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Syria is gradually rebuilding its military capabilities, including its radar and air defenses, The Jerusalem Post reported on May 1, citing sources in the Israeli Air Force.
Following the fall of the regime of former president Bashar al-Assad more than a year ago, hundreds of Israeli strikes hit the advanced military capabilities of Syria in what was codenamed Operation Arrow of Bashan, with a special focus on the country’s air defense network — one of the densest in the region.
The United States is currently still warming to the new Syrian government led by president Ahmad al-Sharaa. It has reportedly blocked Israel from most military activity in Syria in recent months, other than permitting it to hold onto a buffer zone in southern Syria it captured after the collapse of the Assad regime.
The latest revelations about the return of Syrian air defenses could substantially impact Israel’s security at a strategic level in a number of ways, The Jerusalem Post warned.
The Syrian airspace was one of the main routes Israel used to launch strikes during the 12-day July war of last year, as well as during the more recent conflict.
While the country’s air defense network very much collapsed with the collapse of the Assad regime, and took serious losses during Operation Arrow of Bashan, Syrian sources with knowledge on the matter told SouthFront that a considerable number of radars and air defenses actually survived, including some of the more modern systems.
The sources specifically named Russian-made Buk-M2E and S-125-2M medium-range systems, which could pose a very serious threat even to modern fighter jets.
It is unclear, however, if the new Syrian military — drawn largely from radical armed groups — has the spare parts and experts needed to fully bring these systems back into service.
The systems which survived the collapse of the Assad regime may not be everything present in Syria today. A report by Bloomberg from last October revealed Turkish plans to arm the country with advanced weapons, including air defense systems.
How Israel will deal with a new air defense network is unclear. On one hand, Israel needs to maintain control over the Syrian airspace to operate in the direction of Iran. On the other hand, the U.S. seems to be strong on stabilizing the rule of Sharaa and very serious about pushing Israel towards some sort of security agreement with Syria.
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greater israel speaks. when the us and israel are despised and finally rejected by all nations. the zio globalist will be destroyed. israelis see patience as weakness to abuse with deception. patience ends