Syria drill warns West against military intervention: Diplomat

A senior Iranian diplomat says Syria’s ongoing military exercises send clear warning to Western countries not to underestimate the Syrian military power.

Hossein Sheikholeslam, director general for international affairs in Majlis (parliament), said Sunday that the maneuvers, which engage Syrian ground, air and naval forces, constitute a wise step taken to defend the Syrian government and nation against foreign military threats.

“In addition to coordinating Syrian armed forces, military maneuvers by the Syrian Army also convey a political message to the enemies of the Syrian nation and government,” the official said.

Sheikholeslam added that by staging the drill, Syria is telling NATO and other countries that are dreaming about military intervention in Syria not to underestimate Syria’s power and make no mistake in their calculations.

“Western and European countries should become aware of the power of Syria’s armed forces…and know that they should not make any mistakes in their calculations regarding Syria,” Sheikholeslam added.

The diplomat said Western countries seek a military intervention in Syria outside the framework of the UN Security Council or want to trigger a civil war in the Arab country because in that case, these nations will not be directly involved but will witness the killing and destruction by the two conflicting parties.

On Saturday, July 7, Syrian military Forces launched a military drill in order to simulate the repelling of a sudden attack from the sea.

The live-fire maneuver, which is attended by high-ranking military officials including the Syrian Defense Minister General Dawood Rajha, will continue for several days to test the readiness of the Syrian armed forces, the state news agency SANA reported.

A variety of missiles have been launched from the sea, coast and helicopters during the maneuver, hitting all targets with high precision, the agency added.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. The Syrian government says outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists are the driving factor behind the unrest while the opposition accuses the security forces of being behind the killings.

Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country.