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Central Syria campaign

For the previous offensives, see Eastern Homs offensive (2017), Syrian Desert campaign (May–July 2017), Maskanah Plains offensive, and Southern Raqqa offensive (June 2017).

Central Syria campaign
Part of the Battle of Deir ez-Zor and the
Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war

Situation in central Syria, showing advancements of the Syrian Army
Date14 July – 21 October 2017
(3 months and 1 week)
Location
Central Syria
Result

Decisive Syrian Army & allies victory

  • Syrian Government forces capture 17,000 square kilometers of territory,[8] including Al-Sukhnah
  • Syrian Government forces cleared two separate pockets of ISIL forces in Central Syria and Eastern Hama
  • Syrian Government forces lifted the siege of the western part of Deir ez-Zor city[9][10] and Deir ez-Zor Airport[11]
  • Syrian Government's control of Syria increases to around 50% by the end of the offensive
Belligerents

Syria Syrian Arab Republic

Russia[1]
Iran[2]
Allied militias:
Hezbollah[3]
PMF-affiliated militias
Syrian Resistance
Liwa Fatemiyoun[4]
Al-Quds Brigade[5]
State of Palestine Galilee Forces[6]
Syria Brigades of the Den[7]

Islamic State Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Commanders and leaders
Maj. Gen. Suheil al-Hassan[3]
(Operations chief commander)
Syria Maj. Gen. Issam Zahreddine
(Republican Guard commander)
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Khaddour[12]
(commander of eastern Syria)
Gen. Ghassan Iskendar Taraf (WIA)[13]
(Al-Qassem commander)
Ahmed Salman Salloum †[14]
(Tiger Forces senior commander)
Wael Zaidan †[15]
(Tiger Forces commander)
Nawaf Al-Bashir[16]
(Al-Baggara Sheikh)
Omar Al-Hassan[16]
(al-Baqir Brigade commander)
Maj. Gen. Mustafa Khosh Mohammadi †[2]
(IRGC commander)
Col. Morteza Hosseinpour-Shalmani †[17]
(Iranian-led Iraqi contingent operations commander)
Gen. Abdullah Khosrawi †[18]
(Commander of Fatahin battalion)
Ali al-Aa'shiq †[19]
(Radwan Force commander)
Anwar Yawri †[4]
(Liwa Fatemiyoun commander)
Syria Turki Albu Hamad[20]
(Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes chief commander)
State of Palestine Fadi al-Mellah[6]
(Galilee Forces commander)		 Islamic State Gulmurod Khalimov[21]
(ISIL war minister, reported killed by Russia)
Islamic State Abu Muhammad al-Shimali[21]
(Deir ez-Zor emir, reported killed by Russia)
Islamic State Abu Khuzaymah al-Tunisi Surrendered[22]
(Hisbah police chief)
Islamic State Abu Saraqah Al-Trablosi †[23]
(ISIL top commander of Hama Governate)
Units involved

Syrian Armed Forces

 Russian Armed Forces

Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Hezbollah

  • Lebanese units[36]
  • Syrian units

Syrian Resistance

  • Falcons of the Jazira and Euphrates[20]

PMF-affiliated militias

Islamic State Military of ISIL

  • Wilayat Hama
  • Wilayat Homs
  • Wilayat Raqqa
  • Wilayat Deir ez-Zor
  • Hisbah police
Strength
50,000 (pro-government claim)[37] Several thousand fighters
Casualties and losses
SyriaIran 912 killed[38] (10 IRGC, 36 Hezbollah killed)[39][40]
Russia 17 killed (15 PMCs)[41][42]		 1,394 killed[43]
190 civilians killed[44][45][46][47]

The Central Syria campaign, known as "Operation Khuzam", or "Lavender",[48] 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,[49][50] after which the Syrian Army would advance towards Deir ez-Zor,[51] and lift the three-year ISIL siege of the government's enclave in the city.[52][53] Afterwards, the Syrian Army advanced towards the Islamic State's then-capital of Mayadin.[54]

The campaign was concurrent with the Raqqa campaign conducted by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the Islamic State's former capital city and stronghold in Syria, Raqqa. In addition, the SDF launched their own offensive in mid-September south along the Euphrates River, after Syrian government forces reached Deir ez-Zor city.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference widescale was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c "The death of an (IRGC) Major General in Syria". Al-Dorar Al-Shamia. 13 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference influence was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "Including a Commander, new dead of Fatimioun militia in Syria". Al-Dorar Al-Shamia. 27 July 2017. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference East Hama was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b "Pro-regime Palestinian militia mourns 14 members killed by ISIS". Zaman al-Wasl. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  7. ^ "سرايا العرين". facebook.com. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  8. ^ "About 1250 casualties including tens of suicide bombers and officers during 52 days of the escalation of the military operation by regime forces in the Syrian Desert within 4 provinces". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  9. ^ "After 32 months of siege… the regime forces meet with their besieged members in Deir Ezzor city and achieve the first step in breaking the city's siege". SOHR. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Breaking: Syrian Army lifts the siege on Deir Ezzor". Al-Masdar News. 5 September 2017. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  11. ^ Breaking: Syrian Army lifts 9 month long siege on Deir Ezzor Airport Archived 26 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Al-Masdar News
  12. ^ a b Lyse Doucet (25 August 2017). "Syria war: Meeting Syria's generals in the desert". BBC. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  13. ^ Leith Aboufadel (7 September 2017). "Syrian Army commander barely survives attack in Deir Ezzor". Al-Masdar. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019.
  14. ^ Talal Kharrat (10 September 2017). "Hours After DM Visit … ISIS Kill A Regime Commander Near Deir Ezzor". Qasioun News. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  15. ^ ""Al-Nemer" Suhail Hassan loses three Prominent commanders". Al-Dorar Al-Shamia. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  16. ^ a b c Talal Kharrat (13 September 2017). "Nawaf Al-Bashir Enters Deir Ezzor Accompanied By Liwa Al-Baqir Militias". Qasioun News. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  17. ^ a b Amir Toumaj (21 September 2017). "Iran highlights Qods Force commander killed by the Islamic State". Long War Journal. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  18. ^ "IRGC senior commander killed in Syria". 15 October 2017. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  19. ^ a b "Hezbollah mourns 26 fighters, including elite commander". Zaman al-Wasl. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  20. ^ a b Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (10 August 2017). "Suqur al-Furat: A Pro-Assad Sha'itat Tribal Militia". Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  21. ^ a b "IS 'minister of war' killed in Syria air attack, claims Russia". Middle East Eye. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  22. ^ Rami Zien (12 September 2017). "Leader in ISIS Hands Himself Over to the Regime as he Turns Out to be Former Intelligence Officer". Qasioun News. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference Trablosi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ a b Leith Fadel (29 July 2017). "Large number of Syrian Army reinforcements head to central Syria". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  25. ^ Rami Zien (10 September 2017). "Eastern Hama ISIS Pocket Shrinking Under Regime Fire". Qasioun News. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  26. ^ Cite error: The named reference closein was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  27. ^ Zen Adra (12 September 2017). "Video: Syrian Army blows up two ISIS VBIEDs outside Deir Ezzor Airbase". al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  28. ^ a b "Breaking: Syrian Army makes a huge advance in central Syria". Al-Masdar News. 17 August 2017. Archived from the original on 12 November 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  29. ^ Leith Fadel (26 July 2017). "Elite Republican Guard unit deploys to Sukhnah for big battle with ISIL". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  30. ^ Tomson, Chris (10 May 2017). "Syrian Army, Palestinian militia dislodge ISIS from strategic town in east Aleppo". Al-Masdar. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  31. ^ Cite error: The named reference 30kilometers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  32. ^ Cite error: The named reference heaviest was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  33. ^ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (2 April 2017). "Quwat Muqatili al-Asha'ir: Tribal Auxiliary Forces of the Military Intelligence". Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  34. ^ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (10 August 2017). "Suqur al-Furat: A Pro-Assad Sha'itat Tribal Militia". Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  35. ^ Kjetil Stormark (11 May 2018). "Nordmenn kjempet på russisk side i Syria" [Norwegians fought in Syria on the Russian side]. AldriMer.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  36. ^ a b "9 Militants and an Officer of the Syrian regime and Hezbollah militia were killed in rural Homs". Al-Dorar al-Shamia. 10 August 2017. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  37. ^ Republican Guard reinforcements arrive in Palmyra to aid Deir Ezzor liberation offensive Archived 5 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Al-Masdar News
  38. ^ 436 killed (17 July–8 Sep.),[1] 28 killed (in Deir ez-Zor; 9–10 Sep.),[2][3] 129 killed (in Hama & Homs; 9 Sep.–6 Oct.),[4][5] 281 killed (in Deir ez-Zor counterattack; 28 Sep.–12 Oct.),[6][7] 33 killed (in al-Hamima attacks; 17–20 Oct.),[8] 5 killed (Qaryatain; 20 Oct.),[9][10] total of 912 reported killed
  39. ^ "IRGC loses 10 servicemen in the Syrian desert within a week". Al-Dorar Al-Shamia. 8 September 2017. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  40. ^ "More casualties in the ranks of Hezbollah raise its death toll to 36 in 5 days of clashes in the desert battles". SOHR. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  41. ^ "Two Russian soldiers killed by shelling in Syria's Deir al-Zor province: Ifax". Reuters. 4 September 2017.
  42. ^ "Another Russian soldier killed in Syria". UAWire. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  43. ^ 812 killed (17 July–8 Sep.),[11] 102 killed (in Deir ez-Zor; 9–10 Sep.),[12][13] 182 killed (in Hama & Homs; 9 Sep.–6 Oct.),[14][15] 298 killed (in Deir ez-Zor counterattack; 28 Sep.–12 Oct.),[16] total of 1,394 reported killed
  44. ^ "ISIS carried out its most violent attack since being besieged east of Hama along with booby-traps bombings and a simultaneous attack by Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham on the same area". Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  45. ^ "Backed by the Russian land and air forces and following the fall of 160 dead … the regime forces proves in full control of the last stronghold of ISIS in Hama". SOHR. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  46. ^ "The regime forces are getting closer to Deir Ezzor military base and 8 car bombs try to stop them from advancing to the besieged Brigade 137". SOHR. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  47. ^ "About 150 casualties and wounded by intensive air strikes and massacres in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor". SOHR.
  48. ^ EDT, Tom O'Connor On 10/18/17 at 2:00 PM (18 October 2017). "One of Assad's closest generals is killed outside the Syrian city he helped free from ISIS". Newsweek. Retrieved 4 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  49. ^ "The regime forces are about 70 km away of besieging the "Islamic State" in more than 11000 square km within the provinces of al-Raqqa, Homs, and Hama". Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  50. ^ "To besiege an area larger than Lebanon's area… eastern countryside of Hama and al-Sukhnah Desert witness intensified raids by Russian warplanes as well as regime's warplanes". Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  51. ^ "U.S.-backed forces, Syrian army advance separately on IS in Deir al-Zor". Reuters. 8 September 2017. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  52. ^ "Syrian forces 'break ISIL siege' in Deir Az Zor". Al-Jazeerah. 5 September 2017.
  53. ^ McKernan, Bethan (5 September 2017). "Syrian army breaks Isis' three-year-long siege of Deir Ezzor". Independent. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  54. ^ Syrian army nears Islamic State stronghold al-Mayadin, Independent, 6 October 2017

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حملة وسط سوريا (2017) Arabic Campaña de Siria Central (2017) Spanish کارزار مرکزی سوریه (۲۰۱۷) FA Offensive de la Badiya French Campanha ao centro da Síria (2017) Portuguese 敘利亞中部戰役 Chinese

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