MOSCOW, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Russian bombers carried out air strikes against terrorist targets in Syria from an air base in Iran for the first time, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
"On Aug. 16, Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and Su-34 frontline bomber took off with a full bomb load from their home airfield of Hamadan (Islamic Republic of Iran), and carried out a group air strike against the Islamic State and Nusra Front terrorist groups' targets in the provinces of Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor and Idlib," the ministry said in a statement.
Su-30cm and Su-35s fighters, based in Hmeimim air base in Syria, provided cover for the mission, the statement said.
The ministry said five large warehouses with weapons, ammunition, fuel and lubricants, three command posts and several training camps have been destroyed, and a significant number of terrorists have been killed in the campaign.
All Russian aircraft have successfully returned to their home airfields after successful completion of the combat mission, it said.
Previously, Russia had used Hmeimim air base, as well as air bases in Russia, located farther away from Syria than the Iranian base, to carry out air strikes against terrorist targets in the Middle East country.
