IRIAF combat aircraft, units escorting RuAF strategic aviation against ISIL

Illustration by Babak Taghvaee (click to enlarge) detailing IRIAF escort of RuAF strategic aviation transiting Iran to attack ISIL, Al-Qaeda (AQ) and AQ-aligned armed groups in Syria. From Mr. Taghvaee's observations, the following Iranian combat aircraft types, units and base locations include:

IRIAF Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29B (9-12B) air superiority fighters (x2)
11th Tactical Fighter Squadron
Shahid Lashkari Tactical Air Base (TAB-1) – Tehran

IRIAF McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II fighter-bombers (x4)
31st Tactical Fighter Squadron
Shahid Nojeh Tactical Air Base (TAB-3) – Hamedan

IRIAF Grumman F-14A Tomcat air superiority fighters (x4)
81st/82nd Tactical Fighter Squadron
Shahid Babei Tactical Air Base (TAB-8) – Isfahan

File photo by Rahim Sharafi: IRIAF McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II of 31st TFS from Shahid Nojeh Tactical Air Base (TAB-3) – Hamedan.

File photo by Babak Taghvaee: IRIAF Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29B (9-12B), serial 3-6133 of 11th TFS from Shahid Lashkari Tactical Air Base (TAB-1) – Tehran.

File photo by MohammadReza Izadi: IRIAF F-14A Tomcats of 81st/82nd TFS from Shahid Babei Tactical Air Base (TAB-8) – Isfahan.

Photo emerging 21NOV15 of errant RuAF Kh-101 ALCM that landed in Shush County, Khuzestan

UNSC unanimously adopts French-proposed resolution against ISIL

File photo: United Nations Security Council in session  [photo: UN.org]

According to the UN News Centre, dated 20NOV15:

The United Nations Security Council this evening called on all countries that can do so to take the war on terrorism to Islamic State-controlled territory in Syria and Iraq and destroy its safe haven, warning that the group intends to mount further terror attacks like those that devastated Paris and Beirut last week.

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-member body declared the group’s terrorist attacks abroad “a global and unprecedented threat to international peace and security” following the “horrifying terrorist attacks” it perpetrated recently in Sousse (Tunisia), Ankara (Turkey), over Sinai (Egypt) with the downing of a Russian plane, and in Beirut and Paris.

It warned that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), or Da’esh as it is also known, “has the capability and intention to carry out” further strikes and called upon “Member States that have the capacity to do so to take all necessary measures, in compliance with international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law” on its territory.

Condemning “in the strongest terms” ISIL and other terrorist groups in the region such Al-Nusrah Front, the Council Member States “to eradicate the safe haven they have established over significant parts of Iraq and Syria.”

It called on Member States to intensify efforts to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters to Iraq and Syria and to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism, and reaffirmed that those responsible for terrorist acts, violations of international humanitarian law or violations or abuses of human rights must be held accountable.

COMMENTARY: The full text of the resolution hadn't been uploaded by the UN at the time of this posting but it appears the the government of the Syrian Arab Republic was not condemned in the resolution, which is significant. According to Russia Today, dated 20NOV15:

Syria’s UN Ambassador, Bashar Ja’afari, hinted prior to Friday’s vote that this resolution was long overdue. “Welcome to everybody who finally woke up and joined the club of combating terrorists.”

Meanwhile, Russia is continuing its work on a draft resolution proposing international military campaigns to fight against Islamic State. The current text is an updated version of a document submitted on September 30.

Previously on 19NOV15 the UNGA human rights committee Thursday adopted a Saudi-proposed resolution condemning certain foreign interventions in Syria

According to Reuters, dated 19NOV15:

The U.N. General Assembly’s human rights committee Thursday adopted a Saudi-drafted resolution condemning Iranian and Russian intervention in Syria, a decision that the Syrian and Iranian delegations rejected as unhelpful and unjustified. The nonbinding resolution, authored by Saudi Arabia and sponsored by Qatar and other Arab nations, the United States and other Western powers, passed by the 193-nation assembly’s third committee.

There were 115 votes in favor, 15 against and 51 abstentions.

Without explicitly naming Russia, it said the General Assembly “strongly condemns all attacks against the Syrian moderate opposition and calls for their immediate cessation, given that such attacks benefit so-called ISIS and other terrorist groups, such as Al-Nusra Front.”

The resolution’s language is clearly aimed at Russia, which has been bombing opposition forces in Syria for two months. Moscow says it is attacking ISIS but Western officials say they have targeted other rebel forces and Western-backed groups.

The resolution also condemned the presence in Syria of “all foreign terrorist fighters ... and foreign forces fighting on behalf of the Syrian regime, particularly the Al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [of Iran] and other groups such as Hezbollah.”

[…]

The resolution demands foreign militias leave Syria immediately.

It also blasts ISIS and other Islamist militant groups for rights abuses and atrocities.

But most of the criticism in the resolution is aimed at the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whom Western and many Arab nations would like to see ousted.

COMMENTARY: Predictably, the Syrians and Iranians rejected the resolution. The Iranian response was put forward by Iran’s Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Gholam Hossein Dehqani. According to PressTV, dated 20NOV15:

Dehqani warned of the “adverse consequences” of the resolution on the UN reputation and said Iranian military forces are present in Syria upon an official request by the Syrian government to provide consultations to the war-hit country.

“Therefore, the adoption of such a text is a violation of international regulations and a breach of governments’ right to establish peace in their own territory,” the Iranian envoy pointed out.

He said such claims are aimed at taking revenge against forces that have so far played the most effective role in the battle against terrorism and extremism, adding that Daesh terrorists would have overran more areas in the Middle East in the absence of such forces.

The Iranian diplomat once again reiterated that the resolution would act as an award for extremists and terrorists as well as all those who use financial and logistical resources to spread extremist and terrorist ideologies.

The Syrian response was put forward by Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari. According to Reuters, dated 19NOV15:

Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari rejected the resolution and accused its Saudi authors of hypocrisy about what he said are widespread human rights in the kingdom. He referred to "decapitation and flogging in public squares," saying they were like abuses of Islamic State.

He accused the Saudis, along with Qatar and Turkey, of supporting what he said were terrorists in Syria.

The delegates of Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia rejected the charges.

Rouhani postposes trip to Paris, Zarif will attend Vienna talks

According to AFP:

Hassan Rouhani on Saturday postponed what would have been the first visit to Europe by an Iranian president in 10 years after attacks in Paris that he described as "crimes against humanity."

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who had been due to travel with Rouhani, told state television he would now instead head Iran's delegation to international talks on the Syrian conflict in Vienna.

[…]

Rouhani sent a message of condolence to French counterpart Francois Hollande on the shootings and bombings in Paris that left more than 120 people dead, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.

"In the name of the Iranian people, who have themselves been victims of terrorism, I strongly condemn these crimes against humanity and offer my condolences to the grieving French people and government," Rouhani said.

Zarif said the Paris attacks made the Vienna talks all the more important as world governments needed to work together to fight against the Islamic State group and other extremists.

"We must use the opportunity presented by these crimes to coordinate internationally," he said.

"The Paris events show once again that terrorism and extremism are an international threat and that international cooperation is necessary to fight this phenomenon."

COMMENTARY: Beirut was bombed two days ago, Paris yesterday and Baghdad today.

This writer stated at the onset of the 2014 Northern Iraq Offensive carried out by ISIL that regional rivalries between the United States and Iran should be set aside, with priority given towards the defeat of ISIL. This writer also pointed out the danger to Europe and particularly France, to Salafi Jihadist terror. Unfortunately the rivalry went on unabated and the terror strikes materialized.

The Russians and Iranians are currently engaged in an effective military campaign against armed Salafi Jihadists in Syria. It is hoped the parallel tracks of the U.S.-led coalition against ISIL can be made unified with that of the Russo-Iranian-Syrian-Iraqi-Lebanese alliance. That way forward offers the best prospect of defeating this threat, while the parallel track approach has proven highly inefficient.

The United States and Russia have reportedly exchanged preliminary lists of what they regard as terrorist groups in Syria. That's a positive step that should be built upon.

Russian Metrojet Crash: Mid-Air Explosion Suspected

Russian investigators have concluded that the Metrojet airliner that crashed on Saturday in Sinai had broken up in mid-air before crashing. The investigation also shows that the bodies of the passengers seated in the rear of the aircraft showed 90 percent burn, France24 reported. Both findings are consistent with a powerful mid-air explosion in the rear of the plane when it reached cruising altitude, causing fire that led to the severe burns and breaking up of the plane under the force of explosion.

Russia’s Interfax also reported that a cockpit recorder had picked up sounds of chaos in Metrojet 9268's final moments.

“Judging by the recording, a situation onboard developed suddenly and unexpectedly for the crew, and as a result the pilots did not manage to send a distress signal,” Interfax quoted an official familiar with the investigation. (Interfax/The Telegraph, 3 November)

Soon after the crash, the Islamic State in Sinai, the Egyptian affiliate of ISIL, took responsibility in the social media for bringing down the plane, which killed all 224 people aboard. In the past, ISIL has never taken responsibility for a terrorist act it did not commit, and its current claim should be taken seriously. If true, this could be Russia’s version of 9/11, with terrorists using aircraft to cause mass casualties.

Photo: Moscow memorial site for the victims of Metrojet crash (Telegtaph)

Syria: ISIL Cut Off Crucial Supply Line to Aleppo

The Islamic State militants have cut off a crucial supply line for Iran-led pro-government forces to the city of Aleppo late last week. The supply line through Safira, Khanaser and Anthriya was the only way to access regime-held neighborhoods in western Aleppo. The highway, however, remains highly contested, as it's the lifeline for the pro-regime forces. Sections of the main Damascus-Aleppo highway have been cut off for more than three years. (The Wall Street Journal, 27 October)

IRGC-led pro-government forces, under the command of Gen. Soleimani, and supported by Russian air force, launched offensives earlier this month against the opposition forces south of Aleppo and ISIL to the east of Syria’s largest city. The battles have been so fierce that so far the IRGC alone has lost more than 30 officers and servicemen, including three general officers.

In the past few days, the fighting between pro-government forces and ISIL has been under way around the town of Safira, 16 miles southeast of Aleppo, and farther south in Anthriya and Khanaser. Some opposition reports indicate that ISILis close to enter Safira proper. On Monday, ISIL captured a regime checkpoint on the stretch of the road between Anthriya and Khanaser.

It would be a major blow to pro-government forces if ISIL succeeds in holding on to its advances along the supply line and disrupts it or much longer. (The Wall Street Journal, 27 October)

Photo credit: Syria’s pro-government forces on the eastern outskirts of Aleppo; 24 October 2015 (George Ourfalian/APF/Getty Images/WSJ)

U.S. Commando Killed during Hostage Rescue in Iraq

U.S. Special Operators accompanying Kurdish Peshmerga today attacked Islamic States militants holding a building used as a prison near the town of Hawijiah, south of Kirkuk, and freed 70 hostages who faced “imminent mass execution,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said. An American Special Operator lost his life during the operation. U.S. forces thought to be from the elite Delta Force. 20 ISIL militants were killed during the operation.  

Photo credit: FP

Putin Meets Leaders of Saudi Arabia and UAE

Syria and Fight against ISIL on Top of Agenda

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting with Saudi Arabia Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman (top photo) and UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed (above) in Sochi, Russia; 11 October 2015 (President of Russia @KremlinRussia)

Rouhani articulates Iran's position on Syria and the war against ISIL/Al-Qaeda

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and President Hassan Rouhani, on 27SEP15 at the United Nations

According to Reuters:

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday fighting radical militants like Islamic State in Syria is the top priority and if they are to be defeated then President Bashar al-Assad's government "can't be weakened."

"This does not mean that the Syrian government does not need reform ... Of course it does," Rouhani told an audience of U.S. think-tanks and journalists on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, but he added that the removal of his ally Assad would turn Syria into an extremist safe haven.

Discussions of political reform in Syria should come after the threat of extremism in Syria has been removed.

Referring to air strikes by a U.S.-led coalition on Islamic State targets in Syria, Rouhani said defeating the militants was "not feasible through air operations only." He said Russia "is ready to fight terrorism" and shares the same desire to defeat the threat of Islamic State.

"If the priority is not to defeat terrorism, we are making a big mistake," Rouhani said.

He added that Russia's and Iran's positions on Syria were "almost identical."

Failing to address the problem of Islamic State properly and forcing out the government would result in the group taking control of Damascus, Rouhani said.

COMMENTARY: There is an unverified indication suggesting Iraq's Abadi government may have instituted denial of Russian supply aircraft traversing Iraqi airspace, bound for Syria.

The Rouhani administration perception of the American priority for the Syrian conflict remains regime change in Syria, rather than the defeat of ISIL and Al-Qaeda.

Iran's military and conservative establishment advance the perception still further, accusing the United States of outright support of ISIL and Al-Qaeda, which is something of a parallel track of accusation to that of United States charges levied against Iran for harboring and releasing five senior members of Al Qaeda earlier this year, including the man who stepped in to serve as the terrorist group’s interim leader immediately after Osama bin Laden’s death.

The beneficiaries to this lack of a unified international front remain ISIL and Al-Qaeda.

Meanwhile, IRNA reports Rouhani will cut short his visit to New York and return to Tehran for the funeral of Iranians killed in the haj tragedy in Saudi Arabia.

Italian Prime Minister Mateo Renzi with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, on 27SEP15 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on 27SEP15 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, on 27SEP15 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.

French President François Hollande with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, on 27SEP15 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.

Bolivian President Evo Morales with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, on 27SEP15 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, on 27SEP15 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.

Senegalese President Macky Sall with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, on 27SEP15 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.

Afghan CEO Abdullah Abdullah with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, on 27SEP15 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.

Photos: Islamic Republic News Agency

Russian-Iranian-Syrian-Iraqi military cooperation against ISIL

RuAF Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan at at Bassel al-Assad Airport, near Latakia, Syria

According to Reuters:

Iraq said on Saturday that its military officials were engaged in intelligence and security cooperation in Baghdad with Russia, Iran and Syria to counter the threat from the Islamic State militant group, a pact that could raise concerns in Washington.

A statement from the Iraqi military's joint operations command said the cooperation had come "with increased Russian concern about the presence of thousands of terrorists from Russia undertaking criminal acts with Daesh (Islamic State)."

The move could give Moscow more sway in the Middle East. It has stepped up its military involvement in Syria in recent weeks while pressing for Damascus to be included in international efforts to fight Islamic State, a demand Washington rejects.

COMMENTARY: News of this was first indicated by an anonymous American official last Friday. The next day, Iraqi Joint Forces Command issued statement confirming Russian, Iranian, Syrian and Iraqi military cooperation against ISIL.

From an objective military standpoint, such cooperation is logical. It's also possible maintaining of the logistical air bridge over Iraq to Syria was discussed.

An advantage of the Russians and Iranians in the war against Al-Qaeda and ISIL is possession of a reliable partner inside Syria. That reliable partner is the Syrian Arab Republic, a sovereign state recognized by the United Nations. Unfortunately, the United States lacks a reliable partner at anywhere near such a level inside Syria, with attempts to compose one so far rendering unsatisfactory results.

This move comes not only at a time where Russia has landed a significant military force into Syria, but also at a time where Baghdad is experiencing political crisis and military stalemate.

The move further enhances Russia and Iran's peace process for Syria, which will be the subject of discussion on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session now in progress.

It is even being said the Iranians may be included in discussions aimed at resolving the conflict in Yemen, a development a number of European high ranking officials recently advocated while visiting Tehran, seeking post-JCPOA economic ties.

Syrian Government Launches Air Raids on Raqqa

Syrian warplanes mounted several air strikes on the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa on Thursday. The government attacks on Raqqa, the de-facto ISIL capital in Syria, were the first in years and could signal a newly found sense of urgency in Damascus to confront ISIL as the main threat. The government in the past concentrated on fighting the moderate and hardline opposition forces, seemingly conceding eastern Syria to ISIL.

U.S.-led coalition air forces have been targeting Raqqa, waging waves of airstrikes on ISIL positions in the city.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Syrian military today mounted at least 11 air strikes on Raqqa. (Reuters, 17 September)

File photo: Raqqa after a U.S.-led airstrike on 5 July 2015 (CNN)