4th Armoured Division (Syria)

4th Armoured Division
4th Armoured Division
الفرقة الرابعة
	Divisional tactical color marking.
Active	1984 – present
Country	Syria
Allegiance	Syrian Armed Forces
Branch	Syrian Arab Army
Type	Armoured division
Role	Shock troops
Size	18,000 soldiers (2021)
Garrison/HQ	Damascus
Nickname(s)	"Ghiath Forces" (42nd Brigade)
Engagements	Syrian Civil War Siege of Daraa; Siege of Rastan and Talbiseh; Siege of Jisr al-Shughur; Siege of Baniyas; Idlib Governorate clashes; Siege of Homs; 2011–2012 Damascus clashes; Battle of Damascus; Battle of Aleppo; Battle of Zabadani (2015); Rif Dimashq offensive (June–August 2016); Khan al-Shih offensive (October–November 2016); Siege of Wadi Barada; Qaboun offensive (2017); 2017 Jobar offensive; Beit Jinn offensive; Battle of Harasta (2017–2018); Northwestern Syria campaign (October 2017–February 2018); Battle of Khasham; Rif Dimashq offensive (February–April 2018); Southern Damascus offensive (April–May 2018); As-Suwayda offensive (August–November 2018); Northwestern Syria offensive (April–August 2019); Northwestern Syria offensive (December 2019–March 2020); March 2020 Daraa clashes; 2021 Daraa offensive; Syrian Desert campaign (December 2017–present); ;
Commanders
Current Commander	Maj. Gen. Maher al-Assad
Chief of Staff	Brig. Gen. Bassem Adel Allasha
Brigade Commanders	Brig. Gen. Ghiath Dalla (42nd Brigade); Brig. Gen. Kamal Salah Shaddud (138th Brigade); Brig. Gen. Jawdat Ibrahim Safi (154th Regiment); Brig. Gen. Jamal Yunes (555th Regiment); Maj. Gen. Asif Al-Daker (Military Police Commander); Maj. Gen. Ghassan Nafie Bilal (Security Office Commander)
Notable; commanders	Maj. Gen. Mohamed Ali Durgham; Maj. Gen. Ghassan Belal; Maj. Gen. Ali Mahmoud

The 4th Armoured Division (Arabic: الفرقة الرابعة, romanized: al-Firqa ar-Rābiʿah) is an elite formation of the Syrian Army whose primary purpose is to defend the Syrian government from internal and external threats. The division is considered one of the most combat-ready formations of the Syrian Arab Army. It played a key role in some battles of the Syrian Civil War.^[17]

^ "Syrian rebel leader to Haaretz: Assad's opposition will secure chemical weapons". Haaretz. 28 May 2012.
^ "Kofi Annan's plan is destined to fail". CNN. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
^ "3/16 - A soldier from the newly deployed Ghaith Forces/42nd Brigade was killed & others wounded when their transport truck hit a mine in the Mayadeen region #Deir_EzZor".
^ "Syria's army holds the key to Assad regime's future". Channel 4 News. 13 June 2011.
^ "Elite Syrian troops sent to embattled Homs". AlertNet. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
^ Gregory Waters (12 March 2019). "Understanding Syria's Military Deployments in Idlib". International Review. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
^ "مقتل شاب برصاص قوات النظام في درعا البلد ومطالبات أهلية بإفراغ المنطقة من أهلها وسكانها بعد تصعيد قوات النظام الأخير" (in Arabic). SOHR. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
^ "Daraa | 4th Division officers inspect checkpoints in "Yarmouk Basin" area • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights". 4 July 2020.
^ "Brigadier Bassem Adel Allasha has been appointed Chief of Staff of the 4th Division. Was appointed head of div's 40th Brig in Dec 2020".
^ "SAA's 42nd Brigade redeploys from Golan region to east Daraa". Al-Masdar. 18 June 2018. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
^ "Brigadier General Kamal Salah Shaddud (from Al Bahlouliyah-Latakia Governorate) was appointed as commander of 138th Brigade in the 4th Division".
^ "Overall command nominally in the hands of Jamal Younes with operational command under Brigadiers Ahmed Yassin and Isama Kina'an".
^ ^a ^b "Council Regulation concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria and repealing Regulation (EU) No 442/2011".
^ Ayman Al-Das (9 May 2024). "5. Brigadier General Muhammad Bilal, brother of Major General Ghassan Bilal (Head of the #Security_Office at the #4th_Division) has been appointed as the head of #Special_Task Forces Branch in #Air_Force Intelligence". Twitter. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^ Next to him is Maj Gen Ali Mahmoud, chief of staff of 4th Division, who has been present at all the new reconciliations
^ Holliday, Joseph (February 2013). "The Syrian Army Doctrinal Order of Battle" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War.
^ Cite error: The named reference SrgNew7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] "Syrian rebel leader to Haaretz: Assad's opposition will secure chemical weapons". Haaretz. 28 May 2012.

[2] "Kofi Annan's plan is destined to fail". CNN. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2012.

[3] "3/16 - A soldier from the newly deployed Ghaith Forces/42nd Brigade was killed & others wounded when their transport truck hit a mine in the Mayadeen region #Deir_EzZor".

[4] "Syria's army holds the key to Assad regime's future". Channel 4 News. 13 June 2011.

[5] "Elite Syrian troops sent to embattled Homs". AlertNet. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.

[6] Gregory Waters (12 March 2019). "Understanding Syria's Military Deployments in Idlib". International Review. Retrieved 22 March 2023.

[7] "مقتل شاب برصاص قوات النظام في درعا البلد ومطالبات أهلية بإفراغ المنطقة من أهلها وسكانها بعد تصعيد قوات النظام الأخير" (in Arabic). SOHR. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.

[8] "Daraa | 4th Division officers inspect checkpoints in "Yarmouk Basin" area • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights". 4 July 2020.

[9] "Brigadier Bassem Adel Allasha has been appointed Chief of Staff of the 4th Division. Was appointed head of div's 40th Brig in Dec 2020".

[b42-10] "SAA's 42nd Brigade redeploys from Golan region to east Daraa". Al-Masdar. 18 June 2018. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.

[11] "Brigadier General Kamal Salah Shaddud (from Al Bahlouliyah-Latakia Governorate) was appointed as commander of 138th Brigade in the 4th Division".

[12] "Overall command nominally in the hands of Jamal Younes with operational command under Brigadiers Ahmed Yassin and Isama Kina'an".

[auto-13] "Council Regulation concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria and repealing Regulation (EU) No 442/2011".

[14] Ayman Al-Das (9 May 2024). "5. Brigadier General Muhammad Bilal, brother of Major General Ghassan Bilal (Head of the #Security_Office at the #4th_Division) has been appointed as the head of #Special_Task Forces Branch in #Air_Force Intelligence". Twitter. Retrieved 16 May 2024.

[15] Next to him is Maj Gen Ali Mahmoud, chief of staff of 4th Division, who has been present at all the new reconciliations

[16] Holliday, Joseph (February 2013). "The Syrian Army Doctrinal Order of Battle" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War.

[SrgNew7-17] Cite error: The named reference SrgNew7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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4th Armoured Division
Parent unit	4th Armoured Division^[16]
Components	38th Brigade 40th Armoured Brigade 41st Armoured Brigade 42nd Armoured Brigade 138th Mechanized Brigade 154th Artillery Regiment 555th Special Forces Regiment