Syria conducted its first aerial exercise involving fighter jets since the collapse of the Assad regime, near the Turkish border and accompanied by a Turkish military helicopter, according to a report. A senior Israeli security official said Israel is closely monitoring developments in Syria and sharing its concerns with allies.
A report published Tuesday states that Syria conducted its first aerial exercise involving fighter jets since the collapse of the Assad government, near the Turkish border and accompanied by a Turkish military helicopter.
The development follows reports published Monday (Aug 10, 16:37 Jerusalem) by The Zioneer, which detailed an accelerated rehabilitation of the Syrian air force under President Ahmad al-Sharaa. On Monday, Israeli defense sources identified a first Sukhoi fighter exercise in northern Syria and assessed that the Syrian military is receiving backing from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and France. The new account adds a layer of direct Turkish involvement — a helicopter escort — during the exercise.
The Zioneer has previously reported on Israeli concerns over Turkish entrenchment in Syria. A July 14 bulletin cited a security source warning that Turkey is establishing a deep presence in Syria and is involved in building the Syrian army and infrastructure. A July 7 report noted that Turkish radar deployments in Syria could compromise Israeli Air Force operations. A senior Israeli security official said: “We are closely monitoring developments in Syria and are sharing our concerns with our allies.” Israel has also updated the United States on the developments, according to the report.
The source of Tuesday's report and the specific type of fighter aircraft involved remain unspecified in the current reporting.
4 developments
Source and signal
- Open-source intake