Daraa and As-Suwayda offensive (June 2015)
The Daraa and As-Suwayda offensive (June 2015) (titled "The battle of the crushing of the tyrants" by the Southern Front) was launched in eastern Daraa Governorate during the Syrian Civil War, by the Southern Front of the Free Syrian Army and allied Islamic Front rebel group against government positions in and around the 52nd Mechanized Brigade base (Liwa 52), which housed an infantry unit, an artillery battalion and a T-72 tank battalion. The offensive moved directly onto nearby al-Thula airbase in western As-Suwayda Governorate after the swift capture of Brigade 52. However, after initially managing to capture parts of the airbase, the rebels were forced to withdraw.
| Daraa and As-Suwayda offensive (June 2015) | |||||||||
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| Part of the Syrian Civil War | |||||||||
Map showing the rebel advances and government counterattack | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Free Syrian Army Islamic Front |
Syrian Arab Republic
National Defense Force Jaysh al-Muwahhideen | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Col. Ziad Salamat (WIA) Lt. Col. Najm |
Brig. Gen. Issam Zahreddine Brig. Gen. Abdul-karim al-Haimi (al-Thula airbase commander) Brigade 52 garrison commander Col. Loay al-Salem † (head air intelligence in as-Suwayda) Col. Wael Kamel Hadad † | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
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Southern Front
Ahrar ash-Sham |
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 2,000 (Southern Front claim) | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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36 killed (SOHR claim) 125+ killed (government claim) |
28 killed and 3 captured (SOHR claim) 83 killed (Southern Front claim) 1 Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft lost 7 BMP-1s & 3 T-72 tanks captured | ||||||||