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As-Suwayda Offensive (August–November 2018)
The As-Suwayda offensive (August–November 2018) began on 6 August 2018, in rural areas of the Suwayda Governorate in southeast Syria after the Islamic State (IS) members committed a string of suicide bombings and gun attacks. The offensive The Syrian Arab Army began an offensive on eastern Suwayda on 6 August 2018, around 16:00 ( EET) after building up its forces in the area for several days. With its elite 4th Division at the head, the Syrian Arab Army succeeded in making progress in the eastern Badiya Desert after an intense battle with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during that afternoon. The Syrian Arab Army continued on the following day with field operations in the eastern neighboring province of Suwayda, on the large pocket of ISIL near the Homs border. At the head of their fourth armored division, the Syrian Arab Army started the day by attacking the Shinvan and Al-Sakiiah areas held by ISIL. On 7 August, the pro-Government Syrian Social Nationalist P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
4th Armoured Division (Syria)
The 4th Armoured Division () was an elite formation (military), formation of the Syrian Arab Army whose primary purpose was to defend Ba'athist Syria from internal and external threats. The division was 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. History 1984–2011 The division had its roots in the Defense Companies (Syria), Defense Companies commanded by Rifaat al-Assad, younger brother of President Hafez al-Assad. After Rifaat was banished from Syria in 1984, the Defense Companies were reorganised into the 569th Armoured Division, and later into the 4th Armoured Division. The Division was regarded by some as the best trained and best equipped of the Syrian Army. The 4th Armoured Division, the Republican Guard (Syria), Republican Guard, and Syria's Military Intelligence (Syria), secret police formed the heart of the country's security forces. As a result, the Division was drawn mostl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Russian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russian Aerospace Forces, Aerospace Forces—two independent combat arms (the Strategic Rocket Forces and Russian Airborne Forces, Airborne Forces), and the Special Operations Forces (Russia), Special Operations Forces Command. The Russian Armed Forces are the List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel, world's fifth largest military force, with about one million Active duty, active-duty personnel and close to two million Military reserve force, reservists. They maintain the Russia and weapons of mass destruction, world's largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, possess the world's second-largest fleet of ballistic missile submarines, and are the only armed forces outside the United States Armed Forces, United States and Pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Defense Force (Syria)
The National Defense Forces (NDF; ''Quwāt ad-Difāʿ al-Watanī'') was a Syrian paramilitary volunteer militia, that was formed on 1 November 2012 and organized by Ba'athist Syria during the Syrian civil war as a part-time volunteer reserve component of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces. The NDF was made of units across various Syrian provinces, each of them consisting of local volunteers willing to fight against rebels for various reasons. Formation By the beginning of 2013, the Syrian government took steps to formalize and professionalize hundreds of Popular Committee militias under a new group dubbed the National Defense Forces.Will Fulton, Joseph Holliday, and Sam Wyer''Iranian Strategy in Syria'', Institute for the Study of War, May 2013 The goal was to form an effective, locally based, highly motivated force out of pro-government militias. The NDF, in contrast with the Shabiha forces, received salaries and military equipment from the government. Since the formation of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syrian Air Force
The Syrian Air Force () is the air force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It was established in 1948, and first saw action in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Under Ba'athist Syria until December 8, 2024, it was known as the Syrian Arab Air Force. Land-based air defense systems were grouped under the Syrian Air Defence Force, which split from both the Air Force and the Army. As of March 2025, the air force status is unknown, with some of its equipment being lost following the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham and other rebel groups offensive in November 2024 and subsequent Israeli Air Force's airstrikes in December 2024, following the collapse of the Assad regime. History 1940s The end of World War II led to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom and France from the Middle East, and this included a withdrawal from Syria. In 1948, the Syrian Air Force was officially established after the first class of pilots graduated from a French-run flight school at Estabel airfield in Lebanon, usi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
3rd Armoured Division (Syria)
The 3rd Armoured Division () was a formation of the Syrian Army responsible for securing the northern approach to Damascus. The division is based in a military complex near QutayfahJoseph HallidayThe Syrian Army: Doctrinal Order of Battle Institute for the Study of War, February 2013, p.9 and has traditionally been seen as one of the Syrian Armed Force's most reliable conventional divisions. The division is part of the 3rd Corps. Command structure ;3rd Armoured Division (2021) * 20th Armoured Brigade * 65th Armoured Brigade * 81st Armoured Brigade * 21st Mechanized Brigade * 155th Missile Brigade * 14th Artillery Regiment * 67th Artillery Regiment Source: Combat history Yom Kippur War and Lebanon War With the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, the division was held in reserve. The division, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Sharba, was an armored division consisting of T-62 tanks. On October 9, the division was put into battle and fought in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
3rd Corps (Syria)
The 3rd Corps () was a corps of the Syrian Army. It was first formed in 1986. Declassified CIA documents from February 1987 say that the 3rd Corps and 17th and 18th Armoured Divisions were established in 1986. The three corps were formed "to give the Army more flexibility and to improve combat efficiency by decentralising the command structure, absorbing at least some of the lessons learned during the 1982 Lebanon War." The 3rd Corps HQ was in Aleppo, based in the north and covered Hama, the Turkish and Iraqi borders, the Mediterranean coastline and was tasked with protecting the complex of chemical and biological warfare and missile production and launch facilities. On 30 December 2023, Major General Ahmed Moalla was named as commander of the 3rd Corps. In 2001 Richard Bennett wrote that the corps consisted of the 2nd Reserve Armoured Division (14th and 15th Armoured Brigades; 19th Mechanized Brigade); a coastal defence brigade; and other units, including four independent infan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
14th Special Forces Division
The 14th Special Forces Division () was a division of the Syrian Armed Forces specializing in light infantry operations. The Division was part of the Syrian Army's 2nd Corps. Role Syrians used the term "Special Forces" to describe the 14th, 15th divisions, as well as the independent 'special forces' regiments, but they more closely resembled conventional light infantry units than Western Special Forces in both mission and composition. The term "Special Forces" was applied ostensibly because of their specialized training in airborne and air assault operations, but they were regarded as light infantry forces and elite only in relation to the conventional armored and mechanized brigades of the Syrian Army. Command structure ;14th Special Forces Division (2019) * 36th Special Forces Regiment * 554th Special Forces Regiment * 556th Special Forces Regiment Combat history The 14th Special Forces Division was established to command three Special Forces Regiments after the mid 1990s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
10th Mechanized Division (Syria)
The 10th Mechanized Division () was a division of the Syrian Arab Army and part of the 2nd Corps. This was one of the smallest divisions in the SAA and its origins dated back to 1973. Command structure ;10th Mechanized Division (2022) *18th Mechanized Brigade *62nd Mechanized Brigade *51st Armored Brigade *58th Armored Brigade *122nd Artillery Regiment Combat history 1982 Lebanon War In the 1982 Lebanon War, the 10th Armoured Division was deployed south of the Beirut-Damascus road, and inside Beirut, and consisted of the 76th and 91st Tank Brigades – equipped with T-62s and BMP-1s – and the 85th Mechanized Brigade, equipped with T-55s and BTR-60s. The division was also assigned control of the 20th Commando Battalion as well. In the same year, the division was returned to Syria, and participated in the suppression of the Muslim Brotherhood Rebellion. The division was also reported to have taken place in the 1982 Hama massacre. After that, the division was returned to Lebano ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1st Armoured Division (Syria)
The 1st Armoured Division () was an armored division of the Syrian Arab Army. It was established in 1970 and was part of the 2nd Corps. The 1st Division was the largest formation of the Syrian Arab Army. Command structure ;1st Armoured Division (2020) * 61st Armoured Brigade * 91st Armoured Brigade * 153rd Armoured Brigade * 57th Mechanized Brigade * 58th Mechanized Brigade * 68th Mechanized Brigade * 171st Infantry Brigade * 165th Artillery Brigade * 141st Artillery Regiment * 167th Anti-tank Regiment Source: Combat history Yom Kippur War During the Syrian Army's assault on the Israeli held Golan Heights during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the 1st Division was held in reserve until a breakthrough was made on the front line. On the evening of the first day of battle, 6 October, the division was sent forward to follow the success of the 5th Division in the southern breakout part of the line in Khodana and Rafid. From there it was supposed to move towards Hosnia, Ramath ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2nd Corps (Syria)
The 2nd Corps () was a corps of the Syrian Army that was first formed in 1985. Richard Bennett wrote in 2001 that "three corps ereformed in 1985 to give the Army more flexibility and to improve combat efficiency by decentralising the command structure, absorbing at least some of the lessons learned during the 1982 Lebanon War." He said that the 2nd Corps with HQ in Zabadani, covered north of Damascus, whole Homs and included Lebanon. In November 2019, Major General Abdul Majeed Ibrahim was appointed as commander of the 2nd Army Corps of the Syrian Arab Army. Structure in 2001 * 1st Armored Division, with the 44th and 46th Armored Brigades and the 42nd Mechanized Brigade * 3rd Armored Division, with the 47th and 82nd Armored Brigades and the 132nd Mechanized Brigade * 11th Armored Division, with the 60th and 67th Armored Brigades and the 87th Mechanized Brigade * 4th Mechanized Division with the 1st Armored Brigade and the 61st and 89th Mechanized Brigades * 10th Mechanized Div ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
15th Special Forces Division
The 15th Special Forces Division () was a division of the Syrian Armed Forces specializing in light infantry operations, based in the As-Suwayda Governorate. The Division was part of the Syrian Army's 1st Corps. Role Syrians used the term "Special Forces" to describe the 14th, 15th divisions, as well as the independent "special forces" regiments, but they more closely resemble conventional light infantry units, than Western Special Forces in both mission and composition. The term Special Forces was applied ostensibly because of their specialized training in airborne and air assault operations, but they were regarded as light infantry forces and elite only in relation to the conventional armored and mechanized brigades of the Syrian Army. Command structure ;15th Special Forces Division (2022) * 35th Special Forces Regiment * 44th Special Forces Regiment * 127th Special Forces Regiment * 404th Armored Regiment * 405th Armored Regiment * 176th Artillery Battalion Combat history ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
