| Syrian Arab Navy | |
|---|---|
| البحرية العربية السورية | |
 Flag of the Syrian Navy underBa'athist Syria | |
| Founded | August 29, 1950 |
| Disbanded | December 8, 2024 (de-facto, following thefall of the Assad regime)[1] |
| Country | Syria |
| Type | Navy |
| Role | Naval warfare |
| Size | 4,000 active (as of 2023)[2] 2,500 reserve[3] |
| Garrison/HQ | Damascus, Syria |
| Anniversaries | 29 August |
| Equipment | 10missile boats 6patrol crafts 7minesweepers 3landing crafts 1training ship |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Chief of Naval Staff | Vacant |
| Notable commanders | Fadal Hussein Vice Admiral Yasser al-Haffi[4] |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Helicopter | Mil Mi-14,Kamov Ka-25,Kamov Ka-28 |
TheSyrian Arab Navy (SyAN orSAN;Arabic:الْبَحْرِيَّةُ الْعَرَبِيَّةُ السُّورِيَّةُ,romanized: al-Baḥrīyah al-ʿArabīyah as-Sūrīyah) was thenaval branch of theSyrian Armed Forces during the rule of theBa'ath Party inSyria. The main role of the Syrian Navy was to defend the country's coasts and ensure the security of the territorial waters ofSyria. The Coastal Defense Forces and theSyrian Marines were attached to the Navy since the late 20th century. The Syrian Navy was relatively small, with only 4,000 sailors, in addition to 2,500 reservists and 1,500 marines, prior to the collapse ofBa'athist Syria in 2024. It was under theSyrian Army's Latakia regional command with its fleet based in the ports ofBaniyas,Latakia,Minet el-Beida, andTartus. It was the smallest part of the Syrian Arab Republic Armed Forces.
After the collapse ofBa'athist Syria in 2024, military assets and infrastructure fell into the hands of a new coalition which is attempting to reconstitute previous state institutions under new leadership, organization and direction, as a unified national force.
On 29 August 1950, the Syrian Navy was established following the procurement of a few naval vessels fromFrance. The initial personnel consisted of army soldiers who had been sent to French naval academies for training.[5]
29 August is considered an annual holiday for the Syrian navy, which was celebrated every year,[6] and it was also chosen because it was the anniversary of the navalBattle of the Masts in 654.
During theYom Kippur War on 6–7 October 1973, the Syrian Arab Navy engaged for the first time innaval battle with Israeli ships in the Latakia area. It was the first battle in history in which both sides used sea-to-sea missile boats in combat.[7]
TheIsraeli Navy had five missile boats launched from the port ofHaifa towards the main positions of the Syrian fleet off the coast of Latakia. At first, the Israeli fleet encountered a small reconnaissance boat, and immediately sank it. Then the ships reached a naval minesweeper, which they attacked and immediately downed.[8]
When the Israeli fleet advanced, it found the main forces of the Syrian fleet, the strongest and most modern militarily, which consisted of three missile boats (twoKomar-class missile boats along with anOsa I-class missile boat, a K-123 torpedo boat and aT43-class minesweeper).[9]
The Syrian boats launched their missiles from a long range that the Israeli ships could not launch from. However, the Israeli fleet had an anti-missile system that could mislead its radars and keep them away from their targets. In real combat however, they succeeded completely and all the missiles missed the target. As a result of the battle, all five Syrian ships participating in it were sunk, the Israelis did not suffer any losses.[10]
On 29 August 1989, a Syrian missile boat sank the Maltese tankerSunshield, which attempted to enter the prohibited zone.[11]
During theSyrian Civil War, opposition activists claimed that Syrian Navy warships supported a military attack by government forces against rebels in the city ofLatakia.[12] But thegovernment denied that the city was bombed by sea.[13]
In general, the Syrian Arab Navy did not have any modern equipment or weapons until 2006 (except for theOSA I and II anti-ship missile boats), in addition to its modest numbers of recruits compared to the 150-kilometre long Syrian coast. But since 2006, Russia and Iran began providing Syria with advanced weapons, providing it with heavy, short-range land-sea missiles, which are less expensive and more effective in battles than expensive torpedoes and boats, which are easily endangered during sea battles.[14]
Among the types of missiles that Iran and Russia supplied to the Syrian Navy are theStyx anti-ship missiles, intended for use in close-range missile engagement with battleships and warships. In recent years, they have also acquired an unknown number ofSepal missiles, and their possession was not known until they appeared in modern combat tests of theSyrian Arab Army in late 2011.[15]
The Syrian Navy also has a third type of missile, the Russian-madeYakhont missiles, which Syria purchased from Russia in a military deal in late 2011.[16] These are long-range missiles that have given Syria a strategic military advantage at the Eastern Mediterranean.[14] As for the fourth type of missiles supplied to the Syrian Navy, it was theC-802 anti-ship missile of Chinese origin, which is believed to have been supplied to Syria by Iran.[17]
Prior to thefall of Damascus in 2024, the Syrian Navy had hoped to receive twoAmur-1650 class submarines from Russia. In 2015 a group of Syrian military officials arrived in Moscow to discuss prospects for bilateral military and technical cooperation, including the pair of submarines.[5] The Project-677 orLada-class diesel submarine, whose export version is known as the Amur 1650, features a new anti-sonar coating for its hull, an extended cruising range, and advanced anti-ship and anti-submarine weaponry.
Shortly after the collapse of the Ba'athist regime, on December 9, 2024 theIsraeli Air Force launched an attack on various assets of the Syrian Fleet. Israel sought to destroy important naval assets to prevent their use by theincoming Syrian Government in the context of the2024 Israeli invasion of Syria. Among other damage, at least 6Osa-class missile boats were destroyed in Latakia.[18]
The rank insignia ofcommissioned officers.
| Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Syrian Navy[19] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
| فريق Fariq | عماد أول Eimad 'awal | عماد Eimad | لواء Alliwa' | عميد Amid | عقيد Aqid | مقدم Muqaddam | رائد Ra'id | نقيب Naqib | ملازم أول Mulazim awwal | ملازم Mulazim | ||||||||||||||
The rank insignia ofnon-commissioned officers andenlisted personnel.
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syrian Navy[19] | | | | | | | | | No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| مساعد أول Musaeid 'awal | مساعد ثاني Musaeid thani | مساعد Musaeid | رقيب أول Raqib 'awal | رقيب ثاني Raqib thani | رقيب Raqib | عريف Earif | جندي أول Jundiun 'awal | جندي Jundiun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The number of recruits for the Syrian Arab Navy has reached 4,000 soldiers and 2,500 reservists since the year 1985, and this number has not changed in the census in 2002. The proportion of navy personnel from the total number of recruitsSyrian Arab Army was 1.4% in the year 1993.[20] This rose to 1.9% of the total armed forces personnel in the year 2000.[21]
The Syrian Arab Navy consists of the navy, coastal defense and naval aviation forces.
TheSyrian Marines followed the forces ofnaval infantry, consisting of about 1,500 conscripts, whose primary role was to protect the three military naval bases in the country, which are divided into three units, each of which was to protect one of the bases. These Marines had three amphibious assault ships, each of which can carry 100 soldiers and five tanks.
In general, the Syrian Marine Corps did not receive any special or advanced armament and very little training in the use of amphibious ships, and in general its recruits are only ordinary soldiers and do not have any experience in the ways of fighting as Marines. Although theSoviet Union set up part ofExercise Zapad-81 (the largest military training exercise ever in the entire history of the Soviet Union, and included the largest amphibious landing operation in its history as well), the Syrian soldiers did not participate.
The marines did not participate in any real amphibious naval landing during any of the wars Syria was involved in. Instead, they were used as infantry with a direct ground clash in theYom Kippur War and in theLebanon Civil War. During the first Gulf War, as part of theCoalition of the Gulf War, Syria sent marines as a component of its 17,000 soldier contribution, which may mean that it considers them highly experienced soldiers.[5]
TheSyrian Coastal Defense Forces were placed under the command of the Syrian Arab Navy since 1984. The coastal defense consists of brigade infantry, each of which was responsible for monitoring a specific coastal sector, and in addition to them, there was a battalion that monitors. In addition to these forces, there are two artillery battalions armed with 18 artillery pieces, 130 mm caliberM-46.[22] The Syrian coastal defense was also armed withStyx,Sepal,YJ-83 andP-800 Oniks missiles, as well asK-300P Bastion-P coastal defense missile system.[5][23]
The Syrian Navy's headquarters was inDamascus and its main base was atLatakia on theMediterranean Sea with other naval bases atBaniyas,Tartus andMinet el-Beida.[5]
Latakia is Syria's largest and most active port, as it has 23 berths, and it includes a section for the repair of military ships within its sectors, and some of the navy's fastmissile boats dock in it.[24][25][26]
Al-Bayda port is located in the city of Baniyas, it was built specifically for naval military purposes. There are also training centers for naval officers and special soldiers in the port, and some transport ships dock there.[5]
The Port of Tartus was the main base of the Syrian Navy, where the two navy frigates, its three amphibious ships and all its minesweepers dock, as well as some missile boats and navy transport ships.[5] and includes the port 22 A dock with an area of three millionsquare meters.[5] With the arrival of theRussian Air Force atBassel Al-Assad International Airport in 2015, the Syrian Naval Aviation helicopters moved a few miles north toIstamo after a new helicopter base was established at the arms depot.[27] A majority of these assets were destroyed in theIsraeli attacks against the fleet in 2024.
Tartus hosts a Soviet-eranaval supply and maintenance base, under a 1971 agreement with Syria. The base was established during theCold War to support theSoviet Navy fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. Since Russia forgave Syria three-fourths of its $13.4 billion Soviet-era debt and became its main arms supplier, the two countries have conducted talks about allowing Russia to develop and enlarge its naval base, so that Russia can strengthen its naval presence in the Mediterranean.[28] Amid Russia's deteriorating relations with the West, because of the 2008Russo-Georgian War and plans to deploy aUS missile defense shield in Poland,President Assad agreed to the port's conversion into a permanent Middle East base for Russia's nuclear-armed warships.[29] Since 2009, Russia has been renovating the Tartus naval base and dredging the port to allow access for its larger naval vessels.[30]
Following thefall of the Assad regime, the agreement was cancelled by theSyrian transitional government and Russia began withdrawing its forces from Syria through the Tartus naval base, though a convoy coming from theKhmeimim Air Base was reportedly denied entry by Syrian troops on 10 February 2025. According to theUnited Kingdom Ministry of Defence negotiations between the Russia and the new Syrian government over the Khmeimim and Tartus military bases are "almost certainly ongoing," but the UK MoD notes that Moscow is in a weaker bargaining position due several factors including sheltering the former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.[31]
Prior to theIsraeli attacks against the fleet in 2024, the fleet consisted of the following ships:
| Class | Image | Type | Ships | Origin | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missile boat | ||||||
| Osa I & Osa II |  | Missile boat |  Soviet Union | 10 | 6 Osa I and 4 Osa II. (6 Osa-II ships were confirmed destroyed by Israeli airstrikes at Latakia Naval Base in 2024) | |
| Tir II (IPS 18) |  | Fast Attack CraftTorpedo boat |  Iran | 6 | Believed to be locally produced byMaritime Industries Group or copies ofNorth Korean patrol boats. | |
| Patrol craft | ||||||
| Zhuk class |  | Patrol craft | Soviet Union | 8 | 23.8 m inshore vessels. | |
| Raptor class |  | Patrol craft |  Russia | 2 | 16.9 m inshore vessels. Supplied byRussia in 2019.[32] | |
| MIG-S-1800 class | .jpg) | Patrol craft | Iran | 6 | Monohull and catamaran produced byMaritime Industries Group with longer variants (S-1900 andS-2600).[33] | |
| Minesweeper | ||||||
| Sonya class |  | Minesweeper | Soviet Union | 1 | ||
| Yevgenya class |  | Minesweeper | Soviet Union | 5 | ||
| Natya class |  | Minesweeper | Soviet Union | 1 | ||
| Amphibious warfare | ||||||
| Polnocny B |  | Landing ship tank |  Poland | 3 | ||
| Training ship | ||||||
| Unknown | Training ship | Al Assad | Poland | 1 | 3,500-ton. Used as a cadet training ship by the Syrian naval academy.[34] | |
| Aircraft | Image | Version | Type | Origin | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Mil Mi-14 | .jpg) | Haze-A Haze-C | Anti-submarine helicopter Search and rescue helicopter | Soviet Union | 18 | |
| Kamov Ka-28 | .jpg) | Helix-A | Anti-submarine helicopter | Soviet Union | 4 | |
| Model | Image | Type | Origin | Quantity | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal defence | ||||||
| C-802 |  | Anti-shipcruise missile |  China | N/A | (CSS-N-8Saccade)[35] | |
| Noor | .jpg) | Anti-ship cruise missile | Iran | 10 systems | Delivered between 2009 and 2010.[36] | |
| K-300P Bastion-P /P-800 Yakhont |  | Mobileanti-ship andsurface-to-surface missile | Russia | 4 systems | (SS-C-5Stooge) | |
| P-5 Pyatyorka |  | Cruise missile | Soviet Union | 4 systems | (SS-C-1Sepal) | |
| P-15M/P-22[2] |  | Anti-ship missile | Soviet Union | 6 systems | (SS-C-3Styx) | |
| M1954 |  | Field gun | Soviet Union | N/A | M-46 | |
The Syrian Navy once operated threeProject 613 submarines. These were former the Soviet boatsS-167,S-171, andS-183.[37]
They operated threeRomeo-class submarines (S-1,S-53,S-101). Built in 1961 forSoviet Navy and transferred to Syria 1985–1987, decommissioned by mid-1990s and all scrapped by 1996.[38]
Syria had twoVanya-class minesweepers since 1972. All ships were retired by the mid-1990s.
They also had twoPetya-class frigates in derelict condition at Tartus port.[39] Both probably retired in 2017 or 2018. One decommissioned Syrian frigate was sunk by the Russian Air Force as a training target on 15 April 2018 off the coast of Syria.[40]
The following table shows the strength of the Syrian Arab Naval Forces according to the year since 1990, in addition to the deals to be concluded in this regard until 2015:[5]
| Class | Origin | 1990 | 1995 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2012 | 2015 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amur-1650 submarine | Russia | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Project 633 submarine | Soviet Union | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| Petya-class frigate | Soviet Union | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Osa-class missile boat | Soviet Union | 12 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 0 |
| Komar-class missile boat | Soviet Union | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| Tir-class speedboat | Iran | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Zhuk-class patrol boat | Soviet Union | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Yevgenya-class minesweeper | Soviet Union | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Natya-class minesweeper | Soviet Union | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Sonya-class minesweeper | Soviet Union | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| T43-class minesweeper | Soviet Union | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Vanya-class minesweeper | Soviet Union | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Polnocny-class landing ship | Poland | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Training shipAl-Assad | Poland | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Support ships | Unknown | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Ghaem-class patrol boat | Iran | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
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