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Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army and the Armed Forces, Defense Minister Fahd Jassem al-Freij visited on Monday one of the military formations on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the October Liberation War that was fought by the coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against the Israeli occupation from October 6 to 25, 1973.
The war began when the Arab coalition launched a joint surprise attack on Israeli positions in the Israeli-occupied territories, with the Egyptian and Syrian forces crossing ceasefire lines to enter the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights respectively, which had been occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.
The defense minister met combatants in their military positions, congratulating them on the occasion.
Conveying to them President Bashar al-Assad’s heart-felt congratulations, the minister stressed that the Syrian army which triumphed in October Liberation War of 1973 is now demonstrating epic steadfastness in the war against terrorism in dense of every single inch of the Syrian land.
“Syria has been present on the frontlines of every battle against the Israeli occupation, and has backed resistance movements against its schemes,” he added.
He described the War as “a source of salutary lessons for the nation to draw strength from.”
Concluding his visit, al-Freij lauded the efforts of soldiers who are “offering everything they hold dear as a sacrifice,” wishing them success in their missions.
On the same occasion, the armed forces commemorated the anniversary, with military commanders delivering speeches that elaborated on the meanings that October War evokes, describing it as a major turning point in Syria’s modern history.
“No matter how draconian the campaign against them might be, it won’t strike fear into the hearts of the Syrians, nor will it throw them off the course steadfastness they have charted,” the commanders stressed in their speeches.
They also pointed to the simultaneity of the anniversary and the military successes of the Syrian army in its current war against terrorism, vowing to offer more sacrifices in defense of the homeland.
The celebrations featured military shows and drills.
The commanders visited the tombs of martyrs, laying wreathes and reciting verses from the Holy Quran for the repose of their souls.
Meanwhile, the Defense Minister stressed that the Armed Forces are continuing their mission to defeat terrorism in continuation of the victories achieved in October Liberation War of 1973.
The Minister’s stress came in statements to the Syrian Satellite TV by phone on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the War.
Al-Freij said the Syrian Arab Army has been facing the ugliest forms of terrorism since March, 2011, and has already eliminated thousands of terrorists who have come into Syria from many of the very same countries that are now claiming to combat terrorism.
He made it clear that those who have supported terrorism that has been practiced against the Syrian people over more than three and a half years cannot be granted a proof of innocence just because they call in the media for fighting terrorists.
“Those who think they can share the homeland’s defenders the honor of combating terrorism by merely joining a US-led alliance are mistaken,” al-Freij added.
He went on saying that those who really seek to fight terrorism “do not call for forming a new army of terrorists and name it ‘moderate opposition’,” stressing that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Jabhat al-Nusra, the Islamic Front and the Free Army, along with the other armed groups fighting the Syrian state, are all terrorist organizations and cannot be labeled otherwise.
The Defense Minister warned against the danger of terrorism that poses a threat to everyone without exceptions, affirming that any effort to combat this threat must be according to a UN decision that takes into account the sovereignty of countries.
He, on the other hand, asserted that Syria supports any international counterterrorism effort providing that it is in line with the international law, stressing that “those who want to gain experience in fighting terrorism have to communicate with the Syrians and not the other way round.
He highlighted the fact that most of the countries which have joined the US-led alliance to fight ISIS had themselves funded, armed and supervised the crimes committed by this and the other terrorist organizations.
Al-Freij said that the talk of October Liberation War today evokes the values of heroism, sacrifices and honorable defense of the homeland, stressing the Syrian army’s readiness “to write the remaining parts of the national epic through combating terrorism in continuation of the approach of October War.”
He reiterated that the Syrian Arab Army will always remain “the army and armor of the Arab Nation” to continue confronting and thwarting the plots of the conspirators.
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