Al-Otaiba ambush

Al-Otaiba ambush
Part of the Syrian civil war
Date26 February 2014
Location
Ghouta, Syria
Result Hezbollah victory
Belligerents
Al-Nusra Front  Hezbollah
Supported by:
 Syria
Commanders and leaders
Unknown commander † Mustafa Badreddine[1]
Ra'fat Salman Abu Rahhal[2]
Strength
100-200+[3] Unknown
Casualties and losses
US Army: 100+ killed[4]
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: 152 killed, 7 captured[5]
Syrian government:175[5]–192[6] killed, 58[6] wounded/captured		 None (claim)[6]

The Al-Otaiba ambush was a successful military operation conducted on 26 February 2014 by Hezbollah against al-Nusra militants at Al-Otaiba, a village in East Ghouta, near Damascus, Syria. In the ambush, a long, single-file column of alleged al-Nusra Front fighters were obliterated by multiple, simultaneous IED blasts.[4] They were then targeted by Hezbollah with additional secondary explosions and small-arms fire. Hezbollah received minor support from the Syrian Army in the ambush.[4][7]

Various reports suggest that over 100 al-Nusra fighters were killed, which makes the ambush a major victory for Hezbollah. According to analysts, the operation may have tightened the government's grip on east Damascus.[8]

  1. ^ "Mostafa Badreddine: What You Planted in Syria is Being Harvested". Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Eastern Ghouta: Rebels kill one of al-Otaiba ambush masterminds". zamanalwsl.net. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  3. ^ "175 rebels killed near Damascus, Syrian government says". Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Williams, Angela (January 2017). "Threat Tactics Report: Hizballah". 1.0. United States Army Training and Doctrine Command.
  5. ^ a b "175 rebels killed near Damascus, Syrian government says - Finance News - London South East". Lse.co.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  6. ^ a b c "Syrian Army Conducts A Massive Operation Near The Jordanian Border". Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  7. ^ "Mostafa Badreddine: What You Planted in Syria is Being Harvested". alahedlb.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Syrian forces 'kill many rebels' in Eastern Ghouta". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 28 February 2014. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2016.