158: Chapter 158 Lieutenant General Green's Countermeasures

Major General Zaha ordered six mechanized infantry brigades to launch offensives in multiple locations simultaneously, gradually clearing out the influence of the Opposition Armed Forces in the surrounding areas. From the current situation, as the Opposition Armed Forces failed to react in time, they successfully captured five small cities, including Baishem, and cleared a large area of enemy armed personnel.

By the next morning, the forces committed to the offensive reached ten mechanized infantry brigades, which continuously expanded the scope of the attack across multiple routes. The pace of the offensive suddenly accelerated, and the number of troops deployed also increased significantly.

Major General Zaha did not intend to commit all his troops at once. He not only needed to reserve a backup force but also had to rotate the attacking units for rest in a timely manner, lest the troops collapse during critical battles due to a lack of rest.

After a morning of offensive operations, the progress of the frontline troops met expectations. Some small towns and villages were successfully reclaimed without any fighting at all. However, out of fear that the Opposition Armed Forces might have residual troops, they did not dare to advance too quickly to prevent saboteurs from causing trouble in the rear.

At this time, after nearly half a day of fighting, Leader Tara, the commander of the Opposition Armed Forces, finally learned from reports returning from the front that the Syrian army had launched a large-scale offensive against the territory under his control and had already lost many towns.

For Leader Tara, this was no less than an earthquake. He could not remember how long it had been since Syria had dared to launch an offensive against the territory he controlled.

After all, the Opposition Armed Forces were supported by the USA. While the Syrian army also had the support of Iran and Russia, the level of support was not particularly strong.

Moreover, the territories controlled by the Opposition Armed Forces were Syria's most oil-rich regions, making it easier to purchase weapons and equipment from the USA. In Leader Tara's view, the weapons and equipment of the Opposition Armed Forces were better than those of the Syrian army.

How dare the Syrian army attack his territory? How could they attack his territory? Amidst Leader Tara's roars, the Opposition Armed Forces issued orders to block the Syrian army's offensive at all costs, making sure the Syrian army tasted bitterness.

However, what Leader Tara did not expect was that he would be the first to suffer. Because he had not anticipated that Syria's offensive would be so fierce and their weaponry so abundant, the defense of the Opposition Armed Forces suddenly became strained.

Leader Tara had no choice but to ask Lieutenant General Green for help, hoping that Lieutenant General Green would send fighter jets and helicopters for cover to repel Syria's offensive. As long as they had air superiority, Leader Tara believed they could quickly turn the situation around and force the Syrian army to retreat to the previous confrontation line.

Lieutenant General Green did not respond immediately to Leader Tara's request for help. He quickly had reconnaissance units assess the situation, obtaining intelligence through satellite maps, reconnaissance aircraft, drones, undercover personnel, and various other means to understand the movements of the Syrian army.

Because Syria's military actions were so swift, Lieutenant General Green had not anticipated them. Consequently, the collection of relevant intelligence could not be completed in time. By the time he received the intelligence, Syria had already been attacking for a day, and the Opposition Armed Forces had lost a significant amount of territory.

Looking at the detailed map of the Syrian army's movements before him, Lieutenant General Green found that Syria had launched offensives from multiple directions. Some were advancing relatively quickly, while others were slower, but they had already occupied a considerable amount of territory.

He had a bit of a headache. Lieutenant General Green had a premonition about Syria's offensive, but he had not expected them to be able to mobilize so many troops. According to intelligence analysis, there were at least 50,000 men. 50,000 men was a very large number.

The USA's garrison in Syria now only had over 2,000 people left. Even with the addition of the aviation unit led by Major General Hunter, who arrived later as reinforcements, the number did not exceed 2,500.

Of course, if the Opposition Armed Forces supported by the USA were included, the numbers were still relatively high, at least 30,000 to 40,000. Combined with the hidden strength of the Opposition Armed Forces, there should be over 100,000 or even 200,000 people.

However, these soldiers were not qualified. Many had not undergone training and were basically the type who only knew how to fire a gun; whether they could hit anything was up to fate. Furthermore, their combat effectiveness was very weak, and they were only part of the Opposition Armed Forces out of a sense of passion. It was hard to say how much value they could provide if they encountered adversity.

Seeing the areas where Syria had already launched its offensive, Lieutenant General Green's brow furrowed. He did not know if the Syrian army's offensive was local or if they intended a full-scale offensive. If it was just a local offensive and some territory of the Opposition Armed Forces was lost, he could barely accept it.

But if the Syrian army launched a full-scale offensive, then the USA forces he led in Syria would be in danger, and the coming battles would be very difficult to fight. After all, the disparity in troop numbers was too great, and the Syrian army possessed many anti-aircraft missiles, which could pose a threat to the USA Air Force.

The USA Air Force in Syria, after multiple rounds of airstrikes and bombings on Syrian military bases, had basically figured out the general anti-aircraft situation of the Syrian army.

For important military bases, the anti-aircraft defenses were very strong, making it difficult to destroy their anti-aircraft missile positions. For those military bases of secondary importance, the USA could still destroy them, but the number of fighter jets and missiles required would clearly increase, making it somewhat not worth the cost.

This situation made Lieutenant General Green hesitate to lightly bomb Syrian military bases with strong anti-aircraft capabilities, only daring to bully those military facilities with weaker anti-aircraft capabilities.

But now that the Syrian army had taken the initiative to attack, they must have also considered that they would encounter USA Air Force bombings. Therefore, it was highly likely they had made corresponding deployments and precautions.

Would the USA Air Force still dare to fly over the Syrian army and bomb at will? Lieutenant General Green did not dare, and Major General Hunter did not dare either. They also feared that the fighter jets they sent out would be shot down by the anti-aircraft missile units accompanying the Syrian army's offensive, becoming a trophy for the Syrian army.

Lieutenant General Green was momentarily hesitant, not knowing how to respond. Soon, he decided to wait and see how the situation developed before making a move.

On one hand, Lieutenant General Green ordered his units to step up reconnaissance of the Syrian army's movements to grasp the latest intelligence. On the other hand, he told Leader Tara to prepare for defense and fight the Syrian army resolutely, not allowing them to easily seize territory.

To make Leader Tara work harder, Lieutenant General Green decided to provide the Opposition Armed Forces with some weapons and equipment, mainly light weapons, armored vehicles, and other army equipment. At the same time, he promised that the Air Force would provide support at the appropriate time, but he would not explicitly tell Leader Tara the timing of the support or the number of fighter jets.