US-backed militant groups, often referred as the Free Syrian Army (FSA), has declared a start of the counter-offensive against “the regime and its foreign militias” in the area east of Suweida in southeastern Syria.
The counter-offensive was dubbed of the operation “Desert Volcano”. Its declared goal is to expel government forces from the desert Syria.
Last weekend, the Syrian Army and its allies made notable ganist east of Suweida liberating the area of Zuluf, the Zuluf dam and Dahra Umm. Government forces also captured the Scientific Research Battalion area near the Damascus-Baghdad highway.
These advances posed a direct threat to the US-led plan aimed at building a buffer zone contolled by US-backed factions between Syria and Iraq.
Russia you better prepare for all out war NO HOLES BARRED from now on….. with the ziowhabbi ukro saudi qatari uk isis al qaeda nusra sham Terrorist…So be it…V
You forgot the eskimo’s
Also forgot the Norwegians (!) who as NATO poodles have moved their special forces to Al Tanf inside of Syrian territory from Iraq.
Eskimo’s=Norwegians :)
To be more precise, most of them are danish (as in Greenland)
Not entirely true. Norwegian people are as much Danish as Danish people are Norwegian. Don’t ruin your own joke man!
I guess the US and UK asked the Norwegians to go to the ‘front line’ . That way if the Norwegians end up dead it will not be so embarrassing :)
It’s politically expedient fro US leadership to start spreading the the blame around NATO when things start to going wrong.
Well, even a poodle can get rabies and become dangerous.
Lol – Excellent remark.
They are probing Russian resolve. I suppose the offensive will be conducted without US “advisers” since they are on the ground to fight ISIL exclusively. So light up Mi-28s and Ka-52 and let the hunt begin…
Correct assessment. I am not holding my breath about SAA regular forces determination to hold the ground and advance. The heavy duty of this task will fall -as usual- on the Russians, the Iranian militias and Hezbollah if the latter are involved in the south east of the country. I have always wondered about the Russian reticence to test their long range artillery systems in combo with direct elector-optical rangefinder mounted on drones; apparently they used it successfully in 2014 and 2015 in Donbass against the self hating Russians ( aka as brainwashed Ukrainians); this kind of weapon is very effective in any setting but particularly so in the desert. A few of these MLRP units with a few skilled drone operators could wipe out any ISIS or US support column of fighters within minutes from the safe distance of 25+km ( or more if necessary); the helicopters can then do the safer mop up operations after the first devastating blow has been dealt.
You are reading my mind. Laser guided arty ordnance is much cheaper than air-to -ground missiles or laser guided bombs. And Russians have developed howitzer, mortar and MRLS ammo back in the 80’s. They tried it in Donbas with great effect. If there is in fact a significant offensive by US proxy it will be a mobile fight in the desert with few good roads. Proper recon and timely arty support will be essential. And I hope SAA units won’t run at the first sign of trouble since they are supported by Hezbollah and the Iraqis.
Or just rev up those TOS-1 flamethrowers and anihilate the FSA and everything surrounding it.
Well apart from the technical details, we could use more clarity about how serious the loyalists are about keeping Syria together. Not for our own selfish gratification, but to deter these types of adventurers looking to raise a little hell in someone else’s country.
Syria would not be a viable entity if it wasn’t integral. Some kind of Alawitistan + Damascus and Aleppo detached from it’s natural allies Iraq and Iran by a jihadi buffer and possibly blockaded from the sea by US or Israel navy whenever these feel like it – just wouldn’t survive. It’s either all of Syria or no Syria at all…
Well if you’re right about that, then the urgency of that message certainly hasn’t reached the Kremlin, nor has it apparently shaken up much of the SAA brass. Some compromise on the final status of Syria with the West seems to be a goal in itself of Russian diplomacy. The Turkish invasion didn’t raise any eyebrows, and the Idlib pocket only seems to be strengthening with all the jihadists arriving there. Looks likely to me it’ll also go to Turkey, if Erdogan can reach an understanding with the various factions.
Turkey has abortion rights while Al Nusra doesn’t, so I don’t see any such “understanding” happening in Idlib.
On the contrary. The whole 4 safe zones scenario is aimed in SAA regaining as much of eastern Syria from the retreating ISIL as possible. Thus setting sound foundations for reunification of the whole country – with arms or negotiations. US strategy – arming the Kurds and organizing brand new proxy army in Jordan – is aimed in countering that. Turkey, as always is playing triple game, but if the Kurds end up being US favorite destroyers of Syria, they would surely take Turkey and Iraq down too.
Well lets just hope the SAA has beefed up its defenses especially around Idlib just in case the turk proxies attack since they are huge in numbers there
SAA can still reach Iraq via Palmyra and Dier Ezzor, through only ISIS territory without having to fight Norweigians. They have not cut you off yet, but SAA is threatening to cut them off from the ISIS fighting front like they did to Turkey at Al Bab. Norway isn’t going to let them and Russia isn’t going to help take Al Tanf either.
I’m not Syrian. Don’t think that Norwegians would be fighting – my guess US put them there so when they retreat in a couple days it won’t be mighty US SOF that turned tail. Plus Norwegian base is in Iraq and if they start killing SAA, Hezbollah or Shia Iraqi volunteers in Syria they would have anti-western uprising on their hands.
Maybe not, but at some point, the Russians will attack first.
“I am not holding my breath about SAA regular forces determination to hold the ground and advance. The heavy duty of this task will fall -as usual- on the Russians, the Iranian militias and Hezbollah” Are you at your mind? It was the determination of the SAA (and the Syrians in general) that kept Syria during the war. The Russians are quite late comers, the Iranians are not present in great numbers, even Hezbollah only joined in 2014 or so. Stop fuckin insulting the Syrians please!
Buddy… if was not for the constant supply of weapons from the Russians, ( long before they intervene directly), the Assad and his supporters would have been long toast. Remember that back in Sep. 2015 the Russian military assessment was that if they do not intervene directly the Jihadist and their Gulf sponsors would in Tartus, Latakia and Damascus before Christmas. Determination is hardly what comes to mind when I think of the Syrian Army performance ( with the notable exception of the 104 Brigade that holds out bravely in Der el Ezzor for 3 years now); Determination alone is not enough to win a war. You need money, military equipment, ammunition, food and people willing to fight the war. Syria is dire short supply of all of the aforementioned. You may be biased and emotional for your own reasons, but largely the SAA performance on the battle field- as that of all Arab armies in fact- leaves a lot to be desired.
including their tank drivers?
Sure they are not perfect but they are the most capable, most effective and most proven ground force right now in Syria , and pretty much in the whole war/world against daesh and you and everyone else need to recognize and accept this
I beg to differ. The most effective force has been the SDF. The gains of SDF are very impressive and cover more ground (other then empty desert) then the SAA has ever taken.
If you say it was the US, then one can say with more justification that the SAA hase received much more support from Iran, Russia and Hezbollah (in arms, manpower, airsupport and economic support) then the SDF ever received from the US.
Seriously? The SDF is only in the northern part of Syria mostly and the map there barely ever changes. Besides they are just Kurds I think, and just are another tool for the US to partition syria
It is the lines in the west and south that have hardly changed the last three years.
Only in the north have there been large changes in the lines, with SDF now holding, except for the recent empty desert gains, more area then Assad or the rebels.
The remark : “they are just Kurds, you think”, is both of a racist nature and incorrect.
The SDF is a multi ethnic project, combining kurds, arabs, syrics and turkmen and there present strength (excluding HXP, the conscript army) is nearing or around 100.000. Several large arab tribes, including the shammar who also live in Iraq and KSA, and the christian syriacs have joined them and those make up some 30% of their forces.
For more details, see wikipedia and elsewhere.
“Determination alone is not enough to win a war.” You’ve questioned their determination.
And what to do about the enivitable aerial bombing from Jordanian f-15’s or F-16’s?
FSA operation “Desert Volcano” how appropriate! Tell Safa (739) is in the center of that very large lava field. Let the FSA forces be burned to a cinder and turned into volcanic ash.
Orwellian appellation for FSA. Neither free nor Syrian.
Prapaganda at it’s most ineffective.
You are right this is propaganda. No body believe this.
These US proxies will leave the south Syrian border as tifon remove sand from the land.
yes, i see this in daraa.
Interesting to see more foreigners fight for “Free Syria”, and accuse the gov. of being made entirely up of mercenaries.
Lmao. At this fake and weak ass chest beating by Some low life Hezbullah and Assadists in here… You will get literally smoked on the desert.. Just try to approach cause you have no fuckin idea what is sitting as back up and waiting in Jordan. Close to 30.000 forces + 34.000 additional.
You would be left battered within just weeks
Last time people were bragging about 40 – 50 or 70K “vetted moderates” funded with 500 million of US tax dollars it turned out that the actual number was and I quote – 4 or 5. Syrian “moderate opposition” myth is just one big money laundering scam.
Outside Rojava this could be, I don’t know. I google “New Syrian Army abortion rights” and get nothing.
What’s that with you and abortion? Are you an OBGYN? ;-)
bOTH PEACE AND THE ENVIRONMENT DEPEND TOTALLY ON ABORTION RIGHTS to prevent overpopulation and resource wars.
Peace comes when one side wins and the other loses and both accept that outcome. Overpopulation is prevented by wars. Wars are always over power (via resources/position). So a war brought to a conclusive end over some resource or other will bring peace and control the population.
None of it would be possible without governments that care about us and want nothing but peace and a safe environment… for the cheeldren.
Without abortion rights, that would be the case, only war would be left to control population.
And why risk it? when SAA can still reach Iraq farther North via Palmyra through Dier ezzor, by fighting ISIS only. They say they are being cut off but they are not!
The Américans are closer to Deir Ezzor and the closing of the Iraqi border than any SAA units or PMU units so in anyway the SAA will do most of the heavy fighting like always and as such not be able to reach the other side of the border in time, meaning an inevitable clash , but as I see it’s better if earlier due to the lack of heavy defenses right now
SAA has a bit of catching up to do but they can still win, especially by going through Dier Ezzor which they already hold.
Palmyra to DeZ : some 125 kms.
SDF lines to DeZ : some 40 kms
SDF is busy with Raqqa and so can’t move on Dier Ezzor nearly as fast as SAA, which can abandon all other offensives in order to mount an overwhelming blitzkrieg past Arak.
If weak US/JORDAN backed FSA had any numbers, they would not be giving up this territory in Syria so easily. Also they would have taken T2 airfield from ISUS by now. The proof is on the ground.
“US-backed militant groups, often referred as the Free Syrian Army (FSA), has declared a start of the counter-offensive against “the regime and its foreign militias” in the area east of Suweida in southeastern Syria.”
Translation: the U.S. will bomb everybody.
One Russia vs. USA fight, coming up. Its what they want.
But they will not get. The US and Russia will not be played by Shiite or Sunni wanabe General on the ground. Their aircraft will keep a respectful distance from each other.
Indeed, thats why they have radar and controllers.