Russian bombers take off from Iran

RUSSIAN warplanes have taken off from a base in Iran to target ISIS fighters and other militants in Syria, widening Moscow’s bombing campaign in the country’s civil war.

The bombers took off from near Hamedan, 175 miles south of the Iranian capital Tehran, and struck targets in three provinces in northern and eastern Syria, Russia’s defence ministry said.

Meanwhile, Syrian opposition activists said a wave of air strikes on rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo killed at least 15 civilians and wounded many others on Tuesday, but it was not clear whether the strikes were carried out by the Russian or Syrian government’s air force.

It is virtually unheard of in Iran’s recent history to allow a foreign power to use one of its base.

The announcement suggests co-operation at the highest levels between Moscow and Tehran, both key allies of Syria’s embattled president Assad.

Tehran’s state-run news agency hailed the new possibilities” in the fight against ISIS.