Rif Dimashq Governorate campaign

Part of the Syrian Civil War, the Rif Dimashq Governorate campaign consisted of several battles and offensives across the governorate including the Syrian capital of Damascus:

Rif Dimashq Governorate campaign
Part of Syrian Civil War
Date 3 November 2011 – 21 May 2018 (6 years, 6 months, 2 weeks and 4 days) Location Rif Dimashq Governorate, Damascus Governorate Result Decisive Syrian Army and allies victory Government fully recaptures the governorate
Belligerents
Syrian Arab Republic Iran Russia Palestine Liberation Army PFLP – GC Fatah al-Intifada Hezbollah Arab Nationalist Guard SSNP LAAG	Free Syrian Army  Al-Nusra Front  Ahrar ash-Sham  Jaysh al-Islam	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)

Offensives

• Rif Dimashq clashes (November 2011–March 2012): Damascus centre under government control, protests largely suppressed in the city.
• Battle of Damascus (2012): rebels first infiltration of Damascus from the surrounding countryside.
• Rif Dimashq offensive (August–October 2012): Syrian Army seizes more than half a dozen rebel-held towns north, west and south of Damascus, rebels retain control of the Ghouta area, east of Damascus.
• Rif Dimashq offensive (November 2012–February 2013): Free Syrian Army takes control of Darayya, Zamalka, Harasta and Arbin, offensive stalls in early January 2013, due to continuing air-strikes. Army launches a major offensive on rebel-held Darayya in mid-January.
• Siege of Darayya and Muadamiyat (November 2012–October 2016): rebels surrender Darayya as well as Mudamiyat al-Sham to the government and leave both towns.
• Damascus offensive (2013) (6 February – 25 March 2013): rebel operations around Damascus city ring.
• Siege of Eastern Ghouta (May 2013 – April 2018): The Syrian Army captures Eastern Ghouta.
• Rif Dimashq offensive (March–August 2013): Syrian Army captures the towns of Jdaidet al-Fadl, Jdeidit Artouz, Otaiba, Qaysa, Jarba, Harran Al-Awamid and Abadeh cutting the main rebel supply line into Damascus. Syrian Army surrounds the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area, surrounds and partially advances into the rebel-held Qaboun, Barzeh and Jobar suburbs.
• Rif Dimashq offensive (September–November 2013): Syrian Army captures the towns of Shaba’a, Sheikh Omar, al-Thiabiya, Husseiniya, Bweida, Hatetat al-Turkman, Al-Sabinah.
• Battle of Al-Malihah: Syrian Army captures Al-Maliha after a four-month battle.
• Rif Dimashq offensive (August–November 2014): Syrian Army captures Heteta al-Jersh and Adra and recaptures al-Dukhaniyya and Kabbasa.
• Battle of Yarmouk Camp (2015): the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS or ISIL) invades Yarmouk Camp, with aid from al-Nusra Front, and manages to capture 95% of the camp on 7 April, before Syrian rebel groups and the Syrian Army launch a counterattack on 12 April to drive ISIL and al-Nusra Front out of the area.
• Rif Dimashq offensive (September 2015): limited rebel gains.
• Al-Dumayr offensive (April 2016): Syrian Army repels ISIL's offensive.
• East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict (April–May 2016): rebel infighting between Jaish al-Fustat and Jaysh al-Islam.
• Rif Dimashq offensive (April–May 2016): Army territorial gains in rebel strongholds of Deir al-Asafir and Zabdin.
• Rif Dimashq offensive (June–October 2016): Large Army gains in the northeastern section of Eastern Ghouta.
• Eastern Qalamoun offensive (September–October 2016): Indecisive.
• Khan al-Shih offensive (October–November 2016): Army captures the Khan al-Shih rebel pocket of Western Ghouta.
• Wadi Barada offensive (2016–17): Army captures Wadi Barada after a three-year siege.
• Qaboun offensive (2017): Army captures the Qaboun, Barzeh and Tishrin neighborhoods of Damascus.
• East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict (April–May 2017): Indecisive.
• Syrian Desert campaign (May–July 2017): Syrian Army and allies victory.
• 2017 Jobar offensive: Syrian Army offensive stalled; Army advance on Jobar repelled by rebels.
• Beit Jinn offensive: Syrian forces regain control of Beit Jinn.
• Battle of Harasta (2017–18): Indecisive.
• Southern Damascus offensive (January - February 2018): ISIS seize 90% of Yarmouk.
• Rif Dimashq offensive (February–April 2018): decisive Syrian Army and allies Victory. Syrian government takes control over the Eastern Ghouta.
• 2nd Southern Damascus offensive (March 2018): ISIL victory.
• Eastern Qalamoun offensive (April 2018): Syrian Army and allies victory.
• 3rd Southern Damascus offensive (April-May 2018): Syrian Army and allies victory. Syrian government regains control over the whole Rif Dimashq and Damascus Governorates.

Resume of Battles/Offensives from
Rif Dimashq Governorate Campaign

Battle	Timespan	Government	Opposition
1st Rif Dimashq	3 November 2011 – March 2012	800 killed	1,000 killed
1st Damascus	15 July – 4 August 2012	97 killed	300 killed
2nd Rif Dimashq	15 August – 7 October 2012	Unknown	1,500 killed
3rd Rif Dimashq	7 November 2012 – 5 February 2013	690 killed	1,040 killed
2nd Damascus	6 February – 25 March 2013	440 killed	735 killed
4th Rif Dimashq	26 March – 22 August 2013	1,150 killed	2,125 killed
5th Rif Dimashq	10 September – 28 November 2013	115 killed	1,000 killed
6th Rif Dimashq	August – November 2014	175 killed	678 killed
7th Rif Dimashq	11 – 27 September 2015	41 killed	170 killed
8th Rif Dimashq	25 April – 19 May 2016	Unknown	Unknown
9th Rif Dimashq	21 June – 30 October 2016	Unknown	Unknown
10th Rif Dimashq	18 February – 14 April 2018	520 killed	405 killed
Total Casualties	3 November 2011 – 21 May 2018	At least 4,018 killed	8,953 killed