Russian destroyers. Photo: Facebook.

JNS.org – In an unprecedented move, Russia dispatched warplanes to bomb targets in Syria on Tuesday via an Iranian airbase.

The move shows growing cooperation between Russia and Iran, two nations that are both trying to maintain the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war-torn country.

The Russian long-range bombers were dispatched from a base near Hamedan, a city in Iran about 175 miles southwest of Tehran. The planes dropped the bombs across three provinces in Syria, before returning to Russia, according to an anonymous U.S. official, Reuters reported.

Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, called the Putin government’s use of an Iranian base “a turning point in Russia’s relations in the Middle East,” adding that it “sends a powerful message to the United States and regional powers that Russia is here to stay.”

Israeli sources don’t believe this deployment of Russian planes from Iran will currently have a major impact on Israeli interests in the region, the Jerusalem Post reported. But given the contentious relationship between Israel and Iran, this could have future negative implications.