French-made Aérospatiale SA342 Gazelle helicopters have come under the control of the Syrian opposition.

The photos were posted by an OSINTdefender analyst on his X-account.

It is reported that the helicopters, along with AS.12 anti-tank missiles, had been captured at the Mezzeh air base in Damascus.

Recently, Militarnyi reported that Israeli troops had launched a devastating attack on that air base after it had fallen under the control of opposition forces. It remains unclear whether the aircraft survived the attack.

The sides appear to be in a well-maintained condition, and the presence of suspended weapons indicates that they were probably being prepared for a combat mission.

The history of the Syrian SA342 fleet dates back to 1977, when the Syrian government ordered an unspecified number of these combat vehicles from France.

The helicopters were actively used during the Lebanon War. It is known that the first combat launches of HOT anti-tank missiles from SA342s against Israeli armored vehicles took place on June 8, 1982.

At the end of the war, Israeli officials recognized the loss of seven tanks as a result of SA342 attacks, although at the same time Syria lost 18 such helicopters.

Little is known about the use of Gazelle in the civil war. A study of the Air Force and Army Aviation by the Oryx team states that the helicopters were primarily used as reconnaissance aircraft, with the use of weapons occurring during the Battle of Tabqa.

About 10 were on combat duty with the 976th Squadron at Mezzeh, while the rest were distributed among other units.

According to the latest FlightGlobal aviation yearbook, Syria had 62 helicopters in service, although their technical condition remains unknown.

Given this number of aircraft, it can be assumed that, in terms they have the proper technical support and pilots, the operation of these helicopters can be partially resumed.