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The Syrian government said the raid was<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Feb-22/288305-syria-condemns-turkeys-flagrant-aggression-in-north.ashx#sthash.mn9yNy3I.dpuf|title=Syria condemns Turkey's 'flagrant aggression' in north|work=The Daily Star Newspaper – Lebanon|accessdate=29 May 2015}}</ref> an act of "flagrant aggression" and that it would hold Ankara responsible for its repercussions.
The Syrian government said the raid was<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Feb-22/288305-syria-condemns-turkeys-flagrant-aggression-in-north.ashx#sthash.mn9yNy3I.dpuf|title=Syria condemns Turkey's 'flagrant aggression' in north|work=The Daily Star Newspaper – Lebanon|accessdate=29 May 2015}}</ref> an act of "flagrant aggression" and that it would hold Ankara responsible for its repercussions.


==Jordan==
==Jordanian-Syrian border==
{{main|Jordanian intervention in the Syrian Civil War}}
{{main|Jordanian intervention in the Syrian Civil War}}
There have been a few incidents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jun-14/260116-jordan-4-vehicles-destroyed-on-syria-border.ashx#ixzz34ciqgxnK|title=Jordan: 4 vehicles destroyed on Syria border|work=The Daily Star Newspaper – Lebanon|accessdate=29 May 2015}}</ref> Jordan hosts nearly 600,000 registered Syrian refugees—although Jordanian officials say the real number is far higher.
There have been a few incidents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jun-14/260116-jordan-4-vehicles-destroyed-on-syria-border.ashx#ixzz34ciqgxnK|title=Jordan: 4 vehicles destroyed on Syria border|work=The Daily Star Newspaper – Lebanon|accessdate=29 May 2015}}</ref> Jordan hosts nearly 600,000 registered Syrian refugees—although Jordanian officials say the real number is far higher.

Revision as of 16:29, 24 July 2015

Spillover of the Syrian Civil War
Part of the Syrian Civil War and Arab Winter

Current military situation, as of August 27, 2019:
(For a clickable version of the map without shaded areas, see here for Syria, here for Iraq, here for Lebanon, and here for all 3 in one map)
Date17 June 2011 – present (12 years, 11 months, 2 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Syrian borders and Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Libya
Result Ongoing

The spillover of the Syrian Civil War is a collection of events in which the Syrian Civil War has impacted countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Since the first small protests during the Arab Spring, the increasingly violent Syrian Civil War has been both a proxy for the major Arab powers and Iran, and a potential launching point for a wider regional war. Fears of the latter were realized when the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a Sunni Muslim militant group and former al-Qaeda affiliate, established itself in Syria in 2013, and by mid-2014, had combined both the Syrian Civil War and the Iraqi insurgency into a single conflict.[1][2][3]

Iraq

Main articles: Anbar campaign (2013–14), Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014), and Northern Iraq offensive (August 2014)
See also: Iraq War (2014–present)

For much of 2012, the Iraqi government had turned a blind eye to the Sunni and Salafist militias crossing the border into Syria. This toleration ended when Salafist militias connected to al-Qaeda ambushed a convoy filled with unarmed Syrian soldiers at Akashat on the Syrian side of the border. This led to greater fighting throughout the country, Operation al-Shabah in May 2013 in which the Iraqi Army failed to wipe these militias out and the consolidation of several of them with ISIL. Anbar Province became a battle zone and an airstrike in April 2014 was of little use, because in June 2014 ISIL launched an offensive in northern Iraq, taking large swaths of the country and threatening Baghdad itself. In response, Iran reportedly deployed its Quds force in Iraq,[4] thus turning the conflict into a full-scale war.

Iraqi-Syrian border incidents

Main article: Akashat ambush

The Akashat ambush was a well planned assault against a Syrian Army convoy defended by Iraqi soldiers that took place on 4 March 2013, as the group was travelling in the province of Anbar, next to the border with Syria. The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for the ambush on March 11.[5] 51 Syrian soldiers killed in the clashes.[6]
Another 9 Iraqi soldiers were killed as well from insurgent fire. The attackers carried unknown casualties.[citation needed]

Since January of 2014, The Islamic State has mutated and grown into a massive pseudo country which has taken over much of Iraq and Syria and erased the border between the two countries in a new, multinational war.

Lebanon

Further information: Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon and Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian Civil War

The Syrian Civil War has led to incidents of sectarian violence in northern Lebanon between supporters and opponents of the Syrian government, and armed clashes between Sunnis and Alawites in Tripoli.[7] Fighting between rebels and government forces has spilled into Lebanon on several occasions. The Syrian Air Force has conducted air strikes on targets in Lebanon, while rebels have launched rockets on Hezbollah targets.[8] Fighting between supporters of the Sunni sheikh Ahmed Al-Assir, who is against Hezbollah's involvement in Syria, and the Lebanese army has killed at least 15 of its soldiers.[9]

Lebanese–Syrian border

Main article: Lebanese–Syrian border clashes

At the beginning of summer 2012, two Hezbollah fighters were killed in a clash with Syrian rebels who were on Lebanese territory.[10] On 17 September, Syrian Ground-attack aircraft fired three missiles 500 metres (1,600 ft) over the border into Lebanese territory near Arsal. It was suggested that the jets were chasing rebels in the vicinity. The attack prompted Lebanese president Michel Sleiman to launch an investigation, whilst not publicly blaming Syria for the incident.[11]

On 22 September 2012, a group of armed members of the Free Syrian Army attacked a border post near Arsal. This was reported to be the second incursion within a week. The group were chased off into the hills by the Lebanese Army, who detained and later released some rebels due to pressure from dignified locals. Michel Sleiman praised the actions taken by the military as maintaining Lebanon's position being “neutral from the conflicts of others". He called on border residents to “stand beside their army and assist its members.” Syria has repeatedly called for an intensified crackdown on rebels that it claims are hiding in Lebanese border towns.[12][13]

On 11 October 2012, four shells fired by the Syrian military hit Masharih al-Qaa, where previous shelling incidents have caused fatalities. Lebanon's position of ignoring the attacks and dissociating itself from the conflict remained unchanged.[citation needed] In October 2012 Hassan Nasrallah denied Hezbollah members were fighting alongside the Syrian army, but that Lebanese in Syria were only protecting Lebanese inhabited villages from the Free Syrian Army.[14]

In August 2014, the Syrian air force bombed the Lebanese side of the border.[15] In December of that year, they used barrel bombs on suspected rebel installations northwest of Arsal.[16]

Lebanon vs. ISIL and al-Nusra Front

Main article: Battle of Arsal

Starting in June 2014, Hezbollah began battling with Islamists along the Lebanese border, who had crossed into Lebanon several times and threatened to throw the country into full-scale war.

From 2–5 August 2014, the Lebanese Army clashed with Syrian gunmen in the town of Arsal, which left over a hundred soldiers on both sides dead.[17]

On 21 August 2014, the al-Nusra Front invaded Lebanon near Arsal and the Bekaa Valley town of Al-Fakiha, following a battle between them and Hezbullah seven Hezbollah fighters and 32 Syrian rebels died in clashes around the Syrian village of Nahleh, just over the border from Arsal.[18]

Dozens of hostages were taken back to Syria during the abovementioned battle of Arsal. After fruitless negotiations, the Lebanese cabinet voted to authorize the army to invade Syria to free them on 4 September 2014,[19] something that they have yet to do. There was another attempted invasion of Lebanon by a joint ISIL-Nusra force in early October, which was beaten back by Hezbullah,[20] and in January of 2015.

Hezbullah vs. ISIL

IN June of 2015, the terrorist Army Hezbullah claimed that it was in the midst of a major battle with ISIL, which it claimed had invaded Lebanon and seized territory.[21]

Turkey

Main article: Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War

With a thousand-mile border with Syria and Iraq, There have been a number of incidents involving this nation with various factions in the conflicts south of the border.

Turkey-Syria border clashes

Main article: Syrian–Turkish border clashes (2012-2014)

Openly supporting the overthrow of Bashir al-Assad Turkey permitted the establishment of a "jihadist highway" where rebels of all stripes, including ISIL, were permitted to cross both supplies and personnel South of the border.[22] There were various incidents including the shooting down of a Syrian Air Force jet by Turkey, and a February 2015 raid by the Turkish army to evacuate a tiny exclave in Syria.

Turkey and ISIL

Main article: Turkey–ISIL conflict

Turkey had been allegedly supporting ISIL throughout its many incarnations as a lesser evil against the Assad government.[23][24][25] This to some extent began to change with the 2013 Reyhanlı bombings and a retaliatory airstrike in January 2014. ISIL shook this off and began its conquest of northern Iraq, followed by consolidation of territories in Northern Syria. In the summer of 2014 it began taking over the border area with Turkey, leading to hundreds of thousands of refugees coming north along the border, riots,[26] the use of teargas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition, as well the end of the truce with the PKK.

A vote to authorize military action was passed by the Turkish parliament on October 2, 2014. However, it had no follow-through and further rioting[27] ensued through much of Turkey's cities as the government demanded more and more conditions to join in the war. The riots intensified and several dozen protesters have been killed.[citation needed]

The relationship between ISIL and Turkey deteriorated during the last spring and summer of 2015, leading to sniping at the border and airstrikes by the Turks.

Siege of the Süleyman Shah Tomb

On 22 February 2015, The Turkish army invaded Syria via Kobani and drove to the Süleyman Shah Tomb, which was dismantled and brought back to Turkey. The 40 guards, who were due to return home months before, were also rescued. About 100 military vehicles, including 39 tanks, were involved along with 572 military personnel, one of which was killed in an accident.[28]

Thirty to thirty-six Turkish soldiers were stationed there to guard the tomb. An attack on the tomb, considered Turkish territory under a 1921 Franco-Turkish agreement, was under threat earlier in the year, prompting the government to declare that it would retaliate against any such attack, and would serve as a casus belli.

The Syrian government said the raid was[29] an act of "flagrant aggression" and that it would hold Ankara responsible for its repercussions.

Jordan

Main article: Jordanian intervention in the Syrian Civil War

There have been a few incidents.[30] Jordan hosts nearly 600,000 registered Syrian refugees—although Jordanian officials say the real number is far higher.

Heavy shelling aimed at Daraa in Syria has accidentally hit the Jordanian side of the border from time to time, usually causing only light or no damage.[31] However, on rare occasions, people have been killed or injured in a gunfight between Jordanian troops and Islamic militants attempting to cross the border into Syria..[32].[33]

In April 2014, the Jordanian Air Force launched an airstrike on soldiers trying to illegally cross the border from Syria. Since then, attempted militant infiltration into Jordan has become commonplace.[34] Some of this was due to the return of Jordanian citizens who, as Jihadists, went to fight in Syria for a while and decided to go home for various reasons.[35] According to reports, there are over 2000 Jordanian Jihadis fighting in Syria. Over a hundred have been arrested and charged for crossing the border to fight, which is illegal in Jordan.

Since October 2014, Jordan has been an active part of the anti-ISIS coalition, contributing to the American-led campaign of airstrikes.

Syrian-Israeli ceasefire line

Main article: Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line incidents during the Syrian Civil War

In late 2012, border tensions between Israel and Syria escalated. On 25 September 2012, several mortar shells landed in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, landing in an open area adjacent to the border fence.[36] Overall, throughout October and early November, several Syrian mortar and light artillery shells hit the Golan Heights. One mortar round may have been responsible for a brushfire that erupted in the area. On 3 November, three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized zone in the central Golan Heights as a number of mortar shells were fired into the area.[37] On 5 November, an Israeli army jeep was damaged by Syrian army gunfire as it patrolled the border.[38] On 11 November, after a Syrian 120mm mortar round hit the eastern Golan Heights, the Israeli army responded by firing an electro-optic anti-tank missile in the direction of a Syrian mortar crew, but they deliberately missed them, intending it as a warning shot.[39] On 12 November, another Syrian mortar shell struck the Golan Heights, and Israeli tanks deployed along the border responded by targeting two Syrian mortar launchers. A direct hit was confirmed.[40] A shell fired from Syria, where insurgents and government troops are locked in fierce fighting, exploded in the Israeli-occupied part of the Golan Heights plateau on Sunday, 14 July 2013.[citation needed]

On 22 and 23 June 2015 two ambulances transporting wounded Syrian rebels were attacked by Druze protesters in Israel. One of the injured persons was killed in the incident.[41] The attacks followed an interview with a rebel who had been treated in Israel and promised to come back to Syria to fight against Druze minority.[42]

Distant spillover locations

Egypt (Sinai peninsula)

Main article: Sinai insurgency

Libya

Main article: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Libya

The takeover of the city of Derna in Cyrenaica, Libya by the self-declared Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) took place in late 2014. On November 2014, Wilayat Darnah (the province of Darnah)[43] or Wilayat Barqah (Province of Eastern Libya) was declared an integral part the so-called "Islamic State". ISIL has now taken complete control of the eastern Libyan coastal city with a population of 100,000.[44]

ISIL in Libya posted a video online on 15 February 2015 depicting the killing of 21 Egyptian Copts. The video bore similarities to previous videos showing the "execution" of Western and Japanese hostages, including the orange jumpsuits worn by the victims and the method of killing by decapitation.[45] Egypt responded to the video by launching airstrikes against targets in Derna.[46][47]

Yemen

Further information: Yemeni Civil War (2015)

Kuwait

Further information: 2015 Kuwait mosque bombing

On 26 June 2015, ISIL agents blew up a Shiite mosque in Kuwait City killing dozens and injuring hundreds.[48]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/04/10/Qaeda-loses-ground-to-rivals-on-Syria-s-Iraq-border.html
  2. ^ ABC News. "For ISIS, Iraq's Spoils Could Tip Balance in Eastern Syria". ABC News. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  3. ^ "In One Map, The Dramatic Rise Of The Islamic State Militants". NPR.org. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  4. ^ "Obama ponders as Iran sends troops to Iraq". Telegraph.co.uk. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  5. ^ "Al-Qaeda claims killing Syrian troops in Iraq". Antiwar.com. 2013-03-11. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  6. ^ "Islamists Try to Tighten Grip on Syria Regions". Wall Street Journal. 10 March 2013.
  7. ^ Cave, Damien (24 August 2012). "Syrian War Plays Out Along a Street in Lebanon". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Syria airstrike on Lebanon 'unacceptable': Sleiman". The Daily Star. 19 March 2013.
  9. ^ http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/06/201362471421241300.html Deadly fighting rages in Lebanon 24 June 2013
  10. ^ "Hezbollah Increases Support for Syrian Regime, U.S. and Lebanese Officials Say (Beirut)". Northjersey.com. 2012-09-26. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
  11. ^ "Syrian jets hit Lebanese territory near border, 18 September 2012". Foxnews.com. 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
  12. ^ "(Lebanon), Lebanese president praises Army response to FSA attack, 23 September 2012". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
  13. ^ "Rebeldes sirios atacan un puesto del Ejército en territorio de Líbano, CNN Espanol, Alkhshali Hamdi, Amir Ahmed, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Ben Brumfield and Joe Sterling, 22 September 2012". Cnnespanol.cnn.com. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
  14. ^ "Report: 5,000 Pro-Hizbullah Fighters Defending Lebanese-Inhabited Border Towns in Syria". Naharnet. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  15. ^ "Syria warplanes bomb Lebanon border region". The Daily Star Newspaper – Lebanon. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  16. ^ "Three Lebanese killed by Syrian raid on border town". Middle East Eye.
  17. ^ "Army Retakes Posts in Arsal, Says 10 Troops Killed as 'Humanitarian Truce' Reportedly Reached — Naharnet". Naharnet.com. 2014-08-03. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  18. ^ http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Jul-17/264184-hezbollah-nusra-front-clash-near-lebanon-border
  19. ^ "Military option on table to free hostages". The Daily Star Newspaper – Lebanon.
  20. ^ "BBC News – Hezbollah repel al-Nusra attack on Lebanon-Syria border". BBC News. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  21. ^ http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/hizbollah-declares-war-on-isil
  22. ^ "'Empathy' might work: Turkey delivers tanks to ISIS – Opinion – Daily Sabah". dailysabah.com. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  23. ^ "Research Paper: ISIS-Turkey List". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  24. ^ "Why Turkey Is Sitting Out the ISIS War". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  25. ^ "ISIS Fighter Claims Turkey Funds the Jihadist Group". Breitbart. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  26. ^ "22 killed in protests against ISIL siege of Kurdish town". TodaysZaman. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  27. ^ "Tear gas, clashes, fatality: Anti-ISIS rally in Turkey turns violent (PHOTOS)". Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  28. ^ "Turkey evacuates troops guarding tomb inside Syria". The Daily Star Newspaper – Lebanon. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  29. ^ "Syria condemns Turkey's 'flagrant aggression' in north". The Daily Star Newspaper – Lebanon. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  30. ^ "Jordan: 4 vehicles destroyed on Syria border". The Daily Star Newspaper – Lebanon. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  31. ^ "Clashes erupt anew along Syria border". Jordan Times. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  32. ^ "Syria's civil war spills violence across borders into Jordan, Lebanon". Fox News. Associated Press. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  33. ^ http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/183098-rocket-fired-from-syria-kills-one-in-jordan
  34. ^ "One killed, several wounded in Jordan-Syria border clashes". Al Bawaba. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  35. ^ "Jordanian jihadis returning from Syria war rattle U.S.-aligned kingdom". Reuters. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  36. ^ "Mortar shells land in northern Golan Heights". Ynetnews. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  37. ^ "3 Syrian tanks enter demilitarized zone in Golan Heights". Ynetnews. 3 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  38. ^ "IDF jeep hit by Syrian gunfire; none injured". Ynetnews. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  39. ^ "Israeli army fires 'warning shots' at Syria". Al Jazeera. 11 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  40. ^ "IDF retaliates against Syrian mortar fire". Ynetnews. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  41. ^ "Wounded Syrian killed when Druze lynch mob attacks IDF ambulance". 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
  42. ^ "Druse living under Israeli rule in the Golan Heights believe that some of the Syrians being treated at Israeli hospitals are Nusra Front gunmen". 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
  43. ^ Zelin, Aaron Y. (10 October 2014). "The Islamic State's First Colony in Libya". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  44. ^ Ernst, Douglas (18 November 2014). "Islamic State takes Libyan city; 100K under terror group's control as chaos spreads". The Washington Times. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  45. ^ "Beheading of Coptic Christians in Libya Shows ISIS Branching Out". TIME. 15 February 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  46. ^ "Egyptian air strikes in Libya kill dozens of Isis militants". The Guardian. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  47. ^ "More Egyptians being kidnapped". Libya Herald. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  48. ^ "ISIL claims responsibility for Kuwait Shia mosque blast". Retrieved 29 June 2015.
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