Quwat al-Ridha قوات الرضا | |
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Dates of operation | 2013 – ?[1] |
Active regions | Homs Governorate Rif Dimashq Governorate Aleppo Governorate Daraa Governorate |
Ideology | Shia Islamism Khomeinism |
Size | 20,000 estimated (August 2015)[2] 3,000–3,500 (Council on Foreign Relations claim, 2024)[3] |
Part of | Syrian Hezbollah |
Allies | Iran Syrian Armed Forces National Defense Force |
Opponents | Free Syrian Army Islamic Front al-Nusra Front Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant |
Battles and wars | Syrian Civil War |
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The Al-Ridha Forces (Arabic: قوات الرضا, romanized: Quwwat ar-Riḍā) are 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.[1][4] Its members belong to Syria's small Twelver Shia community, mainly from the Homs region which houses around 170,000 Shiites.[2] Its name refers to the eighth Twelver Shia Imam, Ali al-Ridha.[1] Quwat al-Ridha forces had an effective presence in the operations that led to the liberation of Homs and the Battle of Shaer gas field against ISIS.[2]