Rebels in Syria seize air defense systems

Rebel forces in Syria captured numerous air defense systems during the offensive.

Militarnyi reports on this with reference to the message of the monitoring channel @ConflictTR on the X social media.

In particular, a modern Russian Pantsir-S1 self-propelled anti-aircraft missile and gun system was captured among the trophies.

The demonstrated trophies also included the Strela-2 man-portable air defense system, the Strela-10 surface-to-air missile system, and several 23-4 Shilka anti-aircraft artillery systems.

However, it is worth noting that although the Shilkas are formally air defense vehicles, in Syrian reality, they are usually used as assault vehicles.

The Strela-10 and Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile systems were seized at the Kuweires air base. Also, an unidentified radio device was seized at this airbase, probably a radar or communication station.

Capturing such trophies is especially important for the rebels, who previously had no air defense systems other than a few man-portable air defense systems. Because of this, they have suffered massively from air strikes by both Syrian government forces and Russian aircraft deployed in the region.

The strikes are usually carried out using conventional free-fall bombs, which are dropped even from helicopters. The dubious accuracy of such strikes, as well as their use in residential areas, often lead to massive civilian casualties.

Therefore, if the insurgents are able to take possession of the captured spoils, it will allow them to at least partially cover their forces. In addition, the presence of such a threat will constrain the actions of government aviation in the region.

Rebel Offensive in Syria

Currently, it is the fourth day since the beginning of the full-scale offensive of rebel forces in the western part of Syria. During this time, the rebels have overwhelmed the defense of government troops along virtually the entire front line. This allowed them to seize the second largest city in the country – Aleppo, from which they were driven out by government forces with the support of Russian troops in 2016.

As of December 1, 2024, maneuvering operations are still ongoing after the collapse of the defense, with the forces of the parties moving in different directions, advancing tens of kilometers a day. However, the first reports of counterattacks by government forces have already started to arrive. Therefore, it is too early to talk about the specific territorial achievements of the parties.

Amid the success of the Islamist rebels, all other groups, including Kurdish forces, “pro-Turkish” rebels, “pro-American” rebels, ISIS, and the rebel underground across the country, have also become more active. Adding further chaos to the situation is the fact that all of these groups are at odds with each other.