| Syrian Navy | |
|---|---|
| البحرية السورية | |
 Emblem of the Syrian Navy | |
| Founded | August 29, 1950 2025 (current form) |
| Country | Syria |
| Type | Navy |
| Role | Naval warfare |
| Part of |  Syrian Armed Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Damascus, Syria |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | PresidentAhmed al-Sharaa |
| Minister of Defense | Murhaf Abu Qasra |
| Commander of the Naval Forces | Brigadier General Mohammed Al-Saud |
| Notable commanders | Admiral Fadal Hussein Vice Admiral Yasser al-Haffi[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Ensign |  |
TheSyrian Navy (Arabic:الْبَحْرِيَّةُ السُّورِيَّةُ,romanized: al-Baḥrīyah as-Sūrīyah) is thenaval branch of theSyrian Armed Forces.
The main role of the Syrian Navy is 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.
After thefall of the Assad regime in 2024, its military assets 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.
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.[2]
The Syrian Navy, under the newly formed provisional government, first conducted routine patrols on April 25, 2025.[3] The Navy's first large-scale operation was May 9, 2025, in order to combat weapons smuggling and human trafficking.[3] In July 2025, cooperation was reported between the Turkish Directorate General of Maritime Affairs and the Syrian Maritime Navigation Authority (Arabic: هيئة الملاحة البحرية السورية) aimed at rebuilding and operating Syrian ports and developing roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) maritime transport services between Turkey and Syria.[4] Various naval tests were conducted off the coast of Syria during August and September.[5]
The Syrian Arab Navy consisted 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.[6]
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.[7] The Syrian coastal defense were also armed withStyx,Sepal,YJ-83 andP-800 Oniks missiles, as well as theK-300P Bastion-P coastal defense missile system.[8]
The Syrian Navy's headquarters was inDamascus, with its main base being inLatakia on theMediterranean Sea alongside with other naval bases atBaniyas,Tartus andMinet el-Beida.
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.[9][10][11]
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.
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 and includes the port 22 A dock with an area of three millionsquare meters. With the arrival of theRussian Air Force atLatakia 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. A majority of these assets were destroyed in theIsraeli invasion of Syria.
The rank insignia ofcommissioned officers.
| Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Syrian Navy[12] |  | | | |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
| 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 | | | | | | | | | No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| مساعد أول Musaeid 'awal | مساعد ثاني Musaeid thani | مساعد Musaeid | رقيب أول Raqib 'awal | رقيب ثاني Raqib thani | رقيب Raqīb | عريف Earif | جندي أول Jundiun 'awal | جندي Jundiun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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