Russia says its Hmeimim air base in Syria – where it is involved in an anti-terror mission – once came under attack by over a dozen remotely-piloted American unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs.)

Colonel General Alexander Fomin made the remarks at the 8th Beijing Xiangshan Forum on security partnership in China on Thursday.

Hemeimim was attacked 13 drones with a US Poseidon-8 plane flying over the Mediterranean Sea simultaneously, Fomin said, without specifying the time of the incident.

“Thirteen drones moved according to common combat battle deployment, operated by a single crew. During all this time the American Poseidon-8 reconnaissance plane patrolled the Mediterranean Sea area for eight hours,” he said.

The general also noted that the drones switched to a manual guidance mode and flew at a specific distance from Hmeimim when they faced the Russian equipment electronic warfare.

“When these 13 drones faced our electronic warfare screen, they moved away to some distance, received the corresponding orders and began to be operated out of space and receiving help in finding the so-called holes through which they started penetrating. Then they were destroyed,” he added.

‘Arms flow to terrorists must end’

Elsewhere in his remarks, Fomin stressed that an effective counter-terrorism fight in Syria requires blocking the supply of foreign made weapons to terrorists.

“There is a need to put an end to the provision of money, weapons, equipment and various substances to terrorists, including chemical ingredients,” he said. “Our experience proves that terrorists have the most modern weapons and communication means, including space-based tools.”

The Russian deputy defense minister further said that the Syrian military, supported by Russian aerospace forces, have purged Daesh terrorists from “virtually the entire” Arab country.

“Over the past years, the Syrian government’s forces supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces managed to liberate virtually the entire territory of the country from the terrorists of the Daesh terrorist group and the groups that have joined them,” he said.

Russian jets have been targeting positions held by terror outfits inside Syria at the Damascus government’s request since September 2015. The airstrikes have helped Syrian forces advance against the militants, who have been wreaking havoc in the Arab country since 2011.