The ash Shayrat military airfield © REUTERS/ DigitalGlobe/Courtesy U.S. Department of Defense/Handout
Only 23 out of 59 Tomahawk missiles launched by the US Navy reached their target and hit the ash Shayrat military airfield near the Syrian city of Homs, the Russian Defense Ministry has claimed. The locations of the remaining 36 missiles’ impact is now unknown.
According to the statement, the US missiles destroyed a training facility, a material storage depot, a canteen, six MiG-23 aircraft in repair hangars and a radar station. Meanwhile, the airbase’s runway, taxiways and aircraft on the parking apron remained undamaged. (Photos and videos from the area)
Chief of the Directorate of Media service and Information of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Maj Gen Igor Konashenkov described the combat efficiency of the strike as “quite poor” and added that the US actions were “a gross violation” of the memorandum of understanding on flight safety in Syria between Russia and the United States. Moscow suspended the fligh memorandum with the United States earlier today.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Defense Ministry said in a statement that 6 people were killed and a notable material damage delivered to the airbase as a result of the US missile strike.
Alleged parts of a Tomahawk missile were found near Tartus in the province of Latakia:
