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On August 4, a source in the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) 4th Division told SouthFront that the “al-Ghaith Forces” will participate in the upcoming attack against the remaining cells of ISIS in the eastern al-Suwayda countryside and the Damascus desert. According to the source, several groups of the al-Ghaith Forces are already on their way to the frontline with the terrorist group.
The al-Ghaith Forces are an elite unit of the 4th Division led by Colonel Ghiath Dalla. Over the last three years, the unit participated in all major operations around the Syrian capital of Damascus and in southern Syria.
Meanwhile, the al-Suwayda 24 blog reported that warplanes of the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) and the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a new wave of airstrikes on positions and hideouts of ISIS in the areas of al-Kar’a and al-Diyathah in the eastern al-Suwayda countryside. The Russian Aerospace Forces joined the fight against the terrorist group a day earlier.
The SAA and local fighters will likely launch their military operation in the eastern al-Suwayda countryside and the Damascus desert in the upcoming days.
This analysis was originally released by SF on June 10, 2017:
This further shows that Syrian divisions are divisions in name only. Normal divisions don’t have formations like the al-Ghaith Forces. Although it does seem to bear similarities to the German Wehrmacht in the final year of WWII, when divisions only existed in full on paper and on Hitler’s imaginary maps, and instead ad hoc kampfgruppen, or battle groups, drawn from whatever could be scrounged together centered around certain officers were what held the line.
Another testament how this war has depleted and transformed the Syrian army. Thankfully the worst is now over, with the ISIS remnants in the desert and Al Qaida in Idlib now the last of the holdouts.
Forged in blood and fire a durable transformation.
I wonder if the saudi army is feeling that too?
Lets just say that the unit is comprised of experienced soldiers that won’t run away when the shooting starts.
SAA is on a verge of becoming the most powerful army in the middle east.
Maybe against Lebanon who has a tiny army.
the commander now of the 4th is Assads brother….
Bashar was the youngest and his two older brothers died before their father did.
maher addd cis his brother
The valuable combat experience in urban warfare , combined with reorganization of command operations, and new capabilities in cyber warfare , air defense, and drone technology means this Syrian army is considerably more effective than before the war.
This is the opposite of what Israel wanted.
They will have to console with the massive loss of Syrian life, destruction of its infrastructure, and collapse of its economy. They will surely be happy with these results. But they also know an Israeli invasion of Syria is now impossible. They will suffer huge occupational loses , worse than their occupation of southern Lebanon.