Iran to supply indigenous air defense system to Syria: State media

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Iran will be supplying defense, radar and electronic warfare equipment to Syria, including the indigenously built 15-Khordad missile system, state media said Friday.

A video broadcast on state TV revealed some parts of the agreement reached between the defense officials of the two countries in Tehran earlier this week.

A delegation of Syrian air force commanders met Iran's Defense Minister General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani on Wednesday and discussed bilateral defense cooperation.

Ashtiani, during the meeting, reaffirmed Iran's commitment to "strengthen Syria's defense base," but details of the cooperation agreement were not revealed at the time.

Iran's state broadcaster on Friday said parts of the agreement between Tehran and Damascus include the sale of the Khordad-15 air defense system unveiled in June 2019.

The surface-to-air missile system, which operates in sync with Sayyad-3 missiles, is believed to be capable of detecting and intercepting six targets simultaneously, including fighter jets, bombers and drones.

The system was unveiled in 2019 during the previous government in Tehran amid heightened tensions with the US and European countries over the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Iran has been among the staunch regional allies of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, providing him significant military and financial support in years when he faced international isolation.

There were reports earlier in July 2020 that Iran could supply Bavar-373 and Khordad-15 missile systems to Syria, but the plan did not materialize at the time.

Friday's announcement came amid a surge in missile strikes on Syria, mostly attributed to Israel, arch-foe of both Tehran and Damascus.

An airstrike on Damascus over the weekend, which some reports said targeted a meeting of Iranian and Syrian military experts, killed at least five people and wounded 15 others.

Iran condemned the strike but insisted that no Iranian was killed.