2018 Southern Syria offensive

2018 Southern Syria offensive
Part of the Daraa Governorate campaign and the Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War

Map of the operation
  Syrian Army control
  Syrian Opposition control
  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant control
  Reconciliation areas with no Syrian government presence
Date18 June – 31 July 2018
(1 month, 1 week and 6 days)
Location
Status

Decisive Syrian Army victory[23][24][25]

  • Syrian Army brings the entire Daraa border with Jordan and the Golan Heights frontier under its full control[26][27]
Belligerents

 Syria

 Russia (since 24 June)[1][2][3]
 Iran[4][5]
Allied militias:
Palestine Liberation Army[6]
Liwa al-Quds[7]
Iraqi Shiite militias[5]
Hezbollah (rebel claim)[8]
Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas[9][10]
Liwa Fatemiyoun[11]
Ba'ath Brigades[12]
As-Sa'iqa[13]
SSNP[14]
Druze militias[14]

Free Syrian Army

Syrian Liberation Front[16]

Criterion Brigades Surrendered[18]
Tahrir al-Sham Surrendered[19][15]
Jaysh al-Islam Surrendered[20][15]

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (since 10 July)

Commanders and leaders
Brig. Gen. Suheil al-Hassan
(Tiger Forces)
Col. Ghiath Dalla[28][29]
(42nd Armoured Brigade)
Wajdi Abu Thalith (Former Omari Brigades Commander, Defected)[30]
Brig. Gen. "Abu Yaroub" Sami Fayiz al-Muhithawi 
Brig. Gen. Muhammad Naiouf[31]
Brig. Gen. Rakan Diab 
Brig. Gen. Imad Adnan Ibrahim [17] (Republican Guard)
Brig. Gen. Yusuf Mohammad Ali [17] (Republican Guard)
Brig. Gen. Kamal Sarim  (WIA)
Major Duraid Awad
Ali Taha[32] (Taha Group)
Col. Shady Agha (Liwa al-Quds)
Maher Ajeeb Jazza[9] (Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas)
Haidar al Jubouri[29] (Liwa Zulfiqar)
Sheikh Abu Mu'annis Nabil Saymu'a [14] (Rocks of Urman Battalion)
Muhammad Majid al-Khatib[18]
(Criterion BrigadesSurrendered
"Abu Hatem" Rakan al-Khadir
(Army of Free TribesSurrendered
Abu Ayham (Army of Free TribesSurrendered[33]
Ahmad al-Oodah (Youth of Sunna Forces) Surrendered
"Abu Qusay" Adham al-Krad Surrendered
Abu Omar al-Zagloul (Lions of Sunna Brigade) Surrendered[34]
Adnan Al Masalmeh Surrendered
Abu Hussian Jelin (Mu'tazz Billah Army) Surrendered
Abu Hamza Tarbash (Army of the Revolution) Surrendered
Mohammad al-Refai  (Top commander in Southern Syria)[35]
Units involved

Syrian Armed Forces

Russian Armed Forces

Iraqi Shiite militias

  • Liwa Zulfiqar[5]

Hezbollah special forces (rebel claim)[8]
 Iran

Eagles of the Whirlwind[14]
Druze militias

  • Mountain Brigade
    • Rocks of Urman Battalion[14]

Southern Front

Gathering of Revolutionaries of Mahajah[43]

  • Ahrar al-Sham
  • Liwa Omar al-Mukhtar
  • Liwa Muhammad ibn Abdullah
  • Liwa al-Fatah

Military of ISIL

Strength
40,000[44] 30,000[45]
Several hundred[45]
1,200–2,400+[46][47]
Casualties and losses
309 killed[48][21][49] 205 killed[48][50] 310 killed,[21][50][49]
150–200 captured[51][52]
236 civilians killed[48][49]

The 2018 Southern Syria offensive, code-named Operation Basalt (Arabic: عملية البازلت), was a military operation launched by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies against the rebels and ISIL in Southern Syria. The fighting began with a surprise attack on rebel-held areas in the eastern part of the Daraa Governorate in an attempt to fracture rebel-held lines and weaken morale, ahead of their offensive in the greater Southern Syria region.[53]

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    Syrian government retakes Golan Heights frontier with Israel Archived 30 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine
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  50. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ISIL seize was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  51. ^ "In exchange for the release of al-Suwaidaa abductees, Yarmouk Basin is undergoing negotiations between the regime and ISIS to move the last 100 remaining members of Jaysh Khaled and about the "presumed 150 captive" towards the desert". SOHR. 31 July 2018.
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