DUSHANBE, August 16, 2016, Asia-Plus -- Russia has deployed Tupolev-22 bombers to an air base in the Iranian city of Hamadan where they will carry out air strikes against militants in Syria, Russia''s TV Channel Rossiya 24 reported on Tuesday.

The channel, citing Iranian and Arab media, said it was unclear how many Russian bombers had arrived at the base.

Tu-22М3 long range bombers and SU-34 strike fighters flying from Hamadan airbase in Western Iran struck targets near Aleppo, Dier ez Zor and Idlib on Tuesday morning, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

Fighter escorts for the mission flew out of Russia’s Hmeymim airbase in western Syria. All aircraft returned to their respective bases after the mission, the ministry said.

Iranian officials confirmed that the country has offered Russia use of military infrastructure for its air campaign in Syria on Tuesday.

“Cooperation between Tehran and Moscow against terrorism in Syria is of a strategic character. We must unite out potential and capabilities,” Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Iran’s IRNA news agency in an interview.