US spy air plane
A US spy plane was spotted flying off the coasts of Syria near the Russian navy base in Tartus and an airbase in Lattakia.

Western websites monitoring planes' flight course across the globe reported that a US spy plane carried out at least four reconnaissance flights over the Russian navy base in Tartus and its air fleet in Humeimim air base in Lattakia province.

Last week a US military plane carried out spy flights several kilometers away from a Russian technical center in the country's navy base in Tartus.

Also last month, a US P-8A Poseidon spy plane was spotted flying off the coast of Lebanon and Syria, near Tartus.

The US Navy reconnaissance plane was spotted at the time flying a few kilometers away from Russia's Humeimim airbase in Syria.

The P-8A Poseidon aircraft flew close to Syria's Mediterranean coast where Russia's naval task force operates. It was the fourth time that a US spy plane was spotted near the Russian base in Humeimim.

Humeimim military airport, Southeast of the city of Lattakia, is Russia's strategic center of operations against the ISIL and other terrorist groups.

According to reports, the P-8A Poseidon aircraft, designed and built for anti-submarine warfare and intelligence gathering, took off from the Mediterranean island of Sigonella in Sicily. The aircraft, with tail number 168761 then flew over Syria's coast for one and a half hours in close proximity to the Russian airbase and logistics facility located at Tartus port, South of Lattakia.

Observers believe that the US spy planes have recently increased their flights over Syria to gather intelligence on the Syrian army and the Russian forces' moves in the region.

According to reports, on August 30, September 2 and September 17, the P-8A Poseidon spy plane was also spotted flying toward the vicinity of the Russian airbase.