Moscow – Asharq Al-Awsat The Syrian forces launched military drills simulating Israeli raids to improve the forces’ attacks ability, according to Russian media. The Russian Zvezda website published an article reporting that Syrian government forces allowed journalists, for the first time, to witness the training of air defense units, noting that they succeeded in repelling enemy simulated attacks with the help of Soviet S-75 missiles.

S-75 Dvina (NATO SA- 2 SAM) The S-75 is a Soviet-designed, high-altitude air defense system, built around a surface-to-air missile with command guidance. Following its first deployment in 1957 it became one of the most widely deployed air defense systems in history.

The Russian website’s report carried a campaign promoting the Soviet missiles, saying “an old friend is better than two new friends.” It discussed the successful “few seconds” counterattack which used missiles that were introduced into service in 1957.

The website quoted a Syrian officer as saying that they did not face any issues, and the army is carefully following all the regulations of these operating systems, pointing out that he was pleased with the ease of control and efficiency of the Soviet missile. The opposition Sham network reported that the training allowed Russian reporters to attend the training of virtual attacks.

The journalists reported feeling as if they were on an actual battlefield, according to Sham. Sham indicated that the Russian military expert, Igor Korotchenko, said that testing modern Russian weapons on civilians in Syria is natural within real war conditions.

The expert told Sputnik News that the actual testing of weapons takes place during real battles, where experts can analyze and study their feasibility, noting that Russia’s testing of its weapons in Syria is a normal matter to detect potential defects.