Russian long-range bombers strike Syrian insurgents out of Iran

Russian warplanes for the first time flew out from an Iranian air base on Tuesday to carry out air raids in war-torn Syria, as the two backers of the Assad regime expand their ties.

A Russian defence ministry said in an online statement that Su-34 and Tu-22M3 bombers took off from the Hamedan air base in western Iran to attack Islamic State group [IS] and Nusra Front militants in Aleppo, Deir ez-Zour and Idlib.

The strikes resulted in the destruction of "five large warehouses with weapons, ammunition and fuel" and jihadist training camps near Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, the village of Saraqeb in the Idlib region and al-Bab, an IS-held town in Aleppo province, the statement said.

The ministry also released video footage of Russian bombers carrying out the air raids over Syria.

The announcement marks a major development in Russia's Syrian bombing campaign, as it has never before used facilities in Iran for its operations in the Arab country.

Russia has used the Modzok air base in the Caucasus for its long-range bombers and the Khmeimim air base in Syria's Latakia province for its front-line bombers.

The move to Iran will reduce flight times to Syria, where Moscow has been militarily supporting long-time ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since last September.

Al-Masdar News on Monday released the first images of the Russian warplanes stationed at the Hamedan Air Base in western Iran.

Iran's National Security Council has confirmed that Iran will share facilities with Russia in fight against terrorism in Syria, Iranian state media reported.

On a related note, Iraqi official sources confirmed Tuesday to The New Arab that Baghdad will continue to allow Russia to use Iraqi airspace for missions in Syria. Russian cruise missiles traversed Iraqi airspace in the past to strike targets in its neighbouring war-ravaged nation.

Iran and Russia are the two firmest backers of the Assad regime and have opposed international calls for the Syrian leader to step down in a bid to resolve a civil war that has killed more than 290,000 people since it erupted in March 2011.

Russia has been accused by human rights group of repeatedly using incendiary weapons in "disgraceful" attacks on civilians in northern Syria in violation of international law.

Human Rights Watch released a report on Tuesday that said it had documented the use of incendiary weapons at least 18 times since June that had resulted in more than a dozen injuries.

The weapons were used widely during the Vietnam war and are banned by the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

At least 2,704 Syrian civilians, including 746 children and 514 women, have been killed in suspected Russian air aids since the intervention began in September, according to The Syrian Human Rights Network

Russia and Iran have been expanding their ties in the past months after most of the sanctions against Iran were lifted.

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