Israel has yet to confirm the information, while local media reports suggested that the IDF spy jet had been spotted in the area.
The Russian Defense Ministry has stated that it had been two Israeli warplanes that had attacked a Syrian government T-4 airbase in the Homs province early on Monday.
"On April 9, from 03:25 to 03:53 Moscow time, two Israeli Air Force F-15 jets, carried out an airstrike by two guided missiles on the T-4 airfield from the Lebanese territory and without entering Syria's airspace."
According to the Russian military, the strikes were carried out from Lebanese airspace.
Five out of eight strikes, carried out by the Israeli F-15 jets, were destroyed by Syrian air defenses, the ministry said.
"Three missiles reached the western part of the airfield. There are no Russian [military] advisers among those injured."
While the Israeli authorities have abstained so far to comment on the incident, the country's Air Force had bombed the same airbase in the Homs province back in February.
When asked by Sputnik, the Israeli Embassy in Russia has refused to comment on the Russian Defense Ministry’s data about the strikes on the Syrian T-4 airbase. "No comments," diplomatic mission’s press attache Alex Gandler told Sputnik.
The Israeli Defense Forces have also refused to either approve or deny the statements made by the Russian Defense Ministry about the Israeli Air Force’s involvement in the strikes, with IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus telling Sputnik, "We do not comment on this."
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin had no contacts with Israel with regard to the airstrikes on the Syrian base.
Russian defense and foreign ministries have requested Israel to provide explanations for its airstrikes on the Syrian military facility, Russian Senator and former FSB general Vladimir Jabarov said.
At the same time, pan-Arab TV channel Al-Mayadeen reported that an Israeli spy plane had been spotted over the baseat the moment of the April 9 strike.
Earlier in the day, Syria's SANA state news agency reported a missile strike on the T-4 airbase, suggesting that the US might have been behind the attack. The Pentagon, however, denied any involvement, saying that it hasn't conducted any airstrikes in Syria. It was also stated that Syrian Air Defense Force managed to intercept several rockets, although the strike caused casualties.
Later in the day, SANA, citing a military source, reported that Israeli F-15s had conducted an overnight missile attack on a major air base in central Syria.
According to Al Mayadeen broadcaster, after the attack, Daesh* terrorists attempted to launch an offensive in several districts of the Homs province.
The attack comes just a day after the US, the EU, as well as NATO member Turkey, have accused the Syrian government of using chemical weapons in Douma, Eastern Ghouta, after media reports, citing militant sources on the ground, about an alleged chlorine gas attack that, supposedly, killed dozens of civilians, had emerged. Damascus has strongly denied the claims, saying that it had warned that militants in the area had been preparing a provocation, involving chemical weapons' use.
The Russian Defense Ministry has stated that two Israeli aircrafts attacked the Syrian T-4 airbase earlier in the day; Israel has yet to comment on the information.
The T-4 airbase, also known as the Tiyas Military Airbase, is located in the Syrian province of Homs, west of the ancient city of Palmyra, and is the largest airbase in the country. Being a strategically important facility, Tiyas has repeatedly been subjected to attacks.
In May 2016, private intelligence firm Stratfor presented alleged satellite imagesof Daesh* striking the Tiyas military base and “destroying” four Russian helicopters and 20 supply trucks.
While the jihadi group claimed to have bombed Russian equipment, the Russian Defense Ministry has dismissed these allegations as “propaganda,” saying that the “satellite images showing burned shells of helicopters and trucks at the [Tiyas] airbase reflect the damage from months of clashes in the area between Syrian government forces and militants.”
Being one of the most crucial airbases in Syria, T-4 has been a priority target for Daesh: in December 2016 terrorists attacked Tiyas, advancing there from the recaptured ancient city of Palmyra, and seized a strategically important crossroad near the base – Jihar. Daesh launched an assault on the Jihar Crossroad, which resulted in fierce fighting with the Syrian Arab Army; unable to halt the offensive, the government forces had to withdraw from the area, leaving the terrorists within striking distance of the T-4 base. Days after the failure, Syrian army units managed to repel another attack on Tiyas by Daesh militants, although it continued to be targeted by regular mortar and rocket strikes.
Israeli Attack on T-4 Following F-16 Downing
In February 2018, Israel launched an attack on the airbase, having struck 12 Syrian and “Iranian military targets” at Tiyas. Prior to the airstrike, Tel Aviv reported that an Israeli helicopter had intercepted an Iranian drone after it crossed into the Israel-occupied Golan Heights and struck at what the IDF called Iranian targets in Syria, prompting retaliatory fire from Syrian air defense systems, which brought down the Israeli F-16 fighter jet.
Israel Accuses Iran of Operating T-4 in Syria
The Israeli Defense Forces have accused Iran of controlling the Tiyas airbase, from which the army said the Iranian drone was shot down over northern Israel.
“Iran and the Quds Force [Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ special unit] for some time have been operating the T-4 Air Base in Syria next to Palmyra, with support from the Syrian military and with permission from the Syrian regime,” the IDF’s statement read.
Israel claimed that the base was used by the Quds Force to transport sophisticated weaponry to “Syria, Hezbollah and the Shiite militias in the region.”
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