Iranian intervention in the

Syrian civil war

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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.[41][42][43] 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.[44] From late
2011[45] and early 2012, Iran's IRGC began
sending tens of thousands of volunteers in co-
ordination with the Syrian government to
prevent the collapse of the Syrian Arab Army;
thereby polarising the conflict along sectarian
lines.[46]

Iranian intervention in the Syrian civil war

Part of foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war

and the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict

Iranian and Hezbollah's (marked in blue) military

presence and influence in Syria as of December
2020

Date 9 June 2013[17] — present

(10 years, 10 months and 4 days)

Location Syria and Lebanon

Result Ongoing
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]

Belligerents

Islamic Syrian Al- Syr

Republic Interim Qaeda[9] Democ
of Iran[1] Governme [10]
Forces
Islamic nt Al- YP
Revolution Free Nusra
YP
ary Guard Syrian Front
Corps (2013-17) Other
Army
group
Free Ansar
Quds [7]
and al
Officers al-Islam
Force Suppo
[2]
Movement
Turkistan by:
Syrian
National Islamic CJT
Basij Party[11][12]
[2]
Army OIR (sin
(2017- Hurras 2014)
present) al-Din
U
Aeros (2018-
Supported States
pace present)
Force
by: [13]

of the Canad
Islami Turkey[5] Islamic
U
c State
United Kingd
Revolu
States
tionary
(2013-17) France
Guard
Corps United
Kingdom Nethe
Islamic [6]
(2013-17) s
Republic of
Iran Army Iraq
Syrian
Kurdista
Islamic (limited
Islami
c Front involvem

Repub Ahrar
lic of al-Sham
Iran
Jaysh
Army
al-Islam
Groun
d Jaysh
Forces al-Sunna
(2013-17)[7]

Islami Supported
c
by:
Repub
lic of Qatar

Iran Saudi
Air Arabia
Force (2013-18)

Iran-
Syrian
sponsored
Salvation
militias:
Governme
nt
Hezbollah
Tahrir
al-Sham
Hüseynçilǝ
r Ajnad
al-Sham
Liwa (2013-17)[8]
Fatemiyou
n[1]
Other
Liwa rebel
Zainebiyou groups
n
Supported

Harakat
by:
Hezbollah Qatar
al-
Nujaba[3]

In support
of:
Syrian
Arab
Republic
Syrian
Armed
Forces
Supported
by:
Russia
(airstrikes)[4]

Commanders and leaders

Ali
Salem Abu Zora
Khamenei
(Supreme al-Meslet Khayr al- Birhat[27
Leader of Iran) (President) Masri †[23] (YPJ senio
Maj. Col. (al-Qaeda command
Gen. Qasem
Riad al- deputy Ciwa
Soleimani †
[20][21] Assad leader) Ibrahim[
(Quds Force (Founder of Abu (Asayish
chief FSA) Humam head)
commander)
Brig. al-
Brig.
Gen. Shami[24]
Gen. Dariush
Dorosti †[22] Mustafa Al- Abu
(IRGC Sheikh Hajer al-
commander) (Head of Homsi (al-
Maj.
Higher Nusra
Abolghasse
Military Front
m
Zahiri (WIA) Council) military
[1]
Gen. chief)[25]
(102nd Imam Salim Idris Khalid
Hossein
(Former al-Aruri
Battalion
commander)
Chief of (Former
Ahmad Staff of leader of
Gholami † SMC) Hurras al-
(Iranian
Brig. Din)[26]
paramilitary
Gen.
commander)
Abu
Brig. Hassan
Bakr al-
Gen. Razi Hamada
Baghdadi †
Mousavi † (Chief of
(IRGC
Staff of
commander)
[20] SNA)

Zahran
Alloush †
(Chief of
Islamic
Front)
Hassan
Aboud †
Abu
Jaber
Shaykh
Hassan
Soufan

Abu
Mohamma
d al-Julani
(Emir of
Tahrir al-
Sham)

Abu
Jaber
Shaykh

Col.
Riad al-
Assad
(Deputy
PM of
Military
Affairs)

Strength

?
2,000 soldiers
according to the US
(denied by Iran)[29]
10,000 IRGC
fighters (2015)[30]
2000 Quds Force
officers (2021)[30]

5,000+ Iranian
army soldiers (2015)
[30]

14,000+ fighters
(2017)[31]
10,000+ fighters
(2017)[32]
c. 2,000 al-Nujaba
fighters[3]
120+ Naval Infantry
advisors, several
BMPs[33][34]

Casualties and losses

Unknown Unknown Unknown

10,400
killed
(SOHR
claim)[35]
559
killed (as
per The
Washingto
n Institute
for Near
East
Policy) [36]
2,300+
killed
(Hassan
Abbasi
claim)[37]

Liwa
Fatemiyou
n:
2,000+
killed
8,000+
wounded
[38]

1,800+
fighters
killed[39]

Iraqi Shia
Militia:
1,308+
militiamen
killed[40]

Iranian security and intelligence services are

advising and assisting the Syrian military in
order to preserve Bashar al-Assad's hold on
power.[41] Those efforts include training,
technical support, and combat troops.[41][47]
Estimates of the number of Iranian personnel in
Syria range from hundreds to tens of
thousands.[42][48][49] Lebanese Hezbollah
fighters, backed by Iran's government, have
taken direct combat roles since 2012.[42][50]
From the summer of 2013, Iran and Hezbollah
provided important battlefield support for
Assad, allowing it to make advances on the
opposition.[50]

In 2014, coinciding with the peace talks at

Geneva II, Iran stepped up support for Syrian
President Assad.[42][50] Estimates of financial
assistance range from tens to hundreds of
billions of dollars.[51][52][53][54][55] Iran 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 forced conversions, Shia
missionary activities, establishment of shrines
and demographic transformations by bringing
in foreign Twelver Shia settlers in regime-
controlled territories.[56][45]

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.[57] At the height of its
intervention in 2015–18, an estimated 10,000
IRGC forces and 5,000 Iranian Army members
had been deployed to Syria. As of 2018, 2000
officers of the Quds Forces command an
estimated 131 military garrisons and tens of
thousands of Iran-backed Shia jihadists across
regime-controlled regions.[30] As of 2023, Iran
maintains 55 military bases in Syria and 515
other military points, the majority in Aleppo
and Deir Ezzor governorates and the
Damascus suburbs; these are 70% of the
foreign military sites in the country.[58]

Background

Timeline

Public opinion

Casualties

See also

References

Further reading

Categories:
Iranian involvement in the Syrian civil war
Involvement in the Syrian civil war by country
Iran–Syria military relations
Iran–Saudi Arabia relations
Iran–Saudi Arabia military relations
Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Iran

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