Notice: I supplied a lot of the data on this article by journalist Albin Szakola for The Nationwide, a number one English-language information service primarily based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Syria resumes sanctioned flights from Iran that US says are carrying weapons
– Damascus-owned cargo jet fleet paused operations due to Covid-19
Albin Szakola – April 21, 2020
A Syrian-government operated cargo jet fleet that the USA says is carrying weapons from Iran has resumed deliveries after a pause brought on by the outbreak of Covid-19.
On Monday afternoon Ilyushin IL-76 jet, registered as YK-ATA, flew to Latakia from Tehran Mehrabad Worldwide Airport, which is utilized by Iran’s air drive, aviation knowledge portal FlightRadar24 mentioned.
The flight was the primary in additional than a month from Iran by a fleet of cargo jets ostensibly operated by Syria Airways, the nation’s civilian flag provider, the web site mentioned.
On March 12, one other Ilyushin IL-76 jet, registered as YK-ATB, flew from Tehran to Damascus, the day after YK-ATA flew the identical route. Damascus Worldwide Airport introduced it was not accepting worldwide industrial visitors 10 days later.
Hours after YK-ATA touched down in Latakia, Syria’s Transport Ministry mentioned Syrian Airways was resuming worldwide cargo flights into and overseas. The U.S. sanctioned Syrian Airways and its fleet of cargo planes in 2013 for allegedly ferrying cargo on behalf of the Iran’s elite Qods Drive, the international operations arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Hizballah helped to arrange the flights, which have been taking mortars, small arms, rockets and light-weight anti-aircraft weapons to Syria on the time, the U.S. Division of Treasury mentioned.
Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona, a retired U.S. Air Drive intelligence officer (and former air attache on the American Embassy in Damascus) who intently follows Iranian flights to Syria, mentioned the jets “belong to the Syrian Air Drive 585th Transport Squadron of the twenty ninth Air Brigade.”
“The Syrians attempt to preserve the fiction that all the twenty ninth Brigade’s plane are civilian airliners,” Colonel Francona mentioned.
The jets are primarily utilized in an air bridge to al-Qamishly, the place the Syrian authorities has an enclave within the largely Kurdish managed north-east of the nation, he mentioned. Additionally they take navy tools into Syria to assist IRGC operations, Colonel Francona mentioned.
He believed the YK-ATA flight on Monday “was a resumption of the previous IRGC resupply flights.”
Not like Monday’s flight to Latakia Worldwide Airport, which shares its amenities with Russia’s Humaymim navy airbase, previous flights by Syria’s cargo fleet have usually landed in Damascus.
“Will probably be attention-grabbing to see if Latakia/Humaymim turns into the latest stopover level for the flights,” Colonel Francona mentioned.
He mentioned the bottom was protected from Israeli air strikes.
Israel has carried out strikes on Syrian airports, together with Damascus Worldwide Airport, lately.
State media reported that Syrian air defenses intercepted an Israeli assault close to the jap Homs province metropolis of Palmyra on Monday night and shot down “hostile targets.”
On March 31, Syria mentioned it had intercepted an Israeli strike within the nation’s central Homs province, state information company Sana reported.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in Britain mentioned Israel attacked Al Sha’yrat airbase after a cargo aircraft flew out.
Monday’s flight from Iran comes quickly after an identical flight by an Iranian cargo aircraft. An Ilyushin IL-76 Pouya Air jet flew into Latakia on Saturday afternoon, FlightRadar24 knowledge confirmed. The US sanctioned Pouya Air in 2014 for engaged on behalf of the Qods Drive to take illicit cargo, together with weapons, to Syria.
Iranian Overseas minister Javad Zarif this week visited Damascus to satisfy Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
(Up to date: April 22, 2020 2:02am)
