Russian forces intercept 13 Israeli missiles over Syria's Tartus amid heightened tensions

Russian Armed Forces have shot down 13 Israeli missiles in Syrian airspace during an attempted Israeli airstrike on the city of Tartus, located on the Mediterranean coast.

Information, sourced from various Russian outlets, remains unconfirmed, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Historically, Russia has avoided using its air defence systems to counter Israeli, Turkish, and Western missile attacks. However, the strategic importance of Tartus increases the likelihood of Russian air defences being activated in this instance.

The air defence systems stationed at Khmeimim include the long-range S-400 and S-300V4, as well as the medium-range BuK-M2 and the short-range Pantsir-S, alongside various electronic warfare assets.

While Israeli missile strikes typically employ subsonic missiles, the S-400 and S-300V4 are capable of intercepting hypersonic targets exceeding Mach 8, with engagement ranges reaching up to 400 kilometres.

Should either system have engaged Israeli missiles, it would mark their first kinetic use in the Syrian theatre. Due to a limited number of modern fifth-generation fighters and a relatively small fleet of fourth-generation aircraft, Russia relies heavily on ground-based air defence in Syria to counter the larger forces of Israel and Türkiye.

Note that, the Russian military maintains a significant presence in Syria, particularly in the western province of Latakia, centred around Khmeimim Airbase and a naval facility in Tartus. These locations have become strategically vital for Russia, with Khmeimim Airbase recently expanded to accommodate strategic bombers capable of deploying nuclear-capable missiles against NATO's southern flank.

By Aghakazim Guliyev