180: Chapter 180 Occupation of Hera's Joint Military Base

After Major General Zaha deployed the Mechanized Infantry Brigade to attack Hera Joint Military Base, the assault began immediately. Shells fired from the Fierce Lion series Artillery directly threatened the USA troops stationed at the base.

Prior to this, Major General Hunter had commanded his aviation units to conduct multiple bombing runs on the gathering Syrian forces. However, because the air defense battalions equipped with Tianlei Series Anti-Aircraft Missiles focused their defense on the base's runways, Major General Hunter did not gain much of an advantage.

Instead, Hera Joint Military Base suffered several unexpected losses when launching F-16 Fighter Jets and F-35 Fighter Jets, as they were attacked by Syrian forces lying in ambush at nearby anti-aircraft missile positions. This forced Major General Hunter to increase defensive measures.

Yet, defenses always have loopholes. After suffering losses during several consecutive sorties, the USA aircraft were forced to abandon their bombing missions. Seeing the limited effectiveness of the warplanes, Lieutenant General Green realized that the chances of the USA successfully defending Hera Joint Military Base were becoming increasingly slim.

As Turkey and Israel successively entered the conflict against the Syrian army, the high-ranking officials of the USA military also made a decision: to temporarily withdraw troops from Syria, abandon their current military bases there, and hand them over to the supported Opposition Armed Forces. Meanwhile, to save face, they decided that the Central Theater Command would launch a large-scale airstrike against Syria.

General Maitang and Lieutenant General Green soon received their orders. General Maitang began arranging the operational plan for the airstrike on Syria, while Lieutenant General Green immediately ordered his troops to withdraw and contacted Leader Tara.

"Leader Tara, we have a new mission and need to evacuate from Syria immediately. The current Hera Joint Military Base will be handed over to you; you must prepare to take command," Lieutenant General Green said straightforwardly.

"You're really withdrawing from Syria?" Leader Tara asked, somewhat in disbelief.

"Yes, orders have come from the Central Theater Command. We need to redeploy our forces to Turkey, so we have no choice but to abandon our current military bases in Syria," Lieutenant General Green fabricated an excuse.

"When you hand over Hera Joint Military Base, you'll be transferring a batch of weapons and equipment to us, right?" Seeing that Lieutenant General Green was clear about the withdrawal, Leader Tara knew they were being abandoned. Since he couldn't stop it, he could only hope to obtain more weapons to improve the combat effectiveness of the Opposition Armed Forces.

"We will hand over all the surplus weapons, equipment, and ammunition that we can't take with us. The quantity will be quite large, enough for at least several large-scale battles," Lieutenant General Green exaggerated the state of the equipment left behind, much of which consisted of damaged and unusable armored vehicles.

"Fine. I will immediately arrange for my troops to take over," Leader Tara replied. He didn't mind the details; as long as there were weapons, he would strive to get them.

Since Hera Joint Military Base already had troops dispatched by the Opposition Armed Forces to assist in its defense, the handover process went smoothly. However, Major General Zaha did not allow the USA to withdraw so leisurely.

Upon seeing convoys of USA troops leaving Hera Joint Military Base and realizing they weren't returning, Major General Zaha immediately sensed something was wrong and ordered the Mechanized Infantry Brigade to launch an attack.

As more and more Syrian armored vehicles entered the fray, Lieutenant General Green saw that the handover was not yet complete. With the combat pressure on the front lines mounting, he made a decision to simply abandon the remaining handover tasks and dump everything onto the Opposition Armed Forces.

At the same time, he ordered the Opposition Armed Forces to resolutely defend Hera Joint Military Base. Lieutenant General Green then led the retreating USA troops as they fled the base under the cover of night, while the fighter jets also took off and headed for Turkey.

During the hasty retreat, the USA troops were in a state of chaos. There were even accidents where armored vehicles and tanks collided, resulting in casualties. Additionally, some drones experienced conflicting commands after takeoff, leading to loss of control and crashes.

Upon receiving news that the USA military was withdrawing, Major General Zaha immediately ordered his armored units to pursue, at one point drawing close to the evacuating forces. However, the USA military launched flares toward the Opposition Armed Forces' positions, misleading the Syrian army and causing them to deviate from their path, ultimately avoiding a large-scale engagement with the USA forces.

As the USA military withdrew, the Opposition Armed Forces hurriedly distributed the received weapons and equipment among their units. Some equipment was so unfamiliar that officers and soldiers were forced to drive and operate them directly into battle without any training.

The chaotic situation lasted until the USA military had completely left Hera Joint Military Base and continued as the Syrian army fought its way into the base.

As more reports came in from the Mechanized Infantry Brigade, Major General Zaha judged that they would likely be unable to catch up with the USA military. He had no choice but to order his troops to turn their guns and launch a direct assault on the Opposition Armed Forces.

Due to the chaos surrounding the Opposition Armed Forces' acquisition of weapons, the Syrian army found an opportunity. They quickly broke through the positions previously constructed by the opposition, reached Hera Joint Military Base, and began seizing every position.

The Syrian army was better prepared and more effectively commanded, soon gaining an absolute advantage in the assault on Hera Joint Military Base. Once the positions they were holding were breached one by one, the Opposition Armed Forces suddenly collapsed, and a rout began.

At this moment, the power of the Fierce Tiger series Armored Vehicles was fully displayed. The pursuit of the Opposition Armed Forces was highly effective, forcing them to abandon a large amount of the newly acquired weapons and equipment, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and various other armored units. The road was littered with abandoned equipment and surrendering members of the Opposition Armed Forces.

Major General Zaha ordered the Mechanized Infantry Brigade to continue the pursuit while also dispatching units to take control of Hera Joint Military Base. Although the base had been damaged by the USA military and the Opposition Armed Forces, it could still be used after simple repairs.

Hera Joint Military Base would be needed for the upcoming battles against the Opposition Armed Forces, as it was closer to the front lines, facilitating troop movements and the replenishment of weapons and ammunition.

General Faraj received Major General Zaha's report and was surprised that the USA had decided to abandon Hera Joint Military Base so quickly, allowing the Syrian army to occupy it so easily.

He was somewhat overjoyed. Occupying Hera Joint Military Base meant that the USA no longer intended to station troops in Syria, which meant there would be no more lingering concerns regarding the crackdown on the Opposition Armed Forces.