Operation Before the Dawn

Operation Before the Dawn
Part of Iran–Iraq War
Date6–11 February 1983[1]
(5 days)
Location
Result

Iraqi victory

  • Limited Iranian advance
  • Successful Iraqi defense
Territorial
changes
Iran gained small portions of relatively insignificant land
Belligerents
 Iraq  Iran
Commanders and leaders
Ba'athist Iraq Saddam Hussein
Ba'athist Iraq Hisham Fakhri
Iran Hossein Kharrazi
Iran Mohsen Rezaee
Strength
60,000 soldiers, with armour, aircraft, and artillery 200,000 soldiers
7 infantry divisions (including an airborne division)
2 armoured divisions
2 artillery battalions
Casualties and losses
2,000 killed
60 tanks lost[1]
5,000 killed
12,000 wounded
100+ tanks lost[1]

Operation Before the Dawn was an offensive operation launched by Iran during the Iran-Iraq War in 1983 around the Amarah area 200 kilometers southeast of Baghdad. It was carried out under the command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps along with the support of the regular army, during the operation, Iran suffered heavy casualties due to weak air support and heavy Iraqi artillery fire and aerial bombing.

  1. ^ a b c Razoux, Pierre (2015). The Iran-Iraq War. Harvard University Press, 2015. p. 245. ISBN 978-0674915718.