Rif Dimashq offensive (April–May 2016)

Rif Dimashq offensive (April–May 2016)
Part of the Syrian Civil War
Battle map of Damascus as of late May 2016
Date 25 April –19 May 2016 (3 weeks and 3 days) Location Eastern Ghouta, Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria Result Major Syrian Army/Hezbollah victory Territorial changes Army and Hezbollah capture the southern section of the rebel-held East Ghouta,[1] including the rebel strongholds of Deir al-Asafir and Zabdin[2]
Belligerents
Syrian Arab Republic Syrian Armed Forces National Defense Force Palestine Liberation Army Hezbollah	Islamic Front Free Syrian Army Al-Nusra Front
Units involved
Syrian Army Republican Guard 102nd Brigade	Islamic Front Jaysh al-Islam Free Syrian Army Al-Rahman Legion

The Rif Dimashq offensive (April–May 2016) was a Syrian Army offensive, in the Rif Dimashq Governorate, that was launched in late April 2016, as part of the Syrian Civil War. The offensive resulted in the military's capture of the southern section of the rebel-held East Ghouta,^[1] as government forces exploited concurrent large-scale rebel infighting in East Ghouta that left around 500 rebels dead.^[3]

The offensive

On the evening of 25 April, government forces captured the entire Bala Al-Kadhima region, approaching the villages of Harasta Al-Qantara and Hawsh Jarabo. With this, the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta pocket, east of Damascus, was almost split in two and the rebels in Deir Al-‘Assafir and Zibdeen were close to being cut off.^[4][5]

On 29 April, the Army launched its second phase of the offensive, with an attack on Rukabiyah, seizing the southern part of the village within an hour.^[6] By the end of the day, the village was mostly secured.^[7][8] Shortly after, a 24-hour ceasefire was agreed upon in the area, with government troops receiving orders to withdraw from Rukabiyah.^[9] The next evening, the offensive restarted and the military once again entered Rukabiyah, taking 80 percent of the village.^[10] On 1 May, the military completely secured Rukabiyah,^[11][12] after which the ceasefire was renewed for another 24 hours.^[13]

Following the capture of Rukabiyah, the third planned phase of the offensive envisioned an assault against the rebel stronghold of Deir al-Asafir.^[14] On 8 May, government forces captured parts of the town of Zabdin.^[15][16]

On 11 May, government troops advanced from Rukabiyah and captured its farms.^[17] The next day, they launched a push, from the areas they had taken control of since the start of the offensive, towards Deir al-Asafir and into the parts of Zabdin that were still rebel-controlled,^[18] taking the village of Nolah, as well as positions near the Deir al-Asafir farms.^[19][20][21] The Army also reportedly seized Zabdin's mosque.^[22]

On 14 May, the Army and Hezbollah reportedly reached Deir al-Asafir^[23] and imposed fire control over the town, after they seized the village of Hawsh Al-Khatib.^[24] Shelling of Deir al-Asafir started on 17 May.^[21]

On 17 May, government forces took control of the Bazinah farms and half of the village of Bazinah.^[25] The next day, the rebels recaptured positions in Bazinah they had lost the previous day,^[26] however, several hours later the military took full control of the village.^[27][28]

On the morning of 19 May, government forces took full control of Deir al-Asafir and shortly after entered^[29] the northeastern part of Zabdin, advancing to within 250 south of the Bala Air Defense Battalion base.^[30] Elsewhere, the Army made other rapid advances, capturing two villages, as rebel defenses collapsed.^[31] By the end of the day, Zabdin was captured^[32] and the Army and Hezbollah cleared the whole southern section of East Ghouta,^[1][3][33] which represented some 20 percent of the rebel-held East Ghouta pocket.^[34]

With the success of the offensive, government troops were in control of most of the agricultural Marj region, which had been the biggest agricultural storehouse for East Ghouta. Due to this, some speculated that people inside the rebel-held East Ghouta pocket would starve and that the blockade would intensify.^[35] Hundreds of families were displaced from the valuable farmland, that nourished residents trapped in the blockaded area, as government forces advanced.^[36]

Following the capture of the area, the Army discovered a large network of tunnels connecting different villages and towns that contained large amounts of weapons, ammunition, medical supplies and communication equipment.^[37]

Aftermath

On 20 May, the rebels recaptured Harasta Al-Qantara, as well as the nearby Bazinah farms.^[38] It was later reported the rebels were pushed out of the Bazinah farms,^[39] while on 21 May, the military launched an assault against Harasta Al-Qantara^[40] and reportedly recaptured its farms while fighting in the village continued.^[41]

On the evening of 28 May, the 416th Regiment of the Republican Guard, along with Hezbollah and the PLA, attacked the villages of Al-Bahariyah and Al-Nashabiyah, in another region of East Ghouta. During the assault, government forces broke through the rebel defense line south of Al-Nashabiyah, crossing the Barada River, and entered the village as the rebels withdrew to the village center. Meanwhile, government troops advanced on the eastern axis towards Al-Bahariyah's center.^[42][43] Two days later, the military crossed the river at another point west of Al-Nashabiyah, seizing the Military Airbase Construction Battalion at Beit Na’em village.^[44] Later that evening, they entered the village itself and broke through the first line of defense at nearby Al-Muhammadiyah, breaching the central region of East Ghouta for the first time since 2012.^[45] On 1 June, the military cut the supply line between Al-Muhammadiyah and Beit Na’em.^[46]

On the evening of 6 June, the Army blew up a large tunnel network connecting the Bala Farms with Al-Muhammadiyah and Beit Na’em. In all, nine tunnels were destroyed.^[47] Two days later, government troops entered Al-Muhammadiyah, capturing 20 houses, although most of the village still remained in rebel hands.^[48] Additionally, between 11 and 12 June, they advanced in Jisreen's and Al-Muhammadiyah's farms.^[49][50] Also, on 14 June, the military captured the farmlands to the west of Hawsh al-Farah, cutting the rebel supply route to the rebel-held parts of Tal al-Sawwan.^[51]

At the end of June, a new Army offensive was launched at the far eastern section of Eastern Ghouta.

See also

• Battle of East Ghouta (April–May 2016)

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 • Sep–Dec) 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) Palmyra offensive (December 2016) Battle of Tiyas Military Airbase 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) Syrian opposition, Al-Qaeda affiliates and 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 Smaller groups 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 Muslim Brotherhood of Syria Grey Wolves Jabhat Ansar al-Din Caucasus Emirate Ajnad al-Kavkaz Junud al Makhdi Jaish al-Ahrar Ashida'a Mujahideen Brigade Smaller groups Support for the Opposition American-led intervention American rescue mission Jordanian intervention Qatari involvement Saudi Arabia Turkey 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 Northern Democratic Brigade SDF Military Councils Smaller groups Allied groups Euphrates Knights Brigade Kurdistan Workers' Party International Freedom Battalion TKP-Kıvılcım Yekîtî Party Sinjar Resistance Units Smaller groups 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
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