| Quneitra offensive (September 2016) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theSyrian Civil War | |||||||
.svg) The military situation in Quineitra Governorate in 2016 - scene of fighting marked with black box. Syrian Ba'athist Army control Syrian Opposition control Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Ongoing confrontation or unclear situation | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Alwiya al-Furqan Bayt al-Maqdis[1] Ahrar al-Sham[2] Sadqa Wa'dah Movement[3] Free Syrian Army[4] |  Hezbollah[5] Jaysh al-Muwahhideen[6] SSNP[6]Men of Dignity[7] Kata'ib Humat al-Diyar[8] | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Abu Suhaib Al Tunisi †[12] (Jabhat Fateh al-Sham commander) Mohammad Yusuf al-Sabihi †[12](Jabhat Fateh al-Sham commander) Amjad Abdul Hakim al-Balkhi †[12](Jabhat Fateh al-Sham commander) Abu al-Mossana al-Shami †[12](Ahrar al-Sham senior commander) Baslan Fou'az Al-Masri †[3](Sadqa Wa'dah Movement chief commander) | Brig. Gen. Osama Zahreddine[13] (Operations chief commander)  Majid Himoud[5](Golan Regiment’s Fist Battalion commander) | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Unknown |
| ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 28 killed (per theSOHR)[17][18] 54 killed (per The Inside Source)[19] 70+ killed (per the Army)[16] | 9 killed (per theSOHR)[20] Dozens killed (per The Inside Source)[19] | ||||||
TheQuneitra offensive (September 2016) was launched by Syrian rebel forces, during theSyrian Civil War, in order to capture the government-held town ofHader, Quneitra Governorate.
On 10 September,Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly theal-Nusra Front), along withAnsar Bait al-Maqdis andAhrar al-Sham, launched an offensive at the town ofKhan Arnabah on the border with the Golan Heights.[21] Hours later, the rebels took one checkpoint[22] and a hill, but according to pro-government sources, failed to capture another hill and were repelled by pro-government forces.[2]
Meanwhile, the fighting caused stray shells to land at the northern Golan Heights and in response, Israel bombed aSyrian Armyartillery position in Quneitra.[23]
The next day, the rebels made advances at the village of Homirat,[24] seizing a large part of its eastern flank,[25] mainly Tal Al-Hamirat hill. At the same time, the main rebel attack towards Hader, at the Tal Taranjeh hilltop, was repelled[9][26] after a three-hour battle. Rebel forces also reportedly suffered heavy losses after entering a minefield near Tal Gren hill. This included the destruction of twoBMPinfantry fighting vehicles.[27]
On 12 September, the Army reportedly recaptured all positions they had previously lost, including Tal Al-Hamirat.[10] Later in the day, despite the official start of a country-wide cease-fire, the rebels launched a new, much larger, assault.[28] The rebels once again assaulted Tal Taranjeh hill, but were again beaten back after 10 hours of fighting.[29]
The next day, theSyrian Air Defense Force launched twosurface to air missiles at twoIsraeli Air Force aircraft flying over Quneitra. The Syrian state mediaSyrian Arab News Agency claimed to have shot down the plane and drone, but the IAF denied this.[30]
On 14 September, a new rebel attack on Tal Taranjeh was beaten back by the Syrian Army.[3] Despite the official ceasefire, both sides continued to shell each other during 17 September,[31] with one stray mortar shell hitting Israeli occupied territory. This led the Israeli Air Force to retaliate by striking the Golan Regiment's positions near Hader.[32] Hours later, the rebels launched a new attack on the government-held Battalion 4 Hill, which was repelled.[4]On 20 September, it was revealed that Al-Humriyah hill was recaptured by the rebels and was being bombarded by the army positions in Tuloul al-Hamar.[33][11]
A new rebel assault on Hader in November was also repelled, with 19–80 rebels and at least 10 soldiers killed.[34][35]
