Palmyra offensive (July–August 2015)

Part of the Syrian Civil War

Date

8 July – 4 August 2015
(3 weeks and 6 days)

Location

Tadmur District, Eastern Homs Governorate, Syria

Result

Indecisive

The Syrian Army comes within 3–5 kilometers of Palmyra city

Belligerents

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Wilayat Homs

Syrian Arab Republic

Hezbollah

Lions of Hussein Brigade

Commanders and leaders

Abu Laith al-Saoudy

Talal al-Barazi
(Governor of the Homs Governorate)

Units involved

Military of ISIL

18th Tank Division
Suqur al-Sahara

Strength

1,800–2,000+ (Palmyra city)

Unknown

Casualties and losses

30 killed (SOHR claim)
89 killed (Army claim)

12 killed (SOHR claim)

21 civilians killed

Indecisive

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Syrian Arab Republic

The Palmyra offensive of July–August 2015 was a military operation launched during the Syrian Civil War by the Syrian Arab Army in July 2015, in an attempt to recapture the ISIL-held city of Tadmur, known in English as Palmyra.

In late May 2015, ISIL forces captured Palmyra and the surrounding countryside after a large-scale offensive.

Between 15 and 22 June, the Syrian Army recaptured the Jazal oil field, and reopened a transport route from the field towards Syrian government-held cities. The advance placed the Syrian Army 10 kilometers west of Palmyra; however, this was not the start of a large-scale offensive to retake the city. ISIL destroyed, by mining, some of the ruins of ancient Palmyra which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On 8 July 2015, the Syrian Arab Army and National Defense Forces, supported by the Syrian Arab Air Force, began an offensive towards Palmyra and by the next day made advances, positioning themselves 4–5 kilometers from the city. The military seized around a 15 km area, west of Palmyra, and some of the locations they had reportedly captured over the previous 24 hours was Nuzl Hayal and the Tel al Marmala, about 10 km from Palmyra's city center.

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Wikipedia