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On October 10, the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced that one of the formations of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) held a tactical, live-fire exercise with the Russians military on mountain warfare over the span of several days.
The exercise, which reportedly took place in the northern Lattakia countryside, mimicked a large offensive in a rough mountainous area.
The offensive began with a series of artillery, rockets and mortar strikes. Fighter bombers and attack helicopters also provided the troops advancing on the mountain slap with close air support. At the same time, military engineers used mine clearance systems to open routes in enemy minefields and remove its fortifications. In addition, special operations units landed from helicopters behind enemy lines to cut its supply routes.
A counter-attack by the enemy was also repelled. The troops used man-portable air-defense systems to shot down enemy drones before capturing the mountainous area.
The exercise was attended by senior Syrian and Russian commanders, most notably Chief of the General Staff of the SAA Lieutenant General Abdel Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim and the commander of the Russian military grouping in Syria Colonel General Aleksandr Chaiko.
The SAA held a series of drills over the past few months. In July, the 25th Special Mission Forces Division, mostly known by their former name Tiger Forces, held a tactical, live-fire exercise with the Russians military. Later at the start of October, the Republican Guard and 4th Armoured Division held a large-scale, live-fire exercise focusing on desert warfare.
The recent drills, which came following a series of threats by Turkey, Israel and even the United State, were meant to sharpen the skill of Syrian troops and improve on their experience.
