Syria regime uses Russian missiles to simulate Israeli attack
Syria regime uses Russian missiles to simulate Israeli attack
Russian journalists were reportedly invited to witness the spectacle, which featured Syrian air defence units repelling Soviet S-75 missiles.
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Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against Syrian regime troops, allied Hezbollah fighters and other Iran-backed proxies since 2011 [Getty-Tass]
Syrian regime forces have conducted military drills, using Russian missiles, to simulate Israeli air raids, according to Russian media.
Russian journalists were invited to witness the spectacle which featured Syrian air defence units repelling Soviet S-75 missiles, Zvezda, a Russian state broadcaster reported on its news site. The exercise took just a few seconds and was "successful", according to the report.
A Syrian officer quoted by Zvezda praised the apparent ease of control and efficiency of the S-75, which first went into service in 1957.
Russia has been one of Syria's main allies throughout the Syria war, intervening in 2015 to help dictator Bashar Al-Assad retake most territory ceded to opposition fighters.
A small patch of territory in the country's northwest is still controlled by rebel and Islamist groups.
Read also: Syrian extremists HTS deny reports Jolani met with UK intelligence
During that time, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against regime troops, allied Hezbollah fighters, and other Iran-backed proxies to stop arch-rival Tehran from gaining a foothold in the country.
Early last month, Hezbollah began what it claimed was its largest mobilisation since the armed group’s 2006 war with Israel, in response to a large scale military drill conducted by Israel on all fronts, including along its border with Lebanon.
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