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 control
Reconciliation areas with no Syrian government presence | ||||||||
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| Belligerents | ||||||||
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Syrian Government Russia (since 24 June) Iran Allied militias: Palestine Liberation Army Liwa al-Quds Iraqi Shiite militias Hezbollah (rebel claim) Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas Liwa Fatemiyoun Ba'ath Brigades As-Sa'iqa SSNP Druze militias | Islamic State (since 10 July) | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
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Brig. Gen. Suheil al-Hassan (Tiger Forces) Col. Ghiath Dalla (42nd Armoured Brigade) Wajdi Abu Thalith (Former Omari Brigades commander, defected) Brig. Gen. "Abu Yaroub" Sami Fayiz al-Muhithawi † Brig. Gen. Muhammad Naiouf Brig. Gen. Rakan Diab † Brig. Gen. Imad Adnan Ibrahim † (Republican Guard) Brig. Gen. Yusuf Mohammad Ali †(Republican Guard) Brig. Gen. Kamal Sarim (WIA) Major Duraid Awad Ali Taha (Taha Group) Col. Shady Agha (Liwa al-Quds) Maher Ajeeb Jazza (Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas) Haidar al Jubouri (Liwa Zulfiqar) Sheikh Abu Mu'annis Nabil Saymu'a † (Rocks of Urman Battalion) |
Muhammad Majid al-Khatib (Alwiya al-Furqan) "Abu Hatem" Rakan al-Khadir (Army of Free Tribes) Abu Ayham (Army of Free Tribes) Ahmad al-Awda (Youth of Sunna Forces) "Abu Qusay" Adham al-Akrad Abu Omar al-Zagloul (Lions of Sunna Brigade) Adnan Al Masalmeh Abu Hussian Jelin (Mu'tazz Billah Army) Abu Hamza Tarbash (Army of the Revolution) | Mohammad al-Refai †(Top commander in Southern Syria) | ||||||
| Units involved | ||||||||
Hezbollah special forces (rebel claim)
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| Strength | ||||||||
| 40,000 |
30,000 Several hundred | 1,200–2,400+ | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | ||||||||
| 309 killed | 205 killed |
310 killed, 150–200 captured | ||||||
| 236 civilians killed | ||||||||
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.