Battle of al-Qusayr (2012)

Battle of al-Qusayr
Part of the Syrian Civil War
Date 10 February - 20 April 2012 (2 months, 1 week and 3 days) Location Al-Qusayr, Homs Governorate, Syria Result Stalemate The FSA controls the northern half of the city, the Army controls the southern half. The Syrian Army, supported by Hezbollah launches a counter-offensive in April 2013
Belligerents
Syrian opposition Free Syrian Army	Syrian government Syrian Army Security agencies Hezbollah
Commanders and leaders
Abu Arab (FSA) Bakr Mustafa (FSA) Abdel Ghani Jawhar (Fatah al-Islam)  †	Unknown
Units involved
Farouq Brigades (FSA) Wadi Brigades 77th Brigade (FSA)	1st Armoured Division
Strength
Unknown overall 120 FSA Farouq Brigade fighters Unknown FSA 77th Brigade fighters 30 Fatah al-Islam fighters 1 tank	400 Army soldiers and militia 15 tanks
Location within Syria

Stalemate

Syrian opposition

Syrian government

Unknown overall

The first of was fought by the Syrian army and Shabiha against the Free Syrian Army in the small city of Al-Qusayr, near Homs, during late winter and spring of 2012.

Since November 2011, Al-Qusayr has been besieged by the Syrian Army. At least 66 residents of the city were believed by the Western media to have been killed by the security forces before heavier fighting began in February 2012.

The importance of the town is magnified by its location next to Lebanon and as a weapons smuggling route. It also allows for the control of the border with Lebanon and the Lebanese village of al-Qasr. More importantly, it is the location of the highway from Damascus to Homs. From the view of the government, holding access to the road would force opposition fighters from their strongholds in Homs by cutting their supply routes. It is also the location for the main road to Tartous, which has a heavily presence of Alawites.

On 10 February, Syrian state media reported the resumption of fighting in Al-Qusayr and the death of a lieutenant colonel, a chief warrant officer, and two other policemen. Three days later fighting between the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian army intensified, when the FSA's men took control of the Syrian intelligence services building in the city, killing 5 military intelligence members in the attack. After the attack on the intelligence building, members of the FSA prepared for a battle as the estimated 400 pro-government soldiers and militia in the city barricaded themselves in the main hospital and the town hall. The FSA then received reports that four tanks were approaching from the north. At the time, there were said to be still 20 government snipers in the city, "firing on anything that moves". Residents, activists and other sources said that snipers had been the primary cause of the deaths of over 70 residents of the city since November. On 21 February, artillery reportedly bombarded the city and killed 5 civilians.