Iranian Counteroffensive Retakes Siraf - Main News Channel - January 27th, 2020

[SSgt Boyle]

Iranian Counteroffensive Retakes Siraf
Main News Channel - January 27th, 2020

 

The ongoing counteroffensive that was launched last week by the Iranian army has retaken the important crossroads of Siraf, severing the overland supply lines Saudi forces had with their troops west of the town. This leaves at least two Saudi brigades surrounded, and the port facilities in the area have taken heavy bombardment from Iranian ballistic missiles. The fighting in the area has reportedly claimed at least 55 lives from soldiers on both sides, and there are concerns that civilians in the area are in danger of suffering from a lack of medicine.

 

Pictured: Iranian ballistic missiles landing in on the Saudi-occupied port of Tonbak.

 

The Saudi invasion of the Iranian coast started with some wondering if the battered Iranian military would simply be forced to retreat into the mountains and surrender their coast to the Saudis. This week’s counteroffensive has dispelled those beliefs, routing the Saudi army who has so far only seen small skirmishes from scattered and largely untrained Iranian garrison forces. With the deployment of the battle-hardened regular Iranian forces fresh from fighting on the Kurdish front, the spread-out Saudis suffered a string of defeats in the western half of the country. There are numerous reports of Saudi units falling back in a disorganized manner, though a spokesperson for the Saudi armed forces denied these as “worthless Iranian disinformation”.

 

By Philippe Leclerc 
Main News Channel