Syrian Navy conducts drills as NATO ships approach

[Darth Vader]

Novinite.com

Syria has announced it has carried out successful drills of its naval forces during the weekend, as news surfaced that NATO has sent three ships to patrol the area.

The Syrian military drills included the launching of rockets from ships with land-based support, aimed at rehearsing the repulsion of a supposed attack by sea.

Syrian Minister of Defense Dawoud Rajiha praised the drills as "extremely successful" and as showing that Syria's army is ready to defend the country from an external aggressor, reports state news agency SANA.

At the same time, Russian newspaper Kommersant writes that NATO has sent three war ships to patrol waters near Syria's border with Turkey.

A recent incident in which the Syrian army downed a Turkish fighter jet that encroached on its airspace during drills is believed to have provoked NATO's action.

At the same time, speculations are intensifying regarding a possible international military intervention in Syria, which has been torn by a bloody civil war between opposers of President Bashar Al-Assad and supporters of the regime.