This week, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has launched an operation against ISIS to in the Damascus desert east of the Syrian capital. The goal of the operation is to secure the capital from the desert side following the advance of Free Syrian Army factions.
Special forces of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence and armoured forces of the Republican Guard participate in the operation. Special forces units were transported by helicopters to the Marj al-Sultan airbase in eastern Damascus.
On April 26, the SAA advanced in eastern Damascus towards the Al-Sham desert around the Tishreen electricity station capturing 6 kilometers along 20km long front. The government advance took place amid heay clashes with ISIS militants. Pro-government sources report heavy losses in the ISIS ranks.
There were also unconfirmed reports of the dismantling of three Israeli spy and jamming stations by the SAA in the area. The stations used to monitor the Damascus International Airport and the Marj al-Sultan Airport.
The Syrian Air Force destroyed fortifications and vehicles of ISIS in the Dakwa hill in the Damascus desert. Syrian attack helicopters provided a close air support to the Special Forces during their advance in the region.
The operations of the SAA in southern Palmyra, eastern Qalamoun and the Damascus desert are aimed at securing the capital Damascus from the US-backed Free Syrina Army factions operating in the area.
Other goals are to prevent breaking of the siege imposed on the militants of Jaish al-Islam in eastern Qalamoun and to set up better defense lines east of Damascus.
SAA has to do it a lot more than bandage action. The need liberated more territory from ISIS and FSA and install good defence system. With such slow paste, only allow the ISIS and FSA regroup and rearm
If they had the manpower they could, but they don’t. You can wish for something, but in the end you have to work with what you got.
Manpower alone does not conclude victory. The SAA needs better training and better military hardware and tactics. Therefore Assad should sign some kind agreement with Russia or Iran to obtain more advanced military hardware and training. Getting 3-4 tanks here or there or 3 airplane or 3-4 attack helicopter will not do the job and the war can go for ever or if Assad waits longer, than there will be nothing to defend.
The russians have provided a lot of equipment, from aircraft to tanks. And they trained and equipped the 5th Corps, they have specialists embedded in some other units, they have officers as advisors to syrian officers, there are also private military contractors from Russia operating in Syria etc. And of course they have an air contingent there, have launched cruise missile strikes and so on.
Iran has spent a ton of money and has Hezbollah operating in Syria in a big scale, many many thousands and constantly on the front lines. And they have lost many officers that were embedded in these paramilitaries.
The latest move is a good example of attrition warfare without courting casualties.
If it was easy it would be done. EU has crippling sanctions in place and there is shortage of everything in a collapsed economy. I am full of admiration that Syrians are able to take their country back at all against so much international opposition and treachery.
I meant to create a circle (see above) with given manpower would be better than only fighting in the western part while american-israhell-saudi-jordan-turkish bandits are steeling the north and the south/east.
Sure, but there is a lack of armed manpower and gained terrains must be secured and provided. It needs to create a circle from the main body of Western Syria towards Deir Ezzor over Palmyra and towards Deir Ezzor over Deir Hafer to get control over the eastern part of Syria. And then all remaining pockets have to be eliminated with strong air strikes before entering them. Only a tactical idea for the next 6 month latest (Deir Ezzor) and 2 years (remaining pockets). What the alliance of USrael and Saud non-arab is planning and doing in the southeast and south starting from Jordan would then be more difficult when troops of Russia and Serbia would be on the ground too. Same as for the turkish backed traitors and foreigners in the north. Here it needs to get better weapons to the Kurds in the northwest to keep Idlib province under action and a “working together plan” for after wartimes with all the kurdish parties to include northern parts into the syrian state..
Yes, better tactics and better military hardware. Kurds should start talking to Russia and Syria Government behind close doors and in secrets to get better weapons and when time is right switch to Russia and SYria side. Till than they should use the americans so long the Kurds benefit. Knowing americans the will backstab Kurds sooner or later. Therefore Kurds should watch the back. Turkey would not attack Kurds without americans permissions.
How about using sneaky tactics using dirt cheap hardware? The SAA has a major problem with ATGM’s fired from hidden locations a good distance away from the target. They may be able to get HTS and others to waste some missiles on dummy tanks and BMP’s made with cloth fastened to a wheeled frame made from scrap electrical conduit and painted with just enough detail to make them appear as the real deal from a distance away. They could use batteries and an electric motor to move it using remote controls. The cloth will allow the missiles to pass thru and explode on the ground or building on the other side. The gunner will see the explosion and the vehicle still moving along so probably will send another round or two as long as the damn thing is still in his line of sight. Once it is, then the SAA can patch the tears in the cloth from the back using duct tape then tow it over to where another known ATGM gunner is lurking to pull the same stunt on him.
Correction: Once it is out of his sight, then so on and so forth.
Another dirt cheap and highly effective sneaky tactic is to record the sounds at a major staging area then play those thru loudspeakers near the front line where your adversary has few troops guarding that area. That gets them excited and on the radio to headquarters warning them of a large build up of troops and armor in their sector. That usually forces them to reinforce that area with units that can get there the fastest so you should already know where those are located and be ready to rush that position once they’ve been gone for awhile. General George Patton used that ruse several times in France and Germany to thin defenses so he could punch thru them fast and send in swarms of AFV’s to create havoc behind the German lines
Another one is the use of strobe lights directed at your enemy during a night assault. The bright flashing lights makes the defenders very disoriented and the jerky here-now-there movement of troops and armor makes them difficult targets to hit. There should be some discos in Syria that still use those.
Respect the lack of manpower that syrian government has, I have an observation about Syrian people. It is interesting that must of the young syrian men prefer to go out of its country instead of to join to the army to defend its country from this invasion of terrorists and terrorists supporter (saudis, turkies, jordanians, etc.) because this war is not a civil war. It looks like these people lack completely of identity as a syrian person. It is not time to go outside to get a better life, it is time to give your life for your country.
In my opinion you are being a little unfair towards Syrian people. We need to remember that the attack on Syria has been planned for a very long time and the jihadists, who were very well equipped by the west, descended on the villages and town with tremendous ferocity and violence. The first attack was designed to drive people out of the country, that is how they hoped they would deplete the manpower of the SAA. It worked, but it was not enough to break the spirit of Syrians. In the refugee camps it was made impossible for fighting age males to return to Syria, and they faced constant recruitment from the jihadists. Eventually a million or so of them were herded to Europe to get them far from Syria. Notoriously their passports “disappeared” in Germany, so they had no chance to return. This was the plan. Most of the Syrians herded to EU are not having a good time. Without passports they cannot return, and the EU countries refuse to repatriate them to government areas (that was their job all along). It is part of the illegal war against Syria.
Yes, thanks a lot for the information, I did not know many details and tramps made by OTAN-USA-Israel to maintain syrian young people outside its country. However, I still have the feeling that part you are saying is right and part of what I am saying is also right, it looks like a combination of both things is the right approach, but I am not sure.
this is not true. ” Notoriously their passports “disappeared” in Germany, so they had no chance to return.”
thesy losttheir passport already in turkey. our biggest problem with your trash (traitors of sria, the homleand!) is, that they always lie. lia about age, lie about country of origin. 90% of these speculants were born 1st of january.
IF somebody would tell us, he is syrian and want to go back, immediately get free ticket and some thousands of euros.
meanwhile, there was a big scandal. your trash applied for refugee status, and in sommer they went o holiday in syria.
THOAT is your REAL face.
gustavo is right.
in my eyes syrians are cowards, speculants, they do not want to fight for their souverenity. they let die for them sons of other nations. only alawits and kurds deserve respect.
You forgot about the Druze. They’ve stayed by Assad’s side from the start and fought off militias trying to take over their traditional homeland. There’s also quite a few Druze villages on both sides of the Golan Heights. Some support Assad while others the militants. All held families that have relatives living on the Israeli side. The IDF contacted all the militant and jihadi groups in that region and told them to leave those villages alone or they’ll cross the border in force and wipe them out. They’ve heeded that warning ever since then.
You are right! Thank you for correction.
Check it out man. Merkel virtually invited them to Germany, we all know that. That was because Erdogan was only prepared to have Syrian refugees for a year or so. They expected quick results. In the end he had a hissy fit and told Europeans that they can keep their refugees in Europe after the expiry date. He sent a million in the first wave. And asked for 3 billion for his efforts. All along they have wanted to keep as many away from Syria as possible. They have not made a single declaration that they would offer to repatriate Syrians to government held areas. EU is neck deep in this dirty war on Syria. If the Europeans had any mind to let them go back, at least 100,000 would have returned already. Particularly after Aleppo liberation. Some of the “refugees” would have been jihadists, and they would go for a holiday in Syria to shoot at people for fun. EU will allow that. Normal people are not allowed to return.
Your hatred of Syrians is the end result that the European leaders wanted to create all along. For as long as the propaganda keeps refugees unpopular and hated the objective has been achieved. No one wants to hear their stories, and like you, they just hate them and follow fake news like good cattle they are.
My good friend is working in organisation for refugees. I know sure the right information. The Syrians do not want to turn back. in germany get so mach money, that in Syria do not have chance to earn during the whole year.
No bro, they were on holiday in Tartus. There were taken photos.
I like Syria, but also know their mentality. Already that fact, thatz they do not want to fight (not only refugees, but also who stood!) is very negative picture of them. These are simply facts. Raussians, palestinians, iranians do more for syria then the syrians. and this is big shamme.
I agree that some organisations (consisting of decent people) work well with Syrian refugees. You have mentioned something that I hadn’t thought of, which is that the generous handouts are yet another way to keep Syrians from going back. After all EU sanctions have collapsed the country’s economy and there is a shortage of everything and little to look forward to except fighting with mad insurgents high on Captagon. It is a shame that too many Syrian refugees play along with EU isolation policy. I still maintain the intention is to keep them away from Syria and it seems to be working. It’s too easy to blame individuals who have fled a war-zone.
Big deal. If people want to leave then it’s usually best to let them go.
Now we know the reason for Israeli air strikes in the area. They wanted to halt or delay this offensive. Perhaps to evacuate more Israeli equipment and advisors from Isis territory.