The 2nd Corps (Arabic: الفيلق الثاني) is a corps of the Syrian Army that was first formed in 1985. Richard Bennett wrote in 2001 that "three corps [were] formed in 1985 to give the Army more flexibility and to improve combat efficiency by decentralising the command structure, absorbing at least some of the lessons learned during the 1982 Lebanon War."[5] He said that the 2nd Corps with HQ in Zabadani, covered north of Damascus, whole Homs and included Lebanon. In November 2019, Major General Abdul Majeed Ibrahim was appointed as commander of the 2nd Army Corps of the Syrian Arab Army.[3]
| 2nd Corps | |
|---|---|
| الفيلق الثاني | |
 Syrian Armed Forces Flag | |
| Active | 1985 – present[1] |
| Country |  Syria |
| Allegiance |  Syrian Armed Forces |
| Branch |  Syrian Army |
| Type | Corps |
| Size | up to 35,000 soldiers[2] |
| Garrison/HQ | Zabadani[2] Al-Kiswah (1st Division) Latakia (2nd Division) Qatana (10th Division) Damascus (14th Division) |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Current Commander | Maj. Gen. Abdul Majeed Ibrahim[3] |
| Notable commanders | Maj. Gen. Talal Makhlouf[4] |
Structure in 2001
edit- 1st Armored Division, with the 44th and 46th Armored Brigades and the 42nd Mechanized Brigade
- 3rd Armored Division, with the 47th and 82nd Armored Brigades and the 132nd Mechanized Brigade
- 11th Armored Division, with the 60th and 67th Armored Brigades and the 87th Mechanized Brigade
- 4th Mechanized Division with the 1st Armored Brigade and the 61st and 89th Mechanized Brigades
- 10th Mechanized Division, headquartered in Shtoura, Lebanon. Its main units [were in 2001] deployed to control the strategic Beirut-Damascus highway with the 123rd Mechanized Brigade near Yanta, the 51st Armored Brigade near Zahle in the Beqaa Valley and the 85th Armored Brigade, deployed around the complex of positions at Dahr al-Baidar.
- three other heavy brigades from the 3rd and 11th Armored Divisions [were] known to be regularly deployed to eastern Lebanon.
- there [were] five special forces regiments in the Lebanon.
Structure in 2013
editSource:[6]
- 1st Armored Division
- 76th, 91st and 153rd Armored Brigades
- 58th Mechanized Brigade
- 141st Artillery Regiment
- 10th Mechanized Division
- 18th, 62nd and 85th Mechanized Brigades
- 56th Armored Brigade
- 14th Special Forces Division
- 36th, 554th and 556th Special Forces Regiments
Structure in 2019
edit- 1st Armored Division
- 2nd Armored Division (formed in 2015)[6]
- 10th Mechanized Division
14th Special Forces Division[15]
- 36th, 554th and 556th Special Forces Regiments
References
edit- ^ Samuel M. Katz, Arab Armies of the Middle East Wars, Osprey Publishing Men-at-Arms 194, 1988, 13.
- ^ a b Waters, Gregory (18 July 2019). "The Lion and The Eagle: The Syrian Arab Army's Destruction and Rebirth". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ a b Muhsen al-Mustafa (9 November 2021). "Chain of Command in the Syrian Military: Formal and Informal Tracks". Omran Center for strategic studies. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "Major General Talal Makhlouf, Commander of the #Second Corps".
- ^ Richard M. Bennett, The Syrian Military: A Primer, Middle East Intelligence Bulletin, August/September 2001.
- ^ a b c Gregory Waters (18 July 2019). "The Lion and The Eagle: The Syrian Arab Army's Destruction and Rebirth". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ @GregoryPWaters (30 November 2018). "1st Div is led by Maj Gen Zuheir al-Assad w/ Chief of Staff Brig Gen Hussein Mahmoud. Administrative branches incl…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c Gregory Waters (12 May 2020). "Current Syrian Army Deployments". International Review. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ #Russia|n officers training SAA students on ATGM at the 165th Artillery Brigade base south of Kisweh
- ^ شُيّع من المشفى العسكري في طرطوس منذ قليل الشهيد النقيب شرف جعفر عماد فاضل من مرتبات الفرقة الثانية (B73 - مشاة) في الجيش العربي
- ^ Gregory Waters (8 September 2023). "Brigadier Gandhi Ibrahim has been appointed commander of its 48th Regiment". Twitter. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ 82nd Battalion of the 53rd SF Regiment (originally part of Special Forces Command now in 2nd Div)
- ^ Joseph Holliday, 'The Assad Regime: From Counterinsurgency to Civil War,' Institute for the Study of War, March 2013. Seemingly the best concise description and analysis of the Syrian Army and its involvement in the current Syrian Civil War.
- ^ Gregory Waters (27 July 2019). "122nd Artillery regiment belongs to the 10th Division". Twitter. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ "Confirmed: Syrian Army's full order of battle for east Damascus offensive". Al-Masdar News. 18 February 2018. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
Notes
edit- Cooper, Tom (2015). Syrian Conflagration: The Civil War 2011–2013. Middle East@War Volume 1. Helion & Co. ISBN 978-1-910294-10-9.