4th Armoured Division (Syria)

4th Armoured Division
الفرقة الرابعة
Divisional tactical color marking.
Active1984 – present
Country Syria
Allegiance Syrian Armed Forces
Branch Syrian Arab Army
TypeArmoured division
RoleShock troops
Size18,000 soldiers (2021)[1][2]
Garrison/HQDamascus
Nickname(s)"Ghiath Forces" (42nd Brigade)[3]
Engagements
Commanders
Current CommanderMaj. Gen. Maher al-Assad[8]
Chief of StaffBrig. Gen. Ghiath Dalla[9][10]
Brigade CommandersBrig. Gen. Kamal Salah Shaddud[11] (138th Brigade)
Brig. Gen. Jawdat Ibrahim Safi (154th Regiment)
Brig. Gen. Jamal Yunes (555th Regiment)[12]
Maj. Gen. Asif Al-Daker (Military Police Commander)[13]
Maj. Gen. Ghassan Nafie Bilal (Security Office Commander)[14]
Notable
commanders		Maj. Gen. Ali Hasan Badran
Maj. Gen. Mohamed Ali Durgham
Maj. Gen. Ghassan Belal[13]
Maj. Gen. Ali Mahmoud[15]
Brig. Gen. Bassem Adel Allasha[16]

The 4th Armoured Division (Arabic: الفرقة الرابعة, romanized: al-Firqa ar-Rābiʿah) is an elite formation of the Syrian Army whose primary purpose is to defend the Syrian government from internal and external threats. The division is considered one of the most combat-ready formations of the Syrian Arab Army. It played a key role in some battles of the Syrian Civil War.[18]

  1. ^ "Syrian rebel leader to Haaretz: Assad's opposition will secure chemical weapons". Haaretz. 28 May 2012.
  2. ^ "Kofi Annan's plan is destined to fail". CNN. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  3. ^ "3/16 - A soldier from the newly deployed Ghaith Forces/42nd Brigade was killed & others wounded when their transport truck hit a mine in the Mayadeen region #Deir_EzZor".
  4. ^ "Syria's army holds the key to Assad regime's future". Channel 4 News. 13 June 2011.
  5. ^ "Elite Syrian troops sent to embattled Homs". AlertNet. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  6. ^ Gregory Waters (12 March 2019). "Understanding Syria's Military Deployments in Idlib". International Review. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  7. ^ "مقتل شاب برصاص قوات النظام في درعا البلد ومطالبات أهلية بإفراغ المنطقة من أهلها وسكانها بعد تصعيد قوات النظام الأخير" (in Arabic). SOHR. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Daraa | 4th Division officers inspect checkpoints in "Yarmouk Basin" area • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights". 4 July 2020.
  9. ^ Gregory Waters (29 June 2024). "Brigadier Ghaith Dalla, famous commander of the #4th_Division's "Ghaith Forces" has been appointed the division's chief of staff under Maher Assad. Dalla had previously been promoted to command the division's 42nd Brigade three years ago". Twitter. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "Brigadier General Kamal Salah Shaddud (from Al Bahlouliyah-Latakia Governorate) was appointed as commander of 138th Brigade in the 4th Division".
  12. ^ "Overall command nominally in the hands of Jamal Younes with operational command under Brigadiers Ahmed Yassin and Isama Kina'an".
  13. ^ a b "Council Regulation concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria and repealing Regulation (EU) No 442/2011".
  14. ^ Ayman Al-Das (9 May 2024). "5. Brigadier General Muhammad Bilal, brother of Major General Ghassan Bilal (Head of the #Security_Office at the #4th_Division) has been appointed as the head of #Special_Task Forces Branch in #Air_Force Intelligence". Twitter. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  15. ^ Next to him is Maj Gen Ali Mahmoud, chief of staff of 4th Division, who has been present at all the new reconciliations
  16. ^ "Brigadier Bassem Adel Allasha has been appointed Chief of Staff of the 4th Division. Was appointed head of div's 40th Brig in Dec 2020".
  17. ^ Holliday, Joseph (February 2013). "The Syrian Army Doctrinal Order of Battle" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference SrgNew7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).