The objective of these maneuvers, according to military sources, is to support the Syrian armed forces and conduct air strikes against “hostile targets”.
Four Su-35 fighter jets, six Su-34 fighter-bombers, six Mi-8 helicopters and four Ka-58 will be used in these maneuvers, considered the largest carried out so far in the Syrian region of al-Jazeera.
According to the sources, this is the first time an exercise (in Syria) will see the participation of a Beriev A-50 early warning and control aircraft, which controls the area of flights to and from the Qamishli airport, where Russia reinforced its military presence in the last two years.
Specialists cited by the media indicated that the maneuvers transmit the two-fold message to the US military and the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (FDS), linked to it, that Russia already has an important military existence in the north and northeast of Syria.
Russia has been reinforcing its military presence in the northeastern provinces of Hasakeh and Raqqa since 2019, and deployed aircraft and troops to the Tabqa air base south of Raqa and the Qamishli airport in Hasakeh, with the aim of supporting the government to regain control over the entire national territory.
pgh/llp/jf/fm
