Illustrative image.
Early on September 10, a soldier of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) was killed and three others were wounded as a result of an attack on an air defense base located near the town of al-Ghantu in the northern countryside of Syria’s Homs.
A group of unidentified gunmen opened fire at the soldiers, who were manning a checkpoint at the base entrance, before fleeing.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights released footage from the vicinity of the base just a few hours after the deadly attack.
Al-Ghantu air defense base has been out of service for around ten years. In the early years of the conflict, the base was attacked by Syrian rebels on several occasions. The small base used to host a Soviet-made S-75 Dvina medium-range air-defense system.
The attack on the base is surprising to say the least. Al-Ghantu and its surroundings have been calm for years now. The entire northern Homs countryside is tightly controlled by the SAA and security forces.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. However, it is very possible that it was carried out by a terrorist group, like ISIS or al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
