Syria navy launches live fire drill
The Syrian Naval Forces have launched a military drill in order to simulate the repelling of a sudden attack from the sea.
The live-fire maneuver on Saturday, which was attended by high-ranking military officials including the Syrian Defense Minister Gen. 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 were launched from the sea, coast and helicopters during the maneuver, hitting all targets with high precision, the agency said.
The Syrian defense minister praised the ability of the naval forces to defend the country's shores against any possible attack.
The exercise comes after Syria said on June 22 that its air defense forces shot down a Turkish F-4 Phantom in Syrian airspace. The warplane crashed into the Mediterranean Sea.
Syria has been experiencing unrest ever since March 2011.
The Syrian government says outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists are the driving factor behind the unrest and deadly violence while the opposition accuses the security forces of being behind the killings.
Damascus also says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country.