Eastern Qalamoun offensive (April 2018)

Eastern Qalamoun offensive (April 2018)
	Part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate campaign (Syrian Civil War) and the Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War
	; Map of the operation
Date	17–25 April 2018; (1 week and 1 day)
Location	Eastern Qalamoun Mountains, Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria
Result	Decisive Syrian Army and allies victory Syrian Army captures the entirety of the rebel-held eastern Qalamoun pocket; Rebels surrender and evacuate from eastern Qalamoun;
Belligerents
Syrian Arab Republic; Russia	Unified Military Command of Eastern Qalamoun ; Jaysh Tahrir al-Sham ; Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
Commanders and leaders
Maj. Gen. Suheil al-Hassan; (Tiger Forces); Col. Ghiath Dalla; (42nd Armored Brigade)	Shaher Juma †; (head of rebel negotiations committee in Dumayr)
Units involved
Syrian Armed Forces Syrian Army; National Defence Forces; Syrian Air Force; Russian Armed Forces Aerospace Forces; Special operations forces advisors;	Unified Military Command of Eastern Qalamoun Jaysh al-Islam; Forces of Martyr Ahmad al-Abdo; Lions of the East Army; Al-Rahman Legion; Ahrar al-Sham; Qaryatayn Martyrs Brigade;
Strength
Unknown	1,500

On 17 April 2018, rebel groups in the eastern Qalamoun Mountains pocket, led by Jaysh al-Islam, reached a surrender agreement with the Syrian Army and Russia. The agreement came after 2 weeks of negotiations that began with a Syrian Army ultimatum on 3 April.^[7] Around 1,500 rebels handed over heavy weapons and equipment to the Syrian Army, and were evacuated by 124 buses in 4 convoys to Turkish-held areas in the northern Aleppo Governorate along with their families, totaling around 5,000 people.^[6] On 25 April, the last batch of rebels and their families left the eastern Qalamoun pocket, and the region came under full Syrian government control.^[8]

^ ^a ^b "Syria's rebels announce refusal to evacuate Eastern Qalamoun". The New Arab. 3 April 2018.
^ "Jaish Tahrir al-Sham Denies affiliate to Qalamoun Unified Command & Rejects negotiations with Russia". Syria Call. 15 April 2018. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
^ ^a ^b "The Eastern Qalamoun witnesses preparations for a new displaced people convoy in conjunction with the arrival of the 3rd convoy in the north-eastern countryside of Aleppo". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 24 April 2018.
^ "The assassination of the Chairman of the Commission for Negotiating the City of conscience". Enab Baladi. 18 April 2018.
^ "The convoy of the Eastern Qalamoun reaches its destination after being attacked by loyalists to the regime at one of the checkpoints which injured a number of displaced people". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 22 April 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Evacuations around Damascus continue as thousands depart encircled city of Dumayr". Syria Direct. 19 April 2018. Archived from the original on 27 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
^ "Russia, Assad give ultimatum to Syria rebels northeast of Damascus". Reuters. 3 April 2018.
^ "Syrian army enters eastern Qalamoun after full evacuation of rebels". Xinhua News Agency. 25 April 2018. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018.

[refusal-1] "Syria's rebels announce refusal to evacuate Eastern Qalamoun". The New Arab. 3 April 2018.

[tahrir-2] "Jaish Tahrir al-Sham Denies affiliate to Qalamoun Unified Command & Rejects negotiations with Russia". Syria Call. 15 April 2018. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2018.

[3rd-3] "The Eastern Qalamoun witnesses preparations for a new displaced people convoy in conjunction with the arrival of the 3rd convoy in the north-eastern countryside of Aleppo". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 24 April 2018.

[juma-4] "The assassination of the Chairman of the Commission for Negotiating the City of conscience". Enab Baladi. 18 April 2018.

[5] "The convoy of the Eastern Qalamoun reaches its destination after being attacked by loyalists to the regime at one of the checkpoints which injured a number of displaced people". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 22 April 2018.

[sd-6] "Evacuations around Damascus continue as thousands depart encircled city of Dumayr". Syria Direct. 19 April 2018. Archived from the original on 27 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.

[ulti-7] "Russia, Assad give ultimatum to Syria rebels northeast of Damascus". Reuters. 3 April 2018.

[xh-8] "Syrian army enters eastern Qalamoun after full evacuation of rebels". Xinhua News Agency. 25 April 2018. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018.

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