Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has granted Iraqi jets general permission to conduct airstrikes on Daesh* positions in Syria, an anonymous Iraqi source told RT Arabic. According to him, Baghdad now only needs to send a notice to the Syrian government prior to the strike, but doesn't need to wait for a green light as to whether the target in question belongs to the terrorist organisation.
READ MORE: Iraqi AF Destroys Daesh Facility for Meetings in Hajin, Syria — Defence Ministry
The Iraqi Air Force has been conducting air raids on Syrian territory since 2016, with the most recent ones taking place on 12 December. Iraqi planes hit a meeting of Daesh fighters in al-Susah in eastern Syria and their hideout in the same town. Some 44 Daesh militants were killed as a result of the strike. Iraqi forces have on several occasions noted that the exchange of intelligence between Iraq, Iran, Moscow and Syria has helped them locate targets for their airstrikes.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization banned in Russia