Syrian army sets trap to capture Israeli AH-64 Apache alive
After the Israeli Air Force launched AH-64 Apache armed helicopters to attack targets in Syrian territory, Damascus immediately responded.
On the night of July 11, the Israeli Air Force launched an attack into Syrian territory in retaliation for a reconnaissance drone originating from across the border that infiltrated their territory.
After the attack, fragments of a Spike NLOS long-range anti-tank missile were found in the wreckage, leading to the assumption that Israel used AH-64 Apache helicopter gunships because the F-15 and F-16 fighters could not carry the weapon.
The fact that the AH-64 helicopter was able to easily fly into Syrian airspace and then safely retreat has raised many questions about the combat readiness of Syria's air defense, but the cause has recently been answered.
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| Israeli Air Force AH-64 Apache armed helicopter. |
It is known that in the above bombing, Israeli Apache helicopters accurately selected locations that were not within the protection zone of the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile-artillery complex, while Syrian soldiers lacked shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles (MANPADS).
The cause of the above incident comes from the decision to withdraw all MANPDAS systems from the Syrian Army's equipment several years ago due to the growth of rebel groups.
The Syrian military fears that rebels will capture these weapons and use them against themselves.
Furthermore, the rebels do not have fighter planes, so the Syrian Army believes it is not necessary to equip soldiers on the battlefield with MANPADS, which has created a big loophole for Israel to exploit.
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| The Syrian army has decided to re-equip its soldiers with shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile systems. |
Faced with the above situation, the Syrian Ministry of Defense recently had to urgently order the re-supply of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles to units fighting on the front lines.
This was a delay, but it was better than nothing. If the attacking force had MANPADS in February, the US aircraft would not have been able to freely bombard and cause heavy casualties to the Government Army as well as the Russian Wagner soldiers.
Syria's arsenal currently has many powerful MANPADS of various origins, including the Russian Igla and Strela-2, the Chinese-made FN-6, and the North Korean HT-16PGJ.
Besides, it is not excluded that Russia will provide Syria with Verba missiles to test their features on the battlefield.
By this action, the Syrian government army has laid a dense anti-aircraft fire net in the border area, determined to "capture alive" the Israeli AH-64 Apache armed helicopter if it dares to invade in the future.