Tag: Syria

Russia has been testing its latest and most advanced tank - the T-14 Armata in Syria. Since the tank is currently in a developmental testing phase, it is likely that its mission to Syria is considered a field trial rather than a combat mission. First deliveries to operational units are expected next year.

The Iranians are racing against time to build and fortify the Imam-Ali military compound near Albukamal, on the Syrian-Iraqi border. In recent months, Iran is constructing a civilian border passage at Albukamal-Al Qiam. Nearby, a short distance from the commercial gateway, a different compound is being built - designed to store and temporarily accommodate shipments of military hardware, missiles, and ammunition shipped from Iran, to support the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds force, through Iraq to Iran's Shi'ite proxies in Syria and Lebanon.

Few days after Fox News reported about extensive construction of a new military base near the Syrian border crossing at Albukamal-Al-Qaim, the site suffered an airstrike that destroyed some of the site's protected structures, allegedly providing forward storage for Iranian ballistic missiles. The new site, like others, that recently struck in Iraq and Syria, was manned by the Iranian sponsored Popular Mobilization Force (PMF). 

An Israeli spy satellite has spotted their location northwest of the town of Masyaf in the mountain region, about 30 km from the Mediterranean sea. From its current location, the Syrian missiles dominate a radius of up to 250 kilometers, covering the entire Lebanese airspace, the eastern part of the island of Cyprus, parts of southern Turkey and northern Israel, down to the Sea of Galilee.

Russia has delivered the first S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Syria on October 2nd. According to Russian sources, the unit will be controlled by Russian advisors, a precaution Moscow took to prevent a misfire that downed the Ilyushin20 Electronic Surveillance aircraft last month.

Facing serious threats to their armored forces operating in Syria, the Turkish Army turned to Ukraine to counter the Kurd missile attacks on their tanks. The system presented by the Turks as ‘Akkor Pulat’ is actually the light version of the Ukrainian Zaslon that has recently completed its initial tests in Ukraine and now enters an accelerated test series in Turkey. Designed with simplicity and relatively simple integration, the system is expected to be fitted soon to all types of Turkish main battle tanks currently operating in Syria.

Syrian militants began using drones in Syria; following repeated attacks against Russian ground forces operating in the country, Russian and Syrian forces repelled a massive drone attack on Saturday night, downing or capturing 13 improvised, armed drones. The rapid growth in the use of drones and number of simultaneous missions used on each strike indicate the level of maturity and know-how acquired by the perpetrators, although the identity of faction using those drones has yet to be disclosed.

Satellite imagery analysis by Imagesat International (ISI) intelligence experts revealed deployment of Iskandar (SS-26 “Stone”) advanced missile system vehicles as part of the Russian deployment. Iskander units were first spotted at Hmeimim airbase in Latakia, Syria in March 2016.

Syria claimed yesterday that two surface-to-surface missiles launched from Israel struck the military airbase of Al Mezzeh, in a suburb of the capital Damascus, about 56 km from the Golan border. While Israel did not respond to this allegation, the Syrian claim may indicate Israel is maintaining a new precision strike capability, by tactical surface launched rockets, extending its deterrence capability throughout the region – both against adversaries in the close range, as well as the long range.

Recent reports from Iraq and Syria indicate that Jihadis are increasing the use of drone attacks after exploring the use of drone weapons for several years. A recent attack employed a small surveillance drone, rigged with a bomb to become a booby trap. The attack killed two Kurdish fighters and badly wounded two French special forces.

A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft was shot down today by Turkish Air Force F-16s. The Turks claim the Russian plane was intercepted on the Turkish side of the Turkish-Syrian border.

Despite the Russian declared intention to assist fighting ISIS in Syria, NATO defense officials are concerned of the Russian military buildup in the country

The upper chamber of the Russian parliament has unanimously given a formal consent to President Putin to use the nation’s military in Syria to fight terrorism at a request from the Syrian President Bashar Assad. Consent was necessary for deployment of troops for foreign combat missions under the Russian constitution.

Turkish fighter jets have struck Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Syria and Iraq yesterday. This action was followed by the detention of hundreds of suspected Kurdish militants, in a coordinated crackdown, as Ankara deployed military force for the first time against the terrorist group, in retaliation to ISIS suicide attacks and assassination of Turkish policemen, attributed to the PKK.