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79-401: Busra al-Harir has been identified with the city of Bosor , mentioned in 1 Maccabees (2nd century BC), where Gilead was captured by Judas Maccabeus . The town is also mentioned in the 3rd century Mosaic of Rehob . Extensive Byzantine -era ruins were found in the town. Of the ruins was a Roman temple dedicated to unspecified deity that was consecrated as a church by 517/18 CE. The temple

158-416: A military strategy of guerrilla tactics in the countryside and cities, with a tactical focus on armed action in the capital of Damascus . The campaign was not meant to hold territory, but rather to spread government forces and their logistical chains thin in battles for urban centers, cause attrition in the security forces, degrade morale , and destabilize the government. The FSA considered itself to be

237-609: A checkpoint in Hama province, according to activists. On 16 November, in a coordinated attack , an air force intelligence complex in the Damascus suburb of Harasta was attacked. According to the Free Syrian Army, they did so with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, leading to the death of at least six soldiers with twenty others wounded. A western diplomat said the assault was "hugely symbolic and tactically new". The attack on

316-664: A convoy in Idlib, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. This attack was allegedly done to avenge the deaths of 11 civilians previously killed. A Syrian officer was also killed in a revenge attack. Loyalist soldiers reportedly fired upon a civilian car near Homs on 14 December, killing five people, in response, the Free Syrian Army staged an ambush against a loyalist convoy consisting of four jeeps, killing eight soldiers. The same day, three anti-government military defectors were wounded in clashes with Syrian security forces in

395-683: A new coalition of Syrian rebel groups, including many that were in the FSA; the core of this new coalition was the Hawar Kilis Operations Room . Initially referred to as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA), this force would adopt the name Syrian National Army (SNA) in 2017. A majority of the FSA militias are currently under the command of the Syrian Interim Government ; while the rest have either allied with

474-701: A result (if they were soldiers, defectors or civilians was not stated). At least fifty tanks and other armoured vehicle opened fire with 50 cal. machine guns and anti-aircraft weapons on positions held by the Free Syrian Army on Rastan's outskirts. Deaths were also reported in Daraa and Homs On 24 November 11 defectors were killed and four wounded during clashes on the western outskirts of Homs. In an attack on an airbase in Homs province on 25 November, six elite pilots, one technical officer and three other personnel were killed. The Syrian government vowed to "cut every evil hand" of

553-557: A separate incident, 10 security agents and a deserter were killed in a bus ambush near the Turkish border , opposition activists reported. The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights reported that the bus was transporting security agents between the villages of Al-Habit and Kafrnabuda in Idlib province when it was ambushed "by armed men, probably deserters". In November 2011, the FSA operated throughout Syria, both in urban areas and countryside, in

632-406: A spokesman for the FSA, said that Brigadier-General Salman al-Awaja was given instructions to fire on residents of al-Quseir in Homs. When he refused, Nueimi said, he was killed. The FSA says that a large number of defections took place after the killing, as clashes broke out between al-Awaja's supporters in the army and the other soldiers who killed him. The Observatory said two people were killed in

711-522: A strategy of quickly eliminating the regime's top leadership; successfully assassinating intelligence chief Assef Shawkat and Defence Minister Dawoud Rajiha in July 2012. In early 2012, Iran's IRGC launched a co-ordinated military campaign by sending tens of thousands of Khomeinist militants to prevent the collapse of the Syrian Arab Army; polarising the conflict along sectarian lines . After 2013,

790-630: A third checkpoint killing and wounding several loyalists. More than a dozen people, including 11 soldiers, were killed in clashes between defectors and loyalists in Basr al-Harir , a town in southern Daraa Governorate , according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Shelling and gunfire were also reported in Deir ez-Zor by the LCC. On 14 January, the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights said there

869-501: A video on the Internet where Riad al-Asaad spoke alongside several other defectors. Paying homage to the victims killed by the "criminal gangs" of regime's apparatus, Riad Al-Asaad declared the formation of Free Syrian Army: "Proceeding from our nationalistic sense, our loyalty to this people , our sense of the current need for conclusive decisions to stop this regime's massacres that cannot be tolerated any longer, and proceeding from

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948-533: Is a big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29 July 2011 by Colonel Riad al-Asaad and six officers who defected from the Syrian Armed Forces . The officers announced that the immediate priority of the Free Syrian Army was to safeguard the lives of protestors and civilians from the deadly crackdown by Bashar al-Assad 's security apparatus; with

1027-464: The Damascus countryside while one of the armed individuals died, additionally that day, two explosive devices were dismantled. More army defections were reported in Damascus on 10 November, three out of at least nine defectors were shot dead by loyalist gunmen after abandoning their posts. The same day, clashes reportedly resulted in the death of a fifteen-year-old boy in Khan Sheikhoun , when he

1106-658: The Druze revolt in August 1910. Busra al-Harir was one of the principal garrison towns from which the Ottoman army launched its campaign. Atrash's forces were decisively defeated with an estimated 2,000 Druze killed and hundreds of fighters imprisoned. Consequently, the Ottoman government successfully began the process of extending direct rule to the Hauran. Busra al-Harir was reportedly "a stronghold of

1185-550: The Hauran Sanjak . At that time it had an entirely Muslim population of 42 households and 31 bachelors, who paid fixed tax rate of 40% various agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, summer crops, goats and/or beehives; a total of 17,000 akçe . In 1838, Eli Smith noted that inhabitants were predominantly Sunni Muslims . Towards the end of Ottoman rule in Syria , the residents of Busra al-Harir engaged in regular clashes with

1264-755: The Lebanese border , according to Reuters. According to Reuters, two rocket propelled grenades hit a Baath party building in Damascus on 20 December, which if confirmed would indicate the FSA had a greater reach than previously believed. However, an AFP reporter went to the area and saw no signs of the claimed attack while residents said that there had been no explosions. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, on 24 November soldiers and Shabiha with armoured vehicles started operations in farmland west of Rastan in Homs province to track down defectors. 24 people died as

1343-573: The Rifa'iyya Sufi order, was founded in Busr in 1247 by its namesake Ali ibn Abi'l Hasan al-Hariri al-Marwazi. The teachings of the sect were repudiated in a fatwa (Islamic edict) by the Mamluk-era scholar Ibn Taymiyya . During early Ottoman Empire rule, Busra al-Harir was a large village. In 1596 it appeared in the Ottoman tax registers as "Busr" and was part of the nahiya (subdistrict) of Badi Sarma in

1422-617: The Syrian Army 's Izra'-based 12th Armoured Brigade stormed the town in an attempt to rout out FSA fighters. According to opposition activists, two people were killed and dozens were injured after Busra al-Harir was shelled by Syrian Army tanks in April 2012. A freelance journalist for Al Jazeera and opposition activist, Mohammad al-Massalma ("al-Horani"), was killed by sniper in Busra al-Harir by security forces, according to activists. In late August 2014,

1501-617: The Syrian National Council (SNC) in November 2011, agreed to not attack Syrian army units that are staying in their barracks, and concentrate on protecting and defending civilians. In November 2011, "The Free Syrian Army boasts it has as many 25,000 fighters in its ranks, a number challenged by its critics who say the true figure is closer to 1,000". early December, the US International Business Times stated that

1580-604: The Syrian Salvation Government , the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria , or are in the Al-Tanf Deconfliction Zone . The first defections from the Syrian Army during the Syrian uprising may have occurred at the end of April 2011 when the army was sent into Daraa to quell ongoing protests . There were reports that some units refused to fire on protesters and had split from

1659-463: The Syrian uprising (or civil war) running since March 2011, a group of defected Syrian Army officers established the ' Free Syrian Army' to bring down the Assad government. On 29 July 2011, Colonel Riad al-Asaad and a group of uniformed officers announced the formation of the Free Syrian Army or 'Syrian Free Army', with the goals of protecting unarmed protesters and helping to "bring down this regime", in

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1738-440: The FSA became affected by decreasing discipline, absence of a centralised political leadership, lack of substantial Western support, deteriorating supply of weapons, and diminishing funds; while rival Islamist militias emerged dominant in the armed opposition. Russian military intervention in 2015 ensured Assad's survival and halted the expansion of the FSA. A series of Russian and Iranian-backed counter-offensives launched by

1817-499: The FSA counted 15,000 ex-Syrian soldiers. On 5 November, at least nine people died in clashes between soldiers, protesters and defectors, and four Shabeeha were killed in Idlib reportedly by army deserters. On the same day, the state-news agency SANA reported the deaths of 13 soldiers and policemen as a result of clashes with armed groups. According to SANA, four policemen were also wounded in clashes with an armed group in Kanakir in

1896-556: The FSA was killed by the Syrian army on 17 December according to Local Committee, and opposition source. On 19 December, the FSA suffered its largest loss of life when new defectors tried to abandon their positions and bases between the villages of Kensafra and Kefer Quaid in Idlib province . Activist groups, specifically the Syrian Observatory for Human rights, reported that 72 defectors were killed as they were gunned down during their attempted escape. The Syrian Army lost three soldiers during

1975-456: The FSA would start to receive military support from Turkey , who allowed the rebel army to operate its command and headquarters from the country's southern Hatay province close to the Syrian border, and its field command from inside Syria . The FSA would often launch attacks into Syria's northern towns and cities, while using the Turkish side of the border as a safe zone and supply route. By

2054-480: The Free Syrian Army was documented in videos. On 23 September 2011, the Free Syrian Army merged with the Free Officers Movement ( Arabic : حركة الضباط الأحرار , Ḥarakat aḑ-Ḑubbāṭ al-Aḥrār ); The Wall Street Journal considered the FSA since then the main military defectors group. From 27 September to 1 October, Syrian government forces, backed by tanks and helicopters, led a major offensive on

2133-465: The Hauran occupied during the previous years. By 1885 the Ottoman government set up Busra al-Harir as one of 42 stations on the telegraph grid which extended from Aleppo in the north to Gaza in the south. In 1892 Osman Nuri Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Damascus, demanded the completion of land registration in Busra al-Harir in attempt to extend central government control over the outlier Hauran and Transjordan regions. The town's inhabitants resisted

2212-523: The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Clashes were also reported in the city of Binnish in Idlib province with a total of 14 fatalities for both affected towns, including rebels, loyalists and civilians. A few days later on 17 October, five government troops were killed in the town of Qusayr in the central province of Homs , near the border with Lebanon , and 17 people were reported wounded in skirmishes with defectors in

2291-606: The Syrian border. Turkey would allow the FSA to begin operating in nearby towns and encouraged foreign intervention in the Syrian Civil War. In August 2012, the National Unity Brigades was formed. Known for its non-sectarianism . The group included rebels from minority groups such as Christians , Druze , Ismailis , and Alawites . On 6 January 2012, General Mustafa al-Sheikh of the Syrian Army defected from

2370-403: The Syrian people's opposition to the regime", through armed operations and the encouragement of army defections. In 2012, military commanders and civilian leadership of the FSA issued a joint communique pledging to transition Syria towards a pluralistic, democratic republic , after forcing Assad out of power. As the Syrian Army is highly organized and well-armed, the Free Syrian Army adopted

2449-497: The Syrian territories without exception"; "you will find us everywhere at all times, and you will see that which you do not expect, until we re-establish the rights and freedom of our people." Riad al-Assad urged all factions of the Syrian opposition to unite and put an end to internal disputes; until liberation from the dictatorship and formation of a “free, national, democratic” civilian government in Syria. Desertion of soldiers to

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2528-469: The air force intelligence complex was a continuation of clashes in Damascus . The next day, the Free Syrian Army launched an assault against the Baath party youth headquarters in Idlib province with RPGs and small arms. The state news agency SANA reported the deaths of three Syrian troops as a result of a bomb blast, with an officer also critically wounded and two law-enforcement agents injured. Three members of

2607-464: The ambush. The FSA grew in size, to about 20,000 by December 2011. In the early days of their existence, 90% of the FSA consisted of Sunni Muslims and a small minority were ( Shia ) Alawites , Druze , Christians, Kurds and Palestinians. Western sources in December 2011 again gave estimates of 10,000 Syrian deserters, indicated that half the Syrian army conscripts had not reported to army duty in

2686-449: The armed wing of the Syrian revolution and was able to mobilise the popular anger toward Bashar al-Assad into a successful insurgency. By waging guerilla warfare across the country, it enjoyed a string of successes against far better-equipped government forces. Assad's policy of ignoring protesters' demands alongside the regime's intensifying violence on civilians and protestors led to a full-blown civil war by 2012. The FSA initially pursued

2765-533: The army and we have defected because the government is killing civilian protesters. The Syrian army attacked Hama with heavy weapons, air raids and heavy fire from tanks . … We ask the Arab League observers to come visit areas affected by air raids and attacks so you can see the damage with your own eyes, and we ask you to send someone to uncover the three cemeteries in Hama filled with more than 460 corpses." Syrian forces clashed with army deserters in an area near

2844-512: The army in a year to a year-and-a-half, even if they are armed only with rocket-propelled grenades and light weapons". On 7 January 2012, Colonel Afeef Mahmoud Suleima of the Syrian Air Force logistics division defected from Bashar Al Assad 's regime along with at least fifty of his men. He announced his group's defection on live television and ordered his men to protect protesters in the city of Hama . Colonel Suleiman declared: "We are from

2923-483: The army's responsibility to protect this unarmed free people, we announce the formation of the Free Syrian Army to work hand in hand with the people to achieve freedom and dignity to bring this regime down, protect the revolution and the country's resources, and stand in the face of the irresponsible military machine that protects the regime.” He called on the officers and men of the Syrian army to "defect from

3002-490: The army, stop pointing their rifles at their people's chests, join the free army, and form a national army that can protect the revolution and all sections of the Syrian people with all their sects." He said that those soldiers and officers who didn't defect from the Syrian army "[represents] gangs that protect the regime", and declared that "as of now, the security forces that kill civilians and besiege cities will be treated as legitimate targets. We will target them in all parts of

3081-412: The army. Defections, according to unverified reports, continued throughout the spring as the government used lethal force to clamp down on protesters and lay siege to protesting cities across the country, such as Baniyas , Hama , Talkalakh , and Deir ez-Zor , and there were reports of soldiers who refused to fire on civilians being summarily executed by the army. At the end of July 2011, with

3160-464: The attack. Syrian human rights activists claimed that the Free Syrian Army had killed three loyalist soldiers and captured two others on 29 November, although they did not specify where. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, seven soldiers were killed on 30 November in fighting in the town of Deal in Daraa province after security forces moved on the town in force. The fighting went on from

3239-587: The attackers as a result. On that same day, at least 10 troops and security service agents were killed in clashes with mutinous soldiers in the east of Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the deaths occurred in Deir Ezzor , while early the next day a civilian was also killed in the eastern city. Several defectors were also killed or wounded. Sustained clashes in Idlib province began on 26 November between loyalist and opposition fighters. At least 8 soldiers were killed and 40 more wounded that day when

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3318-477: The beginning of October, clashes between loyalist and defected army units were being reported fairly regularly. During the first week of the month, sustained clashes were reported in Jabal al-Zawiya in the mountainous regions of Idlib province . On 13 October, clashes were reported in the town of Haara in Daraa province in the south of Syria that resulted in the death of two rebel and six loyalist soldiers, according to

3397-510: The capital Damascus, opposition activists said. The town of Reef Damascus saw fighting on 1 January as the government forces were hunting for suspected defectors, according to the activists. There were no immediate reports of casualties. According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human rights, despite a self-declared ceasefire, Free Syrian Army soldiers in Idlib, on 2 January, overran two checkpoints belonging to security forces and captured dozens of loyalist troops, and launched an attack on

3476-561: The city of Rastan in Homs province , which had been under opposition control for a couple weeks. There were reports of large numbers of defections in the city, and the Free Syrian Army reported it had destroyed 17 armoured vehicles during clashes in Rastan , using RPGs and booby traps . A defected officer in the Syrian opposition claimed that over a hundred officers had defected as well as thousands of conscripts, although many had gone into hiding or home to their families, rather than fighting

3555-497: The city. In November, there were conflicting reports of the number of Syrian soldiers injured and killed. On 11 November, Reuters reported that 26 soldiers were killed, while Syrian state media reported the lower figure of 20 soldiers killed at this time. For the month up until 13 November, the Local Coordination Committees reported the death of about 20 soldiers, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights reported

3634-526: The clash with defectors in Kfar Takharim and two armoured vehicles were destroyed. On 12 December, three civilians and two defectors were killed during clashes in Idlib province. Fighting in Ebita, in the northwestern province of Idlib, continued throughout the night and into the early hours on 12 December. At least one fighter was killed and another injured in the assault. The FSA killed ten troops in an ambush on

3713-434: The clashes. The next day, S.O.H.R. stated that in all 100 defectors were killed or wounded. The clashes continued into the next day, and another report, by Lebanese human rights activist Wissam Tarif, put the death toll even higher with 163 defectors, 97 government troops and nine civilians killed on the second day alone as the military tracked down the soldiers and civilian that managed to initially escape. On 21 December, it

3792-500: The conflict so far. At least five soldiers, including a military officer, are reported to have been killed the same day in an unspecified location. In one of Sunday's clashes, which took place before dawn in the northwestern town of Kfar Takharim, two of the military's armored vehicles were set ablaze, said the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights . Three other vehicles were burned in another clash near

3871-422: The death of more than 100 soldiers, and the Syrian state media SANA reported the death of 71 soldiers. Increased Clashes in Daraa province began on 14 November when 34 soldiers and 12 defectors were killed in an ambush by the free army. The death toll as a result of the fighting also included 23 civilians. One day later on 15 November, eight soldiers and security forces troops were killed by an assault on

3950-461: The early morning to the late afternoon. "Two security force vehicles were blown up. Seven (troops) were killed," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the observatory. An activist from the town, in the province of Daraa, said some 30 busloads of security men stormed Deal and two of the buses were blown up in fighting "between security forces and defectors," the Observatory reported. One of the destroyed buses

4029-431: The edge of the town. The defectors launched an assault on the government held roadblock in retaliation for a raid on their positions the previous night. The next day on 26 October, the opposition reported that nine soldiers were killed by a rocket-propelled grenade when it hit their bus in the village of Hamrat, near the city of Hama . The gunmen who attacked the bus were believed to be defected soldiers. On 29 October,

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4108-530: The free army attacked them in Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. "A group of deserters attacked a squad of soldiers and security agents in a convoy of seven vehicles, including three all-terrain vehicles, on the road from Ghadka to Maarat al-Numaan ", the Britain-based watchdog said. "Eight were killed and at least 40 more were wounded. The deserters were able to withdraw without suffering any casualties," it added. The FSA claimed to be behind

4187-401: The government forces to join the FSA. General Mustafa al-Sheikh told Reuters that up to 20,000 soldiers in total had deserted the army since the beginning of the conflict, and that the FSA had taken control of large swathes of land. He said in an interview on 12 January 2012: "If we get 25,000 to 30,000 deserters mounting guerrilla warfare in small groups of six or seven it is enough to exhaust

4266-593: The houses at the edges of Saraqeb and arrested three activists at dawn, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Between 1 and 7 December, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported the deaths of 48 members of the state security forces. A military tank was destroyed in Homs on 9 December. Four defected soldiers also apparently died in fighting on 9 December. On 10 December, activists say clashes between Syrian troops and army defectors killed at least two people. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says two army armoured carriers were burned in

4345-480: The last three call-ups, and that lower-level officers were deserting in large numbers; in some cases, whole units had deserted en masse . An anonymously speaking U.S. official however estimated in December 2011 1,000 to 3,500 defectors in total. In 2011, The Turkish government provided free passage to defecting Syrian Army fighters and allowed the FSA to operate from a special refugee camp in Southern Turkey near

4424-458: The loyalist forces. The Battle of Rastan between the government forces and the Free Syrian Army was the longest and most intense action up until that time. After a week of fighting, the FSA was forced to retreat from Rastan. To avoid government forces, the leader of the FSA, Col. Riad Asaad, retreated to the Turkish side of Syrian-Turkish border. By October 2011, the leadership of the FSA consisting of 60–70 people including commander Riad al-Assad

4503-464: The measure, leading to a shootout which resulted in the wounding of the district governor. In May 1909 a dispute between the chief of Jabal al-Druze, Yahya "Bey" Atrash, and his business partner in a steam mill in Busra al-Harir led to armed clashes between the Druze and the town's residents. The latter were supported by the Ottoman government which prepared a large army headed by Sami Pasha Faruqi to put down

4582-644: The northwest of Syria ( Idlib and Aleppo Governorates ), the central region ( Homs and Hama Governorates , Al-Rastan District ), the coast around Latakia , the south ( Daraa Governorate and the Houran plateau ), the east ( Deir ez-Zor Governorate , Abu Kamal District ), and the Damascus Governorate . FSA was then armed with rifles, light and heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and explosive devices. Their largest concentrations were in Homs, Hama and surrounding areas. The FSA, after consultation with

4661-429: The opposition reported that 17 pro-Assad soldiers were killed in the city of Homs during fighting with suspected army deserters, including a defected senior official who was aiding the rebel soldiers. Two armoured personnel carriers were disabled in the fighting. Later the number of casualties was revised to 20 killed and 53 wounded soldiers in clashes with presumed army deserters, according to Agence France Presse . In

4740-463: The opposition reported that clashes occurred between loyalists and defectors in Burhaniya , near the town of Qusayr in the central province of Homs , leading to the death of several soldiers and the destruction of two military vehicles. A week later on 25 October, clashes occurred in the northwestern town of Maarat al-Numaan in Idlib province between loyalists and defected soldiers at a roadblock on

4819-567: The pre-dawn clash in the northwestern town of Kfar Takharim. On 11 December, it was reported that a battle was fought between defectors and the Syrian army in Busra al-Harir and Lujah . Troops, mainly from the 12th Armoured Brigade, based in Isra, 40 km from the border with Jordan, stormed the nearby town of Busra al-Harir, the Reuters news agency reported. It was apparently the largest battle to take place in

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4898-463: The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA)" during the 2011–2012 Syrian uprising against the government of Bashar al-Assad , according to the BBC. From the town and the nearby Lajat area, the FSA attacked military supply lines. Two residents were reported killed by security forces on 10 June 2011, according to the opposition. State television reported a policeman was shot dead in the town on 16 September. On 11 December,

4977-617: The rebel battalions targeted the government-held areas in the city, while army units targeted rebel vehicles. On 24 June 2018, the Syrian Arab Army and its elite branch, the Tiger Forces of Suheil al-Hassan , entered the city after airstrikes conducted by the Russian Air Force paved way for the assault. They captured the town on 26 June. Bosor Bosor ( Greek : Βοσόρ ) was an ancient Biblical Levitical city and one of

5056-409: The regime in 2016 eroded the significant territorial gains made by the FSA and severely weakened its command structure. After the Turkish military intervention in Syria in 2016, and as other countries began to scale back their involvement, many FSA militias became more dependent on Turkey , which became a sanctuary and source of supplies. From late August 2016, the Turkish government assembled

5135-473: The residents of Jabal al-Druze . In 1879 fighting flared up between the townspeople and the Druze after the Muslim inhabitants of several nearby villages fled to Busra al-Harir as a result of fighting between the al-Atrash family, a leading Druze clan, and the local Bedouin . With pressure from the Ottoman government in Damascus , a truce was reached that year stipulating a Druze evacuation of Muslim villages in

5214-457: The security forces were reportedly killed on between 18 and 19 November by the Free Syrian Army. Multiple attacks on 19 December by armed groups were also reported by the state news agency SANA. State news also reported that ten wanted armed individuals were captured in Maarat al-Numan . On 23 November, five defected soldiers were killed; four in a farm near Daraa where they were hiding and one near

5293-472: The security forces, including an officer, at the southern city of Deal in Daraa province on 5 December. On 7 December, there were clashes between the Syrian regular army and groups of army defectors near the radio broadcasting centre in the town of Saraqeb , in Idib district . An armoured personnel carrier (APC) of the regular army was destroyed during the clashes. Meanwhile, joint security and military forces raided

5372-482: The southern village of Busra al-Harir , the group said. Similar battles took place in several other parts of the south, said the Observatory and another activist group called the Local Coordination Committees. Syrian army defectors, who operate under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, say that a senior army officer was killed on 11 December after refusing to fire on civilians in Homs. Maher al-Nueimi,

5451-948: The three Trans-Jordanian Cities of Refuge named in the Mosaic Law . It was located in Gilead , and was conquered by Judas Maccabeus . It is sometimes identified with modern-day Busra al-Harir . Josephus commented on its conquest. This article related to the Hebrew Bible is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . 32°50′17″N 36°20′20″E  /  32.837990°N 36.339007°E  / 32.837990; 36.339007 Free Syrian Army Decentralised (2015–present): [REDACTED] AANES Factions : Non-state allies Non-state opponents Syrian-affiliated groups Shi'ite groups YPG and Allies The Free Syrian Army ( FSA ; Arabic : الجيش السوري الحر , romanized :  al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur )

5530-457: The town of Hass in Idlib province near the mountain range of Jabal al-Zawiya , although it was unclear if the wounded included civilians. According to the London-based organization, an estimated 11 government soldiers were killed that day, four of which were killed in a bombing. It was not clear if the defectors linked to these incidents were connected to the Free Syrian Army. On 20 October,

5609-474: The ultimate goal of accomplishing the objectives of the Syrian revolution , namely, the end to the decades-long reign of the ruling al-Assad family . In late 2011, the FSA was the main Syrian military defectors group. Initially a formal military organization at its founding, its original command structure dissipated by 2016, and the FSA identity has since been used by various Syrian opposition groups. The Free Syrian Army aims to be "the military wing of

5688-451: The village of Hirak in Daraa province. The FSA engaged loyalist army units and security service agents south of Damascus on 15 December, leading to 27 loyalist deaths and an unknown number of FSA casualties. The clashes broke out at three separate checkpoints in Daraa province around dawn Between 8 and 15 December, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported the deaths of 68 members of the state security forces. A lieutenant colonel of

5767-672: Was allegedly empty. On 1 December, FSA troops launched a raid on an intelligence building in Idlib , leading to a three-hour firefight in which eight loyalists were killed. This came the same day the United Nations announced it considered Syria to be in a state of civil war. On 3 December, clashes in the city of Idlib in the north of Syria the next day resulted in the death of seven Assad loyalist soldiers, five defectors and three civilians. On 4 December, heavy fighting raged in Homs during which at least five FSA insurgents were killed and one wounded. Defected soldiers killed four members of

5846-558: Was built by a certain Fl. Chrysaphios, but was consecrated by archdeacon Elias, a subordinate of bishop Varus of Zorava. A notable Christian family during this era, the Maiorinus, maintained their estates in Busra al-Harir. The family played an important role converting the inhabitants of the Lajat plain to Christianity. It is possible that the tomb of Elias, is that of the prophet Elisha . Busra al-Harir

5925-658: Was caught in crossfire between Assad loyalists and the free army. Also on 10 November "at least four soldiers in the regular army were killed at dawn in an attack, headed by armed men – probably deserters – on a military checkpoint in Has region, near Maaret al-Numan town" according to the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights . However, the number has also been put at five soldiers. A checkpoint in Maarat al-Numaan three kilometers south of Homs also came under attack by defectors, resulting in an increase in tank deployment by Syrian security forces in

6004-507: Was fighting between deserters and loyalist troops in Hula, Homs province, after the defectors destroyed a barricade and a number of security forces were killed or wounded. In mid-January, the FSA managed to take control over the border town of Zabadani , just 14 miles away from the capital, Damascus . Regular army forces tried to assault the town several times but as of 16 January all attacks were repelled. On 16 January General Mouaffac Hamzeh in

6083-499: Was harbored in an 'officers' camp' in Turkey guarded by the Turkish military. In early November 2011, two FSA units in the Damascus area confronted regime forces. In mid-November, in an effort to weaken the pro-Assad forces, the FSA released a statement which announced that a temporary military council had been formed. In October 2011, an American official said the Syrian military might have lost perhaps 10,000 to defections. By October,

6162-527: Was reported that the FSA had taken control over large swathes of Idlib province including some towns and villages. It was also reported on 24 December that the FSA stronghold in the Bab Amr neighbourhood of Homs was under attack by security forces, with two FSA soldiers killed. A week later, a minute long fire fight erupted between FSA forces and government security forces, on a road near the village of Dael in Daraa province . Four government soldiers were killed in

6241-458: Was visited by Muslim geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi during Ayyubid rule in the 1220s. He referred to it as "Busr" and noted that it was a "village of the Hauran" in the Lajat plain. Busr contained a shrine dedicated to the prophet Joshua (Nabi Yusha) and the tomb of Sheikh al-Hariri. According to al-Harawi , the tomb of Elias (Ilyas) was still revered in Busr. The Haririyya, a highly pantheist sect of

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