End Of Days News
Tuesday night, Feb. 12, he Syrian Air Force began bombing the large al-Jarra
air base which rebels led by Islamist battalions conquered near the northern
city of Aleppo. Bashar Assad has ordered the destruction of the dozens of
fighter-bombers on the ground in the captured base. Most are Czech-made L-29
trainer planes which his air force has been using to pound rebel positions in
built-up areas of the cities. But still in hangars are also Sukhoi Su-22M
bombers and Mig-23 interceptors which too have been pressed into service for
striking rebel-held territory.
The loss of the al-Jarra air base is a major
blow for Assad’s forces, depriving them of the ability to hunt down and wipe out
rebel forces from the air. Now the remnants of his air force are entrusted with
somehow destroying their own planes, which are housed in bomb-proof hangars of
the captured air facility.
As for the rebels celebrating their feat in those hangars, they might have
used the air fleet they seized to bomb the presidential palace in Damascus,
except that none of them are trained fliers. What they have done is to launch a
recruitment campaign in Muslim countries for air crews with experience in flying
Russian-made warplanes and helicopters.
Their headhunters are scouring the former Soviet republics and East Europe
with large Muslim communities for Muslim pilots who served in the air forces of
their own countries. Even those trained fighters, however, never served on
advanced Sukhois or Migs, only on light trainers.
In Damascus, debkafile’s military sources report
that the 4th Division (which acts as the Republican Guard) managed Tuesday to
shore up the defensive lines that the rebels had breached in the eastern sector
in the last day or two and throw back their advance into the heart of the
capital. The rebels can only shell the Jobar district of central Damascus from
outside, but are prevented from breaking through to their ultimate target.
debkafile’s sources and most
Western observers sources fear that as his setbacks in battle pile up, the
Syrian ruler is likely to decide that the only way to save his regime is to turn
his chemical weapons against the rebel forces.
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