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Operation Spring Shield

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Operation Spring Shield
Part of the 2019–2020 northwestern Syria offensive and Turkish military operations in Idlib as part of Turkish involvement in the Syrian civil war

The situation after the ceasefire.
Date27 February – 6 March 2020
(1 week and 1 day)
Location
Northwestern Syria
Result

Ceasefire[3]

  • Syrian government offensive on Idlib halted[4]
  • Turkish backed counteroffensive partially failed[2]
Territorial
changes
  • Turkish Armed Forces and their allies capture the strategic Zawiya Mountain and 18 villages[5][6]
  • Syrian government forces and their allies capture the strategic Saraqib city and 4 villages[7][8]
    • Belligerents
     Turkey Syria
     Iran
    Hezbollah[1]
    Supported by:
     Russia[2]
    Commanders and leaders
    Units involved

    Turkish Armed Forces

    Syrian Armed Forces

     Iran

    Strength
    8,350[14]–20,000[15] Unknown
    Casualties and losses

    Per Turkey:[16][17][18]
    Turkey 41 killed
    81 wounded
    (including Balyun airstrikes)

    Materiel:

    destroyed or lost

    Per SOHR:[21]
    Syria 170 soldiers and 27 militiamen killed (between 15th of January and the 5th of March 2020).
    Per Middle East Institute:[22]
    Syria 405 government soldiers and militias killed
    Per Turkey:[23]
    Syria 3,136 soldiers and militiamen killed and wounded

    9–14 killed, 30 wounded [24][25][26][27]
    Iran 55 militias killed [28][29]

    Materiel:

    Operation Spring Shield (Turkish: Bahar Kalkanı Harekâtı) was a cross-border military operation carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in the Idlib Governorate of northwestern Syria against the Syrian Armed Forces and allied militias. The operation was launched on 27 February 2020 in direct response to the Balyun airstrikes, aiming to address the escalating situation in the region.[35][36]

    According to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, the primary objective of Operation Spring Shield was to achieve a ceasefire agreement within the framework of the Astana talks and to establish stability in the Second Northern Syria Buffer Zone. Additionally, the operation sought to prevent the mass migration of people from Idlib to the Turkish border, a pressing humanitarian concern.[37]

    On 5 March, Turkey and Russia signed a ceasefire agreement in Moscow, marking a step towards de-escalation in the region.[4]

    Background

    [edit]
    Further information: 2020 Balyun airstrikes

    On 27 February 2020, during the Dawn of Idlib 2 Operation, Turkish Army positions in Balyun, Idlib Governorate, came under attack from airstrikes allegedly conducted by the Syrian Air Force and the Russian Air Force. Resulting in the deaths of 36 Turkish soldiers,[38][16] with a reported number of wounded ranging from 36 to 60.[39][40]

    The following day, Russia denied it had carried out the airstrikes and stated that it had made efforts to halt the Syrian military's firing to facilitate the safe evacuation of the Turkish troops. Russia said that the Turkish forces should not have been present in the area, where "counter-terror operations" were underway, and criticized Turkey for failing to notify them about the soldiers' presence in advance. On the contrary, Turkey maintained that Russia was well aware of the locations of Turkish troops, as the two countries regularly communicated about this matter.[41]

    Operation timeline

    [edit]
    Further information: Northwestern Syria offensive (December 2019–March 2020) § Operation Spring Shield

    27–28 February

    [edit]

    Following the air attack in Balyun, Turkey officially launched its military intervention, initiating Operation Spring Shield. The primary objective of this operation was to put a stop to the Syrian government forces' advancement on Syrian rebels in Idlib and push them back to their pre-offensive positions.[42]

    On 28 February, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense reported that the Turkish armed forces had responded to the airstrikes and claimed to have "neutralized" 329 Syrian troops. Additionally, they claimed to have successfully destroyed five helicopters, 23 tanks, 10 armored vehicles, 23 artillery and howitzers, one SA-17, and one SA-22 air defense systems belonging to the Syrian government.[43][44]

    A Syrian military official acknowledged that their armored and technical vehicles had been heavily targeted, resulting in significant destruction of their arsenal in northwestern Syria.[45]

    A Turkish soldier, 11 Syrian soldiers and four members of the Lebanese Hezbollah were killed during the day.[46][47]

    29 February

    [edit]

    On 29 February, Turkish airstrikes targeted the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center in As-Safira, which a Turkish official claimed was used to develop chemical weapons.[48][49]

    During the day, 48 Syrian government soldiers and militias, including 14 Hezbollah fighters were killed and at least 13 military vehicles were destroyed by Turkish strikes.[50]

    1 March

    [edit]

    On 1 March, two Syrian Su-24 jets were shot down by Turkish Air Force F-16s.[32] All four Syrian pilots safely ejected. Both Syrian and Turkish forces confirmed the downing.[51] Meanwhile a Turkish TAI Anka drone was shot down by Syrian forces.[52] Additionally, Turkish drones bombed the 47th brigade in Hama Military Airport.[53]

    During the day, 19 Syrian soldiers were killed by Turkish drones attacks in Jabal al-Zawiya and Al-Hamidia, Idlib countryside.[54]

    2 March

    [edit]

    On 2 March, a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone was shot down by Syrian Air Defense Force near Saraqib.[55] During the day, a Turkish soldier and 26 Syrian government soldiers were killed in the clashes in Jabal Al-Zawiyah, south Idlib countryside, Saraqib and its countryside.[56][57]

    3 March

    [edit]

    On 3 March, the Syrian Army captured the strategic city of Saraqib and several surrounding villages after pushing back rebel forces supported by Turkish artillery and air power.[58][59] The Turkish airstrikes on government targets reduced significantly amidst a further government advance toward the town of Afis.[60][61] Concurrently, a Syrian Air Force Aero L-39 Albatros was shot downed by a Turkish F-16 over Idlib, with conflicting reports over the pilots fate.[62][63] Meanwhile, a Turkish Bayraktar drone was shot down by the Syrian Army in the western Aleppo countryside.[64][65]

    During the day, five Turkish soldiers were killed by Syrian bombardment in Taftanaz Airbase, Al-Tarnaba and Al-Mastouma camp.[66][67]

    4 March 2020

    [edit]

    On 4 March, Turkish sources claimed that Suheil al-Hassan was wounded by a drone strike near Saraqib.[68] A Turkish Bayraktar TB2 was shot down by Syrian forces in the Idlib Governorate.[69][70]

    During the day, 19 Syrian soldiers and seven non-Syrian fighters were killed by Turkish ground shelling and drones in Idlib countryside.[71]

    Ceasefire

    [edit]

    On 5 March 2020, the presidents of Turkey and Russia, Erdoğan and Putin, met in Moscow for high-level talks.[72] According to the statements made by the Turkish and Russian leaders following their one-on-one meeting, a ceasefire in the area of Idlib was to come into force from 00:00 hrs on 6 March. The terms of the ceasefire included a secure corridor 6 kilometers either side of the M4 highway, to be patrolled jointly by Russia and Turkey beginning on 15 March.[73]

    Syrian Government and Pro-Regime losses

    [edit]

    According to the Oryx blog, Syrian government equipment losses on the ground amounted to 50 T-55, T-62, T-72 tanks, 38 artilleries and MLRS's, 21 BMP-1 IFV's, 7 ZU-23 Air Defence Guns, 2 Pantsir and 31 other vehicles.[74]

    The Middle East Institute reported that Turkish drone and artillery strikes, alongside rebel fighters, killed at least 405 pro-regime fighters between February 27 and March 5. And that Damascus had also lost at least 73 armored vehicles to drone strikes and rebel anti-tank guided missile operators during the Turkish operation.[75] According to Reuters, 9 Hezbollah militants were killed and 30 were injured in an air strike by the Turkish Air Force.[76] According to a database compiled by Analyst Gregory Waters, a researcher on Syrian regime and ISIS , 55 militia fighters belonging to various Iranian-backed groups — including Baqir Brigade, Hezbollah, Liwa Fatemiyoun and Liwa Zainebiyoun brigades— were killed in the battles during the first two weeks of February.[77]

    Aftermath

    [edit]

    Since the signing of the ceasefire in March 2020, the Syrian Air Force has not conducted any airstrikes within the de-escalation zone, and this status remains unchanged as of April 2023.[78]

    See also

    [edit]

    References

    [edit]
    1. ^ Israel learned from Hezbollah's defeat at the hands of Turkey, Jerusalem Post, May 21, 2020. Accessed May 22, 2020.
    2. ^ a b Bohl, Ryan; Tack, Sim (5 March 2020). "Essential Geopolitics: Turkey and Russia Face a Risky Situation in Syria" (Podcast). Stratfor. Retrieved 23 July 2023. We've seen a Turkish supported counteroffensive on the ground in Idlib, which has partially failed
    3. ^ Tuvan Gumrukcu (2020-03-06). "Ceasefire in Syria's Idlib comes at a cost for Turkey's Erdogan". Reuters.
    4. ^ a b "Syria war: Russia and Turkey agree Idlib ceasefire". BBC News. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
    5. ^ "Opposition factions capture more areas in south Idlib as regime forces advance into Saraqeb". SOHR. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
    6. ^ "Liveuamap, (New Zaytoun, Az Ziyarah, Tell Wasit, Khirbat al-Naqus, Tall Rasm al Kabir, Tall Zajrim, Al Qahirah, Al Zuqum, Qulaydin, Al Ankawi, Al Haluba, Qaqafinah, Kafr Uwayd, Sfuhun, Fulayfil, Al Fatirah)". Liveuamap.
    7. ^ "Backed by Russian airpower, regime forces recapture Saraqib city only four days after Turkish forces and proxy factions captured it". SOHR. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
    8. ^ "Liveuamap (Kafr Battihk, Dadikh, Turunbah, Jubas, Saraqib)". Liveuamap.
    9. ^ "Bahar Kalkanı Harekatı'nı yöneten komutan Sinan Yayla kimdir nerelidir?" (in Turkish). Yeni Akit. 2020-03-02.
    10. ^ "Syrian regime commander reportedly killed in Turkish drone strike in Aleppo". Rudaw. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
    11. ^ a b "Turkish combat drones kill 3 Assad regime generals in Idlib". Daily Sabah. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
    12. ^ "Son dakika haberi: SİHA korkusu sardı! Rejimin elindeki asker sayısı azalınca, böyle getirildiler..." Sabah. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
    13. ^ "Cumhurbaşkanlığı İletişim Başkanlığı açıkladı: Güncel haritalar ve grafikler ile Suriye'de yaşanan son gelişmeler". Takvim. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
    14. ^ 150 Turkish military vehicles enter Syria as calm prevails the “de-escalation” zone
    15. ^ Ceasefire in Syria's Idlib comes at a cost for Turkey's Erdogan
    16. ^ a b "Erdoğan: İdlib'de 59 şehit verdik". www.sozcu.com.tr. 8 March 2020.
    17. ^ One Turkish soldier killed, two wounded in Syria's Idlib - ministry, Turkey says one soldier killed in Syrian government shelling in Idlib, One Turkish soldier killed and nine wounded in Syria's Idlib: ministry
    18. ^ Two Turkish soldiers killed, six wounded in Syria's Idlib - ministry, Turkish defence ministry says two soldiers died in Syria's Idlib
    19. ^ 1 Bayraktar TB2 (March 2020) [1] Archived 2022-03-02 at the Wayback Machine[2]
      1 TAI Anka-S (1 March)[3][4]
      1 Bayraktar Tactical UAS (3 March)[5][6]
      1 Bayraktar TB2 (4 March) [7]
    20. ^ Services (March 6, 2020). "Turkish UAVs played leading role in Idlib battle". Janes.
    21. ^ Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (March 5, 2020). "Military escalation in "De-escalation zone" 51 days on: 1,200,000 people displaced…2,640 killed…276 areas fall to regime forces". Retrieved March 13, 2021.
    22. ^ "The Syrian Regime's Combat Losses in Spring 2020, and What Lies Ahead". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
    23. ^ Operation Spring Shield leaves mark on Syria in 2020
    24. ^ "Turkish strike in Syria kills nine Hezbollah members, wounds 30". Reuters. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
    25. ^ "Several Hezbollah members killed in Turkish strike in Syria: reports". İ24News. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
    26. ^ "Turkey launches military operation against Syrian regime". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
    27. ^ "Lebanon's Hezbollah holds funeral for five of its fighters killed in Syria". Alarabiya News. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
    28. ^ "IRGC trained militias suffer losses in northwest Syria". Long War Journal. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
    29. ^ "Iran Buries 21 Afghan, Pakistani Proxy Fighters Killed In Syria". Radio Farda. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
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    32. ^ a b "بعد إسقاطها لمروحيتين الشهر الفائت.. القوات التركية تسقط طائرتين حربيتين تابعة للنظام السوري في أجواء محافظة إدلب". SOHR. March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
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    34. ^ "Turkey shoots down two Syrian warplanes, destroys armor, kills troops as conflict escalates". Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
    35. ^ Amberin Zaman (2020-03-01). "Turkey launches Operation Spring Shield against Syrian forces". Al-Monitor.
    36. ^ Joe Truzman (2020-03-05). "Turkey's Operation "Spring Shield" delivers blow to Hezbollah". Longwarjournal.org.
    37. ^ "Rusya'dan İdlib açıklaması: Ateşkes düzenlemesine genel olarak uyuluyor" (in Turkish). Ankara: Milliyet. 2020-03-12.
    38. ^ Kemal, Levent (5 November 2021). "Turkey blamed Syria for a deadly air strike. Its troops blame Russia". Middle East Monitor. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
    39. ^ "33 Turkish soldiers killed, 36 wounded in Syria's Idlib - live blog". Ahval. Archived from the original on 2020-12-14. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
    40. ^ Gurcan, Metin (February 28, 2020). "Deciphering Turkey's darkest night in Syria". Al-Monitor.
    41. ^ "The Strike: Did Russia Knowingly Target Turkish Troops?". POLYGRAPH.info. 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
    42. ^ "Turkey launches Operation Spring Shield". Hürriyet Daily News. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
    43. ^ "Bakan Akar: 200'ü aşkın rejim hedefi ağır ateş altına alındı". NTV. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
    44. ^ 45 regime forces killed by bombing drones and war planes and Turkish artillery shelling ... and surface-to-surface missiles targeting the countryside of Aleppo
    45. ^ Desk, News (February 28, 2020). "Turkish military carries out massive attack against Syrian Army". Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
    46. ^ "24 Hours after the killing of tens of Turkish soldiers, regime's artillery kill and injure 3 others and drones kill officers of the regime and leaders of Hezbollah". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 28 February 2020.
    47. ^ Soldatkin, Vladimir (2020-03-06). "Russia, Turkey agree ceasefire deal for Syria's Idlib". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
    48. ^ "45 قتيلا من قوات النظام بقصف طائرات مسيرة وحربية وقصف مدفعي تركي.. وصواريخ أرض-أرض تستهدف ريف حلب". SOHR. 29 February 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
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    51. ^ "Syrian troops retake key northwestern town from rebel forces". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2 March 2020.
    52. ^ Services, Compiled from Wire (March 1, 2020). "Assad regime downs Turkish drone in Syria after announcing airspace closure". Daily Sabah.
    53. ^ "طائرات مسيرة تركية تقصف "اللواء "47.. والمضادات الأرضية في مطار حماة العسكري تتصدى". SOHR. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
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    59. ^ Turkey’s Erdogan hopes to broker Syria truce in Moscow
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    61. ^ News Desk (2020-03-03). "Syrian Army attempts to advance in eastern Idlib after seizing Saraqib city". AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز. Archived from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
    62. ^ "بعد إسقاط تركيا لطائرته.. الفصائل تعثر على جثة الطيار في منطقة جبل الزاوية". SOHR (in Arabic). 3 March 2020.
    63. ^ News Desk (2020-03-03). "Syrian Army went behind enemy lines to save pilot in Idlib". AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز. Archived from the original on 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
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    65. ^ "Syrian Army takes down Turkish drone in Idlib". TASS. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
    66. ^ "Turkish forces resume bombarding regime positions, while regime forces attempt to advance further northwest of Saraqeb". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 4 March 2020.
    67. ^ Dead and wounded in the ranks of the Turkish forces with artillery shelling of the regime forces in Idlib countryside (In Arabic), SOHR
    68. ^ "Esad'ın katliamcı generali Süheyl Hasan, SİHA ile vuruldu". A Haber. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
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    75. ^ "The Syrian Regime's Combat Losses in Spring 2020, and What Lies Ahead". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
    76. ^ "Turkish strike in Syria kills nine Hezbollah members, wounds 30". Reuters. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
    77. ^ "IRGC trained militias suffer losses in northwest Syria". Long war Journal. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
    78. ^ "منذ نحو 38 شهراً.. غياب تام لطائرات النظام الحربية والمروحية عن أجواء منطقة "بوتين-أردوغان"" (in Arabic). SOHR. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
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