ABC: Syria Moves Warplanes to Russian-Controlled Airbase

Syrian warplanes that were stationed at the airbase attacked by the United States two weeks ago have since been relocated to another base in Syria that is used by the Russian military.

According to ABC News, aircraft not destroyed in the April 7 Tomahawk missile strike are now parked at Khmeimim Air Base, just south of the Syrian port city of Latakia. The military installation currently houses Russian military planes, jets, helicopters, tanks, and other artillery.

ABC cites a U.S. official as saying most of Syria's fleet of fixed-wing aircraft is now at Khmeimim — most likely to protect them from additional U.S. airstrikes, since the U.S. would not risk an attack on a Russian-controlled airbase.

The April 7 missile strike came days after a chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians killed dozens. The Syrian government is believed to have been behind that attack.

The situation in Syria is complicated: Russia is aligned with the Syrian government, while the U.S. is friendly with rebel forces. The U.S. and Russia are both trying to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS), whose base of operations is in Raqqah, Syria.

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