Russian Tu-22M3 long-haul bombers on Thursday hit Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) targets in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor, the Russian Defense Ministry has said. The bombers provided backing to Syrian government troops conducting an offensive on IS positions in the east of the country, TASS said. The planes took off from an airfield in Russia and covered a distance of more than 2,000km to deliver a strike on terrorists’ strongholds near the settlement of Al-Katia. Su-24 bombers that had taken off from the Khmeimim airbase in Syria delivered pinpoint strikes on scattered facilities, the ministry said. Su-30SM and Su-35S fighter jets based at Khmeimim provided backing for the bombers.