Dera’ya Destek Operasyonu (meaning “Operation to Help Daraa”) is the name given to a July 9, 2018 attack on Assad regime held positions in Northern Latakia by Fursanu al-Iman or “Knights of Faith” (Fursan’ul İman in Turkish and فرسان الإيمان in Arabic), a small and relatively unheard of Turkmen group. Fursanu al-Iman have been active on social media since at least late May (their now deleted or removed Telegram channel was created on May 29 of this year), yet this appears to be their first significant military engagement. A 9:49 length video was released by the group documenting the Operation, which claimed to have caused 80 Assad regime causalities, with 9 Officers killed and a Lieutenant captured. Jihadi group Ansar al-Islam have also used this same title to refer to this Operation, which they also took part in.

It is my intention in this article to examine details regarding this Operation, including, motivations, goals, factions involved and weapons used, as well as give a brief overview of rebel groups active in the area with a focus on the Jihadi ecosystem in North Latakia as it stands in 2018.

Background

The military situation in Daraa around the time of the raid, showing the advance of the Russian-backed Assad regime assault

The title of the Operation refers to the Assad regime’s assault on the Southern de-escalation zone, which was made up primarily of Daraa governorate but also included parts of Quneitra and al-Suwayda. After a long period of relative calm, clashes began to intensify in late May, and after a significant and prolonged build-up of Assad regime forces and associated militias, a pitched battle began on June 18, 2018. The guarantors of the Southern de-escalation zone failed to either restrain the Assad regime’s flagrant violations or aid the Southern Front of the Free Syrian Army forces that were under attack; the United States and Jordan refused to intervene, while the Russian Federation militarily intervened on the side of the Assad regime with its Air Force and Military Police. Despite the US State Department releasing a statement before the assault began in earnest claiming that they would “take firm and appropriate measures” in response to an Assad regime military offensive on the South, this rhetoric proved to be hollow. After the attack had commenced the US released another statement to Southern Front rebels that was summed up by an Opposition Commander as “in other words, they are saying you’re on your own.” The result was yet another de-escalation zone was taken over by a joint Assad regime and Russian offensive as had happened beforehand in Homs and Eastern Ghouta, leaving Idlib the only de-escalation zone left. Important to note is that the de-escalation agreement dynamics are radically different in the North and South of Syria — while the Southern agreements were worked out between the United States, Jordan and Russia, in the North the agreements were negotiated between Turkey and Russia and involve Turkish Army troops on the ground.