Operation Nasr

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Operation Nasr
Part of Iran–Iraq War
Date January 5–9, 1981 Location Dezful, southwest Iran Result Iraqi victory Iranian counter-attack fails. Iraqis maintain the siege of Abadan, Ahvaz, Andimeshk, Dezful, Shush, Susangerd as well as continuing to besiege the nearby Air Force Base named Vahdati—all were receiving artillery fire and were hit by Frog-7 missiles
Belligerents
Iraq	Iran
Commanders and leaders
Colonel Mahmoud Shukr Shahin[1]	Abolhassan Banisadr Meguertitch Khan Davidkhanian
Strength
Three armored brigades from the 6th and 9th Armored divisions (T-62s)[2][1] as well as T-72 tanks from the 10th independent armored brigade[2] 350 tanks in total[2]	Three armored brigades from the 16th and 92nd Armored divisions (M60s and Chieftain tanks) 330 tanks in total[3]
Casualties and losses
45 tanks destroyed 50 APCs/IFVs destroyed 3 helicopters downed[4] 15 rocket artillery pieces destroyed[4] 44 killed (Iraqi claim) [3]	214 tanks destroyed/captured[5] 150 APCs/IFVs destroyed/captured[6] Some self-propelled artillery destroyed 8 AH-1J Cobras downed[7] Several fighter-bombers downed 141–300 killed (Iranian claim) Heavy casualties (Iraqi claim)
[8]

Operation Nasr, also known as Operation Hoveyzeh,^[9] fought in early January 1981, was a major battle of the Iran–Iraq War. It was the biggest tank battle of the war.

Three Iranian armored regiments advanced towards Iraqi forces that had invaded Iranian territory between the cities of Ahvaz, Susangerd and Dezful. The Iraqi forces were alerted to this movement and feigned a withdrawal. The Iraqis formed three armored brigades into a three-sided box ambush. The Iranians blundered into the ambush and the two tank forces battled for four days in a sea of mud. The Iranians withdrew, leaving many destroyed and disabled tanks stuck in the mud, or, because of logistical misplanning, had run out of fuel and ammunition. The condition of the terrain prevented a clean break from the battle and did not allow the Iraqi forces to pursue what was left of the Iranians en force.