Siege of Homs

The siege of Homs was a military confrontation between the Syrian military and the Syrian opposition in the city of Homs, a major rebel stronghold during the Syrian Civil War. The siege lasted three years from May 2011 to May 2014, and ultimately resulted in an opposition withdrawal from the city.

Siege of Homs
Part of the Syrian Civil War

Map of the frontline shifts from February 2012 to January 2017
  Syrian Arab Army control
  Opposition control (Insurgents [])
Date6 May 2011  9 May 2014[a]
(3 years and 3 days)
Location34°43′51″N 36°42′34″E
Result

Syrian Government Victory

  • Syrian Army recaptures Homs
Belligerents

Free Syrian Army

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Syrian Arab Republic

Hezbollah

SSNP
Commanders and leaders
Abdul Qadir al-Homsi 
(FSA provincial commander)
Khadar Al Halouani 
(FSA Homs city commander)
Col. Fatih Fahd Hasoon
(FSA provincial Military Council leader)
Lt. Abdul Razzaq Tlass (Farouq Brigades Commander; until October 2012)
Lt. Abu Sayeh Juneidi (Farouq Brigades Commander; since October 2012)
Abdul Rahman Orfalli 
(protest leader)
Mohammed al-Sukni (Liwaa Al-Umma Commander)
Abdelbasset Saroot (WIA)
(Bayyada Martyrs Battalion commander)
Ahmad Hassan Abou Assaad al-Sharkassi 
(Bayyada Martyrs Battalion commander)
Abou Souffiane 
(Ahl Al Athar Brigade commander)
Gen. Maher al-Assad
(since February 2012)
Gen. Ghassan Afif             
Gen. Mohamed Maaruf
Gen. Abdo al-Tallawi 
Gen. Nizar al-Hussein 
Units involved
Free Syrian Army:
Khalid ibn al-Walid Brigade
Farouq Brigades

Elements of: 14th Special Forces Division

  • 556th SF regiment

15th Special Forces Division

  • 35th SF Regiment
  • 127th SF Regiment
  • 403rd Armored Regiment

4th Armored Division

  • 555th SF regiment
  • 154th Artillery Regiment

Republican Guard

  • 104th Mechanized Brigade
  • 105th Mechanized Brigade

11th Armored Division
18th Armoured Division

Other units:

  • 45th independent SF Regiment
  • 47th independent SF Regiment
  • 53rd independent SF Regiment
  • 54th independent SF Regiment
  • Unit 910 (Hezbollah)
Strength
Unknown 6,000–10,000 troops
200–300 tanks
Casualties and losses
2,000–2,200 killed (June 2012–May 2014)
5,000–6,000 captured
(by late July 2012)
859 soldiers and policemen killed (by mid-Feb. 2012)
a The siege of the rebel-held Waer district continued until 21 May 2017, when the rebels evacuated the area.

Nationwide anti-government protests began in March 2011, and clashes between security forces and protestors in Homs intensified in April. In early May 2011, the Syrian military conducted a crackdown against anti-government protesters in Homs, some of whom were armed and fired on security forces. Though government forces had succeeded in temporarily quelling the March–April Daraa protests during a similar military operation, their early May operation in Homs failed in quickly subduing the civil resistance. By September, sectarian clashes and bloodshed in Homs between Alawites and Sunnis played a larger role in the Homs unrest than in the rest of Syria.

In late October 2011, a Free Syrian Army (FSA) brigade consisting of many defected army officers repeatedly ambushed government security forces around the Baba Amr neighbourhood of Homs and, through early November, successfully defended it from government counterattacks. In late December, an Arab mission was sent to monitor the situation following an Arab League plan to dissuade the government crackdown. Following the abortive mission, the Syrian Army in February 2012 launched an offensive against Baba Amr, shelling the entire district and blocking all supply routes. In early March, government forces launched a ground assault into Baba Amr, forcing the rebels to withdraw from the neighborhood.

By early May 2012, following a United Nations-brokered ceasefire, only sporadic street fighting and shelling occurred. During this time, the government was in control of most of the city while the opposition held between 15% and 20% of it; fighting for control of a similar-sized area was still ongoing. In December 2012, the Syrian Army captured the district of Deir Baalba, leaving only the Old City, Khalidiya district, and a few other areas under rebel control.

In early March 2013, government forces launched an assault into several opposition-controlled neighborhoods, but the rebelsreinforced by units that arrived from the nearby rebel-controlled town of al-Qusayrrepelled the attacks. In mid-March, rebels attempted to retake Baba Amr but were forced to pull back later in the month. In late March and early April, the Lebanese Hezbollah militia fully intervened in the siege, reinforcing Syrian government forces. In late July, government forces captured the Khalidiya district.

In early May 2014, following an agreement reached between the government and the opposition, rebel forces were allowed to evacuate the city, leaving Homs under full government control.

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