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| Syrian Revolutionaries Front | |
|---|---|
| جبهة ثوار سوريا | |
 Logo of the SRF | |
| Leaders |
|
| Dates of operation |
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| Headquarters | Quneitra Governorate,Syria |
| Active regions | Daraa Governorate,Quneitra Governorate,Rif Dimashq Governorate, andDamascus Governorate, Syria[2] |
| Ideology | Non-ideological (overall group)[2]
|
| Size | |
| Part of |  Free Syrian Army
|
| Allies |
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| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | Syrian Civil War |
TheSyrian Revolutionaries Front (Arabic:جبهة ثوار سوريا,Jabhat Thowar Suriya,SRF, also translatedSyrian Rebel Front[1]) was an alliance of 14 relatively moderate religious and some secular armed groups fighting under the banner of theFree Syrian Army, formed in December 2013, thus according toArutz Sheva (an Israeli media network) further sidelining the FSA and its leadershipSupreme Military Council.[16] It was established as a response to the merger of Islamist Syrian rebels into theIslamic Front.[16]
The group was known to receive Israeli support alongside several other Syrian opposition factions such asFursan al-Joulan,Firqat Ahrar Nawa,Jaysh al-Ababil,Jaydour Horan Brigade,Al-Ezz bin Abdul Salam Brigade,Omar Bin Al-Khattab Brigade,Al-Haramein Battalion,Alwiya al-Furqan,Saif al-Sham Brigade,Jabhat Ansar al-Islam,Ahrar Gathering and others.[17][18][19]
In December 2013, following initial clashes, the Islamic Front and the Syrian Revolutionaries Front agreed to reconcile.[20] The coalition was spearheaded byJamal Maarouf, head of theSyrian Martyrs' Brigades, largest member group of the SRF based inJabal Zawiya,Idlib Governorate.[21] The group has supported theGeneva II Middle East peace conference that is aimed at resolving the Syrian civil war.[21] The group received financial support fromSaudi Arabia, while theUnited States has reportedly given the group only non-lethal aid like food, medicine and blankets, in part due to concerns over its involvement insmuggling andextortion.[22]
100 members of the SRF's Wolves of al-Ghab Brigade were killed in clashes withal-Qaeda'sal-Nusra Front nearJisr al-Shughur on 16 July 2014.[23]
In late October 2014 clashes erupted again between the SRF and al-Nusra in the Jabal al-Zawiya region of Idlib, over the following days, dozens of SRF fighters defected to Nusra and the group lost control of numerous villages as they withdrew their forces from the region.[24] Maarouf and some of his followers relocated toTurkey, however around half of his men in the region remained behind and accepted the change of control rather than fight.[22]
On 5 May 2015, some of the former members of theHazzm Movement, the Syria Revolutionaries Front based in the north,Jabhat al-Akrad, theDawn of Freedom Brigades and smaller FSA groups formed theArmy of Revolutionaries.[25][26] Many of their northern members also dissolved into theLevant Front.
During theTurkish military intervention in Syria which started in late August 2016, some members of the Syrian Revolutionaries Front and the Hazm Movement in exile from Turkey crossed into Syria throughJarabulus.[27]
The group is currently only active in southern Syria, as a member of aSouthern Front group, and previously part of theFirst Army of the Southern Front. On 2 March 2016, acar bomb explosion targeted the SRF headquarters inQuneitra and killed its commanderCaptain Abu Hamza al-Naimi and 4 other field commanders.[5] Some time in 2016, the SRF's branch inJubata al-Khashab split into 3 factions. The local SRF commander in the area also defected to theGolan Regiment.[35]
On 6 April 2017, clashes erupted between the SRF andJabhat Ansar al-Islam in the northernQuneitra countryside, which resulted in 7 rebels being killed. Government forces shelled the area on the same day, which resulted in a ceasefire between the two rebel groups.[36]
On 31 July 2017, 5 SRF groups in Daraa and Quneitra merged into the 1st Infantry Division and established a unified command structure for the SRF.[37]
A 2018 investigation byThe Intercept, which gathered information from senior Southern Front commanders and Syrian activist sources, confirmed that Jaysh al-Ababil was among several factions receiving covert Israeli aid alongside others such asSaif al-Sham Brigade andJaydour Horan Brigade.[17] According to a 2018 investigation byForeign Policy, Israel supported at least 12 rebel groups by providing them with humanitarian aid, medical treatments, logistical support and military transfers which included assault rifles, machine guns, mortar launchers and transport vehicles. Israel also transferred cash in the form of salaries of $75 per fighter, alongside additional funds for procuring weapons locally.[18]
A 2018 investigation byThe Intercept, which gathered information from senior Southern Front commanders and Syrian activist sources, confirmed thatJaydour Horan Brigade, which is part of theSyrian Revolutionaries Front was among several factions receiving covert Israeli aid alongside others such asSaif al-Sham Brigade andJaysh al-Ababil. Reportedly, in late July 2017, a small group of Israeli military and intelligence personnel, traveling in ambulances, made a tour of the west Daraa countryside and met with commanders fromJaydour Horan Brigade andJaysh al-Ababil. Another meeting then took place in September 2017 in the Quneitra border town of Rafid, where local council leaders, doctors, and militia commanders — including those fromJaydour Horan Brigade,Fursan al-Joulan, and theSyrian Revolutionaries Front — met with an Israeli representative to discuss further cooperation.[17] According to a 2018 investigation byForeign Policy, Israel supported at least 12 rebel groups by providing them with humanitarian aid, medical treatments, logistical support and military transfers which included assault rifles, machine guns, mortar launchers and transport vehicles. Israel also transferred cash in the form of salaries of $75 per fighter.[18]
Throughout those meetings Israel tried to forn theSouthern Army in southern Syria, which included a group of opposition factions in the region. At that time, it was agreed that the army would include theSyrian Revolutionaries Front,Jabhat Ansar al-Islam,Fursan al-Joulan, and other factions operating in the area. However, in July 2018, as part of another attempt by Israel to establish the Southern Army, a military source in one of the factions that agreed to join the Southern Army toldAl-Quds Al-Arabi that theSyrian Revolutionaries Front,Ahrar al-Sham andAl-Nusra Front rejected joining the Southern Army, while some members of the latter agreed to remain in the disengagement zone near the border with the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan.[19]
