Palmyra offensive (2017)

Palmyra offensive (2017)
Part of the Syrian Civil War and the Russian military intervention in Syria
Situation in southern Syria from 6 February to 30 April; Government advances are shown at the top of the map.
Date 13 January – 2 March 2017 (1 month, 2 weeks and 3 days)[3][4] Location Tadmur District, Eastern Homs Governorate, Syria Result Syrian government victory Syrian Army captures 1,702 square kilometres and 52 settlements,[5] including Palmyra[6][7] The Syrian Army launches a new offensive on 5 March 2017 to expand a buffer-zone around Palmyra
Belligerents
Syria  Russia Allied militias: Hezbollah Liwa Zainebiyoun[1] CJTF–OIR[2]	Islamic State
Commanders and leaders
Maj. Gen. Suheil al-Hassan[8] (Operations chief commander) Maj. Gen. Mohammed Hassan Sultan[9] (5th Corps commander) Col. Gen. Andrey Kartapolov (Russian forces commander) Maj. Gen. Pyotr Milyukhin (WIA)[10]	Abu Shaher al-Hassan † (ISIL emir)[11]
Units involved
Syrian Armed Forces Syrian Army 10th Mechanised Division[12] 11th Armored Division[13] 18th Armoured Division[1] 5th Corps[14][12] al-Assad Shield Forces[15] ISIS Hunters[16] Republican Guard 800th Regiment[17] Syrian Marines Tiger Forces Shahin Group (Fawj al-Shawaheen) (until 11 February)[14] Qalamoun Shield Forces[18] National Defence Forces Golan Regiment al-Shaitat tribe militias[19][20] Military Intelligence Directorate Military Security Shield Forces[21] Desert Commandos Regiment[1] Air Force Intelligence Directorate[22] Fawj Nusur Homs[12] Syrian Air Force Russian Armed Forces and PMC allies Russian Air Force Special operations forces advisors[23] Wagner Group[24] Hezbollah[1] Radwan Forces[25] Syrian Hezbollah units al-Ridha Forces[12][25] al-Ghalibun[12] Imam Mahdi Brigade[12]	Military of ISIL
Strength
4,900+ soldiers[22][23][21] 1,000 reinforcements from Latakia[23] (since 11 February) 900+ Military Shield reinforcements[21] (since 23 February)	Unknown (Some armoured vehicles)
Casualties and losses
115 killed[26] 18 killed (10 soldiers and 8 PMC)[24]	283+ killed (per SOHR)[26] 1,000+ killed and wounded (per Russian MOD)[5][27][28]

The Palmyra offensive in 2017 was launched by the Syrian Arab Army against the armed forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Eastern Homs Governorate in January 2017, with the goal of recapturing Palmyra and its surrounding countryside. ISIL forces had retaken the city of Palmyra in a sudden offensive from 8 to 11 December, after previously being expelled from it by Syrian government and Russian forces in March 2016. On 2 March 2017, the Syrian Army alongside Russian reinforcement, succeeded again in recapturing the beleaguered city of Palmyra.