In case anyone was wondering how the Russians were getting along with Iran and Iraq, we got to find out today when they launched air strikes against Syria from a base in Iran. Iran hasn't let anyone do that since before the revolution. The base is not too far from Kirkuk and Mosul in Iraq.
It may have been more symbolic than they want to admit, but the symbolism speaks volumes on how they are doing with their relationships. They gave Iran S-300 advanced anti-air recently and they have, at least for the time being, cooperated in allowing the support aircraft and maintenance for these bombers to come into their country. The Russian runways in the west of Syria are said to be too short to accomodate the heavyweights they brought in.
They are said to be bombing Syria's Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, a group that formally split from al-Qaeda. We could probably be glad for the target at least, since al-Qaeda is not a friend to very many. However, we may remember that the last time the Russians started bombing, they were confused about who the enemy really was. They concentrated on US allies in the fight. They overflew Turkey repeatedly until one of their bombers was shot down. The Pershmega forces in the north who are our best allies in the fight, might need a little anti-air before this is over. Just about everybody wants their oil.
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