Syria and Russia held the first stage of joint exercises on 6 July between the aerial and electronic warfare units of their air forces, Russian news outlet Sputnik reported.
According to Sputnik, the drills aim to “exercise control” over Syria’s airspace and examine “the effectiveness of Russian air defense means in the country.”
The units will also practice countering potential aerial attacks.
The exercises were announced on 5 July and are set to continue until the middle of the month, around six days.
Syria and Moscow’s joint program comes as there has been an escalation in the activity of extremist militants in the country.
In the 24 hours before the announcement of the joint exercises, three attacks against government forces by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) were recorded in the Idlib de-escalation zone, according to the deputy head of the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria, Oleg Gorinov.
Over the past few weeks, Syrian and Russian fighter jets have launched strikes against HTS in the northern Idlib governorate, the country’s last major opposition stronghold.
Russian planes have also bombed the TIP in the countryside of Idlib and Latakia recently.
The exercises come in the wake of increased violence by groups such as HTS, who have stepped up rocket attacks, shelling, and even drone attacks on residential neighborhoods, resulting in the recent killing and injuring of several people.
Additionally, Israel has continued illegal violations of Syrian airspace with its frequent attacks on the country.
The drills also come as ties continue to deepen between the Syrian and Russian militaries.
The close ties between Syria and Russia date back to the Soviet era. However, their military cooperation deepened significantly in 2015 when President Bashar al-Assad requested military assistance from the Kremlin to push back against ISIS and other extremist groups let loose by the US and its allies.
In an interview conducted during his visit to Russia in March, Assad said that he would welcome a permanent Russian military presence in Syria.
“The presence of military bases should not be linked to the issue of terrorism. Combating terrorism is an existing matter, but it will be temporary, and the Russian military presence in any country cannot be built on something temporary,” Assad said at the time.
We believe that if Russia has the desire to expand the bases or increase their number, then this is a technical or logistical issue. If there is such a desire, then we believe that the expansion of the Russian presence in Syria is good,” he added.
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