Background
Ba'athist Syria
For decades prior, Syria, at the time known as Ba'athist Syria, had been Iran’s closest Arab ally and a central component of the Axis of Resistance", [1] [2] a coalition of non-state actors (and state actors, at the time) who are affiliated with Iran. The alliance arguably dated back to 1979 when the Syrian government at the time was the first to recognize the newly established Islamic Republic and later supported it during the Iran-Iraq War. [3]
Most recently, Iranian forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), were deeply embedded in Syria during the Syrian civil war. This involvement dates back at least as early as in 2013, when Iranian and Hezbollah backing allowed the Syrians to regain control over the strategic Al-Qusayr District. [4] Syria also helped Iran smuggle weapons to its proxies, most notably Hezbollah. [3] This military absence was apparent when during the Twelve Days War Syria was not used as a launchpad for Iranian counter offensive strikes against Israel. [5]
Fall of Assad
However, following the fall of the Assad regime, the new government adopted policies aimed at reasserting sovereignty and limiting foreign military influence (including Iranian ones), thus requiring foreign armed groups to either integrate into state structures or leave the country. [6] This was also followed by increased relations with the West and straining relations with Iran and its allies, especially Hezbollah. [3] [7] Thus, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the new Syrian government remained frozen. [8]
Start of the 2026 Iran war
Despite tension with Iran, however, Syria remained neutral. This neutrality however was not absolute as the Syrian government supported its Arab neighbors following Iranian strikes and also reinforced the border in coordination with Iraq and later on with Lebanon, mobilizing its army to defend itself from possible threats. [5]
On 28 February 2026, various news outlets, including Ynet, Reuters and Anadolu Agency, [9] [10] [11] had reported that an Iranian missile had struck the city of Suwayda, however, the explosion was later attributed to an attempt by the National Guard militia to dismantle a missile from the old regime by the Syrian Arab News Agency. [12]
Incidents
The first confirmed direct strike that hit Syria occurred on 4 March 2026 when a missile heading towards Turkey was intercepted by NATO nearby Kurdish-controlled Qamishli International Airport, [13] [14] leading to the missile to land in an empty field where curious locals gathered around the missile. [15]
On the same day, Israel, carried out an incursion into southern Syria, shelling the area between Jamla and Saisoun in Daraa Governorate, and arrested four civilians. Israel accused Syria of deploying combat units to the Syrian Golan Heights, stating it will not allow the Hezbollah–Israel strikes to be used as a pretext to "harm the Druze" in southern Syria and demanded the Syrian government prevent Iraqi militias from crossing Syrian territory towards the Golan Heights. [16] [17]
On 10 March 2026, the Syrian Army said they would coordinate a possible Syrian response to Hezbollah's actions with the Lebanese government side. [18] shells from Lebanon landed in the town of Serghaya, 20 km (12 mi) from Damascus where the Syrian Armed Forces forces presided, [19] and Inkhil. [20] Syria accused Hezbollah of targeting Syrian army positions in the area and said that it had observed Hezbollah reinforcements arriving along the Lebanon–Syria border, warning that it would respond to any attack on its territory. [21] On the same date, Syrian media reported that the Israelis intercepted Iranian drones in the towns of Jalin and the Israeli-occupied town of Quneitra causing debris. [22]
On 20 March 2026, Israel revelead that on the same day they had struck positions of the Syrian army in Suwayda due to an alleged attack of the Syrians on the local Druze population. [23]
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