The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On October 27, 2023, the Syrian pro-opposition Damascus Voice news outlet reported, quoting "exclusive sources," that earlier that morning, a shipment of precision weapons arrived from Tehran at the Al-Shu'ayrat Airbase in Syria's Homs governorate on a civilian aircraft linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The sources were unable to determine if the passenger aircraft was Iranian or Syrian. The outlet added that Iran-backed militias at the airport mobilized during the landing and brought several trucks to transport the weapons out of the airport.
The Syrian regime's Al-Shu'ayrat Airbase, southeast of Homs
The sources added that the shipment was transferred to Lebanese Hizbullah via the Al-Qusayr border crossing. They further added that this is the first time Iran has used the Al-Shu'ayrat Airbase for weapons shipments since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas, although it has previously used the base for that purpose. According to Damascus Voice, Iran used the base, which is not intended for civilian aircraft, after Israeli strikes put the Damascus and Aleppo airports out of service several times within the past two weeks.
Damascus Voice published a 15-second video documenting the plane landing during the dawn hours.
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, which was launched by the militant Palestinian group in an October 7 surprise attack, there have been several reports from Syrian opposition sources claiming that airbases in Syria have seen the landing of Iranian aircraft linked to the IRGC and are being used by Iran to develop attack drones.[1] Within the past week, the Iran-backed "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" has claimed multiple rocket and drone attacks on U.S. bases in eastern Syria.[2]
[1] See MEMRI JTTM Reports: Syrian Organization: Iranian Cargo Plane Linked To The IRGC Has Landed At Russia's Khmeimim Air Base In Syria, October 16, 2023; and Syrian Opposition Website: Iran Is Developing And Producing Drones At The T-4 Airbase In Syria, October 17, 2023.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM Reports: Iran-Backed 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Three More Drone Attacks On U.S. Bases In Syria, October 23, 2023; Iran-Backed 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Two Rocket Attacks On U.S. Forces In Northeastern Syria, October 25, 2023; Iran-Backed 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Rocket Attack On U.S. Base In Syria, October 26, 2023; and Iran-Backed 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Drone Attack Against U.S. Forces In Al-Tanf Airbase In Southeastern Syria, October 28, 2023.
The full text of this post is available to subscribers.
Please login or register to request subscription information from MEMRI
