Rif Dimashq offensive (September–November 2013)

Rif Dimashq offensive (September–November 2013)
Part of the Syrian Civil War (Rif Dimashq Governorate campaign)
Frontlines in Rif Dimashq in late February 2014      Syrian Government control      Opposition control      Contested For a war map of the current situation in Rif Dimashq, see here.
Date 10 September – 28 November 2013 (2 months, 2 weeks and 1 day) Location Rif Dimashq, Syria Result Syrian Army victory Government forces capture seven towns south and southeast of Damascus Rebels launch an offensive in an attempt to break the siege of Eastern Ghouta[1] Government forces launch an assault on Al-Malihah and Jobar four months later
Belligerents
Free Syrian Army Al-Nusra Front[2] Syrian Islamic Front[3] Ahrar ash-Sham Syrian Liberation Front Jaysh al-Islam	Syrian Arab Republic: Syrian Armed Forces National Defense Force Hezbollah[4] Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas[5] Arab Nationalist Guard[6]
Commanders and leaders
Khaled al-Haboush (Damascus Military Council commander) Abu Mohammad al-Golani (Al-Nusra Front leader)	Bashar Al-Assad Issam Zahreddine[7] (Republican Guard Brigade 104 commander) Wissam Sharafeddine  † (Hezbollah commander)
Units involved
Unknown	3rd Armoured Division 4th Armoured Division 10th Mechanised Division 11th Armoured Division Republican Guard
Strength
4,500 fighters[8] 750–1,000 al-Nusra fighters[9]	70,000 soldiers,[10] 500 tanks
Casualties and losses
1,000 rebels killed (Army claim)[11][12]	115+ soldiers killed[11]

The Rif Dimashq offensive (September–November 2013) was a Syrian government forces and allies offensive in the Rif Dimashq Governorate, that was launched in mid-September 2013, as part of the Syrian Civil War.

Background

Threatened by a Western intervention after the 2013 Ghouta attacks, the Syrian Army had repositioned in early-September. Once the threat had passed, the Army launched the new offensive against rebel positions, primarily in the southern suburbs of Damascus.

The offensive

Airport road and Sayyidah Zaynab secured

On 10 September, the military and pro-government militiamen made a push into Barzeh in an attempt to capture the district as three air raids were conducted against the suburb. Government forces also attacked the eastern suburb of Deir Salman, near Damascus airport.^[13]

On 14 September, Colombian journalist William Parra was shot in the leg by a rebel sniper in Harasta while covering for TeleSUR.^[14]

On 19 September, the Syrian Army retook control of the strategic town of Shaba’a, near the capital, after heavy fighting. The Army also secured the road to Damascus international airport and regained control of strategic roads leading to the holy Sayyidah Zaynab mausoleum.^[15][16]

Western Ghouta Army advances

On 9 October, Hezbollah and Iraqi Shiite fighters, backed up by artillery, air-strikes and tanks, attacked and captured the town of Sheikh Omar, on the southern outskirts of Damascus.^[17] On 11 October, Army troops and pro-government Shia fighters captured the two southern suburbs of al-Thiabiya and Husseiniya near Damascus, killing at least 70 people.^[18] The capture of the three towns, located between the two main highways leading to Jordan, strengthened the government hold on major supply lines and put more pressure on rebels under siege in the Eastern Ghouta area.^[19]

On 16 October, the Army, with the help of Hezbollah and Iraqi Shiite militants from the Abul Fadl al-Abbas brigade, captured the strategic town of Bweida, south of Damascus.^[20]

On 23 October, the Army sealed any remaining smuggling routes into Eastern Ghouta and intensified its blockade over the region.^[21] At this point, there were indications that the military was preparing to start a new phase of its offensive, which will target the Western Ghouta area, south of Damascus.^[22]

On 24 October, the military captured the town of Hatetat al-Turkman, which is located southeast of Damascus, along the Damascus International Airport road.^[23] Only hours later, some 40 al-Nusra and Liwa al-Islam rebels were killed in an ambush by the Syrian Army near the town of Otaybah, northeast of the International Airport.^[24][25]

On 30 October, an operation conducted by the Syrian Red Crescent, in coordination with the Syrian authorities and the rebels, was allowed to evacuate 800 civilians from Mouadamiyat al-Sham, a rebel town besieged by the Army. A few days earlier, another operation allowed 3,000 civilians to leave.^[26]

On 1 November, the Syrian Army, backed by Hezbollah fighters, attacked and advanced in Al-Sabinah.^[27] The next day, the military shelled Al-Sabinah while the Army advanced in Barzeh.^[28]

On 7 November, the Army, backed by Hezbollah, the Al-Abbas brigade and the National Defense Force, retook the key town of Al-Sabinah, south of Damascus. According to an opposition activist, military "progress on the ground without a doubt, because the regions were besieged for too long. This is normal." Opposition activist director Abdel Rahman also blamed "divisions within the rebels."^[29]

On 10 November, government forces launched an attack against Hejeira and A'qraba.^[30] By the afternoon, the Army and its allies advanced in Hejeira al-Balad^[31] while the military launched an attack against rebel positions in Hajar al-Aswad.^[32][33]

On 11 November, the Army made gains in Barzeh capturing large parts of the neighborhood. Army units also destroyed a tunnel which ran under the neighborhood.^[34][35]

On 12 November, it was reported by Palestinian officials that a truce had been reached to end fighting in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, however, clashes were still being reported. It was confirmed that PLO representatives were in Damascus to hold talks with government officials. The aim was to reach an agreement under which both the Army and rebel forces would withdraw from the camp, after which, the Syrian police would take over security in the camp, while Army checkpoints would be set up on its outskirts. Recently, government forces managed to advance a few hundred meters into the camp, but rebels were still holed up inside it. The rebel's position had become increasingly difficult in previous weeks due to the Army's advances which threatened to cut rebel supply lines.^[36]

On 13 November, government forces captured most of Hejeira, with some pockets of resistance still remaining.^[37] Rebels retreated from Hejeira to Hajar al-Aswad, losing their urban cover. However, their defenses in besieged districts closer to the heart of Damascus were still reportedly solid.^[38]

On 15 November, government forces captured most of Babila and Yalda, to the east of Hajar al-Aswad.^[39] However, state news agency SANA reported continued fighting in Yalda on 19 November,^[40] and pro-Assad Iranian news agency PressTV reported "heavy clashes" in the district on 21 November, claiming "dozens" of rebels were killed or wounded by government forces.^[41]

By 16 November, more than 70 percent of Harasta was under the control of the Army.^[42][43] The next day, according to the opposition activist group the SOHR, three generals and a brigadier-general were among 31 troops killed in a bomb attack that caused a building in the Army transport base in Harasta to collapse.^[44][45] Two days later, the number of soldiers killed in the bomb blast had risen to 68.^[46]

On 22 November, government forces captured the town of Hatita in the Damascus countryside.^[47]

Eastern Ghouta rebel counter-attack

A Republican Guard T-72AV tank during the Battle of Al-Qaboun, 2013

On 22 November,^[1] rebel forces made an attempt to break the blockade of Eastern Ghouta by attacking the town of Otaiba^[48] and a string of military checkpoints encircling the opposition-held Damascus suburbs.^[1] Fighting over three days killed 194 combatants. Among the dead were 115 rebels,^[49] including seven battalion commanders,^[50] and 79 government fighters. 50 of the dead rebels were jihadists, while 20 of the dead pro-government fighters were members of a Shiite Iraqi group and five were Hezbollah militiamen. Seven opposition media activists were killed as well while covering the fighting.^[49]

By 25 November, the rebels managed to capture several small villages and checkpoints, but the blockade was still in place. According to a military source, the rebels captured seven villages, but the Army recaptured three of them, with the opposition forces still attempting to capture Otaiba. Fighting was also continuing around the rebel-held town of Marj al-Sultan.^[49] A Hezbollah source also confirmed that the rebels captured several villages and Hezbollah positions after their units came under a human wave attack by hundreds of rebel fighters. Following the rebel advance, Hezbollah special forces from Beirut were mobilized and sent to the battle.^[51] The SOHR confirmed Hezbollah had sent “hundreds of fighters” to reinforce the Army in its bid to repulse the rebel assault.^[52]

On 26 November, the Army hit Marj al-Sultan with five surface-to-surface missiles.^[53]

On 27 November, the situation in Eastern Ghouta remained unclear. Several pro-opposition websites claimed rebel advances in the area. However, opposition media activists on the ground in Eastern Ghouta denied the claims and stated that opposition forces were still besieged. Meanwhile, 17 rebel fighters were killed in fighting in the town of Moadamiyeh in Western Ghouta.^[54]

On 28 November, another 11 rebels^[55] and three Hezbollah fighters were killed in the Marj area.^[56]

Between 25 and 28 November, more than 135 rebel fighters and more than 85 government soldiers and militiamen were killed in the offensive, among them five members of the pro-government Iraqi group who were captured and then beheaded by jihadist fighters. The Hezbollah death toll in the clashes had reached 16 since 22 November, according to SOHR, with the overall toll for both sides at this point being around 410.^{[57][58][59][60]} However, according to a Hezbollah commander in Beirut, 21–40 Hezbollah fighters had been killed in the fighting by 25 November,^[51] while Lebanese security sources said 25 Hezbollah militiamen died in the previous week,^[61] including four who were killed during the Army offensive in the Qalamoun mountains.^[62] The most prominent Hezbollah commander in the Damascus countryside, Wissam Sharafeddine, was also killed.^[63]

According to Lebanese media, 1,000 rebels were killed during the opposition offensive in Eastern Ghouta, including top military commanders.^[12][64][65]

Aftermath – Adra massacre and Al-Otaiba ambush

On 11 December, the rebel Islamic Front and Al-Nusra Front groups^[66] infiltrated the industrial area of the town of Adra, northeast of Damascus, attacking buildings housing workers and their families. The rebels targeted Alawites, Druse, Christians and Shiites, killing them on a sectarian basis. Some people were shot while others were beheaded.^[67] The killings lasted into the next day.^[66] In all some 19^[67]–40^[66] minority civilians were massacred, as the rebels captured the industrial part of Adra.^[68] 18 pro-government militiamen were also killed,^[69] including five PLA members.^[70] Several rebels died when a Shiite man blew himself up along with them and his family after the rebels attempted to kill them.^[67]

On 13 December, the military surrounded Adra^[67] and started an operation to push out rebel fighters from the area,^[69] making advances in the town during the day.^[67] As of the next day, the operation was still continuing.^[71]

By 15 December, the number of minority civilians confirmed killed in the rebel attack on Adra had risen to 32. Dozens of others were missing.^[72]

On 26 February 2014, some 152–175+ rebels were killed in a single ambush near Otaiba. At least seven others were captured.^[73][74]

References

Syrian Civil War
Part of the Arab Spring
Background Timeline Background 1963 coup d'état 1966 coup d'état 1970 "Corrective Revolution" 1979–82 Islamic uprising 1999 Latakia protests 2000–01 Damascus Spring 2004 al-Qamishli riots Syrian occupation of Lebanon 2005 Damascus Declaration Human rights in Syria 2011 (Jan–Apr • May–Aug • Sep–Dec) Death of Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb Siege of Daraa Siege of Baniyas Talkalakh siege Siege of Rastan and Talbiseh Jisr ash-Shugur operation Siege of Hama Siege of Homs Jabal al-Zawiya operation Siege of Latakia Deir ez-Zor Clashes Rif Dimashq clashes Battle of Zabadani Battle of Douma Daraa Governorate clashes First Battle of Rastan Shayrat and Tiyas airbase ambush Idlib Governorate clashes Jabal al-Zawiya massacres 2012 (Jan–Apr • May–Aug • Sep–Dec) al-Midan bombing Second Battle of Rastan First Idlib operation First Battle of Idlib First Battle of al-Qusayr Second Idlib operation Battle of Taftanaz Third Battle of Rastan Houla massacre Battle of al-Haffah Al-Qubeir massacre Battle of Tremseh Battle of Damascus Damascus bombing Battle of Aleppo Battle of Anadan Siege of Base 46 First Rif Dimashq offensive Darayya massacre Battle of Khirbet al-Joz Battle of Maarrat al-Nu'man First Siege of Wadi Deif Battle of Harem Second Rif Dimashq offensive Battle of Darayya Aqrab massacre First Hama offensive Halfaya massacre Battle of Darayya Quneitra Governorate clashes Talbiseh bakery massacre 2013 (Jan–Apr • May–Dec) Battle of Safira Battle of Shadadeh Damascus offensive Battle of Raqqa Daraa offensive Third Rif Dimashq offensive Battle of Jdaidet al-Fadl Ghouta chemical attack Al-Qusayr offensive Second Battle of al-Qusayr Bayda and Baniyas massacres Second Hama offensive Hatla massacre Khan al-Assal chemical attack Khan al-Assal massacre Adra massacre Battle of Ras al-Ayn Fourth Rif Dimashq offensive Aleppo offensive 2014 (Jan–Jul • Aug–Dec) First Inter-Rebel Conflict Battle of Markada First Deir ez-Zor Offensive Battle of Mork 2nd Daraa Offensive Maan massacre Al-Otaiba ambush 4th Idlib Offensive Battle of Hosn 2nd Latakia Offensive Battle of Al-Malihah Kafr Zita chemical attack Second Siege of Wadi Deif 2nd Qalamoun Offensive Battle of Arsal First Battle of the Shaer gas field Eastern Syria Offensive Battle for Tabqa Air base 3rd Hama Offensive Quneitra Offensive 6th Rif Dimashq offensive Siege of Kobanî 3rd Daraa offensive 2nd Al-Safira offensive Idlib Raid Second Inter-Rebel Conflict Second Battle of the Shaer gas field Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin 2nd Deir ez-Zor offensive 2015 (Jan–Jul • Aug–Dec) An-26 crash 4th Daraa Offensive Southern Syria Offensive Eastern al-Hasakah offensive 1st Battle of Sarrin 2nd Battle of Sarrin Battle of Bosra 5th Idlib Offensive Second Battle of Idlib Battle of Nasib Border Crossing 2nd Battle of Yarmouk Camp Western al-Hasakah offensive Palmyra offensive (May 2015) Tell Abyad offensive Kobanî massacre Quneitra offensive Palmyra offensive (July–August 2015) 7th Rif Dimashq offensive Northwestern Syria offensive 2015 Aleppo offensive 2015 Al-Hawl offensive Homs offensive (November–December 2015) East Aleppo offensive (2015–16) Latakia offensive (2015–2016) Tishrin Dam offensive 2015 Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown 2016 (Jan–Apr * May–Aug) Second Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin 3rd Deir ez-Zor offensive Sayyidah Zaynab bombings Wusta clashes Northern Aleppo offensive (February 2016) Ithriyah-Raqqah offensive (February–March 2016) Al-Shaddadi offensive (2016) February Homs bombings February Sayyidah Zaynab bombings 2016 Khanasir offensive Battle of Tel Abyad Qamishli clashes (April 2016) Northern Aleppo offensive (March–June 2016) Palmyra offensive (March 2016) East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict (April–May 2016) 8th Rif Dimashq offensive Northern Raqqa offensive (May 2016) May 2016 Jableh and Tartous bombings Ithriyah-Raqqah offensive (June 2016) 9th Rif Dimashq offensive Manbij offensive (2016) Tokhar 2016 Southern Aleppo campaign Battle of al-Rai (August 2016) 2016 Aleppo campaign Jarabulus offensive (2016) Western al-Bab offensive (2016) 5 September 2016 Syria bombings September 2016 Deir ez-Zor air raid September 2016 Urum al-Kubra Aid Convoy Attack September Aleppo offensive 2016 Dabiq offensive Western al-Bab offensive (October 2016) Aleppo offensive (October 2016) Khan al-Shih offensive (October 2016) Northern Raqqa offensive (November 2016) Northern al-Bab offensive (November 2016) Battle of al-Bab (2016) Aleppo offensive (November 2016) Spillover Spillover into Lebanon Lebanese–Syrian border clashes Battle of Sidon Iranian Embassy Bombing Northern Lebanon Clashes Syrian-Turkish border clashes December 2011 Syrian–Turkish border clash Turkish aircraft shootdown October 2012 Syrian-Turkish border clashes Reyhanlı bombings January 2014 Turkish airstrike in Syria Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line incidents Jordanian-Syrian border clashes April 2014 Jordanian–Syrian border airstrike Spillover into Iraq Akashat ambush Operation al-Shabah April 2014 Iraqi–Syrian border airstrike
Involved parties Syria Ba'ath Government| Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party Syrian Social Nationalist Party Arab Socialist Movement Syrian Communist Party Military & Militias Syrian Armed Forces Ba'ath Brigades Syrian Resistance Syrian Social Nationalist Party PFLP-GC Palestine Liberation Army Liwa al-Quds Smaller groups Support for the government Hezbollah involvement Iranian involvement Liwa Fatemiyoun Russia's involvement military intervention Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq coalition Popular Mobilization Forces (Iraq) Opposition & allies NCSR Government National Coalition Local Co-ordination Committees Syrian National Council Supreme Council of the Syrian Revolution National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change Syrian Revolution General Commission Syrian Support Group Adopt a Revolution Opposition militias Jaysh al-Halab Fatah Halab Hawar Kilis Southern Front Jaysh al-Islam Al-Rahman Legion Liwa al-Majid Martyrs of Islam Brigade Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union Victory Brigades New Syrian Army Jaysh Usud al-Sharqiya Forces of Martyr Ahmad al-Abdo Jabhat Ansar al-Islam Alwiya al-Furqan Support for the Opposition American-led intervention American rescue mission Jordanian intervention Qatari involvement Saudi Arabia Turkey Army of Conquest & allies Army of Conquest Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Ahrar al-Sham Sham Legion Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki Jaysh al-Sunna Suqour al-Sham Brigade Liwa al-Haqq Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria Allied groups Jabhat Ansar al-Din Ansar al-Sham Caucasus Emirate Ajnad al-Kavkaz Junud al Makhdi Rojava (SDF) Rojava government Democratic Union Party Kurdish National Council Smaller political groups SDF groups People's Protection Units Women's Protection Units Al-Sanadid Forces Syriac Military Council Army of Revolutionaries Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa Al-Nukhbat Brigade Free Officers Union SDF Military Councils ISIL Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Military of ISIL Jamaat Bayt al-Maqdis al-Islamiya Dokumacılar Allied groups Khalid ibn al-Walid Army
People Ammar Abdulhamid Ali al-Abdallah Adnan al-Aroor al-Assad family Bashar Maher Rifaat Rami Makhlouf Hafez Makhlouf Riad al-Asaad Anwar al-Bunni Fahd Jassem al-Freij Haitham al-Maleh Moaz al-Khatib Kamal al-Labwani Hamza al-Khateeb Tal al-Mallohi Fida al-Sayed Riad al-Turk Khaled Khoja Ammar al-Qurabi Suheir Atassi Ali Sadreddine Al-Bayanouni Aref Dalila Farid Ghadry Burhan Ghalioun Razan Ghazzawi Ghassan Hitto Salim Idris Randa Kassis Abdul Halim Khaddam Michel Kilo Bassma Kodmani Ali Habib Mahmud Ali Mahmoud Othman Ibrahim Qashoush Dawoud Rajiha Yassin al-Haj Saleh Bouthaina Shaaban Adib Shishakly Abdulbaset Sieda Riad Seif Fadwa Soliman Mohamad Anas Haitham Soueid Yaser Tabbara Razan Zaitouneh Rami Jarrah Abdurrahman Mustafa
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