On July 5, Russian Tupolev-95MS “Bear” long-range strategic bombers fired Kh-101 cruise missiles to destroy three Islamic State ammunition depots and a command facility near the town of Aqirbat on the border of the Syrian provinces of Homs and Hama. The Kh-101 missiles flew 1,000 km before reaching their targets. The Russian Defense Ministry added in its statement that the missiles have a range of up to 4,500 km. The Tu-95MS bombers flew from the southwestern Russian city of Engels and were escorted by Sukhoi-30SM fighters based at Syria’s Khmeimim (Hmeymim) airbase, leased to Moscow by the Assad regime.