Iranian involvement in the Syrian civil war" id="addMyFavs">
Iranian involvement in the Syrian civil war
Iranian regime involvement in the Syrian Civil War
Part of foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war and the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
9 June 2013[17] — present
(9 years, 7 months, 2 weeks and 5 days)
Syria and Lebanon
Government forces capture more than 705 settlements and over 17,000 sq km of territory[18]
Major government gains in provinces of Latakia, Palmyra, Raqqa, Damascus, and Aleppo[19]
Islamic Republic of Iran[1]
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Quds Force[2]
Basij[2]
Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Islamic Republic of Iran Army
Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces
Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Iran-sponsored militias:
Hüseynçilər
Liwa Fatemiyoun[1]
Liwa Zainebiyoun
Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba[3]
In support of:
Syrian Armed Forces
Russia (airstrikes)[4]
Syrian Interim Government
Free Syrian Army
Free Officers Movement
Syrian National Army (2017-present)
Turkey[5]
United States (2013-17)
United Kingdom (2013-17)[6]
Syrian Islamic Front
Ahrar al-Sham
Jaysh al-Islam
Jaysh al-Sunna (2013-17)[7]
Saudi Arabia (2013-18)
Syrian Salvation Government
Tahrir al-Sham
Ajnad al-Sham (2013-17)[8]
Other rebel groups
Al-Qaeda[9][10]
Al-Nusra Front (2013-17)
Ansar al-Islam[7]
Turkistan Islamic Party[11][12]
Hurras al-Din (2018-present)[13]
Syrian Democratic Forces
YPJ
Other SDF groups and allies
CJTF-OIR (since 2014)
United States[14]
France[15]
Iraqi Kurdistan[16] (limited involvement)
Commanders and leaders
Ali Khamenei
(Supreme Leader of Iran)
Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani †[20][21]
(Quds Force chief commander)
Brig. Gen. Dariush Dorosti †[22]
(IRGC commander)
Maj. Abolghassem Zahiri (WIA)[1]
(102nd Imam Hossein Battalion commander)
Ahmad Gholami †
(Iranian paramilitary commander)
Salem al-Meslet (President)
Col. Riad al-Assad (Founder of FSA)
Brig. Gen. Mustafa Al-Sheikh (Head of Higher Military Council)
Gen. Salim Idris (Former Chief of Staff of SMC)
Brig. Gen. Hassan Hamada (Chief of Staff of SNA)
Zahran Alloush † (Chief of Islamic Front)
Hassan Aboud †
Abu Jaber Shaykh
Hassan Soufan
Abu Mohammad al-Julani (Emir of Tahrir al-Sham)
Col. Riad al-Assad (Deputy PM of Military Affairs)
Abu Khayr al-Masri †[23]
(al-Qaeda deputy leader)
Abu Humam al-Shami[24]
Abu Hajer al-Homsi (al-Nusra Front military chief)[25]
Khalid al-Aruri (Former leader of Hurras al-Din)[26]
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi †
Zoran Birhat[27]
(YPJ senior commander)
Ciwan Ibrahim[28]
(Asayish head)
2,000 soldiers according to the US (denied by Iran)[29]
14,000+ fighters (2017)[30]
c. 2,000 al-Nujaba fighters[3]
120+ Naval Infantry advisors, several BMPs[32][33] ?
Casualties and losses
10,400 killed[34]
2,300+ killed (per Iran)[35]
Liwa Fatemiyoun:
2,000+ killed
8,000+ wounded[36]
1,800+ fighters killed[37]
Iraqi Shia Militia:
1,308+ militiamen killed[38]
Unknown Unknown Unknown
January–April 2012
May–August 2012
September–December 2012
May–December 2013
January–July 2014
August–December 2014
Background and causes
UN ceasefire; Rebel advances (May 2012 – Dec. 2013)
3rd Rastan
Houla
Northern Homs
Al-Haffah
Al-Qubeir
Al-Tremseh
3rd Idlib Gov.
1st Damascus
Anadan
Menagh Air Base
Khan al-Assal
1st Aleppo offensive
2nd Aleppo offensive
Syrian Kurdistan and Kurdish–Islamist conflict
Hasaka campaign
Ras al-Ayn
al-Yaarubiyah
Tell Hamis and Tell Brak
Tell Abyad
Nubl & Al-Zahraa
2nd Rif Dimashq (1st Darayya)
Abu al-Duhur Airbase
Quneitra Gov.
3rd Rif Dimashq
1st Yarmouk camp
2nd Darayya
Darayya & Muadamiyat
Aqrab
1st Hama offensive
1st Safira
Shadadeh
2nd Damascus
1st Raqqa campaign (1st Raqqa)
1st Daraa offensive
4th Rif Dimashq
Jdaidet al-Fadl
Tadamon
Ghouta
Al-Qusayr offensive
2nd al-Qusayr
2nd Hama offensive
Bayda and Baniyas
1st Latakia offensive
Ma'loula
Sadad
1st Qalamoun
Rise of the Islamic State (Jan. – Sept. 2014)
Inter-rebel conflict
Northern Aleppo
Markada
1st Deir ez-Zor offensive
al-Otaiba ambush
Hosn
Morek
2nd Daraa offensive
2nd Latakia offensive
4th Idlib Gov.
Al-Malihah
2nd Wadi Deif
2nd Qalamoun
Arsal
Deir ez-Zor (2014–2017)
1st Shaer gas field
1st Eastern Syria
Tabqa Airbase
3rd Hama offensive
1st Quneitra
Kobanî
U.S.-led intervention, Rebel & ISIL advances (Sept. 2014 – Sept. 2015)
U.S.-led intervention
Homs school bombing
3rd Daraa offensive
2nd Safira
2014 Idlib city raid
Nusra–FSA conflict
2nd Shaer gas field
1st Al-Shaykh Maskin
2nd Deir ez-Zor offensive
3rd Aleppo offensive
An-26 crash
4th Daraa offensive
Southern Syria
Eastern al-Hasakah offensive
1st Sarrin
Hama/Homs offensive
Bosra
5th Idlib Gov
2nd Idlib city
Al-Fu'ah-Kafriya
Nasib
2nd Yarmouk camp
1st Northwestern Syria
3rd Qalamoun
1st Palmyra
Western al-Hasakah offensive
1st Al-Hasakah city
Daraa/As-Suwayda
2nd Quneitra
2nd Sarrin
5th Daraa
2nd Al-Hasakah city
2nd Kobanî
4th Aleppo offensive
2nd Zabadani
2nd Palmyra
Al-Ghab
1st al-Qaryatayn
Douma market
Kuweires offensive
Russian intervention (Sept. 2015 – March 2016)
Russian intervention
3rd Quneitra
2nd Northwestern Syria
3rd Latakia offensive
Su-24 shootdown
al-Hawl
Homs offensive
4th Hama offensive
Tell Tamer
Tishrin Dam
2nd Al-Shaykh Maskin
al-Qamishli bombings
Orontes River
3rd Deir ez-Zor offensive
1st Sayyidah Zaynab
1st Ithriyah-Raqqa
Al-Shaddadi
Homs bombings
2nd Sayyidah Zaynab
Khanasir
2nd Tel Abyad
Al-Tanf
2nd Al-Qaryatayn
3rd Palmyra
2nd Maarat al-Nu'man
Aleppo escalation and Euphrates Shield (March 2016 – February 2017)
9th–11th Aleppo offensives
Al-Dumayr
1st East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict
1st Qamishli
Aleppo bombings
3rd Shaer gas field
Northern Raqqa
Jableh & Tartus
Tokhar
2nd Ithriyah-Raqqa
12th–14th Aleppo offensives
4th Latakia offensive
1st Abu Kamal
3rd Qamishli
Atmeh
al-Rai
3rd Al-Hasakah City
Operation Euphrates Shield
Northern al-Bab
Dabiq
al-Bab
1st Western al-Bab
1st Eastern Qalamoun
September bombings
4th Quneitra
Deir ez-Zor airstrike
Aleppo aid convoy attack
15th Aleppo offensive
Khan al-Shih
1st Idlib inter-rebel conflict
2nd Western al-Bab
2nd Raqqa campaign
4th Palmyra
Wadi Barada
1st Syrian Desert
Azaz bombings
4th Deir ez-Zor offensive
2nd Idlib inter-rebel conflict
Qaboun
Collapse of Islamic State in Syria (Feb. – Nov. 2017)
Eastern Homs offensive
al-Jina mosque
Tabqa
Khan Shaykhun
US Shayrat strike
Aleppo bus bombing
April 2017 Turkish airstrikes
2nd East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict
2nd Syrian Desert
East Hama
2nd Raqqa
Southern Raqqa
Iranian Deir ez-Zor strike
Ja'din
Jobar
Central Syria
3rd Idlib inter-rebel conflict
4th Qalamoun
2nd Eastern Syria
Deir ez-Zor city
Euphrates Crossing
Mayadin
2nd Abu Kamal
Rebels in retreat and Operation Olive Branch
(Nov. 2017 – Sep. 2018)
3rd Northwestern Syria
Atarib
Harasta
Beit Jinn
3rd Syrian Desert
1st Southern Damascus
Afrin
SDF insurgency
Khasham
Feb. 2018 Israel–Syria incident
10th Rif Dimashq (Douma)
4th Idlib inter-rebel conflict
2nd Southern Damascus
U.S.-led missile strikes
2nd Eastern Qalamoun
3rd Southern Damascus
Deir ez-Zor SAA-SDF clashes
1st As-Suwayda
2nd Southern Syria
2nd As-Suwayda
3rd As-Suwayda
2nd Qamishli
Idlib demilitarization
(Sep. 2018 – April 2019)
Sep. 2018 missile strikes
Iranian Eastern Euphrates strike
Northern border clashes
Daraa insurgency
Manbij bombing
Baghuz Fawqani
U.S. airstrike
First Idlib offensive, Operation Peace Spring, & Second Idlib offensive (April 2019 – March 2020)
4th Northwestern Syria
Tell Rifaat
Raqqa & Azaz bombings
Hass bombing
Operation Peace Spring (2nd Ras al-Ayn)
Operation Kayla Mueller
Northern Syria bombings
Qah
Balyun
Operation Spring Shield
2nd U.S.-led missile strikes
1st Daraa clashes
Idlib ceasefire (March 2020 – present)
Ayn Issa
Deir ez-Zor ambush
Qamishli & Al-Hasakah siege
2nd Daraa clashes
Damascus bus bombing
Abu Khashab
1st Aleppo inter-rebel conflict
Jabal al-Bishrī
Jarqli
2nd Aleppo inter-rebel conflict
Al-Sabboura
Claw-Sword
Northwestern Syria clashes
Al-Taim attack
Syrian War spillover and international incidents
Lebanon spillover
Lebanese–Syrian border
Iranian embassy bombing
North Lebanon clashes
Syrian–Turkish border incidents
Turkish F4 shootdown
Reyhanlı bombings
Turkish occupation of northern Syria
Kurdish riots
Jordanian–Syrian border incidents
Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line
February 2018 incident
May 2018 incident
Iraqi–Syrian border incidents
Akashat
al-Shabah
Western Nineveh
Western Iraq
Spillover in Iran
2017 Tehran attacks
2017 Deir ez-Zor missile strike
Spillover in Turkey
Russian Su-24 shootdown
Andrei Karlov
Balyun airstrikes
Kafr Takharim airstrikes
Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
Spillover in Europe
Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war
Foreign intervention in behalf of Syrian Arab Republic
Russian involvement
2015 military intervention
Iranian involvement
2017 missile strike
Iran–Israel conflict
2012 Hezbollah involvement
Foreign intervention in behalf of Syrian Rebels
Foreign rebel fighters
Turkish involvement
Turkey–ISIL conflict
Tomb of Suleyman Shah relocation
Euphrates Shield
2017 airstrikes
Idlib Governorate operation
Afrin operation
2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria
Israel's role
U.S.-led intervention against ISIL
List of attacks
2014 rescue operation
May 2015 raid
2017 missile strikes
Qatari involvement
Jordanian intervention
Operation Martyr Muath
Lebanon's role
Saudi involvement
2018 bombing
Dutch involvement
German intervention
French intervention
Australian intervention
UK intervention
Hezbollah involvement in
the Syrian Civil War
Zabadani (2012)
al-Qusayr (2012)
Aleppo (2012-2016)
Aleppo (Oct-Dec 2015)
North Aleppo (2016)
January 2013 Rif Dimashq
May 2013 Rif Dimashq
First Qalamoun
Second Qalamoun
December 2014 Rif Dimashq
January 2015 Mazraat Amal
April 2015 Qalamoun
Third Qalamoun
Wadi Barada (2016–17)
Fourth Qalamoun
The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic are close strategic allies, and Iran has provided significant support for the Syrian government in the Syrian civil war, including logistical, technical and financial support, as well as training and some combat troops. Iran sees the survival of the Syrian government as being crucial to its regional interests.[39][40][41] When the uprising developed into the Syrian Civil War, there were increasing reports of Iranian military support, and of Iranian training of the National Defence Forces both in Syria and Iran.[42] In early 2012, Iran's IRGC began sending tens of thousands of Khomeinist militants in co-ordination with Assad regime to prevent the collapse of the Syrian Arab Army; thereby polarising the conflict along sectarian lines.[43][44]
Iranian security and intelligence services are advising and assisting the Syrian military in order to preserve Bashar al-Assad's hold on power.[39] Those efforts include training, technical support, and combat troops.[39][45] Estimates of the number of Iranian personnel in Syria range from hundreds to tens of thousands.[40][46][47] Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, backed by Iran's government, have taken direct combat roles since 2012.[40][48] From the summer of 2013, Iran and Hezbollah provided important battlefield support for Assad, allowing it to make advances on the opposition.[48]
In 2014, coinciding with the peace talks at Geneva II, Iran stepped up support for Syrian President Assad.[40][48] Estimates of financial assistance range from tens to hundreds of billions of dollars.[49][50][51][52][53] Iranian regime has portrayed its intervention as part of a religious and historical revanchist mission to subordinate Sunnis and seek vengeance. Tehran's objectives include attempts to Shi'ification through religious prozelytisation, establishment of shrines and demographic transformations in Sunni-majority regions by bringing in foreign shia settlers.[54]
From January 2013 onward, the Iranian military, primarily the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has lost more than 2,300 soldiers in Syria. Many of the deaths have been officers, including several high-ranking officers, notably generals.[55] Thousands of Iranian-backed Afghan, Lebanese, Iraqi, Yemeni, Pakistani and other militia fighters have also been killed after joining IRGC-sponsored paramilitary organizations. The Afghans are recruited largely from Hazara refugees in Iran, and some had combat experience before joining; their relation to the Iranian military is only vaguely acknowledged and sometimes denied, despite the troops being uniformed fighters led by IRGC officers, trained and equipped in Iran, with state funerals involving uniformed IRGC personnel.[56] Among the dead are 2,000+ Afghans[36] and at least 160 Pakistanis.[57][58] Officially, the Afghan paramilitaries are part of the independent Liwa Fatemiyoun group, while the Pakistanis are part of the Liwa Zainebiyoun group.
Iranian troops and allied militias on the ground are supported by ballistic missile and air forces, including armed drones utilizing smart munitions. By October 2018, Iranian drones had launched over 700 strikes on Islamic State forces alone.[59]
Background[edit]
See also: Iran–Syria relations
Iran sees the survival of the Syrian government as being crucial to its interest. Its only consistent ally since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Syria provides a crucial thoroughfare to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iranian leaders have cited Syria as being Iran's "35th province", with President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite minority led government being a crucial buffer against the influence of Saudi Arabia and the United States.[40]
The Syrian city of Zabadani is vitally important to Assad and to Iran because, at least as late as June 2011, the city served as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps's logistical hub for supplying Hezbollah.[60] Prior to the Syrian war, Iran had between 2,000 and 3,000 IRGC officers stationed in Syria, helping to train local troops and managing supply routes of arms and money to neighboring Lebanon.[40]
In April 2014, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iranian deputy foreign minister said, "We aren't seeking to have Bashar Assad remain president for life. But we do not subscribe to the idea of using extremist forces and terrorism to topple Assad and the Syrian government".[61]
Timeline[edit]
2011[edit]
In the civil uprising phase of the Syrian civil war, Iran was said to be providing Syria with technical support based on Iran's capabilities developed following the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests.[41]
In April 2011 U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice accused Iran of secretly aiding Assad in his efforts to quell the protests,[62] and there were reports of Syrian protesters hearing security-force members speaking Persian.[63]
The Guardian reported in May 2011 that the Iranian government was assisting the Syrian government with riot control equipment and intelligence monitoring techniques.[64] According to US journalist Geneive Abdo writing in September 2011, the Iranian government provided the Syrian government with technology to monitor e-mail, cell phones and social media. Iran developed these capabilities in the wake of the 2009 protests and spent millions of dollars establishing a "cyber army" to track down dissidents online. Iran's monitoring technology is believed to be among the most sophisticated in the world, perhaps only second to China.[41]
In May 2012, in an interview with the Iranian Students News Agency which was later removed from its website, the deputy head of Iran's Quds Force said that it had provided combat troops to support Syrian military operations.[65] It was alleged by the Western media that Iran also trained fighters from Hezbollah, a Shia militant group based in Lebanon.[66] Iraq, located between Syria and Iran, was criticized by the U.S. for allowing Iran to ship military supplies to Assad over Iraqi airspace.[67]
The Economist said that Iran had, by February 2012, sent the Syrian government $9 billion to help it withstand Western sanctions.[45] It has also shipped fuel to the country and sent two warships to a Syrian port in a display of power and support.[68]
In March 2012, anonymous U.S. intelligence officials claimed a spike in Iranian-supplied arms and other aid for the Syrian government. Iranian security officials also allegedly traveled to Damascus to help deliver this assistance. A second senior U.S. official said members of Iran's main intelligence service, the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, were assisting Syrian counterparts in charge of the crackdown.[69]
According to a U.N. panel in May 2012, Iran supplied the Syrian government with arms during the previous year despite a ban on weapons exports by the Islamic Republic. Turkish authorities captured crates and a truck in February 2012, including assault rifles, machine guns, explosives, detonators, 60mm and 120mm mortar shells as well as other items on its border. It was believed these were destined for the Syrian government. The confidential report leaked just hours after an article appeared in The Washington Post revealing how Syrian opposition fighters started to receive more, and better, weapons in an effort paid for by Persian Gulf Arab states and co-ordinated partly by the US.[70] The report investigated three large illegal shipments of Iranian weapons over the past year and stated "Iran has continued to defy the international community through illegal arms shipments. Two of these cases involved [Syria], as were the majority of cases inspected by the Panel during its previous mandate, underscoring that Syria continues to be the central party to illicit Iranian arms transfers."[71] More anonymous sources were cited by the UN in May 2012, as it claimed arms were moving both ways between Lebanon and Syria, and alleged weapons brought in from Lebanon were being used to arm the opposition.[72] The alleged spike in Iranian arms was likely a response to a looming influx of weapons and ammunition to the rebels from Gulf states that had been reported shortly before.[73]
On 24 July 2012, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp commander Massoud Jazayeri said Iranians would not allow enemy plans to change Syria's political system to succeed.[74]
In August 2012 Leon Panetta accused Iran of setting up a pro-Government militia to fight in Syria, and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff General Martin Dempsey compared it to the Mahdi Army of Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr. Panetta said that there was evidence that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards were attempting to "train a militia within Syria to be able to fight on behalf of the regime".[75] 48 Iranians were captured by the FSA in Damascus, and U.S. officials said that the men who were captured were "active-duty Iranian Revolutionary Guard members".[76]
In September 2012, Western intelligence officials stated that Iran had sent 150 senior members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to preserve the Assad government, and had also sent hundreds of tons of military equipment (among them guns, rockets, and shells) to the Assad government via an air corridor that Syria and Iran jointly established. These officials believed that the intensification of Iranian support had led to increased effectiveness against the Free Syrian Army by the Assad government.[77]
According to rebel soldiers speaking in October 2012, Iranian Unmanned aerial vehicles had been used to guide Syrian military planes and gunners to bombard rebel positions. CNN reported that the UAV or drones—which the rebels refer to as "wizwayzi" were "easily visible from the ground and seen in video shot by rebel fighters".
Rebels have displayed captured aircraft they describe as Iranian-built drones — brightly colored, pilotless jets. They're accompanied by training manuals emblazoned with the image of Iran's revolutionary leader, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.[78]
In January 2013, a prisoner swap took place between the Syrian Rebels and the Syrian Government authorities. According to reports, 48 Iranians were released by the Rebels in exchange for nearly 2,130 prisoners held by the Syrian Government. Rebels claimed the captives were linked to the IRGC.[79] US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland described the Iranians as "members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard," calling it "just another example of how Iran continues to provide guidance, expertise, personnel, technical capabilities to the Syrian regime."[80]
Iran decided in June 2013 to send 4,000 troops to aid the Syrian government forces, described as a "first contingent" by Robert Fisk of The Independent, who added that the move underscored a Sunni vs. Shiite alignment in the Middle East.[81] IRGC soldiers, along with fellow Shi'ite forces from Hezbollah and members of Iran's Basij militia participated in the capture of Qusair from rebel forces on 9 June 2013.[17][82] In 2014, Iran increased its deployment of IRGC in Syria.[40] Iran also proposed to open a new Syrian front against Israel in the Golan Heights, this coming a day after Egyptian President cut off diplomatic relations with Syria and demanded that Iran support for the pro Syrian-government Hezbollah end.[83] A Syrian official called the severing of relations by Morsi "irresponsible" and said it was part of a move by the U.S. and Israel to exacerbate divisions in the region.[84]
According to American officials questioned by journalist Dexter Filkins, officers from the Quds force have "coordinated attacks, trained militias, and set up an elaborate system to monitor rebel communications" in Syria from late 2012 to 2013. With help from the Hezbollah, and under the leadership of Quds Force general Qassem Soleimani, the al-Assad government won back strategic territory from rebels in 2013, in particular an important supply route during the Al-Qusayr offensive in April and May.[85]
In the fall of 2013 Iranian Brigadier General Mohammad Jamali-Paqaleh of the Revolutionary Guards was killed in Syria, while volunteering to defend a Shia shrine.[86] In February, General Hassan Shateri, also of the Revolutionary Guards, had been killed while travelling from Beirut to Damascus.[87]
Iran has stepped up support on the ground for Syrian President Assad, providing hundreds more military specialists to gather intelligence and train troops. This further backing from Tehran, along with deliveries of munitions and equipment from Moscow, is helping to keep Assad in power.[40][48] This surge of support was in part a decision strongly promoted by Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds force, to exploit the outbreak of infighting between rebel fighters and the al-Qaeda inspired Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS).[40]
A former Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces commander said that "top Quds force commanders were tasked with advising and training Assad's military and his commanders", adding that "Revolutionary Guards directed the fighting on the instructions of the Quds Force commanders".[48] In addition there are thousands of Iranian paramilitary Basij volunteer fighters as well as Shi'ites from Iraq. Former Iranian officials and a Syrian opposition source also put the count of those auxiliary forces in the thousands.[40][48]
A Syrian opposition source said in recent months Iranian led forces had begun operating in coastal areas including Tartous and Latakia. They have local ID cards, wear Syrian military fatigues and work with the elite Syrian Air Force intelligence unit.[48]
See also: Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War § Cooperation with Iran
The Wall Street Journal reported on 2 October 2015 that Iran's Revolutionary Guard (the IRGC) has had some 7,000 IRGC members and Iranian paramilitary volunteers operating in Syria and was planning to expand its presence in the country through local fighters and proxies. The Journal also reported that some experts estimate 20,000 Shiite foreign fighters are on the ground, backed by both Shiite Iran and Hezbollah.[88]
At least 121 IRGC troops, including several commanders, have been killed in the Syrian Civil War since it began.[89][90][91]
Key victories were achieved with substantial support provided by the Quds force, namely the al-Ghab plains battles, Aleppo offensives, Dara'aya offensives of 2015 and the al-Qusayr offensives which established government and Hezbollah control over the northern Qalamoun region and the border crossings from Lebanon to Syria. In June 2015, some reports suggested that the Iranian military were effectively in charge of the Syrian government troops on the battlefield.[92]
After the loss of Idlib province to a rebel offensive in the first half of 2015, the situation was judged to have become critical for Assad's survival. High level talks were held between Moscow and Tehran in the first half of 2015 and a political agreement was achieved.[93] On 24 July General Qasem Soleimani visited Moscow[94] to devise the details of the plan for coordinated military action in Syria.[93][95]
In mid-September 2015, the first reports of new detachments from the Iranian revolutionary guards arriving in Tartus and Latakia in west Syria were made. With much of the Syrian Arab Army and National Defence Forces units deployed to more volatile fronts, the Russian Marines and Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRG) have relieved their positions by installing military checkpoints inside the cities of Slunfeh (east Latakia Governorate), Masyaf (East Tartus Governorate) and Ras al-Bassit (Latakia coastal city).[96] There were also further reports of new Iranian contingents being deployed to Syria in early October 2015.[97]
On 1 October 2015, citing two Lebanese sources, Reuters reported[98] that hundreds of Iranian troops had arrived in Syria over the previous 10 days to join Syrian government forces and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies in a major ground offensive backed by Russian air strikes that started on 30 September 2015 and were welcomed as vital by Bashar Assad.[99]
On 8 October 2015, brigadier general Hossein Hamadani, the deputy to General Qasem Soleimani in Syria was killed.[100][101][102] On 12 October, two more senior commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hamid Mokhtarband and Farshad Hassounizadeh, were reported by Iranian media to have been killed in Syria.[103]
At the end of October 2015, Iran agreed to take part in the Syria peace talks in Vienna.[104] The talks for the first time brought Iran to the negotiating table with Saudi Arabia, which are said to be engaged in a proxy war in Syria.[105][106] The talks however were promptly followed by an exchange of sharp rebukes between Iran's and Saudi Arabia's top officials that cast doubt on Iran's future participation in those.[107][108]
Further information: 2017 Deir ez-Zor missile strike
In June 2017, Iran attacked militants' targets in the Deir Ezzor area in eastern Syria with ballistic missiles fired from western Iran.[109] As a result of these attacks (in an operation which was named as the missile operation of "Laylat al-Qadr"),[110][111] more than 170 forces of ISIS among a number of its commanders were killed.[112][unreliable source?]
Further information: February 2018 Israel–Syria incident and May 2018 Israel–Iran incidents
In May 2018, Iranian Quds forces based in Syria launched a 20 rockets attack on Israel. None of the rockets hit any targets and Israeli aircraft responded by extensively hitting both Syrian and Iranian military sites in Syria.[113]
In January 2019, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that it had carried out strikes against Iranian military targets in Syria several hours after a rocket was intercepted over the Golan Heights. The Israeli military claimed in a statement that Quds Force positions were targeted and included a warning to the Syrian military against "attempting to harm Israeli forces or territory."[114]
Iranian and Hizbullah's (marked in blue) military presence and influence in Syria as of December 2020.
Between 27 February and 3 March, 4 Iranians were killed by Turkish forces.[115] On 7 March, an IRGC commander, Farhad Dabirian, was reported to be killed a day earlier in the Sayyidah Zaynab neighborhood in Damascus, without giving details on the circumstances of his death.[116] On 18 March, an Iranian commander, Mehran Azizani, was announced to be killed by Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria.[117] On 15 May, Another commander, Abu al-Fadl Sarlak, was announced to be killed probably by an Israeli airstrike in Khanasir.[118]
Public opinion[edit]
The fierce insistence of Iran's ruling clerics to engage actively in the Syrian crisis is driven by sectarianism rather than political strategy.[according to whom?] The great differences between the Alawites and the Twelver Shiites have been apparently overlooked[by whom?]. Although the Assad government has enjoyed a political alliance with ruling clerics in Iran from the time of its establishment, this alliance is not driven by any common religious/sectarian causes; the Ba'ath government in Syria does not participate in Iranian religious issues, and the Ayatollahs in Iran do not consider Assad a Shiite partner.[119][verification needed]
In a March 2018 ORB International poll of 1,011 adults across all of Syria's 14 governorates, 64% of Syrians said that Iran's influence on their country was an overall neagative, while 32% said Iran's influence was an overall positive.[120][non-primary source needed]
Casualties[edit]
Iranian casualties bodies return to Kermanshah, August 2016
Despite Iran's costly presence in Syria, public support for military involvement in Syria remains strong among the Iranians because of religious motivations and security concerns.[121] From January 2013 to March 2017, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps lost 2,100 soldiers in Syria and 9,000 wounded, according to Iran's veterans' affairs office. These included 418 ranking officers and several generals[55][122] In August 2017, Brigadier General Hamid Abazari stated that 25% of the soldiers that Iran had sent to Syria had been killed or wounded,[123][124] implying several tens of thousands had served. In March 2019, IRGC officer and strategist Hassan Abbasi stated that 2,300 Iranians "went to Syria where they were martyred in recent years."[35] Iranian-backed militias have also incurred heavy losses, with Liwa Fatemiyoun alone reporting over 10,000 casualties (2,000+ killed, 8,000+ wounded) by January 2018.[36]
Notable officer deaths[edit]
Iran[edit]
Rank or affiliation
Qodratollah Mansouri[125] Brigadier general, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 15 December 2018 Syria–Iraq border
Shahrokh Daipour[126] Brigadier general, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 17 June 2018 Albu Kamal District, Syria
Mohsen Hojaji Third lieutenant, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 9 August 2017 Al Waleed border crossing, Syria
Ahmad Gholami[127] Brigadier general, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 30 August 2016 Aleppo, Syria
Mohsen Ghitaslou First lieutenant, 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade 11 April 2016 Syria
Mohsen Qajarian[128] Brigadier general, 1st Reza Armored Brigade 3 February 2016 Abu Kamal District, Syria
Abdolreza Mojiri[129] Brigadier general, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 29 November 2015 Aleppo, Syria
Reza Khavari[130] Brigadier general, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 23 October 2015 Hama, Syria
Hossein Hamadani Major general, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 7 October 2015 Aleppo, Syria
Abdul Karim Ghobash[131] Brigadier general, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 18 January 2015 Al-Zabadani, Syria
Mohammad Ali Allahdadi Brigadier general, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 18 January 2015 Quneitra province, Syria
Hamid Taqavi Brigadier general, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 27 December 2014 Samara, Iraq
Jabbar Darisawi[132] Brigadier general, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 14 October 2014 Damascus Governorate, Syria
Abdullah Eskandari[133] Brigadier general, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps May 2014 Damascus Governorate, Syria
Mohammad Jamali-Paqaleh Brigadier general, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps November 2013 Syria
Hassan Shateri Major general, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 12 February 2013 Syria
Farhad Dabirian Commander, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 6 March 2020 Syria [134]
Afghanistan[edit]
Rank/Affiliation
Ali Reza Tavassoli Afghan Shia commander of Fatemiyoun Brigade 28 February 2015 Daraa
Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian Civil War
Iran and ISIL
Iran–Syria relations
Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq Coalition
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^ "Iranian general killed in Syria." Archived 12 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine Farsnews. 4 February 2016. Accessed 16 March 2019. Excerpt: "Brigadier General Mohsen Qajarian, the commander of Imam Reza Armored Brigade 1 from Neishabour, Northeastern Iran, was martyred in an attack by the ISIL Takfiri terrorists while on duty."
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^ Iranian #IRGC General AbdulKarim Ghobash, killed by Rebels in the ongoing battle in #Zabadani city.
^ Iranian top military commander killed in Syria Archived 11 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine: "Iran's state agency confirmed that a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander, brigadier general Jabbar Darisawi has been killed in Syria. IRNA reported on Oct.17 that the body of general Darisawi was buried in Ahvaz Province on Thursday, but didn't mention when the top commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed. IRNA reported that the general was killed in an effort "defending the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque"." Trend News Agency. 17 October 2014. Accessed 16 March 2019.
^ Axe, David. "Iran Transformed Syria's Army into a Militia That Will Help Assad Survive Another Year." Archived 16 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine Reuters. 16 December 2014. Accessed 16 March 2019. Excerpt: "In May, a rebel sniper killed Iranian General Abdullah Eskandari in battle near Damascus. Opposition fighters seized Eskandari's notebook and published its contents online, including a frank description of the Syrian army's "dissipation and disintegration" in Hama province in west-central Syria. It's safe to assume the army was in a similarly poor state in other provinces."
^ Iran Guard's Commander Dies In Syria In Possible 'Assassination'
An analysis of Iranian Strategy in Syria, by Will Fulton, Joseph Holliday, and Sam Wyer, Institute for the Study of War
Iranian military interventions and supports
Direct intervention
Omani Civil War (1973–1976)
Uprising in Herat (2001)
Syrian Civil War (2011–present)
War in Iraq (2013-2017) (2014–present)
Abqaiq–Khurais attack (2019)
Noncombat support
Afghanistan conflict (1979–present)
Lebanese Civil War (1982–1990)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict (1980s–present)
Bosnian War (1992–95)
Iraq war (2003–2011)
Houthi insurgency in Yemen (2004–2014)
Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)
Iran–Saudi Arabia relations
Diplomatic posts
Ambassadors of Iran to Saudi Arabia
Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Tehran
Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to Iran
Iranian Revolution
1979 Khuzestan insurgency
Arab separatism in Khuzestan
Qatif conflict
1979 Qatif Uprising
Iran–Iraq War
Action of June 5, 1984
Qatar–Saudi Arabia diplomatic conflict
Qatar diplomatic crisis
Egyptian revolution of 2011
2011 Bahraini uprising
Saudi-led intervention in Bahrain
Shia insurgency in Bahrain
First Libyan Civil War
Hezbollah involvement
Spillover in Lebanon
Axis of Resistance
Iranian intervention in Iraq
Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)
Houthi insurgency in Yemen
Operation Scorched Earth
Operation Blow to the Head
Yemeni Revolution
Yemeni Civil War
Saudi-led intervention in Yemen
Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict
Houthi takeover in Yemen
Second Libyan Civil War
Western Iran clashes
1987 Mecca incident
Khobar Towers bombing
2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests
2016 Saudi Arabia mass execution
Execution of Nimr al-Nimr
2016 attack on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran
2011 alleged Iran assassination plot
2015 Mina stampede
2017 Lebanon–Saudi Arabia dispute
2017–2020 Qatif unrest
2018 Riyadh missile strike
International Maritime Security Construct
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231
May 2019 Gulf of Oman incident
2019 Afif attack
Abha International Airport attacks
Abqaiq–Khurais attack
Iranian relations
with GCC member states
Iran–Saudi Arabia football rivalry
Iran and state-sponsored terrorism
Iran–Israel proxy conflict
Arab League–Iran relations
Arab–Israeli alliance against Iran
Warsaw Middle East conference
Opposition to military action against Iran
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition
People's Mujahedin of Iran
Iran International
Shia–Sunni relations
Shia Islam in Saudi Arabia
Category:Iran–Saudi Arabia relations
Iraqi Civil War
Turkey and the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
Category:Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
International military intervention against the Islamic State
Operations in Syria
Iranian-led intervention in Syria
American rescue mission (4 July 2014)
American-led intervention in Syria (22 September 2014 – present)
Jordanian intervention in Syria (22 September 2014 – present)
Turkish intervention in Syria (24 August 2016 – 29 March 2017)
Russian intervention in Syria (30 September 2015 – present)
French intervention in Syria (November 2015 – present)
British intervention in Syria (2 December 2015 – present)
German intervention in Syria (4 December 2015 – 12 January 2022)
Dutch involvement in the Syrian civil war (29 January 2014 – present)
Barisha raid (26–27 October 2019)
Operations in Iraq
Iranian-led intervention in Iraq (13 June 2014 – present)
American-led intervention in Iraq (15 June 2014 – 9 December 2021)
British intervention in Iraq (9 August 2014 – present)
Australian intervention in Iraq (31 August 2014 – present)
Canadian intervention in Iraq (4 September 2014 – present)
French intervention in Iraq (19 September 2014 – present)
Turkey–Islamic State conflict
German intervention in Iraq (4 December 2015 – present)
Operations in Libya
Egyptian airstrikes in Libya (16 February 2015)
Operations in Afghanistan
Taliban security operations (2015–present)
American-led intervention in Afghanistan (2015–2021)
2017 Nangarhar airstrike
Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014)
First Battle of Tikrit
Northern Iraq offensive (August 2014)
Battle for Mosul Dam
Battle of Zumar
Sinjar massacre
Siege of Amirli
Siege of Kobanî
Battle of Suq al Ghazi
Salahuddin campaign (2014–2016)
Battle of Baiji (2014–2015)
Battle of Ramadi (2014–2015)
December 2014 Sinjar offensive
Derna campaign (2014–2016)
Second Battle of Tikrit
Battle of Sarrin (March–April 2015)
Anbar campaign (2015–2016)
Palmyra offensive (May 2015)
Al-Hasakah city offensive (May–June 2015)
Tell Abyad offensive
Battle of Sarrin (June–July 2015)
Battle of al-Hasakah (June–August 2015)
Kobanî massacre
2015 al-Hawl offensive
November 2015 Sinjar offensive
Nineveh Plains offensive
Tishrin Dam offensive
Siege of Fallujah (2016)
Al-Shaddadi offensive (2016)
Northern Aleppo offensive (March–June 2016)
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