ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

The Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” launched a new offensive in the Hama Governorate’s southeastern countryside on Monday, targeting the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) controlled villages of Al-Rumliyah and Al-Madajin inside the Al-Salamiyah District.  However, despite the sheer force behind this assault in southeastern Hama, the Jabhat Al-Nusra militants attacking these villages were repelled rather quickly by the Syrian Armed Forces, thanks in large part to the assistance from the Syrian Arab Air Force (SAAF). According to a military correspondent in Damascus City, the Syrian Arab Army’s 47th Brigade of the 11th Tank Division and the National Defense Forces (NDF) reported no casualties during the Nusra assault on Monday.  Jabhat Al-Nusra, on-the-hand, suffered a dozen casualties during their failed offensive in southeastern Hama. The Jihadist groups operating in the Hama Governorate have recently stepped up their military activity after several rebel controlled vill...

On Monday morning in the eastern countryside of the Homs Governorate, the Syrian Arab Army’s “Tiger Forces” – backed by the Desert Hawks Brigade and Liwaa Imam ‘Ali (Iraqi paramilitary) – continued their ground operations in the vicinity of Palmyra (Tadmur), striking several sites under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS).  The Syrian Armed Forces began their assault in Palmyra’s northern countryside on Monday, where they attempted to advance towards the Brigade 550 headquarters from the Ancient Palmyra Quarries that were recently contested prior to the government’s progress along the Al-Bayarat front. Southwest of Brigade 550, the Tiger Forces attacked ISIS’ first line of defense at Al-Dawah, resulting in a fierce battle that lasted for most of the day.  Despite the lack of progress at Al-Dawah, the Syrian Armed Forces were able to impose full control over Point 853 in Jabal Hayyal after a violent battle with the ISIS terrorists entrenched a...

MOSCOW: A first group of Russian military planes Tuesday left Moscow's base in Syria heading for home after President Vladimir Putin's shock order to withdraw most of his forces from the war-torn country, the defense ministry said. "The first group of Russian planes has flown out of the Hmeimim air base for their permanent bases on the territory of the Russian Federation," the ministry said in a statement, adding that they included Su-34 bombers and a Tu-154 transport plane. The ministry said that aircraft would leave the air base in groups made up of one transport plane carrying technical personnel or equipment accompanied by Russian warplanes. "Each group in this format will fly according to a prearranged route to the border of the Russia Federation and after crossing it all the planes will fly on independently to their own bases," the statement said. Putin had Monday stunned the West by ordering the withdrawal of the main part of Russia's forces in Sy...

By Moon Of Alabama Syria's Idleb province is held by Jabhat al-Nusra, aka al-Qaeda in Syria, and Ahrar al Sham with a sprinkling of "moderates" added to the mix. While Nusra and Ahrar have support from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the "moderates" are supported by the CIA which provides them with anti-tank weapons. When in 2013 these groups stormed government held positions in Idleb, Nusra, Ahrar and Islamic State Jihadis were leading the fighting and employed suicide bombers. Their attacks were supported by electronic warfare measures from Turkey which disabled the Syrian Army's communication. The CIA "moderates" were integrated as anti-tank teams using their U.S. supplied weapons in support of the Jihadi offense. The U.S. supported groups in Idleb are currently grouped under the moniker "Division 13" or "Brigade 13". The cessation of hostilities in Syria means that all these "moderates" in Idleb province have time...

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he was instructing his armed forces to start pulling out of Syria, over five months after he ordered the launch of a military operation that shored up his ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad. Putin, at a meeting in the Kremlin with his defense and foreign ministers, said Russian military forces in Syria had largely fulfilled their objectives and ordered an intensification of Russia's diplomatic efforts to broker a peace deal in the country. But the Russian leader signaled Moscow would keep a military presence: he did not give a deadline for the completion of the withdrawal and said Russian forces would stay on at the port of Tartous and at the Hmeimim military airport in Syria's Latakia province. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had telephoned Assad to inform him of the Russian decision. The move was announced on the day United Nations-brokered talks between the warring sides in Syria resumed in Geneva. "The ef...