idlib, syria – Syrian government forces have recently stepped up their use of FPV (first-person view) suicide drones, using them to attack rebel military positions and civilian areas in villages and towns along the front lines.
According to the White Helmets, officially known as the Syrian Civil Defense Forces, there have been 13 drone attacks this year up to February 22, injuring seven people, including two children.
FPV drones are classified as loitering weapons due to their ability to hover close to a target until the time is right to attack. It can be manufactured relatively cheaply and achieves high accuracy.
attack civilians
White Helmets Deputy Director Munir Mustafa said the use of FPV drones against civilians by the Syrian army as well as its Russian and Iranian allies is a dangerous escalation, threatening lives and destroying livelihoods.
“These attacks are not limited to direct loss of life and property damage, but also extend to targeting agricultural areas and the Karkul Dam area, threatening the livelihoods of many families,” he said. Stated.
“These deliberate attacks will exacerbate food insecurity, further impede access to basic services, and exacerbate the challenges faced by communities already devastated by 13 years of war,” Mustafa said. added.
The state of panic and fear caused by such attacks among the targeted population is likely to further escalate, forcing already vulnerable communities to evacuate, including those who have already been displaced.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said the Syrian government was violating UN Security Council resolutions 2139 and 2254 and international humanitarian law regarding the distinction between civilians and combatants with the drone attack.
“Targeting civilians is the main objective of the Assad regime, as has been the practice for 13 years,” he said, monitoring Syrian and Russian troops and warplanes to warn civilians of coming attacks in Idlib. Abu Amin told Al Jazeera.
Local production under Iranian and Russian supervision
FPV drones can provide operators with an aerial view that is transmitted from a camera mounted on the aircraft to virtual reality goggles or a portable monitor.
A new option to use FPV drones to destroy terrorists inside and outside Idlib. As I said earlier, the mouse has no place to hide anymore. Syrian and Russian warplanes are not conducting attacks, but FPV drones are producing bloody harvests. pic.twitter.com/6uioUDAcXP
— Hamdi Arnous (@JHArnous) February 10, 2024
The use of such drones has recently increased in Russia's war against Ukraine. And in Syria, government forces are building as many planes as possible domestically, using different technology but ultimately serving the same purpose, military officials say.
“The FPV suicide drones used by Assad's forces are manufactured in a laboratory in southern Hama under the supervision of the Russian and Iranian military,” Abu Amin said.
Abu Amin believes Syrian government forces will use more suicide drones in the coming days as they improve their technology and train to fly more suicide drones.
“The units in charge of the drones are the 25th Division, backed by Russia, and the Republican Guard, backed by Iran,” he said.
The drone can carry about 2 kg (4.4 pounds) of explosives and has a control range of about 3.5 km (2 miles) at an altitude of up to 30 meters (100 feet), Abu Amin explained.
High precision, low cost
Iranian militias have installed key systems of suicide drones at Hama airport and two of their bases in Idlib province's Maarat al-Numan and Ghab plains, said a defected Syrian army officer and current member of the Syrian opposition. said leader Colonel Mustafa Bakur. he told Al Jazeera.
Drone testing and operator training have begun since the system was introduced a few months ago, he added.
“These drones have high accuracy and low cost compared to other types of weapons such as fighter jets, artillery and missiles,” Bakur said. “They have great destructive power, especially if the blow is accurate.”
Mustafa said the attacks so far have been along the front lines between government forces and rebels, including “the Karkul Dam area in the northern countryside of Hama and the village of Ahs in the western Idlib countryside. and the village of Maret Elnasan, as well as the village of Kafr Amma in the western countryside of Aleppo. ”.
From the recent weeks and months of FPV drone attacks in Idlib and the elimination of dozens of HTS terrorists by the Syrian Arab Army 🇸🇾…See, see 👊🏻 pic.twitter.com/UJQo9a46cU
— Sam🇸🇾 (@SAMSyria0) February 15, 2024
Bakur said suicide drones are not new to the Syrian war, adding that Russia has used them on a limited basis since its direct intervention in Syria in 2016.
Opinions differ over whether the Syrian government's foreign backers, Iran or Russia, are leading the increased use of suicide drones, with Bakur providing suicide drones and training Syrian soldiers to operate them. I strongly believe that it is Iran.