MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/. Terrorists fired 12 rockets in a new attack on the Hmeymim airbase in Syria on May 8, Head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Warring Sides in the Syrian Arab Republic (part of Russia’s Defense Ministry) Major-General Viktor Kupchishin said on Wednesday.
"Today, at 15 hours and 15 minutes, militants of the Katiba Ard al-Bab and Katiba Jabel Butma terrorist groupings [both outlawed in Russia] made another attempt from the Idlib de-escalation zone to shell the Russian Hmeymim airbase. Overall, 12 rockets were fired," the statement says.
The air defense weapons destroyed all the rockets, Kupchishin said.
"Thanks to the effectively organized air defense of the Russian Hmeymim airbase, all the rockets were shot down by alert air defense capabilities. There are no casualties or destructions," he stressed.
The terrorists shelled the Hmeymim airbase from two firing positions. Russian aircraft and Syrian artillery wiped them out. "The Russian Aerospace Force’s aircraft and artillery of the Syrian government troops destroyed the positions of militants of the terrorist groupings," Kupchishin specified.
On May 2, terrorists already made an attempt to shell the Russian airbase in Syria. No one was hurt in the attack. The shelling attacks were repelled and no facilities were damaged. Terrorists made another attempt on May 6. Russian Pantsyr-S1, Tor-M1 surface-to-air missile systems shot down 27 rockets. On the same day, Russian aircraft wiped out the positions of the terrorists who had fired rockets.