In this photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015, a Russian navy ship launches a cruise missile in the Caspian Sea. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
Russia Aims A Second Salvo at Syria, Hits Iran Instead
Cruise missiles launched from warships in the Caspian Sea go awry on their 1,000-mile journey.
Wednesday was Vladimir Putin’s 63rd birthday. To celebrate, he played ice hockey with some aging stars, scoring seven goals in a 15-10 win. Putin also ordered the launch of 26 cruise missiles into Syria from warships that were stationed nearly 1,000 miles away.
“That we fired from the territory of the Caspian Sea, at a range greater than 1,500 kilometers, and hit targets precisely, this shows high qualifications,” Putin bragged in a televised interview with his defense minister. (Russia also put the display of military firepower on YouTube.)
Also notable about this brazen show of might is that the missiles traveled through two countries, Iran and Iraq, before hitting their 11 targets in Syria. This means that both countries either gave their permission or simply didn’t confront Putin about the use of their airspace on his birthday.
But as with nearly any good birthday fête, Thursday brought a hangover:
#Breaking: A number of cruise missiles launched from a Russian ship and aimed at targets in Syria have crashed in Iran, officials say
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 8, 2015That’s right, Russian Icarus’ reckless gambit has potentially backfired — though it’s still unclear whether the missiles that reportedly crashed in Iran were launched Thursday or were launched on Wednesday.
“Monitoring by U.S. military and intelligence assets has concluded that at least four missiles crashed as they flew over Iran,” two officials told CNN’s Barbara Starr. “One official said there may be casualties, but another official said this is not yet known.”
If true, this development has another irony. Earlier on Thursday, reports detailed just how assiduously Iran had lobbied Russia to begin its controversial airstrike campaign in Syria.