Eurasia Press & News
According to an official statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Ministry of Defense, Moscow has decided and sent its troops to the Golan Heights. Russian troops will patrol with Syrian soldiers directly on the Bravo Line, which currently separates Syrian and Israeli troops in the region.
One of the Russian brigades’ commanders told TASS that joint exercises are currently being held between the Russian and Syrian military. The primary purpose of the practices is evacuation training, tactical reinforcements, and repulsed by enemy attacks. “Our mission is to monitor the ceasefire, show the Russian military presence and protect the Russian military,” he said.
After some time ago, the Syrian military managed to drive out several terrorist armed groups loyal to Turkey. The Russian military police took control of the patrol. Russia currently has five observation and reconnaissance military posts in the area, monitored by UN peacekeepers.
It is unclear how Israel will react to Russian actions in the region and whether this will not affect future Israeli attacks. Israel continues to claim that it is in this area of Syria that Iranian forces and their supporters are operating. However, Russia has decided to send troops to the place, aiming to prove the truth of Israeli allegations. The presence of Russian forces ensures that there will be no future armed clashes in the region.
Israel launched massive air strikes on Syrian targets, Damascus says
The Syrian Ministry of Defense has confirmed on November 25 that the Israeli Air Force has launched multiple airstrikes against targets along the Quneitra-Damascus line. This was also reported by the Lebanese news agency Al Masdar News, citing military sources.
The Ministry of Defense of the Syrian Arab Republic [SAR] informs: “Exactly at 23:50 [local time – ed.] on the night of November 25, the Zionist enemy launched an air strike from the Israeli-occupied Golan towards southern Damascus, and the losses were limited by material means”. Other agencies report that heavy attacks by Israeli strike aircraft have targeted the Jabal El Mania Heights [south of Damascus] and the vicinity of Al Quneitra. Photos of IDF Air Force attacks have appeared online. Some photographs taken from a distance show that Israeli planes hit their intended target.
Experts note that the Israeli military is seeking to squeeze out the Iranian troops and the Tehran-controlled Shiite militia цHezbollah and others; from the SAR, as soon as possible, or, at least, have time to inflict unacceptable damage on them. This rush is timed to coincide with the assumption of the presidency of the United States, Joe Biden, as Israel does not count on the support of his administration. Moreover, Jerusalem fears a resurgence of the nuclear deal and Washington’s relationship with Iran, which is Israel’s existential enemy.
BulgarianMilitary.com recalls that on November 18 according to the Syrian state news agency SANA, the Israeli air force has carried out large-scale air strikes on positions of the Syrian army and Iranian special forces Al-Quds in the area of the Syrian capital Damascus.
The strikes took place early at the morning [November 18 – ed.] and were confirmed by the Russian side, as a number of media officially quoted a press release from the Russian Ministry of Defense, including the Russian media RIA Novosti. According to the Syrian news agency SANA, earlier this morning the Syrian air defense managed to repel another Israeli attack.
Syria claims the strikes began in the Golan Heights and so far the Syrian army has lost three soldiers who were killed in the strikes. Israel has not clearly violated the airspace of the Arab Republic and may have used the F-16, and with the precise use of air-to-surface missiles has managed to strike the positions of the Syrian army and Iranian special forces Al-Quds. Al-Quds is a special unit of the Iranian army that is responsible for Iran’s operations outside the country.
Military experts say Israeli strikes on November 18 were a response to Syrian actions until days ago, when Bashar al-Assad’s army installed and loaded highly destructive explosive devices along the border between the two countries, better known as the Alpha Line.
Syria and Israel have not had diplomatic relations since the creation of the two countries. The military conflict between the two countries has been going on for decades, mostly over the ownership of the Golan Heights. Israel periodically launches air strikes on the Syrian army or on Syrian army positions around Damascus. Tel Aviv is also trying to destroy the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, which is based in Syria and is supporting the Syrian army.
War in Syria
In February, Turkey lost at least 62 troops killed in Syria, nearly 100 soldiers were wounded, dozens of Turkish armored vehicles were destroyed and more than ten drones, including drone, were shot down. Washington has repeatedly accused Moscow of involvement in the deaths of Turkish soldiers, Russia rejects these allegations.
In early March, the presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, concluded an agreement according to which a ceasefire came into force in the Idlib de-escalation zone. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad later said that if the US and Turkish military did not leave the country, Damascus would be able to use force.
The reason for the Russian-Turkish negotiations was a sharp aggravation of the situation in Idlib, where in January a large-scale offensive by the Syrian army against the positions of the armed opposition and terrorists began.
Government forces recaptured nearly half of the Idlib de-escalation zone and left behind a number of Turkish observation posts. After that, Ankara sharply increased its military contingent in the region and launched the operation “Spring Shield” to push the Syrian troops. Turkey is also supported by militants loyal to it.
