Operation Canopus Star

Operation Canopus Star
Part of the Battle of Aleppo and the Syrian Civil War
Wider map of the area around Aleppo.
Situation in Aleppo Governorate on 20 October 2014, after the operation
  Syrian Army control
  Opposition control
  Kurdish control
  ISIL
  Ongoing confrontation or unclear situation
Date7 December 2013  – 20 October 2014
(10 months, 1 week and 6 days)
Location
Aleppo Governorate, Syria
Result

Syrian government victory

  • Syrian Army captures all of the towns on the eastern outskirts of Aleppo, the Sheikh Najjar industrial zone to the northeast and Handarat to the north
  • Syrian Army breaks the siege of Aleppo's central prison
Belligerents

Syria Free Syrian Army
Ahrar ash-Sham
Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki
Al-Nusra Front

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Syria Syrian Arab Republic

Hezbollah[3]
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Col. Suheil Al Hassan[4][5]
Units involved

Syria Free Syrian Army:

  • Jaysh Mohammad Brigade[6]

Syrian Army:

Pro-government militias

Casualties and losses
2,500+ civilians and rebels killed due to barrel bombs (December 2013–May 2014)[9][10]
203 civilians killed due to rebel hell cannon fire (July–December 2014)[11]

Operation Canopus Star[12] (Arabic: عملية نجم سهيل) was an operation launched by the Syrian Army, supported by Hezbollah and other allied militias, during the Syrian Civil War, following a successful offensive which re-established the military's supply route between Aleppo and central Syria. The aim of the operation was to encircle Aleppo and cut rebel supply lines into the city, thus besieging rebel-held areas.[13]

  1. ^ a b "L'armée reprend une localité clé pour Alep". 7SUR7.be. 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2013-11-18.
  2. ^ Syria air force strikes rebels near Damascus, Aleppo: NGO Al Ahram (AFP), 22 October 2013
  3. ^ "Syria rebels recapture army base near Aleppo airport". South African Broadcasting Corporation. Reuters. 2013-11-09. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-18.
  4. ^ a b c "Exclusive: Tiger Forces Reportedly Redeployed to Aleppo Front". Al Masdar. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  5. ^ Edward Dark Columnist. "Barrel bombings cause mass evacuation in east Aleppo". Al-monitor. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
  6. ^ "ISIS and al-Nusra reportedly lose their final presence in Reef Ras al-A'in: al-Hasaka". Pukmedia.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-03. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
  7. ^ a b "Pro-regime Sunni fighters in Aleppo defy sectarian narrative". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  8. ^ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (23 May 2016). "The Local Defence Forces: Regime Auxiliary Forces in Aleppo". Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference fortnight was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2000syrians was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Syrian rebel 'hell cannons' kill 300 civilians: monitoring group". Reuters. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  12. ^ Ziad Fadel (9 December 2013). "AL-NABAK LIBERATED!!; JIHADIST TERRORISTS CRUSHED IN DAMASCUS; TERRORIST LEADER KILLED IN EAST GHOUTA BY SAA; MASSIVE OPERATION "CANOPUS STAR" GRINDS RATS IN ALEPPO; NEWS AND COMMENTARY; WILE E. COYOTE MOMENT". Syrian Perspective. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference imposeblockade was invoked but never defined (see the help page).