The Russian Defense Ministry has said some of its bombers have struck militant targets inside Syria, after they were deployed to an air base in neighboring Iran.

Moscow says it has deployed Russian bombers to an Iranian air base to widen its campaign in Syria. These bombers have already stuck militant targets in Syria. The Defence Ministry said they were Tupolev-22M3 long-range bombers and Sukhoi-34 fighter bombers. They were launched from Hamadan air base in Iran. It’s understood to be cheaper and quicker to fly out of Hamadan, with flight time estimated to be reduced by 60%. Before Russia was flying these bombers out of North Ossetia as its base in Latakia in Syria is not big enough for these planes. The distance to Palmyra from North Ossetia is around 2000km while the distance from Hamadan is around 900km. Moscow says it is more convenient to fly from a base in Iran. Russia and Iran share similar goals in Syria and the two countries are part of the same coalition fighting ISIL. Military cooperation between the two countries has been on the increase in recent years.