By Genevieve Casagrande and Jodi Brignola
Key Takeaway:
Russian air operations shifted eastward on January 18-19, targeting
ISIS-held terrain in Homs, ar-Raqqa and Deir ez-Zour Provinces following a major attack on
Deir ez-Zour City by
ISIS. ISIS launched an offensive against regime positions on the northwestern
outskirts of Deir ez-Zour on January 17, seizing two villages and several
military installations under the cover of a major sandstorm that reportedly
grounded both regime and Russian aircraft. Russian warplanes subsequently shifted
operations away from opposition-held terrain in Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Homs,
Damascus, and Dera’a Provinces in order to target ISIS-held positions along the
Euphrates River north and south of Deir ez-Zour City on January 18. The shift
in Russian air operations serves to forestall the immediate defeat of regime forces
in Deir ez-Zour City, one of the last remaining regime outposts in Eastern
Syria. Russia previously carried out its first humanitarian aid drop in Syria on
January 15, claiming
to deliver over 22 tons of humanitarian aid to besieged regime
positions in Deir ez-Zour City. The aid operation comes amidst renewed
diplomatic pressure by the international community to lift sieges on civilian
populations in Syria. Local sources could not
confirm whether the aid was humanitarian or military supplies.
The following
graphic depicts ISW’s assessment of Russian airstrike locations based on
reports from local Syrian activist networks, Syrian state-run media,
and statements by Russian and Western officials. This map represents
locations targeted by Russia’s air campaign, rather than the number of
individual strikes or sorties.
High-Confidence reporting. ISW
places high confidence in reports corroborated both by official
government statements reported through credible channels and
documentation from rebel factions or activist networks on the ground in
Syria deemed to be credible.
Low-Confidence reporting. ISW places low confidence in secondary sources that have not been confirmed or sources deemed likely to contain disinformation.
