U.S.: Four Russian missiles miss Syrian targets, hit Iran
Growing military activity raises worries
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 casualties or damage from the errant strikes.
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 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 aid ally Syrian President Bashar Assad rather than combat the Islamic State.
“This will have consequences for Russia itself,” Defense Secretary Ashton Car-
ter 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 4-year-old civil war that has left 250,000 people dead, according to United Nations figures.
“This will have consequences for Russia itself.”
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter