Syrian, Russian militaries conduct joint air drills

Syria’s defense ministry on Tuesday released footage of its army’s air force conducting joint drills with key ally Russia.

Moscow is a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad, and the Russian army played a key role in pushing back armed opposition groups from overthrowing his government in Damascus over the past 11 years.

It since boasts a formidable military presence in the war-torn country, where hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions displaced in the conflict.

This is the third documented joint drill between the two countries since Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year.

Syrian paratroopers trained in coordination with Russian trainers.

Earlier this month, Syrian and Russian military pilots conducted drills across the country, including near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

In February, the two countries conducted a drill a week before Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow sent long-range nuclear-capable bombers and fighter jets with hypersonic missiles to Syria to conduct naval drills in the Mediterranean Sea.

Though much of the fighting has subsided in government-held Syrian territories.

Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes over the years, though it rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.

When it does, it says it is targeting bases of Iran-backed militias that have supported the Assad government, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and arms shipments reportedly belonging to them.

Last week, an Israeli airstrike killed three Syrian soldiers and wounded seven others.