2018 Southern Syria offensive

Not to be confused with Operation Basalt in 1942.

See also: Daraa Governorate campaign

Daraa offensive (June–July 2018)
Part of the Daraa Governorate campaign of the Syrian Civil War
Top: Situation in Southwestern Syria (6 July 2018) Bottom: Situation in Daraa city   Syrian Army control   Syrian Opposition control   Islamic State control
Date 18 June 2018 – present (−1 month and 2 days) Location Daraa Governorate and western Suwayda Governorate, southwestern Syria Status Ongoing Syrian Army captures the towns of Al-Hirak,Naimah,Nasib Al-Musayfirah, Busra al-Harir, Bosra, Da'el, Al-Ghariyah al-Gharbiyah, Al-Jiza, Abtaa, Umm Walad, Tell Shihab and Nasib Border Crossing
Belligerents
Syria Syrian Armed Forces 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	Free Syrian Army Southern Front Army of Free Tribes National Front for the Liberation of Syria Army of the South Tahrir al-Sham Criterion Brigades Jaysh al-Islam Ahrar al-Sham
Commanders and leaders
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 Maj. Gen. Imad Adnan Ibrahim † (Republican Guard) Maj. Gen. Yusuf Mohammad Ali † (Republican Guard) Brig. Gen. Kamal Sarim  (WIA) Major Duraid Awad Col. Shady Agha (Liwa al-Quds) Maher Ajeeb Jazza (Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas) Haidar al Jubouri (Liwa Zulfiqar)	Muhammad Majid al-Khatib (Criterion Brigades) "Abu Hatem" Rakan al-Khadir (Army of Free Tribes) Abu Ayham (Army of Free Tribes) Ahmad al-Oodah (Youth of Sunna Forces) "Abu Qusay" Adham al-krad Bashar al-Zoubi (Revolutionary Army) Abu Omar al-Zagloul (Lions of Sunna Brigade) Adnan Al Masalmeh Bashar Al Zoubi (Yarmouk Brigade) Abu Hussian Jelin (Mu'tazz Billah Army)
Units involved
Syrian Armed Forces Syrian Army Special Forces Tiger Forces Taha Group 14th Special Forces Division 15th Special Forces Division 4th Armoured Division 42nd Armoured Brigade Republican Guard 1st Corps 7th Infantry Division 9th Armoured Division 5th Corps National Defense Force Syrian Air Force Russian Armed Forces Aerospace Forces Iraqi Shiite militias Liwa Zulfiqar Hezbollah special forces (rebel claim)	Free Syrian Army Southern Front Amoud Horan Brigade Alliance of Southern Forces Omari Brigades 18 March Division Engineering and Rocket Battalion Revolutionary Army Yarmouk Army Mu'tazz Billah Army Youth of Sunna Forces Fallujah Horan Brigade Lions of Sunna Brigade Central Operations Room Bunyan al-Marsous Operations Room Close Ranks Operations Room Repel the Invaders Operations Room Triangle of Death Operations Room Repel the Aggressors Operations Room National Front for the Liberation of Syria Jabhat Ansar al-Islam Army of the South Jaysh al-Ababil Alawiyat al-Qasioun Alawiyat Jidor Horan Revolutionary Army of the Jidor Area Holding Fast Operations Room Al-Hara Military Council Tasil Military Council Swords of Truth Room Liwa Ahrar Qita Manifest Victory Operations Room Aligned Factions of the Eastern Region Gathering of Revolutionaries of Mahajah Ahrar al-Sham Liwa Omar al-Mukhtar Liwa Muhammad ibn Abdullah Liwa al-Fatah
Strength
30,000	30,000 several hundred
Casualties and losses
135 killed	131 killed 450+ surrendered
162–210+ civilians killed

The Daraa offensive (June–July 2018), code-named Operation Basalt is a military operation launched by the Syrian Army and its allies against the rebels in South Syria. The fighting started 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.

An estimated 750,000 civilians live in the region affected by fighting, according to the United Nations (UN). The UN said on 2 July that over 270,000 people have been driven from their homes towards borders with Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Both countries say they will not allow any Syrians to cross. The Russian-backed assault is in one of the “de-escalation zones” that were negotiated for by the US, Jordan and Russia in 2017. It designated the area around Daraa as a “de-escalation zone” and Washington promised a strong response to any campaign that violated the agreement. However, US forces took no action to stop the attacks.

Background

Daraa city is known as 'the cradle of the revolution', as the torture and murder of youths from Daraa had been one of the defining events that led to a growth of the protest movement against the Assad government in 2011. Thus analysts have said that its capture by the government would be a key symbolic victory over the rebels, as well as consolidate the government's power in the south of Syria.

To ease Israeli concerns and prevent possible Israeli intervention, Russia and Israel reached an agreement prior to the offensive that Iranian-backed forces would not aid the Syrian government with the attack on Daraa, and the US government warned rebel forces that they could not expect military support.

The offensive

Capture of al-Lajat

On 18 June, during the night, the Syrian military captured several farms near Busra Al-Harir and Masekah. Government forces also attacked the opposition-held towns of Busra Al-Sham, Eastern Ghariyah, and Western Ghariyah. The attacks were focused on rebel fortifications inside the towns. It was also reported that the first phase of the government's offensive in Daraa would focus on Eastern Daraa and capturing the Nasib Border Crossing. While the military launched their attacks, rebel forces attempted to push back against the offensive by pushing into the Suwayda Governorate but they were repelled.

On 19 June, the rebels shelled the city of As-Suwayda in response to the government's attacks on their positions, while the Syrian Army simultaneously had another offensive active against ISIL in the northeastern part of the Suwayda Governorate. Meanwhile, the military shelled half a dozen villages outside Daraa city.

Early in the morning on 20 June, the military led by the Tiger Forces began using heavy artillery and missiles to attempt to take the town of Busra Al-Harir, after capturing a nearby air defense. Later on the same day, government troops reportedly captured two villages and cut-off the rebel-held al-Lajat region, although the rebels denied this. Subsequently, the Army's artillery struck many villages.

On 21 June, during the middle of the night, the Syrian Air Force conducted an air raid in the area specifically targeting an Ahrar al-Sham base near Al-Hirak killing 10 fighters from the group. The air raid also targeted almost half a dozen other towns and villages. Along with aerial bombardment, the military also used surface-to-surface missiles and artillery on the villages. The Syrian military also reportedly cut-off rebel supply lines in the area. With government forces firing missiles into rebel-held areas and making excessive gains, the rebels fired missiles into Suwayda in retaliation to the government's offensive.

On 22 June, because of the increased fighting along the Syrian-Jordanian border, the Jordanian military was deployed across Jordan's northern border with Syria. Pro-opposition sources reported that government forces had dropped 12 barrel bombs on Busra al-Harir and surrounding towns, while pro-government sources reported that the Syrian military fired 30 missiles into Busra Al-Sham, Busra Al-Harir and Al-Karak. On 23 June, after losing five towns, the rebels attacked government-held positions in Daraa itself. The attack included the use of missiles.

On 24 June, Russian warplanes provided air cover for the offensive for the first time, while rebel forces managed to infiltrate government-held checkpoints inside the Suwayda governorate but were later repelled. The next day, government forces captured the whole of the al-Lajat area including 400 km2.

Rapid government gains

On 26 June, the Syrian army took control of Busra al-Harir after the Tiger Forces attacked the town on multiples axes and broke through rebel lines defending the city. During the clashes, a Syrian Brigadier General was killed. Later in the morning of the same day, government forces captured two other towns, with rebel fighters withdrawing to Al-Hirak. A rebel counter-attack during the night of 26 June partially reversed the Army's gains, however by early hours of 27 June, the Army had fully re-established control, pushing forward to capture three more villages and thus reaching the eastern outskirts of Al-Hirak. By this point, the World Food Programme reported that close to 50,000 people had fled their homes in northern Daraa in a week to escape bombs, sheltering in makeshift camps in the south of the governorate and in Quneitra governorate.

On 27 June, the SAA seized the Brigade 52 Base, as well as a a village south of it. Later in the day, eight locations were deserted or surrendered by rebel forces in sequence, including Al-Hirak and two bases. Two days later, some rebel groups and leaders in the southern part of the Daraa province in towns such as Tafas, Da'el, Ibta, Al-Karak, Al-Jay’lah, east of Daraa city agreed to surrender to the Syrian government. Syrian Army also reportedly captured three other locations from rebel factions.

On 30 June, pro-rebel sources reported that as a result of shelling by pro-government forces the Roman Theatre at Bosra suffered significant damages, having already been hit by Russian airstrikes on 28 June. Between 30 June and 1 July, the military took control of 13 rebel-held towns, including Bosra al-Sham, after surrender agreements were reached with rebel forces in the area. This extended the government's control to some 60 percent of the province. By this time, the UN estimated the number of internally displaced at over 160,000.

Push towards the Jordanian border

Between 1 and 4 July, the military made three unsuccessful attempts to push towards the Nasib Border Crossing, each time being repelled by the rebels. During the fighting, the Army did not have much air support due to ongoing Russian negotiations with the rebels.

On 2 July, the UN estimated that 270,000 civilians displaced by the fighting, including 70,000 seeking shelter on the Jordanian border but blocked from entering the country. The civilian half of the opposition's delegation to peace talks withdrew from talks with the government and Russia. The next day, while the offensive was halted, an explosion occurred at a warehouse used by Hezbollah and other Iranian backed militias in the northern part of the Daraa Governorate along a road between Damascus and Daraa, several media outlets have accused the IDF of carrying out an attack on the facility, no comment was made by the Israeli Government, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was also unable to verify the cause the explosion. By 4 July, humanitarian agencies said eight hospitals had been bombed since the offensive began, with six medical workers killed, and in total more than 210 civilians killed and 500 injured. Meanwhile, the ISIL-affiliated Khalid ibn al-Walid Army launched an attack against pro-government forces in the village of Sheikh Maskin resulting in the death of several National Defense Force militiamen.

On 4 July, pro-government Al-Masdar News reported that, according to pro-opposition activists, over 400 rebel fighters had defected to the ISIL due to the rebel surrender of several towns, since the fighters wished to continue fighting against the government. Neither the FSA or ISIL confirmed the reports. Over 4,000 civilians were also said to had sought refuge in the ISIL-controlled Yarmouk Basin.

The following day, the military captured the town of Saida, bringing them to about six kilometers from the Nasib Border Crossing. The advance came after about 600 air-strikes were conducted in the province over the previous 15 hours. Eventually, the bombardment lasted a total of 22 hours, within which 870 air-strikes and 1,400 rocket and artillery strikes were conducted. Later in the day, the Army captured half a dozen other towns and five border points after launching an attack south of Busra Al-Sham. The advance cleared 230 square kilometers of territory along the border and brought back government troops on the Jordanian frontier for the first time since 2015. That night, between 5 and 6 July, the military also seized Al-Naimah, the last town east of Daraa city. A wave of Syrian civilians had fled their homes in southern Syria by this point after the relentless aerial bombardment by government forces. Meanwhile, the hashtag #OpenTheBorders started trending on Twitter.

On 6 July, the military was closing in on Nasib, coming within three kilometers of the border crossing. The Army was advancing towards the crossing on two axes, squeezing rebel forces. A military source predicted that the crossing might "fall within a few hours". Soon after, the crossing was seized and the following day soldiers celebrated the capture as troops fanned out across towns and villages in the area. With control being established over the Damascus-Amman highway, the military started setting up checkpoints and removing roadblocks along the highway.

Encircling Daraa city

On 8 July, the Syrian Army began mustering troops for the capture of Daraa city. With several opposition groups surrendering to the Government 11 opposition groups formed a new group called Army of the South to continue fighting the Syrian Government and their allies in the south, the group rejects surrendering to the Government and vows to continue fighting for the opposition's cause. The Russian and Syrian air forces conducted 72 airstrikes starting at dawn that resulted in the death of 3 civilians. The airstrikes were done in violation of a cease-fire agreement made between the opposition and the government, the violation of the cease-fire with the airstrikes also postpone opposition evacuations.

In an interview with a representative from the Pro-Government Tiger Force's Taha Group conducted by regional expert Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi the representative described the offensive as intense as the opposition is well fortified and well armed, and also stated that many villages captured by the Government had rejected Russian backed reconciliation agreements and alleged that the village of Jabib betrayed a cease-fire agreement and as a result several Pro-Government forces were killed in the village. The representative also confirmed that Russia's involvement and support in the offensive was essential to the Government's offensive even more so than Iran's involvement.

Reactions

Supranational

• United Nations, the OCHA stated that the UN was, "concerned about reports of an escalation of violence in Daraa... which is endangering civilians and causing hundreds of families to become displaced." UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura has warned the offensive by the Syrian military and Iranian militias would cause a humanitarian disaster and puts the lives of over 750'000 people at risk, he has also states that more than 45'000 have already been displaced. António Guterres made a statement saying "calls for an immediate halt to the current military escalation and urges all stakeholders to respect their international obligations including the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure,"
• EU, the European Union condemned the violation of the cease-fire zone established in Daraa by the Astana agreement and called on the Syrian Government and their allies to stop the hostilities in Daraa in order to avoid a humanitarian crisis. On 4 July, spokeswoman for the European Union Maja Kocijancic in a written statement said, "Such attacks are clear violations of international law and international humanitarian law that also put at risk any progress in Geneva for the resumption of the political talks under U.N. mediation," and she added, "The renewed violence can also have serious repercussions for the security of neighboring countries, possibly leading to new waves of refugees and internally displaced people,"

State

• United States, the American Envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley said regarding recent clashes, “The Syrian regime’s violations of the ceasefire in southwest Syria need to stop,” while also saying, "Russia will ultimately bear responsibility for any further escalations in Syria." After the beginning of the offensive, a letter sent to rebel leadership stated that they “We are fully aware that you have to make your decision according to your interests and the interests of your families and faction as you view them, and you must not base your decision on the assumption or an expectation of a military intervention from our side,” The letter also said "We, in the government of the United States of America, understand the hardships that you are facing now, and we are still advising the Russians and the Syrian regime as not to undertake any military action that violates the “de-escalation” agreement in the southwestern part of Syria." On 26 June, the United States State Department stated regarding the increase in violence and violation of the de-escelation agreements, “We are concerned by developments in southwestern Syria, particularly the intensification of Russian airstrikes and pro-regime ground attacks. This is once again an example of Russia violating arrangements it has entered into with no regard for civilian lives.”
• Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia's permanent delegate to the United Nations Dr. Fahd Al-Mutairi said about the offensive, "Despite urgent appeals and UN resolutions calling for opening of humanitarian corridors and delivering of aid to the needy and affected, the Syrian regime and its allies are continuing their military operations, siege and displacement of innocent civilians in total violation of these resolutions,"
• Vatican, Pope Francis condemned the Syrian military's offensive in Daraa and said about it "the military actions of recent days have struck even schools and hospitals and triggered thousands of new refugees."
• Turkey, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the United States, Russia and Iran were responsible for the violations committed by the Syrian Government, the Turkish spokesman for the foreign ministry said regarding the situation, "We strongly condemn these inhuman attacks by the regime on innocent people." He also added, "These attacks hinder the efforts in Astana and (the UN-supported process in) Geneva to reduce violence on the ground and to find a political solution for the crisis,"
• Israel, an Israeli defense official stated that the Israeli military will attack any Syrian forces that enter the UN cease-fire zone in the Golan Heights, the official also said about an agreement with the Russian Government, “The agreement is the basis for any future security reality after Assad returns to [Israel’s] northern border,”

Domestic

• Tahrir al-Sham, the group released a statement condemning Free Syrian Army groups that made deals with Russia to surrender contested ground in the area, the group also called on all rebel groups in the south to unite and fight as a unified force against the Syrian Government and their allies and also claimed that they (HTS and their allies) would be victorious.
• Guardians of Religion Organization, released a statement regarding the clashes in Daraa urging Muslims to donate money, and for media platforms to raise awareness to the situation as well as encouraging the opposition factions in Daraa to fight the Syrian military in their advance in the area, the statement also described the importance of defending the region for the rebels saying it's a gateway to the other rebel held areas in the South.
• Syrian opposition, various armed opposition groups have condemned the offensive and demanded more international action to halt it, Naser al-Hariri an opposition negotiator has condemned the lack of action or intervention by the United States and claimed the only explanation to their lack of action is because of what he described as a malicious deal. In response to the Youth of Sunna Forces surrendering to the Syrian government by negotiating with Russian officials, two Free Syrian Army Generals condemned the negotiations and described it as treason, stating they were withdrawing from them.
• Caucasus Emirate, the group's branch in Syria released a statement saying the offensive was no different from the one in Eastern Ghouta and that the offensive is being orchestrated by the Alawite clan of Assad and Russian Atheists to wipe out and displace Sunni Muslims in Syria.
• Khalid ibn al-Walid Army, a statement from the group said the following about the situation and cooperating with other groups against pro-government forces; "The factions and apostates have been invited to repent and give allegiance to the Islamic State after disavowing their kufr [disbelief] and their loyalty to the disbelievers. There is no truth to the news circulated through rooms and social media pages about Jaysh Khalid bin al-Waleed entering and taking up fronts within the areas of the apostates to fight the Nusayris in them, and in the event an area is entered it will be under the authority of the Caliphate entirely, with no presence for the apostates in them by God's permission. We remind you it is forbidden to contact the apostates except after coordinating with the contact official (Abu Abdo al-Askari) and taking permission in that and within Shari'i regulations, and the one who engages in contact in an individual capacity without coordinating with the contact official will be reprimanded. We ask God Almighty to help us and you to obey Him." The group also published another statement that called on displaced individuals in Southern Syria to migrate to the areas of the Yarmouk Basin under their control.

Other involved parties

• Hezbollah, secretary general of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah hailed the offensive as a "major victory". In response to pressure put on the group including demands to withdraw from Syria by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Hassan Nasrallah stated that the only way Hezbollah would withdraw from Syria would be if the Syrian Government asked them to leave and said in response to the demands, “I will tell you that if the whole world comes together to force us to leave Syria, they will not be able to evict us.”

See also

• As-Suwayda offensive (June 2018)
• Southern Damascus offensive (April–May 2018)