Sources associated with the Syrian opposition report that in recent weeks there has been a decrease in the scope of Israeli attacks in the Damascus area, despite the landing of 2 Iranian cargo planes on average every week at the Damascus airport.
The sources explain that the “relative silence” from attacks in Damascus is rooted in the fact that in recent weeks Syria has put into operational use two Iranian air defense systems of the “Baur 373” type that were brought to the region last August, by land route (through Iraq) in tacit agreement with the Russians. According to these sources, one of the Iranian systems was placed in Syrian territory, near the border with Lebanon in the Zahla area. It was also reported that new electronic jamming systems were introduced alongside the defense systems.
According to the Iranians, the “Baor 373” system is effective for aerial interception at a range of 300 km and that a successful interception at a range of 152 km carried out by this system is documented.
The Syrian sources also report that on more than one occasion in the last two months, the Israeli Air Force canceled strikes from the skies of Lebanon on Syrian territory, due to the electronic jamming systems.
The Syrian sources add that a significant increase in the scope of Israeli and American spy flights aimed at determining the locations of the new systems can be observed in recent weeks. According to the report, the Syrians turn off the air defense systems and jamming systems during the flight of the spy planes, but activate them when fighter planes approach, in order to make it difficult to determine the location, but at the same time maintain effectiveness in real time.
