Deir ez-Zor offensive (2018)

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Deir ez-Zor offensive (2018)
Part of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate campaign of the Syrian civil war and spillover of the ISIL insurgency in Iraq (2017–present)
Date22 May – 11 June 2018
(2 weeks and 6 days)
Location
Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria
Status Syrian Army and allies victory
Belligerents
Islamic State flag.svg  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Flag of Syria.svg  Syria
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
InfoboxHez.PNG Hezbollah
Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq
Commanders and leaders
UnknownFlag of Syria.svg Gen. Ali Muhammad al-Hussein  †
InfoboxHez.PNG "Abu Hussian" Haj Nasser Jamil Hadraj  † [1]
Units involved
Islamic State flag.svg Military of ISIL

Syrian Armed Forces Flag.svg Syrian Armed Forces

Banner of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (obverse).svg Russian Armed Forces

InfoboxHez.PNG Hezbollah

  • Hezbollah Rocket Division [1]

Coat of arms of Iraq.svg Iraqi Armed Forces

Strength
400 fighters (al-Shafa area) [6] Unknown
Casualties and losses
138 killed [7] 246 killed [7]

The Deir ez-Zor offensive (2018) was launched by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant against government-held areas throughout the Deir ez-Zor Governorate of Eastern Syria. During the offensive, on 8 June, ISIL managed to penetrate the city of Abu Kamal, capturing several parts of it.

Contents

The offensive

Initial attacks and assault on the highway

On 22 May 2018, ISIL launched an attack, involving suicide bombers and armored vehicles, on a military outpost southeast of Palmyra and near the T-3 Pumping Station. Pro-opposition sources reported between 26 and 30 pro-government fighters were killed, including 17 non-Syrians, while the military denied the high death toll and put the number of dead at 16 soldiers. [8] [9] The next day, ISIL attacked a joint Syrian-Russian military convoy near the city of Mayadin. The ensuing clashes left 26 pro-Syrian government fighters, 5 Russian PMCs and 4 Russian regular soldiers dead. Russia reported 43 militants were also killed. Concurrently to the convoy attack, ISIL assaulted three Syrian military checkpoints in the same area. Three days later, two new ISIL attacks took place near Mayadin and Abu Kamal. [10] [11]

On 4 June, ISIL attacked government forces along a 100-kilometer front from Mayadin to Abu Kamal, [12] capturing two or three towns on the western bank of the Euphrates. [6] [13] The militants attacked on two fronts, with ISIL fighters coming from both the desert, west of the Euphrates, and from their territory on the eastern bank of the river. A few days before the assault, around 400 ISIL fighters crossed the Euphrates from their enclave to the east following heavy shelling of government positions. [6] The capture of the towns cut the Deir ez-Zor-Abu Kamal highway. [14] The following day, pro-government forces recaptured the areas they had lost. [12] [13] [15]

Attack on Abu Kamal

On 8 June, ISIL renewed its offensive [16] and managed to break the Army's lines around Abu Kamal [17] by using 10 suicide bombers, [18] including several SVBIEDs. [19] ISIL fighters managed to break into the city and fighting came close to the city center. [17] The attack once again cut the highway. [18] However, soon the Army launched a counter-attack and by the following day it was reported that the military managed to re-secure the city. [20] During the fighting, the commander of the Syrian Army's 11th Tank Division, General Ali Muhammad al-Hussein, was killed in clashes on the outskirts of Abu Kamal. [21] The commander of Hezbollah's Rocket Division was also killed. [1] On 10 June, ISIL's offensive against Abu Kamal was still continuing, [22] before the militants withdrew from the city on 11 June. [7]

Aftermath

On 17 June, it was reported by Al-Masdar News that ISIL launched a surprise attack on government forces around the T3 pumping station in the Syrian Desert destroying one tank and killing several government soldiers. [23] The next day, government reinforcements from the Republican Guard, National Defense Forces, and Liwa Fatemiyoun as well as additional Hezbollah fighters, were sent in preparation for a new military operation against ISIL in the region. [24]

On 18 June, the Israeli Air Force carried out an airstrike targeting the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces as well as Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps in the area, resulting in the death of 52. The airstrike was initially blamed on the United States and the CJTF-OIR coalition by several Iranian-linked militias including PMF, but this was denied by both the United States and CJTF-OIR; it was later discovered that it was in fact carried out by Israel. [25] [26] [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Kamal</span> City in Syria

Abu Kamal, also known as Al-Bukamal, is a city in eastern Syria located on the Euphrates river in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate and near the border with Iraq. It is the administrative centre of the Abu Kamal District and the local subdistrict. Just to the south-east is the Al-Qa'im border crossing to the town of Husaybah in the Al-Qa'im District of Iraq's Al Anbar Governorate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deir ez-Zor Governorate</span> Governorate in Syria

Deir ez-Zor Governorate is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in eastern Syria, bordering Iraq. It has an area of 33,060 km2 and a population of 1,239,000. The capital is Deir ez-Zor. It is divided roughly equally from northwest to southeast by the Euphrates. Most of the territory on the river's left (northeast) bank is part of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, while that on the right (southwest) bank is controlled by the Syrian government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deir ez-Zor clashes (2011–2014)</span> Conflict during the Syrian Civil War

Protests against the Syrian government and violence had been ongoing in the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor since March 2011, as part of the wider Syrian Civil War, but large-scale clashes started following a military operation in late July 2011 to secure the city of Deir ez-Zor. The rebels took over most of the province by late 2013, leaving only small pockets of government control around the city of Deir ez-Zor.

Hajin is a small city in eastern Syria, administratively part of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, located along the Euphrates River, south of Deir ez-Zor. Nearby localities include al-Abbas to the west, al-Ramadi to the south and Gharanij to the north. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Hajin had a population of 37,935 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of a nahiyah ("subdistrict") of the Abu Kamal District. The Hajin subdistrict consists of four towns which had a collective population of 97,970 in 2004. The al-Shaitat tribe is the largest tribe in the area. The town was captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces on 14 December 2018 in the Battle of Hajin, after a week and a half of heavy clashes and intense airstrikes by the United States-led Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve international coalition, and has since been part of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

The Deir ez-Zor offensive was executed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS, against all other opposition forces in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate as part of the Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deir ez-Zor Governorate campaign</span> Military operation

The Deir ez-Zor Governorate campaign of the Syrian civil war consists of several battles and offensives fought across the governorate of Syria:

The Deir ez-Zor offensive was a military operation launched by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on the Deir ez-Zor air base and the surrounding areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deir ez-Zor offensive (2016)</span> ISIL military operation

The Deir ez-Zor offensive (2016) was an ISIL military operation, during which it took over the northern suburbs of Deir ez-Zor on 16 January 2016, and killed from 135 to 300 people, while also kidnapping about 400 others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deir ez-Zor offensive (January–February 2017)</span> Military operation

The Deir ez-Zor offensive was a military operation launched by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) against the Syrian Armed Forces, to capture the city of Deir ez-Zor, on 14 January 2017. The offensive came amid the group losing large amounts of territory in the Raqqa offensive as well as the Turkish military intervention in Syria, while Iraqi forces were advancing in its Iraq headquarters in Mosul. It ended with the city being split into two parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Deir ez-Zor (2014–2017)</span> Siege in the Syrian Civil War

The siege of Deir ez-Zor was a large-scale siege imposed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) against several districts in the city of Deir ez-Zor held by the Syrian Army, in an attempt to capture the city and secure full control of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate. The ISIL siege of the city lasted for almost 3 years and 2 months, after which the Syrian Army launched a successful offensive that fully recaptured the city nine weeks later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Syria campaign</span> Military operation of the Syrian Army

The Central Syria campaign, known as "Operation Khuzam", or "Lavender", was a large-scale military operation of the Syrian Army (SAA) against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during the Syrian Civil War. Its goal was to capture the strategic oil town of Al-Sukhnah, and besiege and capture 11,000 square kilometers of ISIL territory in central Syria, after which the Syrian Army would advance towards Deir ez-Zor, and lift the three-year ISIL siege of the government's enclave in the city. Afterwards, the Syrian Army advanced towards the Islamic State's then-capital of Mayadin.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from September to December 2017. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deir ez-Zor campaign (2017–2019)</span> Part of the Syrian Civil War (2017–2019)

The Deir ez-Zor campaign, codenamed the al-Jazeera Storm campaign, was a military operation launched by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria's Deir ez-Zor Governorate in 2017 during the Syrian Civil War with the goal of capturing territory in eastern Syria, particularly east and north of the Euphrates river. The U.S.-led Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR) anti-ISIL coalition provided extensive air support while SDF personnel composed the majority of the ground forces; OIR special forces and artillery units were also involved in the campaign.

The 2017 Euphrates Crossing offensive was a military offensive launched by the Syrian Arab Army against members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, following the breaking of the three-year siege of the city of Deir ez-Zor. The Euphrates Crossing offensive, conducted by government troops, was done with the aim of denying US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and the US itself leverage over the Syrian government.

The 2017 Mayadin offensive was a military offensive launched by the Syrian Arab Army against members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, following the breaking of the three-year siege of the city of Deir ez-Zor. The Mayadin offensive, conducted by Syrian Army troops, was conducted with the aim of capturing ISIL's new de facto capital of Mayadin, and securing the villages and towns around it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deir ez-Zor offensive (September–November 2017)</span> Military operation launched by the Syrian Armed Forces

The Deir ez-Zor offensive was a military operation launched by the Syrian Armed Forces to completely expel the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from the city of Deir ez-Zor, a provincial capital, located on the banks of the Euphrates river. From 2014 until 2017, the city had been divided into Syrian government and ISIL-controlled halves. The rest of the Governorate (province) was under ISIL control for most of this time, putting the government-controlled half of the city under siege.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Abu Kamal offensive</span> Military offensive

The 2017 Abu Kamal offensive, codenamed Operation Fajr-3, was a military offensive launched by the Syrian Arab Army and its allies against members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate. The aim of the offensive was to capture ISIL's last urban stronghold in Syria, the border town of Abu Kamal. This offensive was a part of the larger Eastern Syria campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Syria campaign</span> Military operation

The Eastern Syria campaign of September–December 2017 was a large-scale military operation of the Syrian Army (SAA) and its allies against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during the Syrian Civil War. Its goal was to clear the city of Deir ez-Zor of any remaining ISIL forces, capture ISIL's de facto capital of Mayadin, as well as seize the border town of Abu Kamal, which became one of ISIL's final urban strongholds by the latter stages of the campaign.

The Syrian Desert campaign is a campaign waged by Syrian government forces and their allies, including Iran and Russia, against the remaining forces of the Islamic State (IS) in the Syrian Desert region.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war for 2022. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found in Casualties of the Syrian civil war.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "REPORT: Hezbollah Rocket Division commander killed in Syria".
  2. ↑ "Syrian shock troops head to east Deir Ezzor for upcoming offensive against ISIS". Al-Masdar News. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  3. ↑ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (14 February 2016). "Liwa Usud al-Hussein: A New Pro-Assad Militia in Latakia". Syria Comment. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  4. ↑ "И снова ЧВК Вагнера. Как Россия воюет в Сирии".
  5. ↑ "Iran-backed militias risk dragging Iraq deeper into regional conflicts - Mamoon Alabbasi - AW".
  6. 1 2 3 "ISIS controls al-Ramadi and the violent clashes leave about 30 casualties of its members and Syrian and non-Syrian allies of the regime". 4 June 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 "ISIS withdraws from al-Bokamal city after killing about 50 of the regime forces, Iranian Forces, and militias loyal to them in 72 hours". 11 June 2018.
  8. ↑ Editorial, Reuters (22 May 2018). "At least 30 killed in Islamic State attack on Syrian army near Palmyra". Reuters.{{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  9. ↑ "Syrian military denies 30 soldiers killed in ISIS ambush". 23 May 2018. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "Russia says 4 of its soldiers have been killed in Syria". Associated Press . 27 May 2018.
  11. ↑ "26 Syria regime, 9 Russia fighters killed in IS attack: monitor". France 24. 27 May 2018.
  12. 1 2 "The regime forces and their allies restore most of the positions they lost in the west of the Euphrates and the death of about 90 members of them and of the organization raises to about 250, the number of casualties in the ranks of the both parties in 15 days". 6 June 2018.
  13. 1 2 "Scores of ISIL corpses litter Deir Ezzor battlefield after fierce battle with Syrian Army". 5 June 2018. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  14. ↑ "Violent clashes in west Euphrates, IS closed Deir ez-Zor-al-Bu Kamal road - ANHA - Ajansa Nûçeyan a Hawar".
  15. ↑ "The Latest: US says Syrian town of Manbij to be locally run". ABC News. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  16. ↑ "ISIS renews its offensive west of Euphrates and targets the regime, Iranians, and their loyalists in al-Bokamal area on road of Tehran – Beirut". 8 June 2018.
  17. 1 2 "Breaking: ISIS enters strategic border-city after overrunning Syrian Army defenses". 8 June 2018. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  18. 1 2 "The organization starts its heaviest attack on al-Bokamal in which Qasim Soleimani led its battles of control and closes the road of Tehran – Beirut killing and injuring tens of fighters". 8 June 2018.
  19. ↑ "Syrian War Daily – 8th of June 2018". 8 June 2018. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  20. ↑ "Syrian Army drives ISIS out of Albukamal, secures city". 9 June 2018. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  21. ↑ "Syrian War Daily – 9th of June 2018". 9 June 2018. Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  22. ↑ "ISIS continues its offensive against the regime and the Iranians on the road of Tehran – Beirut and raises the death toll to 41 at least of the regime forces and allies in 48 hours". 10 June 2018.
  23. ↑ "ISIS carries out powerful attack against Syrian troops in east Homs". 17 June 2018. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  24. ↑ "Syrian Army, Hezbollah move to west Deir Ezzor for new military operation". 18 June 2018. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  25. ↑ Israel, David. "CNN: Airstrike on Hezbollah, Iran, Near the Euphrates Carried by Israel".
  26. ↑ "38 pro-regime foreign fighters said killed in Syria airstrike". The Times of Israel .
  27. ↑ "Israel Kills 52 Syrian/Iraqi Anti-ISIS Fighters, as US Takes Aim at Iran". 20 June 2018.
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