The 2nd Armored Division () was a formation of the

Syrian Army The Syrian Army is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. Up until the fall of the Assad regime, the Syrian Arab Army existed as a land force branch of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, which dominanted the military service of the fo ...

responsible for securing the northwestern approach to

Latakia Latakia (; ; Syrian Arabic, Syrian pronunciation: ) is the principal port city of Syria and capital city of the Latakia Governorate located on the Mediterranean coast. Historically, it has also been known as Laodicea in Syria or Laodicea ad Mar ...

. The division is part of the Syrian Army's 2nd Corps.

Command structure

;2nd Armored Division (2022) * 144th Armored Brigade * 145th Armored Brigade * 73rd Infantry Brigade * 48th Special Forces Regiment * 53rd Special Forces Regiment * 826th Coastal Regiment

Combat history

4th Corps (2015–2018)

2nd Division participated along the 6th Division of the 4th Corps in initial operations such as the 2015–16 Latakia offensive and

Northwestern Syria offensive (October–November 2015) On the 7 October 2015, shortly after the start of the Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War, Russian air campaign in Syria, the Syrian government forces and its allies launched a ground Offensive (military), offensive against anti- ...

. These operations were ultimately successful, but due to the fact that Iran remained unwilling to allow Syrian units under its control to be integrated to a primarily Russian-led formation, while many militias generally resisted any attempts to reduce their autonomy by including them in the 4th Corps, the project failed. As its performance during the

2016 Latakia offensive The 2016 Latakia offensive, code-named Battle of Yarmouk, refers to a rebel operation launched in the northern Latakia Governorate in late June 2016. The aim of the offensive was to recapture the territory lost during the Army's offensive earl ...

did not met expectations, the 4th Corps project failed and 2nd Division remained in Latakia.

After the 4th Corps (2018–2024)

Before 2018, personnel of the 2nd Division was drawn from members of the Syrian Army, its staff, and veterans or defectors without the need for recruitment campaigns. Since 2019, the 2nd Division incorporated reconciled civilians or ex-rebels from East

Ghouta Ghouta ( / ALA-LC: ''Ḡūṭat Dimašq'') is a countryside area in southwestern Syria that surrounds the city of Damascus along its eastern and southern rim. Name Ghouta is an Arabic term (''ghuta'') for 'garden'. Geography The Ghouta is an ...

, Douma and

Daraa Daraa (, Levantine Arabic: ) is a city in southwestern Syria, north of the border with Jordan. It is the capital of Daraa Governorate in the Hauran region. Located south of Damascus on the Damascus–Amman highway, it serves as a way sta ...

. Since 2020, the 2nd Division was also reorganized into a regular military unit with additional armored brigade (145th), infantry brigade (73rd) and special forces regiments (48th, 53rd).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2nd Armored Division 2015 establishments in Syria Armoured divisions of Syria Military units and formations established in 2015 Armoured Division 2 Military units and formations disestablished in 2024

Command structure

Combat history

4th Corps (2015–2018)

After the 4th Corps (2018–2024)

See also

References