Ukraine
Belligerents in the Syrian civil war
A number of states and armed groups have involved themselves in the ongoing Syrian Civil War as belligerents. A number of sources have emphasized that as of at least late-2015/early-2016 the Syrian Arab Republic was dependent on a mix of volunteers and militias, rather than the Syrian Armed Forces. Before the uprising and war broke out, the Syrian Armed Forces were estimated at 325,000 regular troops and 280,000–300,000 reservists.
A number of states and armed groups have involved themselves in the ongoing Syrian Civil War as belligerents.
Syrian Arab Republic and allies
A number of sources have emphasized that as of at least late-2015/early-2016 the Syrian Arab Republic was dependent on a mix of volunteers and militias, rather than the Syrian Armed Forces.
Syrian Armed Forces
Before the uprising and war broke out, the Syrian Armed Forces were estimated at 325,000 regular troops and 280,000–300,000 reservists. Of the regular troops, 220,000 were ‘army troops’ and the rest in the navy, air force and air defense force. Following defections as early as June 2011, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated that by July 2012, tens of thousands of soldiers had defected.
National Defense Force
The Syrian NDF was formed out of pro-government militias. They receive their salaries and military equipment from the government, and in 2013 numbered around 100,000 troops. The force acts in an infantry role, directly fighting against rebels on the ground and running counter-insurgency operations in coordination with the army, who provides them with logistical and artillery support. The force has a 500-strong women’s wing called ”Lionesses of National Defense” which operates checkpoints. NDF members, like regular army soldiers, are allowed to loot the battlefields (but only if they participate in raids with the army), and can sell the loot for extra money. Sensing that they depend on the largely secular government, many of the militias of Syrian Christians (like Sootoro in Al-Hasakah) fight on the Baathist Syrian government’s side and seek to defend their ancient towns, villages and farmsteads from ISIL (see also Christian Militias in Syria).
Shabiha
The Shabiha are unofficial pro-government militias drawn largely from Syria’s Alawite minority group. Since the uprising, the Baathist Syrian government has been accused of using shabiha to break up protests and enforce laws in restive neighborhoods. As the protests escalated into an armed conflict, the opposition started using the term shabiha to describe civilians they suspected of supporting Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian government and clashing with pro-opposition demonstrators. The opposition blames the shabiha for the many violent excesses committed against anti-government protesters and opposition sympathizers, as well as looting and destruction. In December 2012, the shabiha were designated a terrorist organization by the United States.
Bassel al-Assad is reported to have created the shabiha in the 1980s for government use in times of crisis. Shabiha have been described as “a notorious Alawite paramilitary, who are accused of acting as unofficial enforcers for Assad’s government”; “gunmen loyal to Assad”, and, according to the Qatar-based Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, “semi-criminal gangs comprisedof [sic] thugs close to the government”. Despite the group’s image as an Alawite militia, some shabiha operating in Aleppo have been reported to be Sunnis. In 2012, the Assad government created a more organized official militia known as the Jaysh al-Sha’bi, allegedly with help from Iran and Hezbollah. As with the shabiha, the vast majority of Jaysh al-Sha’bi members are Alawite and Shi’ite volunteers.
Hezbollah
In February 2013, former secretary general of Hezbollah, Sheikh Subhi al-Tufayli, confirmed that Hezbollah was fighting for the Syrian Army, which in October 2012, General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah had still denied was happening on a large scale, except to admit that Hezbollah fighters helped the Assad government “retain control of some 23 strategically located villages [in Syria] inhabited by Shiites of Lebanese citizenship”. Nasrallah said that Hezbollah fighters have died in Syria doing their “jihadist duties”.
In 2012 and 2013, Hezbollah was active in gaining control of territory in the Al-Qusayr District of Syria, by May 2013 publicly collaborating with the Syrian Army and taking 60 percent of Qusayr by the end of 14 May. In Lebanon, there have been “a recent increase in the funerals of Hezbollah fighters” and “Syrian rebels have shelled Hezbollah-controlled areas.” As of 14 May 2013, Hezbollah fighters were reported to be fighting alongside the Syrian Army, particularly in the Homs Governorate. Hassan Nasrallah has called on Shiites and Hezbollah to protect the shrine of Sayida Zeinab. President Bashar al-Assad denied in May 2013 that there were foreign fighters, Arab or otherwise, fighting for the government in Syria.
On 25 May 2013, Nasrallah announced that Hezbollah was fighting in Syria against Islamic extremists and “pledged that his group will not allow Syrian militants to control areas that border Lebanon”. In the televised address, he said, “If Syria falls in the hands of America, Israel and the takfiris, the people of our region will go into a dark period.” According to independent analysts, by the beginning of 2014, approximately 500 Hezbollah fighters had died in the Syrian conflict. On 7 February 2016, 50 Hezbollah fighters were killed in a clash by the Jaysh al-Islam near Damascus. These fighters were embedded in the Syrian Army (SAA) formation called Army Division 39.
Iran
Iran continues to officially deny the presence of its combat troops in Syria, maintaining that it provides military advice to Assad’s forces in their fight against terrorist groups. Since the civil uprising phase of the Syrian civil war, Iran has provided the Syrian Arab Republic with financial, technical, and military support, including training and some combat troops. Iran and Syria are close strategic allies. Iran sees the survival of the Assad government as being crucial to its regional interests. Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was reported to be vocally in favor of the Baathist government.
By December 2013 Iran was thought to have approximately 10,000 operatives in Syria. But according to Jubin Goodarzi, assistant professor and researcher at Webster University, Iran aided Baathist Syria with a limited number of deployed units and personnel, “at most in the hundreds … and not in the thousands as opposition sources claimed”. Lebanese Hezbollah fighters backed by Tehran have taken direct combat roles since 2012. In the summer of 2013, Iran and Hezbollah provided important battlefield support for Syrian forces, allowing them to make advances on the opposition. In 2014, coinciding with the peace talks at Geneva II, Iran has stepped up support for Syrian President Assad. The Syrian Minister of Finance and Economy stated more than 15 billion dollars had come from the Iranian government. Prior to his assassination, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani was in charge of Syrian President Assad’s security portfolio and oversaw the arming and training of thousands of pro-government Shi’ite fighters.
By 2015, 328 IRGC troops, including several commanders, had reportedly been killed in the Syrian civil war since it began.
On 6 March 2020, Farhad Dabirian, a commander in IRGC, was killed in Syria. He was previously stationed at Palmyra in Syria.
Foreign Shia militias
Shia fighters from Afghanistan and Pakistan are “far more numerous” than Sunni non-Syrian fighters, though they have received “noticeably less attention” from the media. The number of Afghans fighting in Syria on behalf of the Syrian Arab Republic has been estimated at “between 10,000 and 12,000”, the number of Pakistanis is not known (approximately 15% of Pakistan’s population is Shia). The main forces are the liwa’ fatimiyun (Fatimiyun Brigade) – which is composed exclusively of Afghans and fights “under the auspices” of Hezbollah Afghanistan —and the Pakistani liwa’ zaynabiyun (Zaynabiyun Brigade) formed in November 2015. Many or most of the fighters are refugees, and Iran has been accused of taking advantage of their inability to “obtain work permits or establish legal residency in Iran”, and using threats of deportation for those who hesitate to volunteer. The fighters are also paid a relatively high salary, and some have told journalists, that “the Islamic State is a common enemy of Iran and Afghanistan … this is a holy war,” and that they wish to protect the Shia pilgrimage site of Sayyida Zaynab, from Sunni jihadis.
Russia
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On 30 September 2015, Russia’s Federation Council unanimously granted the request by President of Russia Vladimir Putin to permit the use of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria. On the same day, the Russian general Sergey Kurylenko, who represents Russia at the joint information center in Baghdad set up by Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria to coordinate their operations “primarily for fighting IS (Islamic State)”, arrived at the US Embassy in Baghdad and requested that any U.S. forces in the targeted area leave immediately. An hour later, the Russian aircraft based in the government-held territory began conducting airstrikes against the rebel forces.
In response to the downing of a hezbollah government Su-22 plane by a U.S. fighter jet near the town of Tabqa in Raqqa province on 18 June 2017, Russia announced that U.S.-led coalition warplanes flying west of the Euphrates would be tracked by Russian anti-aircraft forces in the sky and on the ground and treated as targets; furthermore, the Russian military said they suspended the hotline (the deconfliction line) with their U.S. counterparts based in Al Udeid. Nevertheless, a few days later, the U.S. military stated that the deconfliction line remained open and that Russia had given the U.S. a prior notification of its massive cruise missile strike from warships in the Mediterranean that was conducted on 23 June 2017, despite the fact that the U.S. was not among those countries mentioned as being forewarned in Russia’s official report on the strike. On 27 June 2017, U.S. defence minister Jim Mattis told the press:
“We deconflict with the Russians; it’s a very active deconfliction line. It’s on several levels, from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the secretary of state with their counterparts in Moscow, General Gerasimov and Minister Lavrov. Then we’ve got a three-star deconfliction line that is out of the Joints Chiefs of Staff out of the J5 there. Then we have battlefield deconfliction lines. One of them is three-star again, from our field commander in Baghdad, and one of them is from our CAOC, our Combined Air Operations Center, for real-time deconfliction.”
Syrian opposition and allies
Syrian National Coalition and Interim Government
Syrian National Coalition
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Formed on 23 August 2011, the National Council is a coalition of anti-government groups, based in Turkey. The National Council seeks the end of Bashar al-Assad’s rule and the establishment of a modern, civil, democratic state. SNC has links with the Free Syrian Army. On 11 November 2012 in Doha, the National Council and other opposition groups united as the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. The SNC has 22 out of 60 seats of the Syrian National Coalition. The following day, it was recognized as the legitimate government of Syria by numerous Persian Gulf states.
Delegates to the Coalition’s leadership council are to include women and representatives of religious and ethnic minorities, including Alawites. The military council will reportedly include the Free Syrian Army. The main aims of the National Coalition are replacing the Bashar al-Assad government and “its symbols and pillars of support”, “dismantling the security services”, unifying and supporting the Free Syrian Army, refusing dialogue and negotiation with the al-Assad government, and “holding accountable those responsible for killing Syrians, destroying [Syria], and displacing [Syrians].”
Interim Government
In 2013, the Syrian National Coalition formed the Syrian Interim Government. The minister of defense was to be chosen by the Free Syrian Army. The interim government’s headquarters in Syria are located in the city of Azaz in Aleppo Governorate. As of June 2019 its prime minister is Abdurrahman Mustafa and as of July 2021 its president is Salem al-Meslet.
Free Syrian Army and affiliate groups
The formation of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was announced on 29 July 2011 by a group of defecting Syrian Army officers, encouraging others to defect to defend civilian protesters from violence by the state and effect government change. By December 2011, estimates of the number of defectors to the FSA ranged from 1,000 to over 25,000. The FSA, initially “headquartered” in Turkey, moved its headquarters to northern Syria in September 2012, and functions more as an umbrella organization than a traditional military chain of command.
In March 2012, two reporters of The New York Times witnessed an FSA attack and learned that the FSA had a stock of able, trained soldiers and ex-officers, organized to some extent, but without the weapons to put up a realistic fight.
In April 2013, the US announced it would transfer $123 million in nonlethal aid to Syrian rebels through defected general Salim Idriss, leader of the FSA, who later acknowledged “the rebels” were badly fragmented and lacked military skill. Idriss said he was working on a countrywide command structure, but that a lack of material support was hurting that effort. “Now it is very important for them to be unified. But unifying them in a manner to work like a regular army is still difficult”, Idriss said. He acknowledged common operations with Islamist group Ahrar ash-Sham but denied any cooperation with Islamist group al-Nusra Front.
Abu Yusaf, a commander of the Islamic State (IS), said in August 2014 that many of the FSA members who had been trained by United States’ and Turkish and Arab military officers were actually joining IS, but by September 2014 the Free Syrian Army was joining an alliance and common front with Kurdish militias including the YPG to fight ISIS.
In December 2015, according to the American Institute for the Study of War, groups identifying as FSA were still present around Aleppo and Hama and in southern Syria, and the FSA was still “the biggest and most secular of the rebel groups.”
After the Turkish military intervention in Syria in 2016, and as other countries began to scale back their involvement, the FSA became more dependent on Turkish help. For the FSA, Turkey was a sanctuary and a source of supplies. From late August 2016, the Turkish government assembled a new coalition of Syrian rebel groups, including many that were in the FSA. The core of this new coalition was the Hawar Kilis Operations Room. Often referred to as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA), this force would adopt the name Syrian National Army in 2017. By March 2017, the FSA backed by Turkey finished clearing the Islamic State from the north of Syria.
Other rebel militias
- Islamic Front (2013–2015)
- Southern Front (2014–2018)
- Army of the South (2018)
- Jaysh al-Ababil (2014–2018)
- Alawiyat al-Qasioun
- Alawiyat Jidor Horan
- Revolutionary Army of the Jidor Area
- Holding Fast Operations Room
- Al-Hara Military Council
- Tasil Military Council
- Swords of Truth Room
- Liwa Ahrar Qita
- Manifest Victory Operations Room
- Aligned Factions of the Eastern Region
- Gathering of Revolutionaries of Mahajah (2018)
- Liwa Omar al-Mukhtar
- Liwa Muhammad ibn Abdullah
- Liwa al-Fatah
- 404 Lions of Golan Division (2018)
- Brigades and Battalions of the Unification Army
- Martyrs of Dignity Brigade
- Free Men of Deir Makar Brigade
- Norsur Artuz Brigade
- Strangers of the Countryside Brigade
- Aisha, Mother of Believers, Battalion
- Neighbourhoods of Jihad Battalion
- Islamic Union of the Soldiers of the Levant (2013–2018)
- Free Syrian Police (2013–2019) 🇹🇷 Syrian opposition affiliated rebel groups
🇹🇷 Police forces
Syrian National Army
On 30 December 2017, at least 30 factions operating under the banner of the Syrian Interim Government merged in a unified armed group after four months of preparations. Jawad Abu Hatab, the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister, announced the forming of the Syrian National Army after meeting with rebel commanders in the town of Azaz. The newly formed body claimed to have 22,000 fighters, many of them trained and equipped by Turkey. Though concentrated in Turkish-occupied areas, originally as a part of Operation Euphrates Shield, the SNA also established a presence in the Idlib Governorate during the 2019 northwestern Syria offensive, and consolidated its presence when the National Front for Liberation joined the SNA on 4 October 2019.
The official aims of the group are to assist the Republic of Turkey in creating a “safe zone” in Syria, and to establish a National Army. They are strong opponents of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and have also fought the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and, to a lesser extent, the Baathist Syrian government’s Syrian Arab Army. The SNA has a law enforcement equivalent, the Free Police, which is also backed by Turkey. The SNA currently controls the Afrin area, and nearby areas of Syria bordering Turkey, including the town of Jarabalus.
National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change
Formed in 2011 and based in Damascus, the National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change is an opposition bloc consisting of 13 left-wing political parties and “independent political and youth activists”. It has been defined by Reuters as the internal opposition’s main umbrella group. The NCC initially had several Kurdish political parties as members, but all except for the Democratic Union Party left in October 2011 to join the Kurdish National Council. Some have accused the NCC of being a “front organization” for Bashar al-Assad’s government and some of its members of being ex-government insiders.
Relations with other Syrian political opposition groups are generally poor. The Syrian Revolution General Commission, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria or the Supreme Council of the Syrian Revolution oppose the NCC calls to dialogue with the Baathist government. In September 2012, the Syrian National Council (SNC) reaffirmed that despite broadening its membership, it would not join with “currents close to [the] NCC”. Despite recognizing the Free Syrian Army on 23 September 2012, the FSA has dismissed the NCC as an extension of the government, stating that “this opposition is just the other face of the same coin”.
Syrian Salvation Government
The Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) is an alternative government of the Syrian Opposition seated within Idlib Governorate. The General Conference, concluded on 11 September 2017, formed a constituent assembly and named a prime minister. It is seen as illegitimate by the opposition’s main Syrian Interim Government. The deputy prime minister of the SSG for military affairs is Riad al-Asaad, the founder of the Free Syrian Army. HTS is the military arm of this government.
Al-Qaeda and affiliates
In September 2013, US Secretary of State John Kerry stated that Salafi-jihadist groups make up 15–25% of rebel forces. According to Charles Lister, also in September 2013, about 12% of rebels were part of groups linked to al-Qaeda (not including ISIL, which had separated from al-Qaeda six months earlier), 18% belonged to Ahrar ash-Sham, and 9% belonged to Suqour al-Sham Brigade. These numbers contrasted with a September 2013 report by Jane’s Information Group, a defense outlet, claiming almost half of all rebels were affiliated with Islamist groups. British think-tank Centre on Religion and Geopolitics, linked to former British PM Tony Blair, stated in December 2015 that the proportion had grown so that 60% of the rebels could be classified as Islamic extremists, mostly Salafists. In March 2016, a report by the Institute for the Study of War calculated the ideologies of the extant Syrian opposition fighters as follows: 30% secularists, 28% Syrian Salafi jihadists, 22% Syrian political Islamists, and 20% transnational Salafi jihadists, for a total of 70% Islamists. The report clarified the categories: “the difference between Syrian jihadists and political Islamists is more or less akin to the difference between Salafists and the Muslim Brotherhood – in simplified terms, the former seek strict application of Islamic law, while many of the latter tend to favor a state with an Islamic civil constitution but protections for religious freedom. As for the “secularists,” the term is used very loosely because most of the fighters in this category are conservative Muslims who do not actually want a secular government.”
In September 2013, leaders of 13 powerful salafist brigades rejected the Syrian National Coalition and called Sharia law “the sole source of legislation”. In a statement they declared that “the coalition and the putative government headed by Ahmad Tomeh does not represent or recognize us”. Among the signatory rebel groups were al-Nusra Front, Ahrar ash-Sham and Al-Tawheed.
In a January 2020 press release, the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights released its tally of all fatalities in the Syrian Civil War up to that point, broken down by faction. The anti-government fighter fatalities totaled 134,447, of which 28% were ISIL fighters, 20% “jihadist” fighters part of or allied to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its predecessor the Al-Nusra Front (including affiliates such as Ahrar al-Islam, the Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria, and the Caucasus Emirate), 10% SDF/YPG fighters, 2% defectors from the Syrian Army, and 40% all other anti-government fighters.
Al-Nusra Front / Jabhat Fateh al-Sham
Prior to the expansion of ISIL, al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, the al-Nusra Front was often considered to be the most aggressive and violent part of the opposition. Being responsible for over 50 suicide bombings, including several deadly explosions in Damascus in 2011 and 2012, it was recognized as a terrorist organization by the Syrian Arab Republic and was designated as such by United States in December 2012. In April 2013, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq released an audio statement announcing that al-Nusra Front is its branch in Syria. The leader of al-Nusra, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, said that the group would not merge with the Islamic State of Iraq but would still maintain allegiance to Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda. From 2012 to 2016, the estimated manpower of al-Nusra Front was approximately 6,000–10,000 people, including many foreign fighters.
The relationship between the al-Nusra Front and the indigenous Syrian opposition was tense, even though al-Nusra has fought alongside the FSA in several battles and some FSA fighters defected to the al-Nusra Front. The Mujahideen’s strict religious views and willingness to impose sharia law disturbed many Syrians. Some rebel commanders have accused foreign jihadists of “stealing the revolution”, robbing Syrian factories and displaying religious intolerance.
The al-Nusra Front renamed itself Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS) in June 2016, and later joined with three other Salafi factions, Ansar al-Din Front, Jaysh al-Sunna, the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement (once supported by the US ) and Liwa al-Haqq, to become the leading member of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in 2017, in which they were joined by defectors from Ahrar al-Sham. (The Ansar al-Din Front and Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement have since split off). HTS had an estimated 20,000 members in 2019. Tahrir al-Sham has denied being part of al-Qaeda and said in a statement that the group is “an independent entity and not an extension of previous organizations or factions”.
Hurras al-Din (2018-Present)
Tanzim Hurras al-Din (تنظيم حراس الدين, transliteration: ’, Guardians of Religion Organization or Guardians of Religion) commonly referred to as Hurras al-Din''', is an armed insurgent group affiliated with Al-Qaeda and fighting in the Syrian Civil War. Hurras al-Din was formed as a merger between seven Al-Qaeda aligned factions on 28 February 2018. The head of the group, Abu Humam al-Shami, was a Syrian who fought with Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan during the 1990s and previously the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria between 2013 and 2016.
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
Called Dā’ash or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, (abbrv. ISIL or ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria]) it made rapid military gains in Northern Syria starting in April 2013 and as of mid-2014 controlled large parts of that region, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described it as “the strongest group”. It has imposed strict Sharia law over land that it controls. The group was, until 2014, affiliated with al-Qaeda, led by the Iraqi fighter Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and had an estimated 7,000 fighters in Syria, including many non-Syrians, by the end of 2013. It has been praised as less corrupt than other militia groups and criticized for abusing human rights and for not tolerating non-Islamist militia groups, foreign journalists or aid workers, whose members it has expelled, imprisoned, or executed. According to Michael Weiss, ISIL has not been targeted by the Baathist government “with quite the same gusto” as other rebel factions.
By summer 2014, ISIL controlled a third of Syria. It established itself as the dominant force of Syrian opposition, defeating Jabhat al-Nusra in Deir Ezzor Governorate and claiming control over most of Syria’s oil and gas production.
The Ba’athist government did not begin to fight ISIL until June 2014 despite its having a presence in Syria since April 2013, according to Kurdish officials. According to IHS Markit, between April 2016 and April 2017, ISIL offensively fought the Baathist government 43% of times, Turkish-backed rebel groups 40% of times, and the Syrian Democratic Forces 17% of times.
ISIL was able to recruit more than 6,300 fighters in July 2014 alone. ISIL have planted bombs in the ancient city area of Palmyra, a city with population of 50,000. Palmyra is counted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as it is home to some of the most extensive and best-preserved ancient Roman ruins in the world. Having lost nearly half of their territory in Iraq between 2014 and 2016, some Islamic State leaders in Iraq moved into Syria, further destabilizing the region.
From 2014, an international coalition of states intervened against ISIL. The US-led Operation Inherent Resolve started in October 2014. As of December 2017, Russia declared ISIL to be totally defeated within Syria. At the end of 2018, the US declared it defeated, although its UK and German allies disagreed. On 23 March 2019 the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces declared ISIS Defeated, after seizing their last Enclave of territory. In October 2019, the US assassinated IS leader al-Baghdadi. ISIL named Abu Ibrahim al Hashimi al-Qurayshi as Baghdadi’s successor. As of 2022, ISIL continue to be active militarily in Northeast Syria.
AANES
Syrian Democratic Council
The Syrian Democratic Council was established on 10 December 2015 in al-Malikiyah. It was co-founded by prominent human rights activist Haytham Manna and was intended as the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces. The council includes more than a dozen blocs and coalitions that support federalism in Syria, including the Movement for a Democratic Society, the Kurdish National Alliance in Syria, the Law–Citizenship–Rights Movement, and since September 2016, the Syria’s Tomorrow Movement. The last group is led by former National Coalition president and Syrian National Council Ahmad Jarba. In August 2016 the SDC opened a public office in al-Hasakah.
The Syrian Democratic Council was excluded from the international Geneva III peace talks on Syria in March 2016, as well as other talks since, because of opposition from the Turkish state.
Syrian Democratic Forces
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are an alliance of mainly Kurdish but also Arab, Syriac-Assyrian, and Turkmen militias with mainly left-wing and democratic confederalist political leanings. They are opposed to the Assad government, but have directed most of their efforts against Al-Nusra Front and ISIL.
The group formed in December 2015, led primarily by the predominantly Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). Estimates of its size range from 55,000 to 80,000 fighters. While largely Kurdish, it is estimated that about 40% of the fighters are non-Kurdish. Kurds – mostly Sunni Muslims, with a small minority of Yezidis – represented 10% of Syria’s population at the start of the uprising in 2011. They had suffered from decades of discrimination and neglect, being deprived of basic civil, cultural, economic, and social rights. When protests began, Assad’s government finally granted citizenship to an estimated 200,000 stateless Kurds, in an effort to try and neutralize potential Kurdish opposition. Despite this concession, most Kurds remain opposed to the government, hoping instead for a more decentralized Syria based on federalism. The Syriac Military Council, like many Syriac-Assyrian militias (such as Khabour Guards, Nattoreh, and Sutoro), originally formed to defend Assyrian villages, but joined the Kurdish forces to retake Hasakah from ISIS in late 2015 The Female Protection Forces of the Land Between the Two Rivers is an all-female force of Assyrian fighters in north east Syria fighting ISIS alongside other Assyrian and Kurdish units. Before the formation of the SDF, the YPG was the primary fighting force in the DFNS, and first entered this Syrian civil war as belligerent in July 2012 by capturing a town, Kobanî, that until then was under control of the Syrian Assad-government (see Syrian Kurdistan campaign).
On 17 March 2016 the Syrian Democratic Council, the political wing of the SDF, declared the creation of an autonomous federation in northern Syria.
Foreign involvement
Both the Syrian Arab Republic and the Syria opposition have received support, militarily and diplomatically, from foreign countries leading the conflict to often be described as a proxy war. The major parties supporting the Assad government are Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. The main Syrian opposition body – the Syrian coalition – receives political, logistic and military support from the United States, Britain and France.
The pro-government countries are involved in the war politically and logistically by providing military equipment, training and battle troops. Baathist Syria has also received arms from Russia and SIGINT support directly from GRU, in addition to significant political support from Russia.
Some Syrian rebels get training from the CIA at bases in Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Under the aegis of operation Timber Sycamore and other clandestine activities, CIA operatives and U.S. special operations troops have trained and armed nearly 10,000 rebel fighters at a cost of $1 billion a year since 2012. The Syrian coalition also receives logistic and political support from Sunni states, most notably Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia; all the three major supporting states however have not contributed any troops for direct involvement in the war, though Turkey was involved in border incidents with the Syrian Army. The Financial Times and The Independent reported that Qatar had funded the Syrian rebellion by as much as $3 billion. Some Syrian rebel groups were supported by the Netherlands. According to Seymour Hersh, US intelligence estimates that the opposition is financed by Saudi Arabia to the tune of $700 million a year (2014). The designation of the FSA by the West as a moderate opposition faction has allowed it, under the CIA-run programmes, to receive sophisticated weaponry and other military support from the U.S., Turkey and some Gulf countries. , Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are openly backing the Army of Conquest, an umbrella rebel group that reportedly includes an al-Qaeda linked al-Nusra Front and another Salafi coalition known as Ahrar ash-Sham, and Faylaq Al-Sham, a coalition of Muslim Brotherhood-linked rebel groups.
In 2014, French television France 24 reported that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, with perhaps 3,000 foreign jihadists among its ranks, “receives private donations from the Gulf states.” It is estimated ISIL has sold oil for $1M–4M per day principally to Turkish buyers, during at least six months in 2013, greatly helping its growth. The Turkish government has been also accused of helping ISIL by turning a blind eye to illegal transfers of weapons, fighters, oil and pillaged antiquities across the southern border.
On 21 August 2014, two days after US photojournalist James Foley was beheaded, the U.S. military admitted a covert rescue attempt involving dozens of US Special Operations forces had been made to rescue Americans and other foreigners held captive in Syria by ISIL militants. The rescue attempt was the first known US military ground action inside Syria. On 11 September 2014 the US Congress expressed support to give President Obama the $500 million he wanted to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels. The US also began airstrikes against ISIL in 2014.
Foreign fighters have joined the conflict in opposition to Assad. In December 2015, the Soufan Group estimated a total of 27,000–31,000 foreign fighters from 86 countries had travelled to Syria and Iraq to join extremist groups. While most foreign fighters are jihadists, some individuals, such as Mahdi al-Harati, have joined to support the Syrian opposition. In 2013, the ICSR estimated that 2,000–5,500 foreign fighters had gone to Syria since the beginning of the protests, about 7–11 percent of whom came from Europe. It also estimated that the number of foreign fighters did not exceed 10 percent of the opposition armed forces. Another estimate puts the number of foreign jihadis at 15,000 by early 2014.
Thousands of Shia foreign fighters are in Syria from Iraq, Lebanon, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bahrain, with Shia militias. They fight on behalf of the Assad government, which is dominated by minority Alawites. The largest groups are Liwa Fatemiyoun and Hezbollah.
The European and North American far right is generally supportive of the Assad government in Syria, and far right foreign fighters, e.g. from the Balkans and Scandinavia, are found in pro-government militias. Hundreds of leftists have become foreign fighters in the Syrian Democratic Forces, with most joining the International Freedom Battalion of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), out of a mixture of opposition to the Islamic State and willingness to defend the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
There are several private military companies operating in Syria, such as the Wagner Group and the Slavonic Corps.
U.S.-led coalition against ISIL
A number of countries, including some individual NATO members, have since September 2014 participated in air operations in Syria that came to be overseen by the Combined Joint Task Force, set up by the US Central Command to coordinate military efforts against ISIL pursuant to their collectively undertaken commitments, including those of 3 December 2014. Those who have conducted airstrikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. Some members are involved in the conflict beyond combating ISIL; Turkey has been accused of fighting against Kurdish forces in Syria and Iraq, including intelligence collaborations with ISIL in some cases.
President Trump, declaring “we have won against ISIS,” abruptly announced on 19 December 2018 that the remaining 2,000 American troops in Syria would be withdrawn. Trump made the announcement on Twitter, overruling the recommendations of his military commanders and civilian advisors, with apparently no prior consultation with Congress. Although no timetable was provided, press secretary Sarah Sanders indicated that the withdrawal had begun. After Trump’s announcement, the Pentagon and State Department tried to change his mind, with several of his congressional and political allies expressing serious concerns about the sudden move, specifically that it would hand control of the region to Russia and Iran, and abandon America’s Kurdish allies. The following day, the SDF said that a US pullout would allow ISIL to recover and warned of a military vacuum that would leave the alliance trapped between “hostile parties”. The UK, France, Germany all considered the fight against ISIL ongoing.
Israel
Israel’s official position on the Syrian Civil War has been strict neutrality. On the other hand, Israel has become involved politically and militarily to prevent the growing influence and entrenchment of Iranian forces and its proxies throughout Syria. Israel’s military activity, officially called Operation Chess, has primarily been limited to missile and air strikes targeting Iranian facilities in Syria as well as those of its proxies, especially Hezbollah. These attacks were not officially acknowledged before 2017. Israel has also carried out air strikes in Syria to disrupt weapons shipments to Hezbollah.
Opposing forces
| Syrian Arab Republic and allies Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq coalition | 🇹🇷 Syrian opposition and allies | Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and allies | Salafi Jihadist organisations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Syrian government forces * Syrian Armed Forces ** *** Republican Guard ****Lionesses of Defence Armoured Battalion ****100th Artillery Regiment ****101st Infantry Regiment ****102nd Infantry Regiment ****102nd Commando Regiment ****103rd Commando Brigade ***** Syrian Marines ****104th Airborne Brigade ****105th Mechanized Brigade ****106th Mechanized Brigade ****124th Special Forces Brigade ****800th Regiment ****30th Division ****Popular Security and Support Forces **** Quwat al-Ghadab volunteers ***Syrian 4th Armoured Division SSI.svg 4th Armoured Division ****40th Armoured Brigade ****41st Armoured Brigade ****42nd Armoured Brigade ****138th Mechanized Brigade ****154th Artillery Regiment ****550th SF Regiment ****555th SF (airbone) Regiment ****Protective Lions ***Syrian commando.png Special Forces Command ****Syrian commando.png Tiger Forces *****Panther Forces Brigade *****Cheetah Forces Brigade ******Cheetah Forces Team 3 ******Cheetah Forces Team 6 *****Leopard Forces Brigade *****Termah (or Tarmeh) Group/Regiment *****Taha Group *****Yarrob Group/Regiment *****Shaheen Group/Regiment *****Shabaat Group/Regiment *****Al Hawarith Group/Regiment (Navaris Group) *****Zaydar Group/Regiment *****Al Shabbour Group/Regiment *****Al-Komeet Group/Regiment *****Al-Luyouth Group/Regiment (Shadi Group) *****Hayder Group/Regiment *****Raqqa Hawks Brigade *****629th Battalion ****Syrian commando.png 14th Special Forces Division *****556th Special Forces Regiment ****Syrian commando.png 15th Special Forces Division *****35th Special Forces Regiment *****41st Special Forces Regiment *****45th Special Forces Regiment *****127th Special Forces Regiment *****403rd Armoured Regiment ****Suqur al-Sahara SSI.png Desert Hawks Brigade ***1st Corps ****5th Mechanized Division *****12th Armoured Brigade *****15th Mechanized Brigade *****112th Mechanized Brigade *****132nd Mechanized Brigade *****175th Artillery Regiment ****6th Armoured divsion ****7th Infantry Division *****68th Mechanized Brigade *****78th Armoured Brigade *****88th Mechanized Brigade *****93rd Armoured Brigade *****121st Mechanized Brigade **** 9th Armoured Division *****34th Armoured Brigade *****43rd Armoured Brigade *****52nd Mechanized Brigade *****89th Artillery Regiment *****90th Brigade ***2nd Corps ****1st Armoured Division *****58th Mechanized Brigade *****61st Infantry Brigade *****76th Armoured Brigade *****91st Armoured Brigade *****141st Artillery Regiment *****153rd Armoured Brigade ****10th Mechanized Division *****56th Armoured Brigade *****62nd Mechanized Brigade *****85th Mechanized Brigade ***3rd Corps ****3rd Armoured Division *****21st Mechanized Brigade *****47th Armoured Brigade *****65th Armoured Brigade *****81st Armoured Brigade *****123rd Tank Brigade *****Qalamoun Shield Forces *****Storming Battalions *****Rocket Battalion ****8th Armoured Division ****11th Armoured Division *****60th Armoured Brigade *****67th Armoured Brigade *****87th Mechanized Brigade ***4th Corps ***5th Corps ****al-Assad Shield Forces ****Lion Shield Forces ****ISIS Hunters ****8th Brigade ****2nd Brigade ****3rd Brigade *****Martyr or Victory ****79th Battalion ****Ba’ath Legion, formed from Ba’ath Brigades volunteers ****Homeland Shield Forces ****Elite Light Infantry Brigade *** 17th Division ****54th Artillery Regiment *****23rd Battalion ****121st Artillery Regiment ****123rd Artillery Regiment ****137th Mechanized Brigade *** 18th Armoured Division ****120th Mechanized Brigade ****131st Armoured Brigade ** *** 12th Attack Squadron (MiG-21MF/UM) *** 24th Helicopter Brigade (Mi-8) ***4th Flying Training Squadron **Air Force Ensign of Syria.svg Syrian Air Defense Force ** Syrian Arab Navy ** National Defence Forces ***Lijan militias *** Golan Regiment ****Fist Battalion ****Second Battalion ****Third Battalion ***National Shield of the Patriotic Forces ****Quneitra Hawks Brigade forces from Khan Arnabah ***Al-Quneitra Hawks Brigade ***Ta’ie Tribal Militias ***Abu Jabal Brigade ***Free Patriots Brigade ***Saidnaya NDF Militias ***Taybat al-Imam unit ***Hama City unit ***Units from Suqaylabia ***Units from Muhrada ***Units from Masyaf ***As-Suwayda NDF volunteers ***Palmyrene NDF Garrison ***Hermon Regiment ***Loyalist tribal militias ***Quwat Dir’ al-Watan **Local Defence Forces ***Fawj Shuhada Nubl wa al-Zahraa ***Qamr Bani Hashim Division ***Special Assigments Battalion *** Baqir Brigade ***Lions of Hussein ***Tribes of Manbij Regiment ***Safira Regiment ***Nayrab Battalion – Special Operations ***Militias from Nubl and al-Zahraa **Military Intelligence Directorate ***Emblem of Quwat Dir al-Amn al-Askari (The Military Security Shield Forces).svg Military Security Shield Forces ****Military Security Falcons ****Southern Shield Brigade ***Desert Commandos Regiment ****Lions of Hamidiya ***Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes ***Falcons of the Euphrates **Emblem of the Syrian Arab Air Force.svg Air Force Intelligence Directorate ***🇸🇾 Guardians of the Dawn ****Lions of the Cherubim *****Earthquake of Jobar ****Ararat Group ****Lions of the Valley ****Intervention Regiment ****Lions of Dwel’a ***Khaybar Brigade ***Nusur Homs Regiment ***Unit 333 ***Sahabat Group *Shabiha | Police forces *Coat of arms of Syria.svg Ministry of Interior ** Syrian Police **Political Security Directorate **General Intelligence Directorate **Criminal Security Directorate **Syrian Special Mission Forces | Allied armed groups: *Popular Resistance of the Eastern Region *Popular Resistance in Hasakah *Popular Resistance in Manbij * SSNP **Eagles of the Whirlwind ***Al-Suqaylabiyah unit ***Mahardah unit * Arab Nationalist Guard * Syrian Resistance **Falcons of the Jazira and Euphrates * Army of Monotheists * Rijal al-Karama | * Forces of Abu Ibrahim * Bayraq al-Suwayda * Mountain Brigade **Rocks of Urman Battalion * Druze Militias * Sootoro *People’s Army * Ba’ath Brigades *Loyalist Army *al-Jabal Brigade **Jalamid Urman Brigade **al-Zaghaba **Ammar bin Yasir **al-Suqur **al-Basha *Arab Socialist Movement *Homeland Protection Forces *Saladin Brigade *Jaafariyah Force **Sayyida al Raqqia Brigade *al-Mukhtar al-Thiqfi Brigade *Shield of the Coast *Shield of the Lion’s Lair *Brigades of the Den *al-Hosn *al-Berri tribe militias *Tayy tribe militias *Raqqawi tribe militias *al-Jihesh tribe militias * al-Jabalawi Battalion * Liwa Sayf al-Mahdi * Saraya al-Areen * Kata’ib Humat al-Diyar * Palestinian Militias ** as-Sa’iqa **PFLP–GC *** Jihad Jibril Brigade ***Popular Committee-Yarmouk Refugee Camp ** Liwa al-Quds ** Galilee Forces ** Fatah al-Intifada **Emblem of the Palestine Liberation Army.svg Palestine Liberation Army ***413th Battalion ** Al-Quds Brigades ** Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine ** Free Palestine Movement ** PPSF ** Palestinian People’s Party * Liwa Fatemiyoun **Hazrat-e Abolfazl Brigade * Liwa Zainebiyoun * Mukhtar Army * Return Forces *Syrian National Resistance **Kafr Saghir Martyrs Brigade (unclear) * Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas * Far-Right Volunteers ** Russian Imperial Movement *** Russian Imperial Legion ** Falanga volunteers *🇷🇺 Slavonic Corps * ENOT Corp * 12th Peacekeeping Brigade *🇮🇶 LAAG *Fulfilled Legion * Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party – Lebanon Region * Arab Unification Party * Amal Movement (denied by Amal) * Hezbollah **Radwan Forces **Unit 910 **Hezbollah Rocket Division **45th independent SF Regiment **47th independent SF Regiment **53rd independent SF Regiment **54th independent SF Regiment * Liwa Dhu al-Fiqar **Homeland Shield Brigade *Leopards of Homs *Liwa al-Imam al-Hussein *Syrian Hezbollah ** Quwat al-Ridha **Liwa al-Imam al-Mahdi **National Ideological Resistance **Imam al-Hujja Regiment **Soldiers of the Mahdi **Al-Ghalibun **Saryat al-Shaheed Abu Yasir **Saryat al-‘Ishq **Kashafat al-Wilaya **Imam al-Mahdi Scouts **Fatima al-Zahara Regiment **Nakhsa | 🇮🇷 Iran * Iranian Armed Forces ** IRGC *** Quds Force *** Basij ****17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb Division *** IRGC Ground Forces **** Saberin Unit **** 110th Salman Farsi Special Operations Brigade ****25th Karbala Division ****Imam Sajjad Takavar Brigade of Kazerun ***Isfahan division ****102nd Imam Hossein Battalion ***Syrian auxiliaries ****313 Battalion ****Ali Sultan Battalion ***Liwa al-Mukhtar al-Thiqfi ***Ruhollah Formations ***Alborz Division ** Iranian Army *** Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces ****65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade **Iranian Air Force | 🇷🇺 Russia | * Russian Armed Forces ** Russian Air Force ** Russian Navy *** Russian Naval Infantry ****810th Naval Infantry Brigade ***Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg Black Sea Fleet ***Great emblem of the Caspian Flotilla.svg Caspian Flotilla ** Russian Aerospace Forces **General Staff *** GRU **** Spetsnaz GRU *****431st Naval Reconnaissance Spetsnaz Point ***Special Operations Command **** Special Operations Forces ** Russian Ground Forces ***29th Combined Arms Army ****200th Artillery Brigade *** Military Police *** 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division ***74th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade ** Russian Airborne Forces ***31st Guards Air Assault Brigade ***56th Guards Air Assault Regiment **Flag of the Russian Federal Security Service.svg Federal Security Service ***Spetsgruppa “K” advisors ** Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) * Kadyrovites *Wagner Group **5 Storm unit **DShRG Rusich * “Thorbrandr” (Scandinavian volunteers) | Popular Mobilization Forces * Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada *Badr Organization **Forces of Martyr Muhammed Baqir al-Sadr *Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq **Kafeel Zainab Brigade **Haidar al-Karar Brigades *Kata’ib Hezbollah * Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba **Golan Liberation Brigade **Ammar ibn Yasir Brigade *Peace Companies *Kata’ib al-Imam Ali *Iraqi Liberation Movement (Harakat al-Abdal) *Force 313 * Promised Day Brigade *Zulfiqar Brigade *Saraya al-Khurasani *Saraya al-Jihad *Dir’ al Wilaya Brigades *Saraya Ansar al-Aqeeda *Ansar Allah al Awfiya in Iraq and Syria *Jihad Companies *Liwa’a Zulfiqar *Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces *Jaysh al-Mu’ammal | Armament support: | *🇷🇺 Russia *🇮🇷 Iran *🇨🇳 China *🇮🇱 Israel (Claimed by FSA) | Facility support: | *🇮🇶 (2013) | 🇮🇶 (limited airstrikes on ISIL in eastern Syria, 2017) | * Iraqi Armed Forces ** | Syrian National Army * Free Syrian Army **1st Legion ***Flag of the Hazm Movement.svg Hazzm Movement ***Muntasir Billah Brigade *** Ahrar al-Sharqiya ****Arab Ahwaz Brigade ****Brigade 123 ****Badr Martyrs’ Battalion *** Jaysh al-Nukhba ***Anwar al-Hak Brigade ***Mimati battalion ***Army of the East *** Samarkand Brigade *** Sultan Suleyman Shah Brigade *** Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror Brigade *** Sham Legion ****Martyrs of Islam Brigade ****Central Division ****Suyuf al-Shahba Brigade ***20th Division ***Commandos of Islam Brigade **2nd Legion *** Sultan Murad Division ****Alparslan Special Forces *** Hamza Division ****Kurdish Falcons Brigade ****Dhi Qar Brigade ****Northern Thunder Brigade ****Mare’ Resistance Brigade ****Special Operations Brigade ****First Brigade ****Fifth Brigade ****Brigade 51 *** Al-Moutasem Brigade ***Elite Division ***Men of War Brigade **3rd Legion *** Conquest Brigade ****Muthanna ibn Haritha Battalion ****Ghuraba al-Sham Battalion ***Jund al-Islam Brigade ***Suyuf al-Sham ***Sajidun ***Levant Front **** Ahrar al-Sham *****Liwa Umana al-Raqqa *****19th Division *****32nd Division *****Revolutionaries of Atarib **** Northern Storm Brigade ****Jaysh al-Shamal ****Brigade of Conquest ****Al-hamza Battalion ****Sword of the Levant Brigade ****Northern Army ****Soldiers of Islam Brigade ****Soldiers of Levant Brigade ****Mount Turkmen Brigade ****Thuwar al sham battalion ****Noun project 758.svg Joint Defence Alliance ***Glory Corps ****Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement *****Levant Revolutionaries Battalion *****Banners of Islam Movement ***Mare Military Council ***Ahl al Diyar ***Qamishli Shield ***Afrin Shield ***Tajama a-Thuwar al-Kurd ***Mustafa Brigade ***Northern Hawks Brigade ***Vakkas Brigade ***Conqueror Lions Brigade ***Resolute Storm Brigade ***Sultan Othman Brigade ***5th Regiment ***Second Army ***Justice Union **WataniaTahrirFlag.png National Front for Liberation *** Free Idlib Army **** 13th Division ****Jabhat Thuwar Saraqib **** Northern Division ***** Knights of Justice Brigade **** Mountain Hawks Brigade **** Free Men of the East Brigade *** 1st Coastal Division ****2nd Army ****46th Division ****312th Division ****314th Company ****Lightning Battalion *** 2nd Coastal Division ***Jaysh al-Ahrar *** Jaysh al-Nasr ****al-Adiyat brigade ****Ahrar Darayya *** Suqour al-Sham Brigades *** Islamic Freedom Brigade ***Damascus Gathering ****Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib Battalions ****Brigades and Battalions to Unite the Capital ****Miqdad ibn Amr Brigade ***Unit 82 SWAT Forces ***Free Hayan Brigade ***Free North Brigade ****Imam Ali Battalion ***Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah Battalion ***23rd Division ** Syrian Liberation Front ***Katibat al-‘Iqaab ***Sheikh Fadel al-Akel ***Katibat al-Bayia Lillah ***Katibat Usud al-Tawheed ***Liwa al-Adiyat ***Martyr Abu Omar Battalion ** Al-Tawhid Brigade ***Free North Battalion ****Qabda al-Shamal Battalion ***Martyr ibraheem afesh battalion ** Farouq Brigades ***Regiment 777 ***Omar al-Farouq Brigade ** Saladin Ayubi Brigade ** Jabhat Ghuraba al-Sham ** Jaysh al-Izza **Victory Brigade **Liwa Ahrar Souriya | ** Syrian Turkmen Brigades *** Sultan Malik-Shah Brigade *** Muntasar Billah Brigade ** Southern Front *** Revolutionary Army ****Yarmouk Army ****Mu’tazz Billah Brigade *** Alliance of Southern Forces ****Omari Brigades ****18 March Division *****Engineering and Rocket Battalion ****46th infantry division *** Southern Alliance **** Syrian Revolutionaries Front *****Khalid ibn al-Walid Brigade *****Syrian Martyrs’ Brigades **** Idlib Martyrs’ Brigade *** 406th Infantry Division *** Lions of Sunna Brigade *** First Corps *** Youth of Sunna Forces ***Army of the South **** Jaysh al-Ababil ****Alawiyat al Qasioun ****Alawiyat jidor horan ****Revolutionary Army of the Jidor Area ****Holding Fast Operations Room ****al-Hara Military Council ****Tasil Military Council ****Swords of Truth Room ****Liwa Ahrar Qita ****Manifest Victory Operations Room ****Aligned Factions of the Eastern Region ***First Army ***Hawks of the South ***Quneitra Military Council ****Grandsons Brigade *** Tawhid Kata’ib Horan | ** Damascus Military Council ** Maghaweir al-Thowra ** Lions of the East Army ** Forces of Martyr Ahmad al-Abdo **Army of Free Tribes **Ahrar al-Jazeera **Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades ***Ummah Brigade **Syrian Salvation Front ***Free Zawiya Union **Liwa Sham al-Rasul **Liwa al-Asifa **Gathering of Revolutionaries of Mahajah ***Liwa Omar al-Mukhtar ***Liwa Muhammad ibn Abdullah ***Liwa al-Fatah **404 Lions of Golan Division ***Brigades and Battalions of the Unification Army ***Martyrs of Dignity Brigade ***Free Men of Deir Makar Brigade ***Norsur Artuz Brigade ***Strangers of the Countryside Brigade ***Aisha, Mother of Believers, Battalion ***Neighbourhoods of Jihad Battalion **Al-Jazeera–Euphrates Liberation Front (FAEL) * SRCC ** 21st Combined Force ** Fastaqim Union ** Army of Mujahideen ***Azadî Battalion ***Atarib Martyrs Brigade ** Islamic Front *** Jaysh al-Islam ****Military Council of Damascus and its Suburbs | ***Kurdish Islamic Front * National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces **3rd Infantry Division **4th Infantry Division **5th Commando Division **7th Division **11th Division **Liwa Jund al-Rahman **Liwa Chouhada’ Deïr ez-Zor **Liwa al-Khadra’ **Liwa al-Abbas **Liwa al-Qadisiya **Liwa al-Muhajirin ila Allah **Lions of Al Jazeera **Harakat Abna’ al-Islam ***Jaysh Al-Tawhid ***Kata’ib al-Sa’iqa * SRGC **313th Brigade * Syrian Islamic Front ** Ansar al-Sham *Fatah Halab operations room.jpg Fatah Halab ** Falcons of al-Ghab **Liwa al-Haqq ***Katibat al-Bara’ ***Katibat Saraya al-Furat * Jaysh Halab **Abu Amara Battalions **Ashida’a Mujahideen Brigade **1st Regiment **Al-Safwa Islamic Battalions * Jaysh al-Ummah * Syrian Islamic Liberation Front * UMCEG ** Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union ***Al-Habib al-Mustafa Brigade **Al-Rahman Corps calligraphy.jpg al-Rahman Legion ***Al-Bara Brigade ***Glory Brigades ****Abu Musa al-Shari Brigade **Liwa Homs al-Adiya **al-Jazeera and Euphrates Liberation Front **Mashaal Tammo Brigade **Ayad al-Fahri Battalion * Hawar Kilis Operations Room ** Authenticity and Development Front ***Unification Army ***The White Shroud ****Liwa al-Mujahid Omar al-Mukhtar ****Liwa al-Qadisiya al-Islamiyya *** Tawhid Army ****Tajamuu Alwiyat al-Iman Billah ****Liwa Hamah al-Aqidah ****Lions of Islam Brigade ****Talbisah Brigade ****Falcons of Talbisah Brigade ****Muawiyah Ibn Abi Sufyan Brigade ****Sword of Islam Battalion ****Tajamuu Alwiyat wa Kataib Suyuf al-Haq ***Jaysh Ahl as-Sunna wa-l-Jama’a ****Liwa al-Athar ****Liwa Usud as-Sunna ****Liwa Ahl al-Raya ***Kataib Abd al-Rahman ***9th Special Forces Division ***112th Brigade ***Regiment 111 ***Hasakah Shield Brigade ***Tajamu Saraya Darayya ***Salvation Front ***40th Brigade ** Descendants of Saladin Brigade *Mare’ Operations Room Insignia.svg Mare’ Operations Room **Repel the Invaders Operations Room *** Bunyan al-Marsous Operations Room ***Close Ranks Operations Room ***Triangle of Death Operations Room ***Repel the Aggressors Operations Room * Itihad Quwat Jabal al-Sheikh **Omar bin al-Khattab Brigade ** al-Ezz Brigade * National Front for the Liberation of Syria **Jabhat Ansar al-Islam *Northern Homs Countryside Operation Room **Homs Legion **Ajnad al-Homs **313 Badr Brigade *National Liberation Movement **Men of God Brigade * Leon Sedov Brigade *Harakat al-Qiyam *Sham Liberation Army **Western Qalamoun Union ***Levant Liberation Army ****Martyr Mohammed Qassem Brigade * Jaysh al-Sham * Euphrates Islamic Liberation Front *Ansar-al-Sharia-Aleppo.jpg Ansar al-Sharia ** Ansar al-Khilafah ***Ansar al-Khilafah of Aleppo ***Ansar al-Khilafah of al-Hasakah *Fursan al-Joulan *Abdal al-Sham *Zabandani Hawks Brigade | 🇹🇷 Joint Operations Rooms | *Unified Military Council (Idlib) *Al-Fatah al-Mubin *Azm Unified Command Room *Military Councils: ** Akhtarin Military Council ** Al-Bab Military Council ** Tal Rifaat Military Council ** Qabasin Military Council ** Mare Military Council | 🇹🇷 Police forces | *Free Police **Special Forces **Ex-Free East Ghouta Police forces | Allied armed groups: | * Grey Wolves * Muslim Brotherhood ** Muslim Brotherhood in Syria ***Shields of the Revolution Council ** Hamas *** Aknaf Bait al-Maqdis * Free Iraqi Army *Army of Islam (Gaza Strip) | 🇹🇷 Turkey *Turkish Armed Forces ** Turkish Land Forces ***First Army ****7th Commando Brigade ***Second Army ****1st Commando Brigade ****3rd Commando Brigade ****4th Commando Brigade ****11th Commando Brigade ***Third Army ****57th Commando Battalion ** Gendarmerie General Command *** Gendarmerie Special Public Security Command **** Gendarmerie Special Operations (JÖH) ***Village Guards System ** Turkish Air Force ** Turkish Naval Forces *** SAT *** SAS ***Marines *General Staff ** Special Forces Command *General Directorate of Security **Police Special Operation Department (PÖH) *National Intelligence Organization (MİT) | 🇺🇸 United States (against ISIL, 2014–2017, and limited strikes against pro-government forces, 2017–2018) | *🇺🇸 US Armed Forces ** US Army ** US Air Force ** US Navy ** US Army Special Forces | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom (limited strikes against pro-government forces, 2017–2018) | *🇬🇧 British Armed Forces ** | 🇫🇷 France (limited strikes against pro-government forces, 2017–2018) | * French Air Force *French Navy | 🇮🇱 Israel (limited strikes against pro-government forces, 2017) * * | Armament support: | *🇶🇦 Qatar *🇹🇷 Turkey *🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia (2012–17) *🇫🇷 France (2011–18) *🇳🇱 Netherlands (2014–18) *🇳🇴 Norway (2016–18) *🇺🇸 United States (2011–17) ** Central Intelligence Agency *🇬🇧 United Kingdom (2011–18) **Secret Intelligence Service (unconfirmed) *🇧🇭 Bahrain (2012–16) *🇯🇴 Jordan (2012–17) *🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates (2012–16) *🇱🇾 Libya *🇪🇬 Egypt (2012–13) *🇮🇱 Israel | Support: | *🇨🇦 Canada (2012–18) *🇩🇪 Germany (2012–18) | Syrian Salvation Government | * Tahrir al-Sham **Jaysh al-Usra **Movement of Mujahideen of the Sunnis of Iran **Army of Umar Ibn Khattab **Army of Abu Bakr as-Sadiq **Army of Uthman ibn Affan **Tawhid and Jihad Battalion **Popular Resistance Companies **Aleppo City Battalion **Red Bands **Al hujra brigade **Dawn of islam brigade **Liwa Moaawiyah Bin Abi Sofyan **Sa’ad bin Abi Waqas Brigades **Bin Al-Walid battalions * Ajnad al-Kavkaz ** Ahrar al-Sharkas ** Jamaat Jund al-Qawqaz *Jama’at Ansar al-Haq * Junud al-Makhdi **Jamaat Bulgar **Jaish al-Shomal al-Islami *Abu Amara Battalions Covert Special Tasks Force * Alwiya al-Furqan * Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria * Islamic Jihad Union *Ansar ut-Turkistan * Katibat Jabal al-Islam *Malhama Tactical * Junud al-Sham **Liwa Usud al-Idlam * Movement of Salah al-Din the Kurd Support: | *🇹🇷 Turkey *🇶🇦 Qatar (until 2017) | Syrian Democratic Forces * People’s Protection Units (YPG) ** YPG International Battalion (formerly International Anti-Fascist Battalion) ** Western leftist/anarchist YPG volunteers **Martyr Abid Battalion **Martyr Erdal Brigade **Free Men of the Homeland **American, British and German fighters **4th Division of Girê Spî * Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) **Rukan Battalion **Martyr Avesta Xabur Battalion *Anti-Terror Units (part of YPG & YPJ) * Kurdish Supreme Committee ** Democratic Union Party **Kurdish National Council **Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party *Special Forces Regiment *Euphrates Region *Sapper unit *Shammer tribe militias ** Al-Sanadid Forces * Syria’s Tomorrow Movement ** Elite Forces (unclear) ***Saadallah al-Jabiri Battalion *Emblem of Jaysh al-Thuwar.svg Army of Revolutionaries ** Kurdish Front ***Tel Rifaat Revolutionaries Battalion ***Shahba Women’s Protection Front *** Liwa Ahfad Othman *** Harakat al-Fedayeen ***Brigade 313 – Free Men of Aqrab ***Gathering Homs Revolutionaries **Martyr Qasim Areef Battalion **Martyr Yusuf al-Quzhul Company **Division 30 remnants ** Seljuk Brigade ***Hammam Turkmen Martyrs Brigade **al Qa’qa Brigade **Homs Commandos Brigade **99th Infantry Brigade **455th Special Tasks Brigade **Tribal Forces **Southern Storm Company **Eagles of the Sunnah Company **Truthful Promise Company **Fighters for Justice Company **Revolutionary Shield Brigade * Northern Democratic Brigade **Shahba Forces **Idlib Military Council * Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa **Free Women of Raqqa Battalion **Brigade Groups of Al-Jazira *Raqqa Hawks Brigade **Ghanim group **Northern Union **Martyr Tasleem Jimmo Brigade * Idlib Revolutionaries Brigade *Liwa Jund al-Haramain *Raqqa Martyrs Brigade *Raqqa Regiment *Jazeera Knights *Liwa Owais al-Qorani *Free Officers Union (unclear) * Jaysh al-Salam **Liberation Brigade **Tell Abyad Revolutionaries Brigade **Free Raqqa Brigade **Free Tabqa Brigade **Umanaa al-Raqqa Brigade **Harun al-Rashid Brigade *Euphrates Volcano ** Dawn of Freedom Brigades ** Retribution Army ** Jarabulus Company ** Jihad in the Path of God Brigade *Northern Brigade faction *Al-Bab Revolutionary Front *Qebasîn Martyrs Brigade *Al-Bab Countryside Martyrs Battalion *Free Arima Battalion *Martyr Silo al-Rai Brigade *Kieba Martyrs Brigade * Syriac-Assyrian Military Council ** Syriac Military Council (MFS) *** Bethnahrain Women’s Protection Forces *** Syriac Union Party ***Special Forces unit ***International volunteers **Ashur Forces *** Khabour Guards ****Martyr Joel Hanna *** Nattoreh *Martyr Amara Arab Women’s Battalion *Jazira Region Young Women’s Union volunteers *Euphrates Region Young Women Union volunteers *Battalion of Karachok Martyrs *al-Shaitat tribe militias **Badia Hawks Brigade * Martyr Nubar Ozanyan Brigade *Revolutionary Forces *Brigade for the Liberation of Idlib and Afrin *Idlib Revolutionaries Brigade *Wrath of Olives Operation Room *Afrin Liberation Forces *Afrin Falcons *Harabiyya tribe militias *Ajeel tribe militias *Al-Baggara tribe militias *Zubayd tribe militias | SDF military councils | * Manbij Military Council **Northern Sun Battalion ***Euphrates Brigades ***Soldiers of the Two Holy Mosques Brigade ***Euphrates Martyrs Brigade ***Liwa Jund al Haramayn ***Dam Martyrs Brigade ***Al-Qusais Brigade ***Manbij Turkmen Brigade **Euphrates Liberation Brigade **Manbij Hawks Brigade ** Manbij Revolutionaries Battalion **Martyr Adnan Abu Amjad Regiment **Martyr Abdo Dushka Regiment * al-Bab Military Council ** Female Battalion * Jarabulus Military Council **Euphrates Jarabulus Brigades ***Martyr Yusuf al-Jader Battalion ***Euphrates Shield Battalion ***Jarabulus Knights Battalion ***Martyr Zaki Jader Brigade ***Instructor Jader Brigade ***Juma al-Jader Brigade ***Gwadar Martyrs Brigade ***Jarabulus Armoured Battalion **Jarabulus Hawks Battalion **Free Jarabulus Battalion * Deir ez-Zor Military Council **Gathering of al-Baggara Youth **Khabat al-Sha’iti Battalion **Hajin battalion * Serê Kaniyê Military Council **Ayn Issa Military Council **Martyr Ilan Kobanê Brigade **Martyr Adel Manbij Brigade **Thuwar Tal Abyad **Annaba Clan Volunteers *Tal Abyad Military Council *Qamishli Military Council *Raqqa Military Council *Hasakah Military Council *Al-Shaddadi Military Council | Police forces | *Northern Syria Internal Security Forces ** Asayish ***Anti-Terror Forces (HAT SWAT units) ** Manbij Internal Security Forces *** Quick Reaction Force unit **Raqqa Internal Security Forces ***Quick Reaction Force unit ** Deir ez-Zor Internal Security Forces *** Quick Reaction Force unit *Sutoro **Bethnahrain Women’s Protection Forces police branch | Civilian defence units | *Self-Defense Forces (HXP) **Military Discipline Units **Special Forces * Civilian Defense Force (HPC) *Syrian Border Security Force (BSF) | Allied armed groups: | * Kurdistan Workers’ Party ** People’s Defence Forces ** Free Women’s Units * People’s Liberation Faction * International Freedom Battalion ** MLKP ***Martyr Serkan Battalion ** TKP/TIKKO *** Turkey Workers and Peasants Liberation Army ** MKP ** United Freedom Forces *** THKP-C/MLSPB *** DKP/BOG *** Türkiye Devrim Partisi *** Sosyal İsyan **** Kadın Özgürlük Gücü ***** Devrimci Karargâh ****Aziz Güler Özgürlük Gücü Milis Örgütü ****Kader Ortakaya Timi ****Kızılbaş Timi ****Mahir Arpaçay Devrimci Savaş Okulu ****Necdet Adalı Müfrezesi ****Spartaküs Timi ****Şehit Bedreddin Taburu ****Emek ve Özgürlük Cephesi ****Martyr Mahir Arpaçay Battalion ** PML (RC) ** TKEP/L ** Revolutionary Communard Party/Birlik ** RUIS ** IRPGF *** TQILA ** Michael Israel Brigade ** Anarchist Struggle ** Henri Krasucki Brigade ** Bob Crow Brigade **No Surrender Motorcycle Club *Peoples’ United Revolutionary Movement *Coat of Arms of Rojava.svg Anti-Turkish insurgents in Afrin District * Sinjar Alliance ** Sinjar Resistance Units ** Êzîdxan Women’s Units * Kurdistan Freedom Party | Iraqi Kurdistan | * Peshmerga ** KDP Peshmerga ** PUK Peshmerga ***Counterterrorism Group * Kurdistan Region | 🇮🇶 (until 20 November 2018) | * Iraqi Armed Forces ( – 20 May November 2018) ** ( – 20 June November 2018) **Counter Terrorism Service *🇮🇶 Iraqi Security Forces | Armament support: | * Iraqi Kurdistan ** Kurdistan Democratic Party ** Patriotic Union of Kurdistan *🇫🇷 France *🇺🇸 United States *🇷🇺 Russia (sometimes) *🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates *🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia (from 2018) *🇮🇹 Italy * Syria (sometimes) | Seal of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.svg CJTF-OIR (against ISIL) | *🇺🇸 United States (also supported SDF in clashes with pro-government forces, 2017–present) **🇺🇸 US Armed Forces *** US Army **** US Army Special Forces ****Delta Force ****101st Airborne Division *** US Air Force ****United States Air Force Tactical Air Control Party ****USAF Combat Control insignia.svg United States Air Force Combat Control Team ****9th Bomb Squadron Patch.jpg 9th Bomb Squadron ****432d Wing.png 432nd Wing *** US Navy *** US Marine Corps ****11th MEU Insignia.png 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit *****1st Battalion 4th Marines Insignia.png 1st Battalion, 4th Marines ***Seal of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).svg US SOF ****75th Ranger Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia.svg 75th Ranger Regiment ****5th SFG Beret Flash.png 5th Special Forces Group *🇬🇧 United Kingdom **🇬🇧British Armed Forces ***Special Air Service *🇫🇷 France **🇫🇷French Armed Forces *** French Army ****68e Régiment d’Artillerie d’Afrique *** French Air Force ***French SOF ****Task Force Wagram (heavy artillery) *🇩🇪 Germany ** German Air Force **German KSK (denied by Germany) *🇳🇱 Netherlands *🇳🇴 Norway *🇯🇴 Jordan *🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia *🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 🇮🇶 (limited airstrikes and border operations against ISIL in northern Syria, June – Nov 2018) | * (until 20 November 2018) * (until 20 November 2018) Former: | 🇨🇦 Canada (2014–16) | 🇩🇰 Denmark (2014–16) | 🇧🇪 Belgium (2014–17) | 🇦🇺 Australia (2015–17) | 🇲🇦 Morocco (2014–16) | 🇧🇭 Bahrain (2014–16) | 🇶🇦 Qatar (2014–16) | 🇷🇺 Russia (against ISIL and Turkish-backed rebels, 2015–17) | * Russian Air Force | Al-Qaeda | * '''Army of Conquest **Tahaluf Fatah al-sham **Liwa al-Jihad **Tajamu al-Mujahideen Nawa **Liwa Ansar al-Haq **Liwa al-Umawayn al-Islami * Al-Nusra Front ** Jabhat Fatah al-Sham ***Khorasan group ***Suqour al-Ezz ** Two al-Nusra battalions **Inghimassiyeen elite shock troops **Nusra Brigades *Mujahideen Shura Council **Katibat Usud al-Sunna **Army of Ahl al-Sunni wall Jamaa | **Jabhat al-Jihad wal-Bina | **Bayarq al Shaaitat | **Liwa al-Qadisiya | **Army of Maoata al-Islami | **Army of-Ikhlas | **al-Qa’qa *Alliance to Support Islam ** Ansar al-Tawhid ***Firqat al-Ghuraba * Jaysh al-Haramoun **Sword of al-Sham Brigades ***Ezz Brigade ****Jesus Christ Brigade **Liwa Fursan al-Sunna **Liwa Jabal al-Sheikh **Liwa Osama bin Zaid **Liwa Omar ibn al-Khattab **Liwa Sayad al-Usud **Harakat Shuhada al-Sham * Rouse the Believers Operations Room * Jaysh al-Sunna *Xhemati Alban *So Be Steadfast Operations Room ** Hurras al-Din ** al-Muqatileen al-Ansar Brigade ** al-Jihad Coordination Group ** Ansar al-Din Front *** Harakat Sham al-Islam ***Harakat Fajr ash-Sham al-Islamiyya ** Ansar al-Islam *Katiba Abd Ar-Rahman * Caucasus Emirate ** Tarkhan’s Jamaat * Ajnad al-Sham * Liwa al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar ** Green Battalion * Islamic Unity and Liberation Front **Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman Brigade **Victory of Saladin Battalions **Nasr Saladin Brigade **Katibat Hudheifa bin al-Yaman **Katibat Mohammed bin Abdullah **Katibat Musaib bin Umair **Katibat Abu Dujana **Katibat Shuhada al-Jamaa Jund al-Rahman **Katibat Ahrar al-Badiyah * Jamaat Bayt al-Maqdis al-Islamiyya *Katibat al-Ghuraba al-Turkistan * Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad * Jama’at Ansar al-Furqan in Bilad al Sham * Ghuraba al-Sham * Taliban ** Pakistani Taliban ** Imam Bukhari Jamaat * Fatah al-Islam *Muhajirin wa-Ansar Alliance ** Liwaa al-Umma *Jabhat al-Jihad wal-Bina’ al-Islamiyya **Liwa Jaf’ar al-Tayyar **Liwa la Ilaha illa Allah **Liwa al-Hawaz **Liwa Ibn Qiam **Liwa al-Risalla **Liwa al-Tawhid al-Islami **Liwa Othman bin Afan **Liwa Ahfad Mohammad **Liwa Sarayat al-Rasoul **Liwa Sadiq al-Amin **Tajamm’u al-Rachidin *Brigade of al-Qaka * Sadqa Wa’dah Movement | Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant * Islamic State of Iraq * Military of ISIL **ISIL Aleppo branch ** al-Barakah Province ***Tayy tribal forces ***Jibur tribal forces ***“Army of the Caliphate” elite units ****Unit 335 ** Wilayat al-Khair ** Wilayat al-Sham ***al-Barakah district ***al-Khayr district ***al-Furat district ** Wilayat Deir ez Zor ***Garrison of Deir ez-Zor Province ** Wilayat Dimashq ** Wilayat Halab ***pro-ISIL local tribes ** Wilayat Homs ***Garrison of Homs Province ** Wilayat Raqqa ***Majority of al-Breij tribe ***Elements of al-Ajeel tribe ***Elements of al-Na’im tribe ** Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama’a ***Assoud al-Islam Brigade ***Bayada Martyr’s Brigade ** Insurgent forces ***Army of the Security Forces **Hisba police **Khorasan Battalion ** Bayt al-Maqdis **Army of Aleppo ***Inghimasi units ***Russian-speaking battalion **Army of Hasakah ***Knights Battalion **Caliphate Army ***Katibah Nusantara elements ***Rapid Response Battalion **Caliphate Cubs ***Tell Abyad sleeper cells ***Abu Ubada al-Shami **Badr Battalion **Sabri Battalion **Kurdish units **Sharia police * Khalid ibn al-Walid Army ** Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade ** Islamic Muthanna Movement ** Jaysh al-Jihad * Dokumacılar * Jund al-Aqsa *Liwa Dawud * Liwa Aqab al-Islami *Group of the One and Only * Katiba al-Bittar al-Libi *Al-Khansaa Brigade |
Notes
- The United States alleged that Belarus and Cuba has provided or attempted to provide direct military support to the Syrian government. Both countries have denied this. There are also unconfirmed reports that Algeria is providing military support to the Syrian government.
- There is regular conflict between the different rebel groups in the inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War.
- Jund al-Aqsa was allied with al-Nusra Front and other rebels as part of the Army of Conquest, which the group left in October 2015 and subsequently was accused of being allied with ISIL, taking part in ISIL-led offensives such as the 2016 Khanasir offensive. However, Jund al-Aqsa again worked with the Army of Conquest and other rebels during the 2016 Southern Aleppo campaign. Eventually most of Jund al-Aqsa joined al-Nusra. Conflict between the two broke out in 2017.
- The Kurdish National Council has joined the Syrian National Coalition—though without officially committing any military forces to the opposition—while simultaneously retaining its membership in the Kurdish Supreme Committee, alongside the PYD.
- Canada withdrew jet fighters from the US-led coalition against ISIL on 15 February 2016.
- The Syriac Military Council (including Bethnahrain Women’s Protection Forces), Sutoro, Ashur Forces (Khabour Guards and Nattoreh) all represent the Assyrian people of Syria.
- Turkey is part of the CJTF–OIR against ISIL, but is also fighting against the SDF, which is supported by CJTF–OIR.
- Russia provides air support to the Syrian Ba’athist government. Previously, it also provided air support to Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIL and some Syrian rebel groups, respectively, but not against one another.
- Serbia, a traditional Orthodox ally of Russia who supports the Assad government, has assisted Russian troops in humanitarian missions on multiple occasions.
- Armenia, Egypt, Venezuela, Algeria, and China send non-lethal support to the Syrian Government.
- Israel has been neutral throughout the war, but has engaged with Iran as part of the Iran–Israel proxy conflict.
See also
- Combatants of the Iraq War
- Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war
- Foreign fighters in the Syrian Civil War and War in Iraq
- List of armed groups in the War in Iraq (2013–2017)
- List of armed groups in the Second Libyan Civil War
- List of armed groups in the Yemeni Civil War
- List of armed groups in the Syrian civil war spillover in Lebanon
- Spillover of the Syrian civil war
Notes
References
External links
- Syrian Civil War factions
- Syrian Civil War factions by Bellingcat
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