The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has deployed several units of the 1st Division and the 9th Division along the frontlines with militants in the northern Hama countryside over the last few days, a source in the army told SouthFront on January 6.
Several pro-government activists confirmed that the army is massing its forces in northern Hama and said that additional heavy weapons, including battle tanks and heavy rocket launchers, are also being deployed there.
#Syria Men of the South #SAA –
Syrian Arab Army 9th Division Storming Group led by Brigadier General Nizar Fandi heading to Hama Region for a New “Mission”
#ToHama #To_Hama #Hama #SAA #SyrianArmy #SyrianArabArmy pic.twitter.com/jZNL0Y22JL— IvanSidorenko1 (@IvanSidorenko1) January 6, 2019
Earlier this week, Hussein Murtada, a correspondent of the al-Alam TV, warned that the Damascus government and its allies, especially Russia, are not willing to tolerate the repeated violations of the demilitarized zone agreement by militants any longer. The journalist, who is known for his ties with senior Syrian officials, went on to say that the SAA may soon launch a military operation around the northern governorate of Idlib.
A day after Murtada’s warning, Russia warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes on positions and equipment of radical militants in the southern Idlib countryside and in the western Aleppo countryside. The airstrikes were the first in weeks.
These movements allow to suppose that Damarcus and its allies are finally ready to take serious military actions against the radical militants in Idlib and in the demilitarized zone around it.
I think the reason for these provocations is terrorists trying to instigate Syria-Turkish confrontation. But so far didn’t succeed thankfully…
turks have no business been in syria, not have they ever been invited in syria.
The liberation of Idlib will be bloody, for the terrorists are surrounded. It will be a mini Stalingrad Battle just like Raqqa. Watch for the torrent of crocodile tears coming from Turkey, and United States and its vassals, France and England.
The Turks, told their vermin to move out of the area, many did; the remaining ones, well not even the Turks care. What we have left (mostly) are HTS vermin and both Turkey and the Syrians / Russian can openly kill at their will. Personally and I seem in the minority here, think they have planned and played it well – of course assuming the Turks dont do a bag flip again.
Many here believe, as you, that exists some sort of syrian/turkish arrangement mediated by the russians, I don’t believe it, I think that, against their will, Erdogan et alia are being forced to accept the reality of the battle ground, but, at the same time, they are allways trying to play their own little games.
Good and accurate point there, cheers.
Syrians have no secret deals with turks and russians with their deals with the turks have short handed them, (syrians) not once.
Of course, without the Russians the Syrians would not even be in a position to object, because without the Russians Al Nusra and ISIS would now have been fighting it out in the ruins of Assad’s palace in Damascus. As a Dutch saying says, he who pays, decides. The Russians have invested heavily in Assad’s survival, as a consequence they get to determine what happens in and to Syria.
I dont disagree the russians saved the day for the syrians that does not mean they can sell out the country as they see fit and according to their interest. Have you consider that with out the syrians the russians will never be able to enter Mediterranean?
Or you forget whose the convoys with the stolen oil the russians was bombing for months? The russians did not invest heavily for Assad’s survival but their own national interest, so they have a foot in ME again and the upper hand on the energy war is going on. Other wise I dont believe for a moment that the russians will have lifted a finger to help the syrians.
So lets say things as they are and I am pro russian since the day I been born due to the very close ties my family has with the Greek element in russia and the russian orthodox church for centuries, but that does not prevent me of seen reality and why russians do what they doing in syria and the global game they are playing.
Its not a matter of the Russians selling out Syria, its a matter of differing objectives where one has to take precedence over the other. Putin has stated again and again that the purpose of the Russian intervention was to safeguard the Russian bases in Syria, not to restore every inch of Syrian territory back to Assad. In order for the bases to be safe of course Assad’s government had to be saved. Once that was achieved however the Russians were no longer interested in a military solution to the war but into a diplomatic solution. They have said this again and again. Also, making sure that Turkey would remain friendly to Moscow and at odds with Washington has been an key imperative to Moscow now for years. As such retaking Idlib is of no strategic importance to Moscow as long as Turkey is opposed to that. All the more so since safeguarding Russian bases and Assad’s survival are not mutually exclusive to the Turks remaining in Idlib. It may be objectionable to Assad, but then again his opinion no longer matters.
That is why I often said Idlib will be dealt with at the negotiation table between Moscow and Ankara. Once Ankara withdraws its protection of the province, then the Tigers and others will start rolling. Not a moment sooner. It is what is.
Is it me or do no SAA troops wear any body armor.
I don’t think anyone in Syria wears body armor. Except US and Russian troops. And I reckon VIP SAA commanders, like the one from the Tigers.
Just like despite the country being innundated wit ATGW’s there’s still a surprising number of SAA armored vehicles without addon armor. I reckon that just like with body armor Allah protects. And when your number is up no additional armor will save you. That seems to be the Arab mindset.
Yea thats why they lose so many troops in wars the only forces of the SAA i have seen to wear body armor are the Republican gaurd they wear old italian sytle plate carryers with steel plates but hey thats better then nothing.
On the flipside, body armor is not being used by the Jihadi’s either. Allah protects is the motto there as well, That’s why on Jihadi videos where they are getting bombed we hear the camera guy constantly say Allahuh al Akbar, as if saying that a million times will protect him from RuAF or SyAF bombs.
Unless I am mistaken, those are Republican Guards units. That would be a very big clue as to what is about happen. Those guys are not around to decorate and parade. They are deployed to bang heads, butts and nuts. This one development is both interesting and telling. My take.
The Syrian government need to go there and wipe this mercenary bastard,low understanding bastar out of iblid.
1st Division, 9th Division, and maybe 4th Division heading to Idlib/West Aleppo fronts. About time. This time for real :) RuAF about to get highly active and Idlibistan will be freed from fsa/jihadi cockroaches.
I believe it when I see it happening and I hope this time the russians dont come up with yet another compromising peace deal against the syrians and let them finish the job.
Elements ( or units of ) is the key word here. SAA divisions separated into “brigades”, and perhaps as reinforced battalions.1st and 9th used to be armored divisions, probably more like mechanized or motorized units now. This would make sense given the terrain and mission. :)
I think Syrian army divisions are anything but modern divisions, but more like administrative units. And while units of those divisions get deployed all over the place, its more in some ad hoc grouping then actual divisions.
It kinda reminds me of the army of the late Roman empire. The classical legions that we’ve come to know and love still existed, but they rarely went to war again as a full unit. Instead elements of the legions were detached, the vexiliatae, and were combined into an ad hoc field army. Which over time morphed into a system of a permanent mobile field army and a lower grade fixed border guard.
From what I’ve gathered the Syrian army devolved into a sort of feudal system whereby divisional commanders were given their own little corner of Syria, usually a province, to rule as they saw fit, usually to line their own pockets, before the war. And this devolved divisional area command system was how the Syrian army survived the war, by each division defending the city and surrounding area it was headquartered in, and sending temporary reinforcements to neighboring divisions if a need arose. Except for two divisional commands which were the most recent and least established, the ones in Idlib and Raqqa. Which explains why those city and provinces were the ones that fell to the Jihadis.
Administrative units is a good description. Remember the brave defense of DZ with 104th blended with other units. Though I have never heard of a vexiliatae, thanks for the info. :)
Ready, set, goooooooooooooo.