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On June 10, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) elite 25th Special Mission Forces Division, also known as the Tiger Forces, held a large-scale live-fire exercise.
The exercise was attended by Syrian Minister Lt. Gen. Ali Mahmoud Abbas and the commander of Russian forces in Syria.
During the exercise, units from the 25th Special Mission Forces Division conducted maneuvers mimicking urban warfare, close-range combat and airborne operations. Heavy weapons, including BTR-82A armored personnel which were recently supplied by Russia, and fighter jets took part in the exercise.
A number of Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters also participated in the exercise. The helicopter hit targets with guided missiles in support of Syrian troops.
The 25th Special Mission Forces Division has been working to develop its capabilities for more than two years now with support for the Russian militar. The division is mainly deployed around the northwestern region of Greater Idlib, which is controlled al-Qaeda’s Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, as well as in the central region to counter ISIS remnants.
The exercise came as Turkey is preparing to launch a new invasion into Syria’s northern and northeastern regions to root out Kurdish forces.
In recent interview with RT, President Bashar al-Assad hinted that the SAA could engage the Turkish military and its proxies directly in case of a new invasion.
The 25th Special Mission Forces Division has already confronted the Turkish military during the 2019-2020 Greater Idlib campaign. The division sustained heavy losses. However, it liberated a large part of the region and held its ground, scoring a decisive victory.
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