Two Russian helicopters check contact lines north of Syria’s Hasakah
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) — Two Russian helicopters hovered on Tuesday over the town of Derbasiyah, north of Hasakah, northeast Syria, for the consecutive second day.
The two helicopters headed west towards the contact line separating the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). They later returned to their starting point at the Qamishli International Airport after 20 minutes, a military source told North Press.
On Monday, two Russian warplanes flew in the same path, amid speculations that their goal was to monitor the movements of the Turkish forces and their affiliated SNA factions, according to the same source.
This step came in light of the Turkish military build-up on the contact lines on the Syrian-Turkish border, which coincides with the intensifying Turkish threats of launching a military operation targeting the two Syrian cities of Manbij and Tel Rifaat.
President Tayyip Erdogan said on June 1that Turkey would attack Syria’s Tel Rifaat and Manbij areas, confirming the targets of the new incursion for the first time and saying it would continue into other regions.