Russia Air Strikes In Syria Launched Again, Is World War 3 Coming?
Russia has launched new air strikes in Syria. The warplanes sent by President Vladimir Putin began flying over both the northwestern and western regions of the country on Thursday evening. A report by a Syrian military source on state television said a total of 18 Russian air strikes occurred in the provinces of Aleppo, Hama, and Idlib.
The Russian air strikes in Syria were targeting Islamic State (ISIS) targets, the state television report claimed. The Russian warplanes were spotted, at least in part, above the same area already hit earlier this week, where U.S. officials say ISIS has little to no presence, MSN reports. Iran has reportedly been mustering troops into Syria as well.
VIDEO: Footage shows second day of airstrikes in Syria: http://t.co/hocyLYDICR
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 1, 2015
Insurgents in the provinces of Idlib and Hama are reportedly primarily from the rebel groups fighting against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The rebel groups are said to also have a stronghold in the Aleppo province, where ISIS also operates. According to a statement by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Russian air strikes have killed approximately 12 ISIS fighters in Raqqa. The province has largely been under the control of the Islamic State for nearly a year.
Russian Airstrikes Kick-Off War in Syria http://t.co/mumNTZEprI pic.twitter.com/aaAI7V0X08
— NEWSL (@NewSonsLiberty) October 1, 2015
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Russia has been beefing up its nuclear arsenal over the course of the past year. In June, President Vladimir Putin announced plans to add more than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles to the country’s arsenal in 2015. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said that NATO is provoking a “new arms race” during a military and arms fair.
Vladimir Putin issued his nuclear arsenal statement just one day after Russian military officials lambasted the United States’ plan to station “tanks and heavy weapons” along the nation’s border.
“More than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles able to overcome even the most technically advanced anti-missile defense systems will be added to the make-up of the nuclear arsenal this year,” Putin said during an address at the same military fair.
Tensions between Russia and America have increased since the former Soviet Union took control of the Crimea region in the Ukraine. During 2012, President Barack Obama mocked Republican candidate Mitt Romney for referring to Russia as America’s biggest geopolitical foe. The 15-second clip of President Obama saying “the 1980s called and want their foreign policy back” has gone viral once again and has been shown during multiple newscasts.
Russian General Valery Gerasimov said that continued support for the country’s “strategic nuclear forces” help to ensure Putin’s military capability continues to grow and will thwart any efforts by NATO and the United states from garnering military superiority over the former Soviet Union. Earlier this summer, Putin vowed to possess the strongest military in the world by 2020.
“Western countries are actively using new forms of aggression, combining military as well as non-military means. Political, economic and information methods are also being used,” General Valery Gerasimov added.
Russia has allegedly threatened to use cyber attacks, as well as non-military and military response up to and including a nuclear option, to prevent an increase in NATO forces in the Baltic States, the Inquisitr previously reported. The possibility that Russian cyber hackers attempted to garner entry to Hillary Clinton’s email server are currently being investigated.
What do you think about the new Russian air strikes in Syria? Is Vladimir Putin preparing for World War 3?
[Image via IanC66/Shutterstock.com]
