Syria, the Resistance Camp’s Effective Piece in Game of War Equations

In this connection, in the past days first Ali Larijani, the senior advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, paid a visit to Lebanon and Syria carrying an important message of support to Tehran allies and then the defense minister of Iran made a visit to Damascus and reiterated the Leader's position to the Syrian leaders. 

Meanwhile, indeed the visit to Syria of the Iranian military delegation amid Lebanon war is of special military and security significance and it follows special plan that is directly related to the field conditions. 

In part of his media comments, Brigadier General Aziz Nasrizadeh said that "Syria is the main backer of the resistance and we, based on the recommendations of the Supreme Leader, are ready to provide all the facilities to the friendly countries."

This stance can be considered a sign of the beginning of another turning point in Tehran-Damascus military relations and cooperation, after the brilliant period of cooperation in the Syrian internal crisis, with the aim of boosting logistical support to Hezbollah to help more effectively confront the Israeli aggression. 

This new approach to military cooperation between the two countries had previously taken on a formal and practical aspect with the signing of a comprehensive agreement on military and security cooperation in July 2020 during the visit of Chief of Staff of Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri, to Damascus. Meanwhile, the expansion of scope of Israeli aggression, especially its aggressive actions against Iran's territorial integrity, increases its importance at present. 

One of the most important terms of this agreement emphasizes boost of Syria's missile defense systems by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Tehran has announced in this agreement that it will equip Syria with advanced air defenses to provide greater protection against Israeli aggressive attacks. However, now the war situation in Lebanon and the Israeli threats against Syria's territorial integrity on the one hand and the change in the deterrence equations between Iran and Israel on the other hand, can push the limits of military interactions under this agreement to ultimate level and contribute to its implementation in the shortest possible time.

In fact, until now, rebuilding Syria's air defense capabilities to counter the occasional air attacks by the Israeli regime had been the focus of political and military officials in both countries, but new developments have shifted the defensive nature of this cooperation agreement to equipping the Syrian army with offensive and strategic military wares.

Some moves by the Israeli regime indicate an attempt to change the security equation with Syria, including an attempt to disarm and demilitarize the area under the control of the United Nations and UNDOF forces, which indicates the possibility of opening a new front by Tel Aviv. United Nations Disengagement Observer Force is the UN peacekeeping mission responsible for maintaining a ceasefire on the Syrian-Israeli border after the Yom Kippur War in 1973. 

Therefore, it is very important to restore and develop Syria's defense capabilities in the first place. As a result of the cruel terrorism war against the Syrian people last decade, a significant part of the military capabilities of the country's army were depleted or lost. Some reports indicate that in recent years, steps have been taken to restore this capability by equipping the Syrian army with various Russian-made SAM systems such as SA-2, SA-3, SA-5, SA-6, SA-8 and SA-17 and SA-22 batteries.

On February 2023, during visit to Iran of Syrian Defense Minister, Syrian Member of Parliament Mohanad Al Hajj Ali told Al-Ahd news that "Iran is now participating in the development of the Syrian army and restoration of its infrastructure and capabilities with the latest Iranian missile systems, surface-to-surface missiles, and air defense systems."

Still, shortage of Syrian defense systems and inadequate and old technologies of these systems to fully deter Israeli missile attacks using advanced aircraft have so far failed to provide full deterrence to Syria, and the Israelis in their recent aggression against Iran first attacked the Syrian air defenses and damaged part of them. 

Iranian armed forces, led by Khatam Al-Anbiya Air Defense Command, have achieved self-sufficiency in building various types of air defense systems and have acquired the ability to build a complete air defense chain from advanced multi-purpose radars to missile batteries at the cutting edge of world technology. The Khordad 3Rd, Mersad, Talash, Khordad 15Th, Majid and Dezful, and Bavar 373 systems constitute only a part of this strong and multi-layered air defense. These systems have now proven their effectiveness on the battlefield, as the Khordad 3Rd system managed to shoot down the American Global Hawk (RQ-4n) ultra-advanced spy drone with a Sayyad-2 missile and effectively counter the Israeli regime's recent aggression. 

In recent years, the Israelis mainly focused on Iranian military presence around their borders in Syria and transfer of Iranian weapons from Syria to Lebanon, but they have not made any strategic success in meeting any of their security concerns. Israel army spokesman Daniel Hagari on November 14 said that Israeli forces have noticed Hezbollah use of Syrian-made weapons in their attack on the invading Israeli forces. 

This trend will certainly stay at its strength and acceleration of military cooperation between Tehran and Damascus will lift up Israeli tradition concerns about Syria to intense worries. 

Ex-Mossad director Yossi Cohen earlier said that the Syrian army is the only regular force that directly stands on the Israeli borders and enjoys armored and missile units and special forces and is considered direct threat to security of Israel. Highlighting this threat is the new move of the Axis of Resistance in the political and military equations of war.