Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian civil war
Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian Civil War has been substantial since the beginning of armed insurgency phase of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, and evolved into active support for Ba'athist government forces and troop deployment from 2012 onwards. By 2014, Hezbollah was deployed across Syria. Hezbollah has also been very active in preventing Al-Nusra Front and Islamic State penetration into Lebanon, being one of the most active forces in the Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon.
| Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian civil war | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Foreign Involvement in the Syrian civil war, Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, and the Iran–Israel proxy conflict in the Syrian civil war | ||||||||
Military situation, as of April 9, 2019: (for a clickable version of the map without shaded areas, see here | ||||||||
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| Belligerents | ||||||||
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Hezbollah Lebanon |
Syrian Interim Government (2013-present)
Supported by: Syrian Islamic Front (2012-2015) Supported by: Syrian Salvation Government (2017-present)
Supported by: |
Islamic State | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | ||||||||
|
1,139-1,250 fighters killed by March 2018 1,736 fighters killed by March 2023 (per SOHR) | ||||||||
In the past, Hezbollah has served a strategic arm of Iran in the region, playing a key role in the Iran–Israel and Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflicts. On a number of occasions, Hezbollah weapon convoys in Syria and Syrian-Lebanese border areas were attacked, presumably by the Israeli military. Hezbollah convoys and militant camps have also been attacked by various Syrian rebel factions.
Hezbollah's image in the Arab world - especially in Syria and Lebanon - has been greatly tarnished due to its sectarian activities throughout the course of the Syrian civil war. Major religious leaders and activists, Sunni and Shia alike, have condemned Hezbollah, with many former supporters of Hezbollah becoming its fervent opponents for its stance in Syria. Shi'i cleric Subhi al-Tufayli, the group's founder and principal architect during 1980s, fiercely denounced Hezbollah for abandoning its founding principles and accused it of serving the hegemonic ambitions of Iran and Russia.