Northwestern Syria offensive (December 2019 – March 2020)

Northwestern Syria offensive; (December 2019 – March 2020)
	Part of the Syrian Civil War and the Turkish military operation in Idlib Governorate
	; Top: Situation in northwestern Syria as of 8 March 2020. Locations of Turkish, Russian, and Iranian outposts are marked.; Bottom: Situation along the M4 Highway after the 6 March 2020 ceasefire. Syrian Army control Syrian Opposition control Syrian Army & SDF control
Date	19 December 2019 – 6 March 2020; (2 months, 2 weeks and 2 days)
Location	Northwestern Syria Western Aleppo Governorate; Idlib Governorate; Northwestern Hama Governorate;
Result	Syrian government victory
Territorial; changes	Syrian Army and allies capture 2,345 square kilometers of territory and 295 towns, villages and hilltops, including the strategic cities of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man and Saraqib, and the towns of Jarjanaz, Kafr Rumah, Hish, Kafranbel, Khan Tuman, Al-Eiss and the Al-Ghab Plain; Syrian Army and allies gain complete control over the entire M5 highway; Syrian Army and allies encircle 9 out of 29 Turkish observation posts; Turkish-backed rebels recapture 19 towns and villages, including the northern part of the Al-Ghab Plain;
Belligerents
Syrian Government; Russia; Iran; Allied militias:; PMF-affiliated militias; Liwa Fatemiyoun; Liwa Zainebiyoun; Hezbollah	Syrian Opposition Syrian Salvation Government; Syrian Interim Government; Rouse the Believers Operations Room; Turkistan Islamic Party; Ajnad al-Kavkaz; Imam Bukhari Jamaat; Jaysh al-Izza; ; Malhama Tactical; Turkey (from 3 February)
Commanders and leaders
Maj. Gen. Suheil al-Hassan; (25th Special Forces commander); Maj. Gen. Maher al-Assad; (4th Division commander); Brig. Gen. Burhan Rahmun †; (commander of 124th Brigade of Republican Guard); Brig. Gen. Ismael Ali †; Col. Mazar Farwati †; Col. Basil Ali Khaddour †; (commander of 6th regiment of 25th Special Forces); Juma al Ahmad †; (Baqir Brigade commander); Asghar Pashapour †; (IRGC senior commander; Iranian-backed militias overseer); Jaafar al Sadiq †; (Hezbollah commander)	Abu Mohammad al-Julani; (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader); Abu Ubeidah al-Kansafra †; (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham commander); Obada Abu Jafar †; (Ansar al-Tawhid commander); Maj. Gen. Salim Idris; (Syrian Interim Government Defense Minister; Syrian National Army Chief of Staff) ; Brig. Gen. Adnan al-Ahmad; (Syrian National Army Deputy Chief of Staff); Thaer Maarouf; (First Legion leader); Gen. Ahmad Rahhal; (SAA defector); Captain Mustafa Kuja; (Northern Command commander); Ali Jaber Pasha (Leader of Ahrar al-Sham); Col. Mustafa Bakour (Leader of Jaysh al-Izza); Hulusi Akar; (Turkish Minister of Defense); Lt. Gen Sinan Yayla; (2nd Army commander)
Units involved
Syrian Armed Forces Syrian Arab Army 4th Armoured Division; 25th Special Mission Forces Division; Republican Guard 30th Division; ; 5th Corps; ; Syrian Air Force; Local Defence Forces Baqir Brigade; Qamr Bani Hashim Division 313 Force; ; Special Assignments Battalion; ; National Defence Forces; Palestinian Syrian militias Liwa al-Quds; Free Palestine Movement; ; Military Intelligence Directorate Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes; ; ; Russian Armed Forces Air Force; Federal Security Service Spetsgruppa "K" advisors; ; Military Police; ; Iranian Armed Forces IRGC Quds Force; ; Iranian-affiliated militias; ; Hezbollah Lebanese Hezbollah; Syrian Hezbollah; ;	Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham Aleppo City Battalion; Red Bands; Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad; Popular Resistance Units; ; Syrian National Army National Front for Liberation Ahrar al-Sham; Jaysh al-Ahrar; Free Idlib Army Northern Division; ; ; 1st Legion Ahrar al-Sharqiya; 9th Division; Samarkand Brigade; Northern Brigade; Jaysh al-Sharqiya; ; 2nd Legion Sultan Murad Division; Hamza Division; ; 3rd Legion Glory Corps; Levant Front; ; Northern Command; ; Rouse the Believers Operations Room Guardians of Religion Organization; Ansar al-Tawhid; Jama'at Ansar al-Islam; ; Turkish Armed Forces Turkish Land Forces; Turkish Air Force; ;
Strength
Unknown	12,000–20,000; 22,000–50,000 (total, not all involved); 8,350–20,000; 3,500–5,000
Casualties and losses
1,449 soldiers killed; 2 Mi-17s shot down; 2 SU-24s shot down; 1 L-39 shot down; 55 killed; 15 killed; 8 killed; 5-21 killed	1,496 fighters killed; 59–73 killed (58–72 soldiers, 1 contractor); 5–12 TAF combat drones shot down
	370+ civilians killed (per UN; by February); 470+ civilians killed (per SOHR); 980,000+ civilians displaced from Idlib and Aleppo

The 2019–2020 northwestern Syria offensive, codenamed "Dawn of Idlib 2," was a military operation launched by the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic, Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and other allied militias against Syrian opposition and allied fighters of the Syrian National Army, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Rouse the Believers Operations Room, the Turkistan Islamic Party, and other rebels during the Syrian civil war. The offensive began on 19 December 2019 and saw Russian-backed pro-Syrian government forces clash with Turkish-backed opposition groups along with leaving 980,000 civilians displaced.

By February 2020, pro-government forces had encircled several Turkish observation posts that had been established throughout Idlib governorate. On 27 February, after intermittent deadly clashes between Turkish and Syrian forces, Turkey formally intervened in the offensive and announced the beginning of Operation Spring Shield with the aim of pushing Syrian government forces back to pre-offensive frontlines.

On 5 March 2020, a meeting took place between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin in which they agreed on a ceasefire beginning on 6 March that established a six-kilometer secure corridor along the M4 Highway. The ceasefire also called for joint Turkish–Russian patrols along the highway beginning on 15 March.