Drones, Guided Missiles: How Homegrown Military Tech Is Powering Rebel Offensive In Syria

A lightning offensive and rapid gains by Syrian rebels, have stunned Assad’s forces. As rebels gain more ground in northwestern Syria, locally made weapons are credited as a vital source for their success.Analysts say that just five years ago rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was a beleaguered jihadist force, fighting to survive. Now, in its stronghold of Idlib province, HTS boasts a military academy, a centralised command, rapidly deployable specialist units. Their arsenal includes artillery guns, tanks, drones and snipers; they even have a local arms manufacturing industry.The capabilities of the revamped insurgent group have been apparent over the past week in its audacious raids across northern Syria. n18oc_world n18oc_crux0:00 INTRODUCTION1:35 HTS’ HOMEGROWN MILITARY TECH3:04 SHAHEEN DRONES A GAME CHANGER FOR REBELS