The “Wa Harid al-Muminin” operations room claimed on June 29 that its fighters had shot down a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over the northwestern Hama countryside.

The al-Qaeda-affiliated operations room released a photo showing the wreckage of the UAV, which was identified as a Russian-made Orlan-10.

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The Orlan-10 has a flight duration of up to 16 hours and an operational range of 140km. The UAV can be equipped with different types of sensors to carry out several missions, including reconnaissance, 3D-mapping, electronic warfare and communication relay.

Last March, Jaysh al-Izza shot down a UAV of the same type over northern Hama. The radical group targeted the UAV with a heavy machine gun. The same method was likely used by the Wa Harid al-Muminin operations room’s terrorists.

The Russian Aerospace Forces have used the Olan-10 UAV extensively on all fronts in Syria since 2015. Despite losing few Oraln-10s, the UAVs of this type have been proven to be highly-effective.

Dozens Of Russian, Syrian Airstrikes Target Militants Positions In Southern Idlib & Northern Hama

Russian and Syrian warplanes have conducted 91 airstrikes on northern Hama and southern Idlib since the morning of June 29, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

The London-based monitoring group said that the airstrikes targeted more than 20 villages and towns in the northern, northwestern Hama countryside, as well as in the southern and southwestern countryside of Idlib.

According to several pro-government activists, the Russian and Syria airstrikes targeted positions, ammo depots and vehicles of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies.

The Russian Aerospace Forces and the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) intensified their aerial operations over Greater Idlib in the last few days to support the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) ground operations there. However, the army failed to recapture the villages of Jibeen and Tell Meleh in northern Hama.

The continued airstrikes indicate that Damascus and its allies are still determined to go on with their ground operations around Greater Idlib, despite the recent setback.