Rybar, an influential Russian war blogger, wrote on the Telegram app that the target was not the base but a warehouse nearer to Jebeh used by both Iran and Russia.

“Some of the missiles were shot down” by the Russian military, he said, “but some reached their target.” He added: “There are even more questions from the Syrians about why the Russian air defence is not helping to repel IDF attacks.”

It is not yet clear what damage has been done to either the base or the surrounding area.

Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communications also posted footage of the attack, saying it proved that “Russia’s red lines exist only in fairy tales”. It claimed, without providing evidence, that the air base had been “decimated”.

There was no immediate comment from Israel, which frequently hits targets linked to Iran or its proxy militias in Syria, but rarely claims such strikes.

Michael Horowitz, a geopolitical expert and former IDF soldier, said that in the past Iranian planes have used Khmeimim to deliver weapon shipments to Hezbollah.

“Israel is bound to launch airstrikes against any Syrian airport that lets Iranian planes in. Tehran probably thought its best shot was to use Khmeimim because of the Russian presence,” he told The Telegraph.

Khmeimim is one of the most heavily fortified military bases in Syria. Its sprawling airfield is home to Russian fighter jets and bombers, as well as sophisticated long-range and short-range air defences.

It was built in 2015 when Moscow began intervening in the Syrian civil war in support of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and carried out large-scale bombing campaigns.