Syrian Hezbollah

Syrian Hezbollah
Leaders	Mohammad Amin Hussein al Raja Tariq al Mayouf
Dates of operation	2012 – 2024
Allegiance	Iran (IRGC) [1]
Groups	Quwat al-Ridha Liwa al-Imam al-Mahdi Return Forces Imam Hujja Regiment (Fawj al-Imam al-Hujja)
Headquarters	Unknown (most likely Homs or Sayyidah Zaynab)
Active regions	Syria
Ideology	Shia Islamism Jihadism (Shia) Khomeinism Anti-Sunnism [2] Sectarianism
Size	15,000 [3]
Part of	Hezbollah Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian civil war
Allies	State Allies: Ba'athist Syria Iran [3] Russia North Korea Non–state allies National Defence Forces Shabiha Mukhtar Army Lashkar-e-Zainabiyoun Liwa Fatemiyoun Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas Hussainiyoun/Hüseynçilər Al-Ashtar Brigades Islamic Resistance in Iraq Popular Mobilization Units
Opponents	State Opponents: Turkey (2019-20) United Kingdom United States Israel [4] Non–state opponents: Free Syrian Army Jaysh al-Islam Ahrar al-Sham Al-Nusra Front Islamic State
Battles and wars	See battles and wars Syrian civil war Siege of Nubl and al-Zahraa [5] Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016) Al-Qusayr offensive Battle of Zabadani (2015) Qalamoun offensive (2017) Eastern Syria campaign (September–December 2017) Northwestern Syria campaign (October 2017–February 2018) Syrian Desert campaign (December 2017–present) Southern Damascus offensive (April–May 2018) Northwestern Syria offensive (December 2019–March 2020) [6] Fall of the Assad regime 2024 Homs offensive Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present) Attacks on US bases during the Gaza war

Syrian Hezbollah was the Syrian branch of the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah, fighting in the Syrian Civil War until it withdrew from Syria following the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024. ^[7] There have been claims that the groups members are Syrian citizens, however available information suggests that many of its members are from Lebanon. ^[8] The group was directly trained by the Shia political party and paramilitary organization Hezbollah, the IRGC, and formerly the Syrian Arab Armed Forces. ^[9] The group had fighters deployed in Damascus, Aleppo, Daraa, and Quneitra. ^[3] Quwat al-Ridha had obscure links with Syrian Hezbollah. ^[5] The group also participated in the 2023 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria. On October 30, 2023, Syrian Hezbollah militants conducted rocket attacks targeting US forces stationed at Conoco gas fields in eastern Syria. ^[10]

During the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives that led to Assad’s downfall, Syrian Hezbollah along with two of its subgroups, Liwa Imam Mahdi and Quwat al-Ridha briefly fought against rebel forces during the 2024 Homs offensive before withdrawing from Syria. ^{[8] [11] [12]}

Subgroups

Liwa al-Imam al-Mahdi

Main article: Liwa al-Imam al-Mahdi

Liwa al-Imam al-Mahdi was a sub group of Hezbollah's Syria branch which was active until 2024. This group had at least 2 sub-groups namely the Imam Ali Battalion and the Special Operations al-Hadi Battalion. The al-Hadi Battalion claimed to have 2 squadrons with each respectively being led by its own commanders. The first led by “al-Saffah” and the second led by “Abu Ali Karar”. ^[13]

Quwat al-Ridha

Main article: Quwat al-Ridha

Quwat al-Ridha was a Hezbollah-trained and affiliated militia that was active alongside Syrian government forces in the Syrian Civil War prior to Assad's fall in December 2024. ^{[14] [15]} Its members belong to Syria's small Twelver Shia community, mainly from the Homs region which houses around 170,000 Shias. ^[16] Its name refers to the eighth Twelver Shia Imam, Ali al-Ridha. ^[14] Quwat al-Ridha forces had an effective presence in the operations that led to the Ba'athist capture of Homs and the Battle of Shaer gas field against the Islamic State. ^[16]

Imam Hujja Regiment

Main article: Imam Hujja Regiment

Fawj al-Imam al-Hujja, or the Imam Hujja Regiment, was a Shia Islamism militia formed in January 2016 within the towns of Nubl and al-Zahraa during the Syrian civil war. The militia was active in the Aleppo Governorate and took part in the Siege of Nubl and al-Zahraa ^[17] during the Battle of Aleppo. ^[18]

Return Forces

Return Forces was a Hezbollah-backed Palestinian militant organization in Syria. It was created in July 2015 by Hezbollah and was led by Abu Dhikra. It was named after the Palestinian right of return and fought against Syrian opposition. ^[19] The group had fought in Yarmouk ^[20] and Abu Kamal. ^[19]

2024 Syrian Rebel Offensive

During the 2024 Syrian Rebel offensive, Hezbollah had sent 2,000 fighters to Homs. Most were Quwat al-Ridha fighters which were stationed in al-Qusayr and the countryside of Damascus. The rest belonged to the Soldiers of Imam al-Mahdi brigade and had withdrawn from Aleppo its nearby mostly Shia towns of Nubl and al-Zahraa. ^[12] Remnants of the Imam Hujja Regiment were also stated to be present at the battle. ^[21]

As per the states of a pro-Iran Iraqi militia leader, during the Battle of Homs (2024), before the rebels had reached, Syrian soldiers in the rear lines had suddenly begun to shoot at the Hezbollah fighters in front of them, killing eight and wounding dozens. The IRGC Brigadier-General Javad Ghaffari, who was sent to Syria to be put in-charge of its last defences to stop the rebel offensive, ordered all forces affiliated with him to immediately withdraw from Homs and all of Syria. ^[12]

Hezbollah fighters withdrew to al-Qusayr, while the fighters of the local Syrian factions withdrew South of Damascus to Sayyida Zainab. ^[12] Some of them later fled across the Lebanese border to Beirut. ^{[11] [12]}

References

1. "What Is Hezbollah?". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
2. Schenker, David (7 October 2015). "Putin and the Shiite 'Axis of Resistance'". The Hill . Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2016. Assad, backed by Hezbollah and Iran, began his campaign to eradicate Sunni regime opponents...this new axis — which targets Syrian Sunnis instead of Israel — is deeply polarizing.
3. "اخبار داعش لحظه به لحظه » مقاومت سوریه بازوی قدرتمند ایران در سوریه". 2016-03-05. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
4. "Israeli drone strike in Syria killed three Hezbollah members - sources". Reuters. December 9, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
5. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (15 August 2016). "Syrian Hezbollah Militias of Nubl and Zahara'". Syria Comment. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
6. Joe Truzman (14 February 2020). "IRGC trained militias suffer losses in northwest Syria". Long War Journal. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
7. Carter Center (2017), p. 2.
8. Taban, Besmillah (2024-12-15). "The Fall of the Syrian Government and the Future of Foreign Jihadists: Supporters and Opponents of Assad". Hasht-e Subh. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
9. "حزب الله سوریه اعلام موجودیت کرد". 2015-07-09. Archived from the original on 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
10. "IRAN UPDATE, OCTOBER 30, 2023".
11. "Once a pro-Iran bastion, Damascus shrine district now in rebel hands". France 24. 2016-02-23. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
12. "How Syrian mutinies and betrayal sunk Iran's support for Assad". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
13. Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (July 23, 2016). "Liwa al-Imam al-Mahdi: A Syrian Hezbollah Formation". Middle East Forum.
14. "Quwat al-Ridha: Syrian Hezbollah". Joshua Landis. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
15. "Hezbollah: Quwat al-Ridha". Jihad Intel. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
16. "Syrian Shiites Take Up Arms in Support of Assad's Army". US News. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
17. Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (15 August 2016). "Syrian Hezbollah Militias of Nubl and Zahara'". Syria Comment.
18. Toumaj, Amir (9 December 2016). "Array of pro-Syrian government forces advances in Aleppo". The Long War Journal.
19. Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (2018-08-11). "Quwat al-Aouda: Interview". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
20. Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (2018-04-27). "The South Damascus Campaign: Interview with Quwat al-Sa'iqa". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
21. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (22 January 2025). "The Days of Assad's Fall: Interview. A Local Defence Forces' Perspective". Middle East Forum. Retrieved 30 May 2025.

• Foreign Volunteers for the Syrian Kurdish Forces (PDF) (Report). Atlanta: Carter Center. 27 February 2017.