategic Tu-22M3 bombers took off in Russia, flew over Iraq and Iran, and carried out a group air attack on new Daesh targets in the Deir ez-Zor province," it reads.

"The destruction of all designated targets has been confirmed by the means of objective monitoring," the ministry said.

"Su-30SM and Su-35S fighters, which had taken off from the Hmeymim airbase in Syria, provided air cover for the bombers," it added.

The Russian aircraft safely returned to their home bases after the mission.

Commenting on the development of the situation in the area, the Russian General Staff said that if terrorists capture Deir ez-Zor, civilians will be subjected to genocide and the population may be completely exterminated.

The city of Deir ez-Zor, which is still held by Syrian government forces, has been under Daesh's siege since July 2014. The residents of Deir ez-Zor and the servicemen receive food only via planes delivering humanitarian aid.

Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war, with government forces fighting against numerous opposition and terrorist groups, including al-Nusra Front and Daesh, banned in a range of countries, including Russia.</s>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Six long-range Russian bombers launched an air strike against Islamic State positions in Syria's Deir al-Zor province on Monday, destroying two command points and several arms storehouses, the Interfax news agency reported, citing Russia's Defence Ministry.</s>Russian bombers launched a third day of air strikes against militants in Syria from an Iranian air base, the Russian defence ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry said Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and Su-34 fighter bombers struck Islamic State targets in the Syrian province of Deir al-Zor.

It said the military aircraft had taken off from bases in both Russia and Iran and destroyed six command posts and a large number of fighters and military equipment.

All the Russian planes returned to base after the strikes, the defence ministry said.</s>The Russian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that long-range Russian bombers based in Iran had struck a number of targets inside Syria.

Russia's state-backed Rossiya 24 channel reported earlier on Tuesday that the Kremlin had deployed Tupolev-22 bombers at an air base near the Iranian city of Hamadan to carry out air strikes against militants in Syria.</s>Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that an aid convoy in Syria had not been hit by the Russian or Syrian air force, adding that Russian military officials were making checks into the incident.

The ministry also said that warehouses where the aid was being unloaded had come "under the impact of fire", adding that the source of the blaze had not yet been determined.</s>“WFP resumed airdrop deliveries to Deir Ezzor city yesterday. Operations had suspended 15 January due to security conditions,” WFP said on its Twitter page.

The organization noted it was using an “alternative drone zone.”

“Airdrops so far supported 93,500 people in need,” WFP added.

The city of Deir ez-Zor and the nearby air base have been under siege of the Daesh terrorists, outlawed in Russia and a number of other states, for over four years, with food and ammunition delivered to residents only by air.

Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed!</s>Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson welcomed a U.S.-Russian ceasefire agreement on Syria in a telephone call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Monday and said London was ready to help make it work, Russia's Foreign Ministry said.

Johnson and Lavrov also agreed to meet on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York this month, the ministry said.
The Russian Defence Ministry says six Russian bombers hit ISIL positions in Syria's Deir ez-Zor Governorate.