2011 Syrian Civil War

9K35 Strela-10 in the 2011 Syrian Civil War

The 9K35 Strela-10 appears in Syrian Civil War records through an attributed Russian claim that Syrian government air defenders fired SA-13/Strela-10 missiles during the April 2018 U.S., UK, and French strike, and through December 2024 footage reported as showing a captured Strela-10 in Syrian opposition hands.

Weapon profile9K35 Strela-10
SideOpposition and anti-government forcesSyrian government and alliesRoleAir DefenseCaptured, Seized & RecoveredForce Protection
9K35 Strela-10, Tracked short-range surface-to-air missile system, Air Defense - 2011 Syrian Civil War
Image source: File:Strela 10 (modified).jpg

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Russian MoD-attributed claims identified Strela-10/SA-13 missiles among Syrian government air-defense weapons fired during the April 2018 coalition strike phase.

Sources: TWZ Russian Claims Syria Strike

U.S. officials said Syrian forces launched more than 40 surface-to-air missiles but assessed that no Syrian weapon affected the coalition operation.

Sources: DoD Syria Strike Transcript, DoD Syria Strike Story

Footage reported in December 2024 showed a captured Strela-10 system in Syrian opposition hands; the evidence supports capture and possession, not confirmed opposition firing.

Sources: Defense Express Syrian Opposition Captured Strela-10

Timeline

9K35 Strela-10 In 2011 Syrian Civil War

  1. Syrian air-defense response during coalition strike

    U.S., UK, and French forces struck Syrian chemical-weapons-related targets; U.S. officials said Syrian forces launched more than 40 surface-to-air missiles, while later Russian claims reported Strela-10/SA-13 participation in the Syrian air-defense response.

    Sources: TWZ Russian Claims Syria Strike, DoD Syria Strike Transcript, DoD Syria Strike Story

  2. Captured Strela-10 reported in opposition hands

    Defense Express reported footage of a captured Strela-10 surface-to-air missile system in Syrian opposition hands during the late-2024 offensive against Assad-aligned forces.

    Sources: Defense Express Syrian Opposition Captured Strela-10

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The clearest firing claim comes from the April 2018 coalition strike phase. The War Zone reported Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov's claim that Syrian forces fired 112 surface-to-air missiles and that 9K35 Strela-10, also identified as SA-13 Gopher, was among the Syrian systems credited in the Russian account. The same article treated the Russian effectiveness claims as disputed and noted the absence of public visual evidence for the claimed shoot-downs.

U.S. Defense Department reporting supports the broader fact that Syrian government air-defense missiles were launched during that operation, but not the Russian claim about Strela-10 effectiveness. In the April 14, 2018 Pentagon transcript, Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said coalition forces assessed that more than 40 Syrian surface-to-air missiles were employed, mostly after coalition impacts, and that no Syrian weapon affected the coalition operation.

Sources: TWZ Russian Claims Syria Strike, DoD Syria Strike Transcript, DoD Syria Strike Story

Captured opposition equipment

A separate record appeared during the late-2024 opposition offensive. Defense Express reported on December 1, 2024 that Syrian opposition fighters had captured a range of equipment abandoned by Assad-aligned forces and that footage of a captured Strela-10 surface-to-air missile system in Syrian opposition hands had appeared.

That reporting places the system in opposition possession during the offensive and links nearby captures to Kuweires Air Base. It does not confirm that opposition forces made the captured Strela-10 operational or fired it.

Sources: Defense Express Syrian Opposition Captured Strela-10

Role in the conflict

The documented Syrian-government role was short-range point air defense during a limited strike phase inside the wider civil war. The available public sources support missile launches by Syrian air defenses and an attributed Russian claim that Strela-10 missiles were part of that response, while U.S. officials said the response was ineffective.

The documented opposition-side role is captured materiel. The late-2024 evidence supports capture and possession of a Strela-10 after pro-government withdrawals or abandonment, not confirmed combat employment by opposition forces.

Sources: TWZ Russian Claims Syria Strike, DoD Syria Strike Transcript, Defense Express Syrian Opposition Captured Strela-10

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Sources