U.S.: Four Russian missiles miss Syrian targets, hit Iran

President Obama has said that Russian air strikes in Syria won't draw the U.S. into a "proxy war," but Russia's involvement still poses major implications for the U.S. military. VPC

 

Four Russian cruise missiles launched from the Caspian Sea fell short of their Syrian targets and landed in a rural part of Iran, U.S. officials said Thursday, amid growing international concern about Russia's actions in the region.

The errant strikes were part of a volley of 26 long-range cruise missiles that Russia fired Wednesday, U.S. officials told USA TODAY. The officials asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss intelligence matters.

The flight path for the Kalibr cruise missiles, which had not previously been used in combat conditions, took them over Iran and Iraq. One official said the U.S. wasn't able to detect any casualties or damage from the errant strikes, suggesting they may have fallen harmlessly in Iran.

Russia, which recently began conducting airstrikes and expanded its military presence in Syria, denied any strikes missed their intended Syrian targets. Iran's defense ministry dismissed the claims as "psychological warfare."Still, Russia's growing military activity in the region has raised worries that a mishap could trigger a wider war as Russian ships, aircraft and troops intensify operations in what the U.S. says is a bid to prop up longtime ally Syrian President Bashar Assad rather than combat the Islamic State. 

"This will have consequences for Russia itself," Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said at a NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday. "I also expect that in coming days, the Russians will begin to suffer casualties in Syria."

Carter — who characterized Russia's behavior as "unprofessional" — said Russian aircraft have violated Turkish airspace and come within miles of a U.S. drone. In addition, their ships have fired cruise missiles without warning and their armed forces have backed a Syrian government "joint ground offensive."

The U.S. says Russia's cruise missiles and airstrikes appear aimed at supporting the ground offensive and attacking more secular forces opposing Assad in Syria's brutal 4-year-old civil war that has left 250,000 people dead, according to United Nations figures.
"This is a fundamental strategic mistake and that it will inflame and prolong the Syrian civil war," Carter said.
Russia has maintained it is targeting the Islamic State and other extremist groups in Syria. Washington's strategy in Syria is aimed at combating the Islamic State, also known as ISIL, and pushing for a political transition that would remove Assad from power.

Russia's assistance seems to have energized Syria's armed forces, which had been on the ropes before the Russian buildup and air support. The new offensive is centered on the central and northwestern parts of the country "to liberate the area" from terrorist groups, Gen. Ali Ayoub, the Syrian chief of staff, said Thursday.
In a rare televised address, Ayoub did not specify the target areas for the new offensive but said Syria had created new fighting units to wage the campaign. Russian strikes against the Islamic State and "other terrorist organizations" had reduced their combat capabilities, and Syrian armed forces "have taken the reins of military operations and formed well-armed and equipped human forces," he said.