A group called “Burkan al Furat” claims responsibility for the attack on the Russian Hmeimim base and threatens for more

A group called “Burkan al Furat” Euphrates Volcano claimed responsibility for the attack on Russia’s Hmeimim airbase in the Latakia countryside, which resulted in the deaths of two Russian soldiers.

The group said the attack was carried out by two of its members in a suicide operation, during which they were killed.

It identified one of the attackers as “Abu Jihad al Masri,” a former trainer in the “Red Bands” special force affiliated with Hay’at Tahrir al Sham, and the other as a Syrian named “Abu Bakr al Ansari”.

In a subsequent statement, the group, led by a man known as “Mohammed al Shami,” announced its intention to continue targeting Russian interests in Syria, giving Moscow a month to withdraw its forces from Syrian territory and threatening to intensify attacks if its demands weren’t met.

The attack which occurred Tuesday evening, when two gunmen attacked the airbase, killing two Russian soldiers, a local activist and a Syrian government official told the Associated Press on Wednesday, as sources confirmed that the attackers were also killed during the operation.

The Syrian government official explained that the two attackers were foreign nationals who had previously worked as military instructors at a Syrian naval college, but weren’t affiliated with any official military faction, indicating that they carried out the attack alone.

Despite the fall of the Assad regime and his escape to Moscow, Russia maintains a military presence in Syria, and the new government led by Ahmed al Sharaa continues to maintain channels of communication with Moscow without forcing Russian forces to withdraw completely.

The Tartus naval base and Hmeimim air base are among Russia’s most prominent points of influence in the Middle East, representing a major pillar of Russian military and political influence in the region, particularly in the Mediterranean.

It’s worth noting that the Burkan al Furat Brigades was founded in mid-November of last year, with the aim of confronting the Russian and Iranian presence in Syria, in addition to fighting the regime forces and the SDF.

The group carried out its first major operation days after its founding, assassinating Abu Fatima al Iraqi, a commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

The brigades assert that they aren’t affiliated with any existing political or military entity, emphasizing their complete independence from other factions.

According to their statements, the group participated in the “Battle to Deter Aggression” and carried out several operations, during which they took control of sites before the arrival of Hay’at Tahrir al Sham, east of Deir al Zour, later their operations later extended to the outskirts of the capital, Damascus, including the temporary control of the city of al Dumayr and its military airport.