A Syrian S-75 launcher. Source: the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will help re-equip a key air defense base in the northern Syrian governorate of Aleppo, several Syrian pro-opposition news sources reported on January 31.
The air defense base in question is located near the town of Taanah in the northern Aleppo countryside. The base was captured by Syrian rebels in 2012. Soon after, it fell into the hands of ISIS. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) liberated the base during a large-scale military operation in 2016.
More than two years ago, the base was reactivated by the SAA. An upgraded Soviet-made S-75 Dvina air-defense system with a range of 45 kilometers was deployed there.
The IRGC will reportedly work with the SAA to re-equip the air defense base, which is situated a few kilometers away from the front from Turkish forces in the northern Aleppo countryside, and will also maintain troops there.
The SAA has been indeed working with its allies to restore its early warning and air defense network in Syria’s northern and eastern region.
Earlier in January, the army reactivated Jirah Air Base in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo with help from Russia. Several Pantsir-S1 and Buk-M2E air defense systems were deployed at the air base, where a training center on airborne operations was also built.
Nevertheless, the reports on Taanah air defense base may be nothing but a propaganda stunt meant to provide a pretext for an Israeli attack on Aleppo.
Reports about Iranian attempts to deploy air defense in Syria have been around for more than a year now. These reports were used to justify a number of Israeli attacks on the war-torn country. Still, there is no evidence confirming any of these claims.
