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
Southern Syria
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 Brigades) Surrendered
"Abu Hatem" Rakan al-Khadir
(Army of Free Tribes) Surrendered
Abu Ayham (Army of Free Tribes) Surrendered[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]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ReutersFirst was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Russian jets strike rebel held town in Syria". Jerusalem Post.
  3. ^ "Russia officially enters southwest Syria offensive despite US warnings". Al-Masdar. 24 June 2018. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Syrian Army Steps Up Attacks in Southwest, Jordan Concerned". Haaretz. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Caleb Weiss (27 June 2018). "Confirmed: First evidence of Iranian-controlled militia involvement in southern Syria". Long War Journal. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  6. ^ "PLA Fighter Pronounced Dead in Daraa Hostilities". Action Group for Palestinians of Syria. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  7. ^ "Assad regime, Iran prepare for operation in SW Syria". Anadolu Agency.
  8. ^ a b c Alexandra Gutowski; Caleb Weiss (24 June 2018). "Assad offensive creeps closer to southwest Syria ceasefire zone". Long War Journal. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  9. ^ a b c "WATCH: Iranian militia leader appears in video in Daraa". english.alarabiya.net. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference JPost2July was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Military commander in the Southern Front illustrates latest developments of Daraa". 22 June 2018. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  12. ^ a b "السويداء: "فاطميون" و"النمر" و"حزب الله" لقيادة معركة درعا" [As-Suwayda: Fatimion, Al-Nimr and Hezbollah to lead the battle of Daraa]. Almodon (in Arabic). 26 June 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  13. ^ "Palestinian Refugee Dies While Fighting alongside Gov't Forces South of Syria". Action Group for Palestinians of Syria. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  14. ^ a b c d e Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (27 July 2018). "The Suwayda' Attacks: Interview". Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Rebels suffer worst defeat of war after losing #Daraa to Syrian Army - map". Al-Masdar. 21 July 2018. Archived from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  16. ^ Lindsey Snell (30 July 2018). "The Last of the Syrian Good-Guy Rebels". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  17. ^ a b c "Central Operations Room in South hits Syrian regime's armored arsenal of Daraa". Nedaa Syria. 2 July 2018. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  18. ^ a b "A Free Army commander warns of upcoming battles in southern Syria". Shaam News Network. 15 June 2018.
  19. ^ Thomas Joscelyn (27 June 2018). "Jihadists try to rally opposition in southern Syria". Long War Journal. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  20. ^ "Assad's Forces Fail to Advance in the Al-Lajat Region in Daraa Governorate". English.enabbaladi.net. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  21. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference ISneclave was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Thomas Joscelyn (11 July 2018). "Islamic State claims suicide attack on Syrian and Russian forces in southern Syria". Long War Journal. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  23. ^ "After a whole month of military operations and "reconciliations", the regime forces control the entire opposition factions'-controlled areas in Daraa Province". SOHR. 19 July 2018.
  24. ^ "The displaced convoy departs to the Syrian north and the regime forces regain control of the entire Quneitra Province". SOHR. 31 July 2018.
  25. ^ "After controlling the entire Yarmouk Basin, the regime forces pursuit about 100 ISIS members at the border with Jordan". SOHR. 31 July 2018.
    Syrian government retakes Golan Heights frontier with Israel Archived 30 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ "The Latest: Syrian forces drive IS from Golan frontier". AP NEWS. 30 July 2018.
  27. ^ "The regime forces deploy at the entire border of Daraa with Jordan, and for the first time in about 5 years they reach the contact lines with Jaysh Khalid Ibn the al-Walid which swore allegiance to ISIS". SOHR. 9 July 2018.
  28. ^ a b "SAA's 42nd Brigade redeploys from Golan region to east Daraa". Al-Masdar. 18 June 2018. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  29. ^ a b c Caleb Weiss (5 July 2018). "Leader of Iranian-backed Shia militia seen inside Syrian military ops room". Long War Journal. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  30. ^ Al-awsat, Asharq. "Syria: 5 Commanders, 20 Members of Regime Forces Killed East Daraa". aawsat.com.
  31. ^ "Ivan Sidorenko on Twitter".
  32. ^ a b c Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (7 July 2018). "The Southern Campaign: Interview with the Tiger Forces' Taha Regiment". Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  33. ^ "'You're on your own': US tells Syrian rebels it will not intervene in south". Middle East Eye.
  34. ^ "Daraa: Latest Developments Following the Second Round of Negotiations". Enab Baladi. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  35. ^ "Top ISIL leaders killed in southern Syria". The National. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  36. ^ a b "ISIS organization never access to new areas in Daraa western suburbs, Jaish Al Thawura says". Nedaa Syria. 2 July 2018. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  37. ^ Leith Aboufadel (16 July 2018). "Former rebels join Syrian Army's offensive in Daraa". al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  38. ^ Leith Aboufadel (16 July 2018). "Syrian Army captures town near Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (video)". al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  39. ^ "The Daraa battle that has no horizon". english.alarabiya.net. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  40. ^ "Central military operations room in south of Syria". Syria Call. 20 June 2018. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  41. ^ "Assad's Forces Attempt Progress towards Tafass City from Three Axes". Enab Baladi. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  42. ^ "Rebels in Daraa form new army to fight Syrian forces". Al-Masdar. 8 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  43. ^ "Military factions announced the formation of a "gathering of revolutionaries Mahja" Badra". SMART News Agency. 19 June 2018. [permanent dead link‍]
  44. ^ "Syrie: 40000 soldats syriens face à 30000 rebelles à Deraa et Quneitra". 22 June 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  45. ^ a b "Who are the rebels in southern Syria?". AFP. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  46. ^ "Syrian government retakes Golan Heights frontier with Israel". ABC News. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  47. ^ Andrew Illingworth. "8,000 to 11,000 ISIS militants still present across Syria – estimates". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
    "Over 400 rebels allegedly defect to ISIS in west Daraa". Al-Masdar. 4 July 2018. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  48. ^ a b c "After the death of about 550 civilians, fighters, and members in less than a month, the regime forces complete their control over Muthallath al-Mawt and expand their control to 91% of Daraa's area". SOHR. 17 July 2018.
  49. ^ a b c "Regime's helicopters re-target the valleys in which tens of members of Jaysh Khalid Ibn al-Walid and hundreds of civilians are fortifying in at Yarmouk Basin after failing to reach a conclusion". SOHR. 1 August 2018.
  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.
  52. ^ "Syrian captures more than 200 terrorists alive in largest ISIS mass surrender (video)". Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  53. ^ "Syrian Army attempts to advance in east Daraa before upcoming offensive". Al-Masdar. 19 June 2018. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2018.