2013 Latakia offensive

Campaign during the Syrian Civil War Latakia offensive (disambiguation) April 2016 2013 Latakia offensive the Syrian Civil War Latakia Offensive Map.svg 300px The situation in the Latakia Governorate in August 2013 #EDC4BE Syrian Army control #CDEBC9 Opposition control 4–19 August 2013(2013 8 4 2013 8 19) Latakia Governorate, Syria Syrian government victory Rebel forces initially captured 13 villages Syrian government forces counter-attack recaptures all of the villageshttps://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/11/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html?hpt=imi_c2 Syrian rebel fighters guilty of serious abuses, says Human Rights Watch 11 October 2013 CNN 24 October 2014 Militants killed at least 190 civilians and took more than 200 as hostages Flag of Syria (2025-).svg Free Syrian Army Logo of the Syrian Islamic Front.svg Syrian Islamic Front Flag of the Al-Nusra Front.svg Al-Nusra Fronthttp://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/08/201382810616786551.html Inside the battle for Assad's heartland Rania Abouzeid Al Jazeera English 23 August 2013 21 April 2025 Flag of Jihad.svg Junud al-ShamСирия Латакия Сопка Дурин. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2014. Flag of Harakat Sham al-Islam.svg Harakat Sham al-Islamhttp://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/04/former_guantanamo_de_2.php Former Guantanamo detainee killed while leading jihadist group in Syria 4 April 2014 24 October 2014 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Syria 1980 Syrian Arab Republic Flag of Jihad.svg Walid Aouss(Rejal Ahoudou Allah leader)https://www.facebook.com/gabl.akrad.Coordinating/posts/414053318699027 ‫تنسيقية #اللاذقية : استشهاد المجاهد وليد أوسي... - تنسيقية الثورة ال… Facebook https://archive.today/20130808200512/https://www.facebook.com/gabl.akrad.Coordinating/posts/414053318699027 8 August 2013 deadSyrian opposition Kahtane Haaj Mohammed(al-Tawhid Brigade commander)https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=414080242029668 Facebook Facebook 24 October 2014Flag of Jihad.svg Ans Chyghani(Al Izzatullah wal nasr minAllah Brigade commander)https://www.facebook.com/gabl.akrad.Coordinating/posts/414053675365658 ‫تنسيقية #اللاذقية : استشهاد القائد الميداني أنس... - تنسيقية الثورة … Facebook https://archive.today/20130808200515/https://www.facebook.com/gabl.akrad.Coordinating/posts/414053675365658 8 August 2013 deadFlag of Ahrar ash-Sham.svg Abu Moaz(Ahrar al-Sham commander)Flag of Harakat Sham al-Islam.svg Abu Mustafa(Ansar al-Din commander)Flag of Caucasian Emirate.svg Muslim Shishani(Junud al-Sham commander)Islamic State flag.svg Haji Bakr(ISIL leader)https://www.facebook.com/gabl.akrad.Coordinating/posts/414053318699027 ‫تنسيقية #اللاذقية : استشهاد المجاهد وليد أوسي... - تنسيقية الثورة ال… Facebook https://archive.today/20130808200512/https://www.facebook.com/gabl.akrad.Coordinating/posts/414053318699027 8 August 2013 deadSyrian opposition Abu al-Hassan Ammar(FSA spokesman)https://www.facebook.com/salma.m2012/posts/302940293184295 Facebook Facebook 24 October 2014Infobox Ansar al-Aqida.png Abu Mohammed al-Halabi InfoboxNDF.png Hilal al-Assad(Latakia NDF commander)http://www.majalla.com/eng/2013/08/article55244332 Syria: Islamists advance towards Assad bastion of Latakia The Majalla Magazine 24 October 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141016100052/http://www.majalla.com/eng/2013/08/article55244332 16 October 2014 dead dmy-allInfoboxNDF.png Nizar al-Khatib(Tartus NDF commander)http://www.tartous2day.com/news/show_news.php?id=5309 استشهاد قائد مركز الدفاع الوطني في طرطوس - طرطوس اليوم 24 October 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141025012644/http://www.tartous2day.com/news/show_news.php?id=5309 25 October 2014 dead dmy-allSyrian Resistance Flag.svg Mihraç Ural(Syrian Resistance commander) Flag of Syria (2025-).svg Free Syrian Army Flag of Syria (2025-).svg Latakia Military Council Flag of Syria (2025-).svg Al-Tawhid Brigadehttps://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=414080242029668 Facebook Facebook 24 October 2014 Infobox Ansar al-Aqida.png Ansar al-AqidaFarouk Atig Yacine Benrabia 24 December 2023 Syria: Jihadist Squads https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01XSEf1MZj0 23 May 2025 YouTube en Logo of the Syrian Islamic Front.svg Syrian Islamic Front Flag of Ahrar ash-Sham.svg Ahrar ash-Sham Ansar al-Sham Logo.png Ansar al-Sham Flag of the Al-Nusra Front.svg Al-Nusra Front Suqour al-Ezzhttp://beta.syriadeeply.org/2013/08/decoder-battle-latakia-begins/#.UgDoe5JGtq8 Decoder: The Battle for Latakia Begins 24 October 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140211222334/http://beta.syriadeeply.org/2013/08/decoder-battle-latakia-begins/#.UgDoe5JGtq8 11 February 2014 dead dmy-allhttp://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/regime-regains-ground Regime Regains Ground on the Coast Institute for the Study of War 22 August 2013 24 October 2014 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Katibat al Muhajireen Flag of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces (1980–2024).svg Syrian Armed Forces Flag of the Syrian Arab Army.svg Syrian Army 1st Armoured Division 58th Mechanized Brigade 3rd Armoured Division 47th Armoured Brigade InfoboxNDF.png National Defense Force Flag of the Syrian Arab Air Force.svg Syrian Air Force Military Intelligence Directorate Syrian Resistance Flag.svg Syrian Resistance 1,500–2,000 fightershttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Aug-07/226582-latakia-offensive-inflames-syrias-sectarian-wounds.ashx#axzz2b3ceER74 Latakia offensive inflames Syria's sectarian wounds The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon 24 October 2014 6 August 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180806181520/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Aug-07/226582-latakia-offensive-inflames-syrias-sectarian-wounds.ashx#axzz2b3ceER74 dead 1,500 ISIL fightershttps://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/world/middleeast/rebels-gain-control-of-government-air-base-in-syria.html Rebels Gain Control of Government Air Base in Syria The New York Times Anne Barnard Anne Barnard Hwaida Saad Hwaida Saad 5 August 2013 40 fighters from Junud al-Sham(Muslim Shishani's claim 5,000 soldiers 107 fighters killed60 killed (4–5 August), 1 killed (6 August), 4 killed (7 August), 12 killed (8 August), 10 killed (9 August), 4 killed (10 August), 9 killed (11 August), 10 killed (12 August), 1 killed (13 August), total of 107 reported killed(up until Army counter-attack) 6 killed and 9 wounded from Junud al-Sham20 August 2013 ShamCenter - Operation: Jabal Akrad - Jabal Durin - Deutsch http://shamcenter.info/news/149/15/ShamCenter-Operation-Jabal-Akrad-Jabal-Durin-Deutsch/d,detail-de https://web.archive.org/web/20130820122424/http://shamcenter.info/news/149/15/ShamCenter-Operation-Jabal-Akrad-Jabal-Durin-Deutsch/d,detail-de 20 August 2013 30 March 2025 Sham Center de 114–127 soldiers17 –30 https://www.hrw.org/embargo/node/119645?signature%3De2f9f3f7816e1c649b9265b332fc2ec2%26suid%3D6 Human Rights Watch Defending Human Rights Worldwide 2013-10-11 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20131016062324/http://www.hrw.org/embargo/node/119645?signature=e2f9f3f7816e1c649b9265b332fc2ec2&suid=6 16 October 2013 dmy killed (4 August), 5 killed (5 August), 10 killed (7 August), 13 killed (8 August), 9 killed (9 August), 10 killed (10 August), 8 killed (11 August), 5 killed (12 August), 3 killed (14 August), 3 killed (15 August), 12 killed (16 August), 8 killed (17 August), 6 killed (18 August), 5 killed (19 August), total of 114–127 reported killed and 44 militiamen killed 190–205 civilians killed The 2013 Latakia offensive (called The Descendants of Aisha, Mother of the Believers by Salafi jihadists, and the Operation Liberation of the Coast by the Free Syrian Army and its supporters) was a campaign during the Syrian Civil War launched by rebel groups led by Salafi jihadists in the Latakia Governorate. The stated aim of the offensive was to conquer al-Haffah city, but government supporters assumed conquering Mount Nabi Younes was more likely the real aim. A calculated side effect may have been to spark more sectarian violence in Syria by carrying out a sectarian attack on an Alawite-majority area.http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2013/08/syrian-war-jihadists-alawite-stronghold-coast.html Syrian jihadists move war to Alawite stronghold Al-Monitor 24 October 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141024212940/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2013/08/syrian-war-jihadists-alawite-stronghold-coast.html 24 October 2014 dead dmy-all The offensive began in early August 2013. During the campaign, rebel forces captured a dozen villages. However, in mid-August, the military counter-attacked and recaptured all of the territory previously lost to the rebels. Offensive Rebel advance On 4 August 2013, an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 rebel fighters, 300 of them foreigners, launched an offensive from the rebel-held town of Salma further into the predominantly pro-government Alawite Latakia province. The offensive started with a rebel attack on 10 Alawite villages in the Jabal al-Akrad mountain area.http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Aug-05/226293-rebels-target-assad-loyalists-in-damascus-latakia.ashx#axzz2b3ceER74 Rebels target Assad loyalists in Damascus, Latakia The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon 24 October 2014 11 October 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171011171228/http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Middle-East/2013/Aug-05/226293-rebels-target-assad-loyalists-in-damascus-latakia.ashx#axzz2b3ceER74 dead Rebel tanks were also deployed, firing on the villages. Throughout the day, ambulances rushed wounded government fighters to Latakia city from the frontline. As for rebel casualties, Tunisians, Libyans, Saudis, and Jordanians were among those reported killed in the initial attacks.https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/syrian-rebels-make-new-push-on-assads-alawite-heartland/2013/08/04/fe06b23e-fd4b-11e2-8294-0ee5075b840d_story.html Syrian rebels make new push on Assad's Alawite heartland Washington Post 24 October 2014 In one instance during the fighting, a foreign rebel suicide-bomber detonated his car killing at least 15 NDF militiamen and Army soldiers.https://www.facebook.com/syriahroe/posts/402772103164467 Final death toll for Sunday 04/08/2013; More than 180 were killed in Syria yesterday. Facebook 24 October 2014 By the end of the first day of fighting, rebels had seized five villageshttp://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/78376/World/Region/Syrian-rebels-push-advance-into-Latakia-NGO.aspx Syrian rebels push advance into Latakia: NGO 24 October 2014 and captured 400 Alawite villagers and pro-government militiamen,http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/08/05/3129742/hrw-syrian-missiles-kill-hundreds.html https://archive.today/20130805231410/http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/08/05/3129742/hrw-syrian-missiles-kill-hundreds.html dead 5 August 2013 Syrian rebels take villages in regime's heartland 24 October 2014 including a pro-government Alawite cleric, Badr Ghazal. Hundreds of Alawite civilians fled to Latakia. On 5 August 2013, rebels further advanced to the outskirts of the Alawite village of Aramo, 20 km from Qardaha, President Bashar al-Assad's hometown, which also contains the mausoleum of Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad. Rebel forces were using freshly supplied anti-tank missiles to a reportedly devastating effect, with one opposition activist claiming three Army tanks were destroyed on a hilltop overlooking Salma.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-mountain-idUSBRE97410820130805 Syrian rebels push into Assad's Alawite mountain stronghold Reuters 5 August 2013 24 October 2014 Later, it was reported that opposition forces had captured Aramo, along with one other village.https://www.facebook.com/syriahroe/posts/402812663160411 Latakia province 1 Facebook 24 October 2014 Rebels also made attempts to advance in the Jabal Turkman mountain area. However, during the second day of the fighting, government forces launched a counter-attack and managed to recapture one of the five villages they lost the previous day, Beit al-Shakuhi. The counter-attack came as fresh government reinforcements started to arrive in an attempt to push back the rebels. While the rebel offensive was praised by some of their sympathizers, others were opposed to opening up the front, with one opposition activist noting that the rebels "have a habit of escalating without preparing as soon as they feel they have enough weapons. But they are not ready... and the regime's response will be crazy." The United States, a main backer of the FSA, was against targeting Latakia because it could spark revenge attacks by Alawites against its majority Sunni population and increase the flow of refugees. Other foreign diplomats said the coastal area and its mountain villages could be the scene of a bloodbath against the Alawites if Islamist radicals end up eventually gaining the upper hand. On 6 August 2013, the opposition activist group the SOHR claimed that rebels had overrun 11 Alawite villages in the previous three days. A security source played down the report saying that only two villages were still rebel-held after an Army counter-attack.http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130806/syria-rebels-overrun-key-aleppo-air-base-3 Syria rebels overrun key Aleppo air base GlobalPost 24 October 2014 25 October 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141025100235/http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130806/syria-rebels-overrun-key-aleppo-air-base-3 dead SOHR also reported that a number of executions had been conducted during the course of the offensive.https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323420604578652250872942058 Capture of Syrian Air Base Shows al Qaeda's Increasing Sway 7 August 2013 WSJ 24 October 2014 Four hilltop military posts that were shelling rebel-held villages were also reportedly captured by opposition forces. On 7 August 2013, an Alawite cleric confirmed 13 villages were captured by rebel forces but stated that six of them had already been recaptured by the Army the previous day. He also claimed that the rebels killed more than 100 people in sectarian massacres against the villagers, most of them women and children.http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/08/syrian-rebel-attacks-latakia-al-qaeda-jihadist.html Syrian Rebel Forces Set Sights on Latakia Al-Monitor 24 October 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141024210840/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/08/syrian-rebel-attacks-latakia-al-qaeda-jihadist.html 24 October 2014 dead dmy-all Two days later, SOHR confirmed that dozens of Alawite civilians had been killed in the area.https://www.facebook.com/syriahroe/posts/404455826329428 Final death toll for Thursday 08/08/2013; Approximately 140 civilians were killed yesterday in Syria. Facebook 24 October 2014 Other activists also reported 60 civilians had been killed in the offensive.https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=210754054 Iraqi Kurdish Leader Vows To Defend Kurds In Syria 10 August 2013 NPR https://web.archive.org/web/20130811080604/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=210754054 11 August 2013 On 9 August 2013, opposition activists reported that FSA commanders had issued orders to their battalions in the province to halt their advances and retreat from villages they had captured, the reason being that arms supplies to the rebels had been halted in the previous hours. However, senior FSA sources denied that a retreat order was issued. One opposition activist stated that rebel fighters actually rejected the FSA's request to retreat due to the arms shortage and resorted to using the ammunition they seized from government forces during the fighting.http://www.aawsat.net/2013/08/article55313091 Syria: FSA denies withdrawal from Latakia 24 October 2014 1 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150701210614/http://www.aawsat.net/2013/08/article55313091 dead Later during the day, the Syrian Army attacked three villages, with state media claiming the military managed to recapture all three. However, activists stated government forces managed to recapture one village, Qashba,https://www.facebook.com/syriahroe/posts/404531986321812 Latakia province 2 Facebook 24 October 2014 while fighting was still ongoing in the other two. Rebel forces, in turn, claimed in an online video to have managed to capture the village of Kharratah, three kilometers south of Salma.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE97903020130810 Assad sends air force to prevent rebel advances in home province Reuters 10 August 2013 24 October 2014 However, the village had already been confirmed as captured by rebel forces at the start of the offensive days earlier. During the night, several air-strikes hit Salma killing 20 people. 10 of them were rebel fighters, including four foreigners, and 10 were civilians.http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/78701/World/Region/-dead-in-air-raids-in-Syrias-Latakia-province-NGO.aspx 20 dead in air raids in Syria's Latakia province: NGO 24 October 2014 By 11 August, reports emerged of mass civilian killings by rebel forces in the captured Alawite villages, as well as the abduction of hundreds of others.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10236362/Syrian-rebels-accused-of-sectarian-murders.html Syrian rebels accused of sectarian murders 11 August 2013 Telegraph.co.uk 24 October 2014 Army counter-attack On 16 August 2013, the military launched a counter-attack, reportedly quickly capturing two villages. On 18 August 2013, the Syrian Army claimed to have recaptured nine villages over the previous two days. An opposition activist confirmed that the rebels lost seven villages, but stated that they managed to once again capture five of them.http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-syria-military-latakia-20130818,0,2395071.story Syria claims military successes in Assad's home province Los Angeles Times Patrick J. McDonnell 18 August 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130819181018/http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-syria-military-latakia-20130818%2C0%2C2395071.story 19 August 2013 dead Later, the SOHR acknowledged that the military made gains and recaptured several Alawite villages during the day.https://www.facebook.com/syriahroe/posts/409062199202124 Latakia province 3 Facebook 24 October 2014 They added that the Army killed scores of foreign fighters, including a Libyan emir of the al-Qaeda-linked group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Aug-18/227736-advancing-army-kills-jihadist-emir-in-syrias-latakia-activists.ashx#axzz2cKYIe9vs.html Advancing army kills jihadist emir in Syria's Latakia The Daily Star Dailystar 18 August 2013 18 August 2013 6 September 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200906201056/https://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Middle-East/2013/Aug-18/227736-advancing-army-kills-jihadist-emir-in-syrias-latakia-activists.ashx#axzz2cKYIe9vs.html dead The air force bombarded rebel positions in the Jabal al-Akrad mountains, during which a fighter jet was reportedly shot down and its pilot captured by the rebels. On 19 August 2013, state media reported that the Army recaptured all rebel-held positions in Latakia after capturing the Nabi Ashia mountain range and adjoining areas in the north of the province. According to a security source, the only remaining rebel-held area was in and around the town of Salma,http://www.france24.com/en/20130819-syria-army-recaptures-all-rebel-positions-latakia Syrian army recaptures all rebel positions in Latakia France 24 19 August 2013 24 October 2014 from which the rebels launched their offensive. Opposition activists confirmed the Army recaptured nine Alawite villages, but stated that fighting was still ongoing in two more. Government troops had also retaken all of the military observation posts which rebels seized at the start of their offensive.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE97I0HW20130819 Assad's forces push back rebels in Syria's Alawite mountains Reuters 19 August 2013 24 October 2014 It was later confirmed that all of the villages had been recaptured by the military. Rebel massacre of civilians On 26 August 2013, the SOHR reported that the kidnapped Alawite cleric, Badr Ghazal, had been executed by the Al-Nusra Front.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-rebels-idUSBRE97P0FG20130826 Syria rebels seize strategic town, execute Alawite cleric: activists Reuters 26 August 2013 24 October 2014 More than a month after the offensive had ended, additional reports emerged of civilian killings by rebel fighters. According to one report, two mass graves were found. Kidnapped women were also reportedly shipped off in trucks to be raped by rebel fighters. 62–140 civilians were estimated in the report to have been massacred, with another 105–199 missing or confirmed as kidnapped.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/02/syria-massacre-reports-alawites-assad Syria: massacre reports emerge from Assad's Alawite heartland Jonathan Steele the Guardian 2 October 2013 24 October 2014 On 11 October 2013, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report which stated that, after an investigation, they found grave violations of human rights by opposition forces, including executions, unlawful killings, and hostage-taking. The report documented 190 civilians killed by rebel forces, including at least 67 of the victims who were executed or unlawfully killed, though it noted that number of victims was likely higher. HRW stated that most of those killed were either intentionally or indiscriminately killed by opposition forces, with often clear sectarian motivations. More than 200 hostages, primarily women and children, continued to be held by Islamist forces. It notes that the pattern of abuses and killings by rebel forces in these incidents rose to legal category of both war crimes and crimes against humanity.Weaver Matthew 11 October 2013 Syrian rebels accused of crimes against humanity https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/11/syrian-rebels-accused-of-crimes-against-humanity 22 August 2026 The Guardian The report found that two Kuwaiti nationals, Sheikh Hajjej al-Ajami and Shafi al-Ajami, had a prominent role in collecting financial resources for the operation.HRW: Executions, Unlawful Killings, and Hostage Taking by Opposition Forces in Latakia Countryside https://web.archive.org/web/20131016062324/http://www.hrw.org/embargo/node/119645?signature=e2f9f3f7816e1c649b9265b332fc2ec2&suid=6 16 October 2013 https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/11/world/middleeast/syrian-civilians-bore-brunt-of-rebels-fury-report-says.html Syrian Civilians Bore Brunt of Rebels' Fury, Report Says 11 October 2013 The New York Times See also Asia 2014 Latakia offensive 2025 massacres of Syrian Alawites References 30em Category:Military operations of the Syrian civil war in 2013 Category:Latakia Governorate in the Syrian civil war Category:Persecution of Alawites Category:Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the Syrian government Category:Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving al-Nusra Front Category:Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the Free Syrian Army Category:Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the Islamic State Category:Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving Ahrar al-Sham Category:2013 massacres in the Syrian civil war Category:Massacres committed by the Islamic State in the Syrian civil war Category:Massacres committed by al-Nusra Front in the Syrian civil war Category:Massacres committed by rebels in the Syrian civil war Category:Battles involving the Islamic State