On the night of February 18, 2025, unknown drones attacked the Russian Khmeimim airbase in Syria. According to some reports, the attack occurred shortly after an Iranian transport plane delivered weapons to the base destined for the Lebanese group Hezbollah, according to various sources, including Visegrád 24 and SyrianOSINT.

SyrianOSINT notes that the base's air defense systems attempted to intercept incoming drones of unknown origin.

"A drone attack has been reported on the Russian Khmeimim airbase, near Jabla in northwest Syria. Air defense systems are active and attempting to intercept the incoming drones (origin unknown)" - it is told in the message.

The Khmeimim airbase, located in the Latakia province of northwestern Syria, has been used by the Russian Aerospace Forces to conduct operations in the region since 2015. The base was originally a civilian airfield, which was converted into a military facility following an agreement between Russia and Syria in August 2015. Since then, the base has been repeatedly attacked by various armed groups, including missiles and drone strikes.

In December 2024, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the establishment of a transitional government in Syria, the future of the Russian military presence in the country was in question. The new Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said that Russian military bases could only be preserved if it was in the interests of the country.