Syrian opposition forces have successfully seized two launchers and a transport-loading vehicle belonging to the BM-30 Smerch multiple-launch rocket system. This event took place in the village of al-Safira, located southeast of Aleppo. According to reports from the Clash Report monitoring project and the Middle East in Ukrainian Telegram channel, videos of the captured equipment have been shared, offering visual confirmation of the incident. One of the launchers, a 9A52-2, was found in al-Safira with notable damage to the driver’s cab and a broken front wheel. The vehicle contained eight rockets within its tubes. Additionally, another 9A52-2 launcher and a 9T234-2 transport-loading vehicle were found abandoned by Assad’s forces in Hanaser village, outside al-Safira.

The origins of this incident trace back to the ongoing Syrian conflict and the Assad regime’s reliance on military equipment supplied by Russia. The BM-30 Smerch, specifically, entered Syrian service following the civil war’s outbreak, with a limited number being transferred from Russian arsenals. Initial evidence of their use dates back to early 2014, involving missile fragments found in settlements near Hama. The

ملخص الأخبار

• ظهر نظام BM-30 Smerch في الخدمة لدى سوريا بعد اندلاع الحرب الأهلية، ونُقِل بأعداد محدودة من روسيا.
• تراوح مدى صواريخ Smerch بين 20 و90 كم، ويمكن أن يصل إلى 120 كم في النسخ المتقدمة.
• سُجلت أول أدلة على استخدام Smerch في سوريا عام 2014 من خلال شظايا صواريخ 9M55K في مناطق شمال حماة.
• استولت المعارضة السورية مؤخرًا على رادار روسي 48Ya6-K1 Podlet-K1 ومحطة القتال SAV النادرة.