File image.
The Russian military has deployed air defense systems in Syria’s Deir Ezzor in what appears to be a response to recent US strikes on Iranian-backed forces in the governorate.
On August 27, a video showing at least one Pantsir-S short-range air-defense system on a road near the town of Hatlah surfaced online.
Hatlah is located within a small pocket on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River that is held by the Syrian Arab Army and Iranian-backed forces. The pocket is surrounded by bases of the US-led coalition and its proxy, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The Pantsir-S1 was designed to provide point air defense of military, industrial and administrative installations against aircraft, helicopters, precision munitions, cruise missiles and drones.
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A confrontation between Iranian-backed forces and the US broke out in Syria on August 15, when two coalition bases in the country’s northeastern and southeastern regions came under attack. The US responded with a series of strikes that targeted positions of Iranian-backed forces in Deir Ezzor between August 23 and 25. Iranian-backed forces hit back by attacking three bases of the coalition and the SDF in Deir Ezzor. Both sides sustained casualties as a result of the fire exchange.
The deployment of air defenses in Deir Ezzor indicates that the Russian military is planning to expand its presence in the governorate, possibly to deter the US-led coalition and the SDF.
Russia was apparently triggered by the US-led coalition’s recent strikes on Iranian-backed forces. The newly-deployed air defenses will greatly limit the movements of coalition warplanes, especially combat drones, attack helicopters and gunships, over Deir Ezzor.
