Free Syrian Army#Strength

{{Gallery

|title=Flags and coat of arms of the Free Syrian Army

|align=center

|footer=

|height=100

|width=120 |File:Logo of the Free Syrian Army in 2011.jpg

|The coat of arms of the FSA which incorporates the coat of arms of Syria; used from July until November 2011.{{cite web|url=http://syrie.blog.lemonde.fr/2011/10/17/que-sait-on-de-l%E2%80%99armee-syrienne-libre/|title=What is known about the Free Syrian Army?|work=Le Monde|date=17 October 2011|access-date=12 February 2017|archive-date=7 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607115111/http://syrie.blog.lemonde.fr/2011/10/17/que-sait-on-de-l%E2%80%99armee-syrienne-libre/|url-status=dead}}

|File:Free syrian army coat of arms.svg

|The coat of arms of the FSA which incorporates the flag of the First Syrian Republic; used since November 2011.

|File:Flag of the United Arab Republic (1958–1971), Flag of Syria (1980–2024).svg

|The flag of Syria, used by the FSA until November 2011

|File:Flag of Syria 2011, observed.svg

|The flag of the First Syrian Republic, used by the FSA since November 2011{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/6c332676-32f4-11e1-8e0d-00144feabdc0|title=Syrian rebels raise a flag from the past|work=Financial Times|date=31 December 2011}}

}}

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 the army.[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/04/20114309234489989.html Fresh violence hits Syrian town]. Al Jazeera (30 April 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

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.{{cite web | title=Syria: Defectors Describe Orders to Shoot Unarmed Protesters | website=Human Rights Watch | date=9 July 2011 | url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2011/07/09/syria-defectors-describe-orders-shoot-unarmed-protesters | access-date=5 January 2022}}{{cite web | last=Owen | first=Paul | title=Syrian soldiers executed for refusing to target activists | website=the Guardian | date=9 September 2011 | url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/09/syrian-soldiers-executed-damascus-barracks | access-date=5 January 2022}}{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/06/201168175624573155.html|title='Defected Syria security agent' speaks out|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=8 June 2011|access-date=21 June 2011}}

At the end of July 2011, with the uprising running since March 2011 and turning into a full-scale civil war, 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',{{cite news|title=Syrian colonel claims big defection|url=http://www.news24.com/World/News/Syrian-colonel-claims-big-defection-20110730|access-date=2 November 2015|work=News24|date=30 July 2011|archive-date=3 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503164125/https://www.news24.com/World/News/Syrian-colonel-claims-big-defection-20110730|url-status=dead}} with the goals of protecting unarmed protesters and helping to "bring down this regime", in a video on the Internet where Riad al-Asaad spoke alongside several other defectors.{{cite news|url=http://english.aawsat.com/2011/08/article55245595/syrian-army-colonel-defects-forms-free-syrian-army|work=Asharq Alawsat|title=Syrian Army Colonel Defects forms Free Syrian Army|date=1 August 2011|access-date=1 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126063655/http://english.aawsat.com/2011/08/article55245595/syrian-army-colonel-defects-forms-free-syrian-army|archive-date=26 November 2015|url-status=dead}}

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 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."{{Cite news |date=1 August 2011 |title=Syrian Army Colonel Defects forms Free Syrian Army |url=https://eng-archive.aawsat.com/theaawsat/news-middle-east/syrian-army-colonel-defects-forms-free-syrian-army |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226070413/http://eng-archive.aawsat.com/theaawsat/news-middle-east/syrian-army-colonel-defects-forms-free-syrian-army |archive-date=26 December 2022 |newspaper=Asharq Al-Awsat English Archive |last1=Al-Awsat |first1=Asharq }}

He called on the officers and men of the Syrian army to "defect from 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 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."{{cite news | title=Who makes up the Free Syrian Army? (videos) | newspaper=Washington Post | date=13 December 2011 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/who-is-the-free-syrian-army-videos/2011/12/13/gIQAoSMEsO_blog.html | access-date=17 February 2020}} 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 the Free Syrian Army was documented in videos.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzNmoU6PkjQ ادلب – جبل الزاوية تشكيل كتيبة شهداء جبل الزاوية 12–15]. YouTube. Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8XN96gymE0 إعلان تشكيل كتيببة أسامة بن زيد بعتادها الكامل]. YouTube (30 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. On 23 September 2011, the Free Syrian Army merged with the Free Officers Movement ({{langx|ar|حركة الضباط الأحرار}}, {{transliteration|ar|Ḥarakat aḑ-Ḑubbāṭ al-Aḥrār}}); The Wall Street Journal considered the FSA since then the main military defectors group.{{cite news |last=Albayrak|first=Ayla|title=Turkey Is Adding Pressure on Damascus|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204524604576610781937462842|access-date=28 February 2016 | newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=5 October 2011}}{{Dead link|date=March 2016}}{{cite web|title=Syria Army Defectors Press Conference – 9–23–11|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttfy6h2BMyo|publisher=Syria2011archives|access-date=9 October 2011}}

From 27 September to 1 October, Syrian government forces, backed by tanks and helicopters, led a major offensive on the city of Rastan in Homs province, which had been under opposition control for a couple weeks.{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/syria-town-idUSL5E7KR02A20110927 | work=Reuters | title=Syria forces storm main town, fight defectors-residents | date=27 September 2011}}{{cite news| url=http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE79017Y20111001 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601162049/http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE79017Y20111001 | url-status=dead | archive-date=1 June 2012 | work=Reuters | title=Pro-Assad forces regain rebel Syrian town: agency | date=1 October 2011}} 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,{{cite web|last=Fielding |first=Abigail |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cf5a4510-eaa9-11e0-aeca-00144feab49a.html |title=Syrian defectors battle Assad's army |work=Financial Times |date=29 September 2011|access-date=4 October 2011}}{{registration required|date=May 2012}} using RPGs and booby traps.{{cite web |author=Zoi Constantine |url=http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/middle-east/thousands-of-troops-desert-from-syrian-army |title=Thousands of troops desert from Syrian army |work=The National |date=30 September 2011|access-date=4 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002031747/http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/middle-east/thousands-of-troops-desert-from-syrian-army |archive-date=2 October 2011 }} 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 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.{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-opposition-idUSL5E7L41CT20111004 | work=Reuters | title=Dissident Syrian colonel flees to Turkey | date=4 October 2011}}

By October 2011, the leadership of the FSA consisting of 60–70 people including commander Riad al-Assad 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.{{cite news|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/syrian-army-defectors-go-on-offense-militarizing-syrias-uprising-133963348/148279.html|title=Syrian Army Defectors Go on Offense, Militarizing Syria's Uprising|last=Lipin|first=Michael|date=16 November 2011|publisher=Voice of America|access-date=8 February 2012}}

In October 2011, an American official said the Syrian military might have lost perhaps 10,000 to defections.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/world/middleeast/army-defectors-in-syria-take-credit-for-deadly-attack.html |work=The New York Times |first=Nada |last=Bakri |author-link=Nada Bakri |title=Defectors Claim Attack That Killed Syrian Soldiers |date=26 October 2011 |access-date=2 November 2015}} By October, 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.{{cite news|last=Yezdani|first=İpek|title=Syrian rebels: Too fragmented, unruly|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syrian-rebels-too-fragmented-unruly.aspx?pageID=238&nID=29158&NewsCatID=352|access-date=21 September 2012|work=Hurriyet Daily News|date=1 September 2012}} 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 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 the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.{{cite news| url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/clashes-between-syrian-troops-defectors-kills-13/|work=Fox News|title=Clashes Between Syrian Troops, Defectors Kills 13|date=13 October 2011|access-date=23 April 2012|agency=Associated Press|location=Beirut}} 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.{{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=241610|title=Activist group: Fourteen killed in Syrian violence|date=13 October 2011|work=The Jerusalem Post|agency=Reuters|access-date=8 February 2012}} 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 the town of Hass in Idlib province near the mountain range of Jabal al-Zawiya, although it was unclear if the wounded included civilians.{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2546086.ece|title=Activists: Syrian forces fight defectors; 5 killed|date=17 October 2011|access-date=23 May 2012|work=The Hindu|agency=Associated Press}} 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.[http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/afp/11-troops-killed-as-un-chief-urges-end-to-syria-violence/472317 11 troops killed as UN chief urges end to Syria violence] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503010732/http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/afp/11-troops-killed-as-un-chief-urges-end-to-syria-violence/472317 |date=3 May 2012 }}. The Jakarta Globe (18 October 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

On 20 October, 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.[http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111021/world/Clashes-rage-in-Syria-between-army-deserters.390089 Clashes rage in Syria between army, deserters]. Times of Malta (21 October 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. 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 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.{{cite news | url=http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-60114220111025 | work=Reuters | title=Assad forces fight deserters at northwestern town | date=25 October 2011 | access-date=5 July 2021 | archive-date=20 June 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620161425/http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/10/25/idINIndia-60114220111025 | url-status=dead }} 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.[http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=243228 Report: 9 Syrian soldiers killed in attack – JPost – Headlines]. JPost (26 October 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

On 29 October, 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 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 Kafr Nabudah in Idlib province when it was ambushed "by armed men, probably deserters".[http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/263790/syria-bloodletting-spurs-new-arab-warning 20 Syrian soldiers killed in 'clashes with deserters'] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120730214432/http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/263790/syria-bloodletting-spurs-new-arab-warning |date=30 July 2012 }}. Bangkok Post (30 October 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.{{cite news|url=http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/afp/20-syrian-soldiers-killed-in-clashes-with-deserters/475000|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911183013/http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/afp/20-syrian-soldiers-killed-in-clashes-with-deserters/475000|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 September 2012|work=The Jakarta Globe|agency=Agence France-Presse|date=30 October 2011|access-date=23 April 2012|title=20 Syrian soldiers killed in 'clashes with deserters'}}{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15508630 | work=BBC News | title=Syria's Assad warns of 'earthquake' if West intervenes | date=30 October 2011}}

In November 2011, the FSA operated throughout Syria, both in urban areas and countryside, in 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3429|title=Asad's Armed Opposition: The Free Syrian Army|last=White|first=Jeffrey|date=30 November 2011|work=PolicyWatch #1878|publisher=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy|access-date=28 February 2016}} 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 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.{{cite news|title=Syria opposition groups agree to coordinate efforts|url=https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2011-dec-01-la-fg-syria-accord-20111202-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=10 February 2012|first1=Alexandra|last1=Zavis|first2=Rima|last2=Marrouch|date=1 December 2011}}

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".{{cite news|last=Blomfield|first=Adam|title=Syrian rebels strike heart of Damascus|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8902832/Syrian-rebels-strike-heart-of-Damascus.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8902832/Syrian-rebels-strike-heart-of-Damascus.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=21 November 2011|access-date=25 May 2016|location=London}}{{cbignore}} early December, the US International Business Times stated that the FSA counted 15,000 ex-Syrian soldiers.{{cite news |title=Free Syrian Army Partners with Opposition: What's Next for Syria? |first=Daniel |last=Torvov |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/259730/20111202/syria-assad-free-syrian-army-sanctions.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125115848/http://www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/259730/20111202/syria-assad-free-syrian-army-sanctions.htm |archive-date=25 January 2014 |url-status=dead |work=International Business Times |date=2 December 2011 |access-date=28 September 2012}}

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.[http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/Syria Syria Live Blog] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528092803/http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/Syria |date=28 May 2012 }}. Al Jazeera. Retrieved on 23 March 2012. 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.{{cite news | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/1105/1224307106510.html | newspaper=The Irish Times | first=Michael | last=Jansen | title=At least nine dead in Syria as regime pledges to free prisoners | date=5 November 2011 | access-date=20 February 2020 | archive-date=8 November 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108234525/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/1105/1224307106510.html | url-status=dead }} According to SANA, four policemen were also wounded in clashes with an armed group in Kanakir in the Damascus countryside while one of the armed individuals died, additionally that day, two explosive devices were dismantled.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/11/05/379925.htm Four Policemen Wounded...Two Explosive Devices Dismantled in Deir Ezzor] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108042708/http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/11/05/379925.htm |date=8 November 2011 }}. Sana.sy (5 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

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 was caught in crossfire between Assad loyalists and the free army.{{cite news| url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-killings-idUKTRE7A95LD20111110 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203005557/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-killings-idUKTRE7A95LD20111110 | url-status=dead | archive-date=3 February 2016 | work=Reuters | title=Syria crackdown, attacks on army kill 25 – activists | date=10 November 2011}} 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.[http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/girl-soldiers-among-21-killed-in-syria/story-e6frf7jx-1226192181916 Girl, soldiers among 21 killed in Syria]. Herald Sun. 11 November 2011. Retrieved on 23 March 2012. 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 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,[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna45252656 26 soldiers killed as Syria protesters fight back – World news – Mideast/N. Africa – nbcnews.com]. NBC News. Retrieved on 23 March 2012. while Syrian state media reported the lower figure of 20 soldiers killed at this time.[https://archive.today/20140724194121/http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/11/13/381276.htm Twelve Army and Security Forces Martyrs Laid to Rest]. Sana.sy (13 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[https://archive.today/20140724194046/http://www.sana.sy/print.html?sid=381096&newlang=eng Eight Army and Police Martyrs Laid to Rest]. Sana.sy (13 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. 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 the death of more than 100 soldiers, and the Syrian state media SANA reported the death of 71 soldiers.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/11/08/380471.htm Nine Army and Police Martyrs Laid to Rest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113113115/http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/11/08/380471.htm |date=13 November 2012 }}. Sana.sy (8 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[https://archive.today/20140724194125/http://www.sana.sy/print.html?sid=380614&newlang=eng Seven Martyrs Escorted to Final Resting Place ] . Sana.sy (10 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/11/07/380048.htm Four Martyrs Laid to Rest] {{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Sana.sy (7 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[https://archive.today/20140724194055/http://www.sana.sy/print.html?sid=379484&newlang=eng Five Police and Army Martyrs Laid to Rest]. Sana.sy (3 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[https://archive.today/20140724194128/http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/11/03/379741.htm Thirteen Martyrs Escorted to Final Resting Place]. Sana.sy (3 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. 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.[http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1759907 Syrian soldiers killed in clash with defectors] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115426/http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1759907 |date=4 March 2016 }}. Associated Press (via Taiwan News Online) (15 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. One day later on 15 November, eight soldiers and security forces troops were killed by an assault on a checkpoint in Hama province, according to activists.[http://m.ibtimes.com/syria-news-free-syrian-army-assad-250587.html Syria: Army Defectors Storm Military Bases] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120710081820/http://m.ibtimes.com/syria-news-free-syrian-army-assad-250587.html |date=10 July 2012 }}. International Business Times (16 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

On 16 November, in a coordinated attack, an air force intelligence complex in the Damascus suburb of Harasta was attacked.{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/11/201111163538991291.html |title=Syrian army defectors 'attack air force base'|work=Al Jazeera|date=11 November 2011|access-date=20 January 2012}} 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".{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-idUSL5E7MD0GZ20111116 | work=Reuters | title=Arab League steps up pressure on Syria | date=16 November 2011}} The attack on 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.[http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/Nov-17/154380-syria-rebels-hit-ruling-party-after-raid-on-intelligence.ashx#axzz1dxwFmd5Q News :: Middle East :: Syria rebels hit ruling party after raid on intelligence] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106192157/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/Nov-17/154380-syria-rebels-hit-ruling-party-after-raid-on-intelligence.ashx#axzz1dxwFmd5Q |date=6 January 2012 }}. The Daily Star (17 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. 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.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} Three members of 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.[https://archive.today/20140724194056/http://www.sana.sy/print.html?sid=382424&newlang=eng Two Law Enforcement Members Martyred in Hama, 3 Others Injured in Daraa, 10 Terrorists Caught in Idleb] . Sana.sy (19 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. State news also reported that ten wanted armed individuals were captured in Maarat al-Numan.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/18/syria-delays-monitors|date=18 November 2011|access-date=18 August 2012|work=The Guardian|title=Syria delays efforts to send in monitors|first=Ian|last=Black}} On 23 November, five defected soldiers were killed; four in a farm near Daraa where they were hiding and one near the Lebanese border, according to Reuters.{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-killings-toll-idUSTRE7AL2SC20111122 | work=Reuters | title=Syrian forces kill 23 civilians, 5 deserters: group | date=22 November 2011}}

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.{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-idUSL5E7MD0GZ20111120 | work=Reuters | title=Arab League rebuffs Syria on monitors | date=20 November 2011}} 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.[http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/20/assad-vows-no-exit-as-arab-deadline-passes.html Assad vows no exit as Arab deadline passes]. Dawn (20 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

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 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{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/24/syrian-army-bashar-al-assad| location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Ian | last=Black | title=Syrian army shells rebels as Bashar al-Assad given 24-hour ultimatum | date=24 November 2011}} On 24 November 11 defectors were killed and four wounded during clashes on the western outskirts of Homs.{{Cite web |author=the CNN Wire Staff |date=24 November 2011 |title=Syria faces Friday deadline to avoid Arab League sanctions |url=https://www.cnn.com/2011/11/24/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html |access-date=31 March 2024 |website=CNN |language=en}}

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 the attackers as a result.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/25/syria-military-cut-evil-hand | location=London | work=The Guardian | title=Syrian military vows to 'cut every evil hand' of attackers | date=25 November 2011}}[http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16117757 Six Elite Syrian Pilots 'Killed In Ambush' In Homs Province Military Says In TV Statement] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230092923/http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16117757 |date=30 December 2011 }}. Sky News. Retrieved on 23 March 2012. 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.{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/activists-report-fierce-battles-in-eastern-syria-1.397802|work=Haaretz|date=26 November 2011 |access-date=23 April 2012|agency=Associated Press and Reuters|title=Activists report fierce battles in eastern Syria}}[https://archive.today/20130124231827/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gDIfDFTAnqRVhyrOZnsMonlH3Z4A?docId=CNG.d2cb7fcead198fb5fcf3ea88ef8ea035.a1 AFP: Deserters kill 8 soldiers in Syria: activists]. Google (26 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2011/nov/26/egypt-syria-morocco-protest-elections | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=David | last=Batty | title=Egypt: protests continue in runup to elections – live | date=26 November 2011}}

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 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 the attack.{{cite news|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/syria-idINDEE7AT0HH20111130|title=Seven soldiers, six civilians dead in Syria|last=Hamilton|first=Douglas|date=30 November 2011|work=Reuters India|agency=Reuters|access-date=8 February 2012|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305225019/http://in.reuters.com/article/syria-idINDEE7AT0HH20111130|url-status=dead}}

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.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-idUSTRE7AM0QA20111129|title=Syrian rebel ambush said to kill 3 soldiers|last=Solomon|first=Erika|date=29 November 2011|work=Reuters|access-date=8 February 2012}}

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 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 was allegedly empty.{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-battle-idUSTRE7AT1L620111130 | work=Reuters | title=Seven Syrian troops killed in fighting: report | date=30 November 2011}}

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.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-defectors-idUSTRE7B10UH20111202|title=Syria army defectors target Assad's military|first=Khaled Yacoub|last=Oweis|date=2 December 2011|work=Reuters|access-date=8 February 2012}} This came the same day the United Nations announced it considered Syria to be in a state of civil war.{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15996554 | work=BBC News | title=UN official describes Syria as 'in a state of civil war' | date=1 December 2011}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/syrian-troops-army-defectors-clash-in-north-134957168/149055.html|title=Syria Denounces UN Resolution as Death Toll Rises|last=Yeranian|first=Ed|date=3 December 2011|work=Voice of America|access-date=8 February 2012}} On 4 December, heavy fighting raged in Homs during which at least five FSA insurgents were killed and one wounded.[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-homs-idUSTRE7BA0JD20111211 Bodies lie uncollected as Homs becomes war zone]. Reuters Retrieved on 23 March 2012. Defected soldiers killed four members of the security forces, including an officer, at the southern city of Deal in Daraa province on 5 December.[http://sg.news.yahoo.com/34-syrians-seized-militia-found-dead-report-175118278.html Syria 'accepts' observers as 34 bodies dumped]. Yahoo (6 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. 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 the houses at the edges of Saraqeb and arrested three activists at dawn, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} Between 1 and 7 December, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported the deaths of 48 members of the state security forces.{{cite web|url=http://www.sana.sy/print.html?sid=385097&newlang=eng|title=Seven Army, Security Forces Martyrs Laid to Rest|date=1 December 2011|work=Syrian Arab news agency|access-date=8 February 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127032718/http://www.sana.sy/print.html?sid=385097&newlang=eng|archive-date=27 January 2012}}[http://www.sana.sy/print.html?sid=385342&newlang=eng Three Army Martyrs Laid to Rest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130174042/http://www.sana.sy/print.html?sid=385342&newlang=eng |date=30 January 2012 }}. Sana.sy (1 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/04/385723.htm Thirteen Army and Security Forces Martyrs Laid to Rest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119040803/http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/04/385723.htm |date=19 January 2012 }}. Sana.sy (4 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/05/385963.htm Seven Army, Security Forces and Police Martyrs Laid to Rest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118225539/http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/05/385963.htm |date=18 January 2012 }}. Sana.sy (5 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/06/386130.htm Eleven Army and Security Forces Martyrs Laid to Rest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119044734/http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/06/386130.htm |date=19 January 2012 }}. Sana.sy (6 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/07/386432.htm Seven Army, Security Forces and Police Martyrs Laid to Rest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119053222/http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/07/386432.htm |date=19 January 2012 }}. Sana.sy (7 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

A military tank was destroyed in Homs on 9 December.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2011/dec/09/syria-homs-massacre-warning-live-updates#block-5 | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Matthew | last=Weaver | title=Syria: Homs massacre warning – Friday 9 December 2011 | date=9 December 2011}} Four defected soldiers also apparently died in fighting on 9 December.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2011/dec/09/syria-homs-massacre-warning-live-updates#block-10 | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Matthew | last=Weaver | title=Syria: Homs massacre warning – Friday 9 December 2011 | date=9 December 2011}} 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 the pre-dawn clash in the northwestern town of Kfar Takharim.{{cite news|url=http://www.toledoblade.com/World/2011/12/11/Syrian-troops-battle-army-defectors-around-the-country.html|title=Syrian troops battle army defectors around the country|date=11 December 2011|access-date=18 August 2012|agency=Associated Press|work=Toledo Blade}} On 11 December, it was reported that a battle was fought between defectors and the Syrian army in Busra al-Harir and Lajat. 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 the conflict so far.{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/12/201112119332270503.html|title=Syrians hold strikes amid battles in south|work=Al Jazeera |date=11 December 2011|access-date=23 March 2012}}{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2016988470_apmlsyria.html|agency=The Associated Press|title=Syrian troops, army defectors clash|date=11 December 2011|access-date=18 August 2012|work=The Seattle Times|first=Elizabeth A.|last=Kennedy}} At least five soldiers, including a military officer, are reported to have been killed the same day in an unspecified location.[https://archive.today/20130116102033/http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/syria-dec-11-2011-2143 Syria – 11 December 2011 – 21:43]. Al Jazeera (11 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. 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.[http://www.firstpost.com/world/syrian-troops-clash-with-army-defectors-153702.html Syrian troops clash with army defectors]. Firstpost. Retrieved on 23 March 2012. Three other vehicles were burned in another clash near 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, 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.[https://archive.today/20130116102429/http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/syria-dec-12-2011-0931 Syria – 12 December 2011 – 09:31]. Al Jazeera (12 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. The Observatory said two people were killed in the clash with defectors in Kfar Takharim and two armoured vehicles were destroyed.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syrian-military-vehicles-set-alight-as-violent-protests-spill-over-into-jordan-6275873.html|title=Syrian military vehicles set alight as violent protests spill over into Jordan|first=Bassem|last=Mroue|date=12 December 2011|work=The Independent|access-date=8 February 2012|location=London}} On 12 December, three civilians and two defectors were killed during clashes in Idlib province.{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/report-five-killed-in-syria-as-assad-forces-clash-with-army-defectors-1.400987|title=Report: Five killed in Syria as Assad forces clash with army defectors|work=Deutsche Presse-Agentur|publisher=Haaretz|date=11 December 2011|access-date=23 March 2012}} 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.{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8960750/On-patrol-with-the-Free-Syrian-Army.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111217091758/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8960750/On-patrol-with-the-Free-Syrian-Army.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=17 December 2011 | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | title=On patrol with the Free Syrian Army | date=16 December 2011}} The FSA killed ten troops in an ambush on 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.{{cite news| url=https://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/13/world/meast/syria-unrest/ | work=CNN | title=Activists: Syrian army defectors kill 7 government forces| date=13 December 2011}}[https://www.voanews.com/a/syrian-defectors-kill-7-security-force-members-in-revenge-attack-135513803/149493.html Syrian Defectors Kill 7 Security Force Members in Revenge Attack]. Voice of America (13 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. 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.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-idUSTRE7B90F520111214|date=14 December 2011|access-date=14 December 2011|title=Syrian troops storm Hama to break anti-Assad strike|first=Dominic|last=Evans|location=Beirut|work=Reuters}} The same day, three anti-government military defectors were wounded in clashes with Syrian security forces in the village of Hirak in Daraa province.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}} 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{{cite news |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20111215-syria-deserters-kill-least-27-troops-activists-0 |publisher=France 24 |date=15 December 2011 |access-date=15 December 2011 |title=Syria deserters kill at least 27 troops: activists |agency=Agence France-Presse |archive-date=12 January 2012 |archive-url=http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20120112060503/http://www.france24.com/en/20111215-syria-deserters-kill-least-27-troops-activists-0 |url-status=dead }} Between 8 and 15 December, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported the deaths of 68 members of the state security forces.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/08/386891.htm Five Army Martyrs Escorted to Final Resting Place] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119025039/http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/08/386891.htm |date=19 January 2012 }}. Sana.sy (8 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/08/386626.htm Five Army, Security Forces and Civilian Martyrs Laid to Rest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119022247/http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/08/386626.htm |date=19 January 2012 }}. Sana.sy (8 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/11/387301.htm Three Army Martyrs Laid to Rest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202160011/http://sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/11/387301.htm |date=2 February 2012 }}. Sana.sy (11 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/11/387519.htm Thirteen Army, Security and Police Martyrs Laid to Rest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203161204/http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/11/387519.htm |date=3 February 2012 }}. Sana.sy (11 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/13/387712.htm Seven Army, Security and Police Martyrs Laid to Rest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202162953/http://sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/13/387712.htm |date=2 February 2012 }}. Sana.sy (13 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/14/387970.htm Seventeen Army and Security Forces Martyrs Laid to Rest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202171843/http://sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/14/387970.htm |date=2 February 2012 }}. Sana.sy (14 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/15/388202.htm Seven Army, Police and Security Forces Martyrs Laid to Rest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202161140/http://sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/15/388202.htm |date=2 February 2012 }}. Sana.sy (15 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/15/388479.htm Eleven Army, Police and Security Forces Martyrs Laid to Rest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415011554/http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/15/388479.htm |date=15 April 2012 }}. Sana.sy (15 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. A lieutenant colonel of the FSA was killed by the Syrian army on 17 December according to Local Committee, and opposition source.{{cite news| url=https://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/17/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html | work=CNN | title=Arab League may refer its Syria plan to U.N.| date=17 December 2011}}

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 the clashes.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16258387 Syria unrest: Dozens of army deserters 'gunned down']. BBC (20 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. The next day, S.O.H.R. stated that in all 100 defectors were killed or wounded.[https://web.archive.org/web/20120609015711/http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/12/20/attacks-across-syria-leave-dozens-dead/ Attacks Across Syria Leave Dozens Dead]. Voice of America. Retrieved on 23 March 2012. 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.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16287450 Syria unrest: Jabal al-Zawiya 'massacres']. BBC (19 January 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. On 21 December, it was reported that the FSA had taken control over large swathes of Idlib province including some towns and villages.[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/12/2011122182648844599.html Syria group urges UN action over 'massacre']. Al Jazeera (21 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. 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.{{cite news| url=https://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/24/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html | work=CNN | title=Syria's Homs under a military siege, activists say| date=24 December 2011}} 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 the ambush.[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45806360/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/ Rebels ambush a Syrian security convoy: video – World news – Mideast/N. Africa – msnbc.com]{{dead link|date=August 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} . MSNBC (28 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. The FSA grew in size, to about 20,000 by December 2011.{{cite news|title=Why Syrian Army Can't Crush Opposition|url=http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/bestoftv/2012/06/22/exp-syrian-opposition-forces.cnn|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111230244/http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/bestoftv/2012/06/22/exp-syrian-opposition-forces.cnn|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 November 2011|access-date=28 July 2012|publisher=CNN|date=25 June 2012}}

In the early days of their existence, 90% of the FSA consisted of Sunni Muslims{{cite news|last=Hafez|first=Salam|title=Syrian Opposition Call for No-Fly Zone|url=http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/124717/syrian-opposition-call-for-no-fly-zone.html|access-date=8 October 2011|newspaper=The Journal of Turkish Weekly|date=8 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101130221/http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/124717/syrian-opposition-call-for-no-fly-zone.html|archive-date=1 November 2011}} and a small minority were (Shia) Alawites, Druze,[http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-18/206839-druze-preachers-in-swaida-urge-defections.ashx#axzz2Lajr1h86 "Druze preachers in Swaida urge defections"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118165806/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-18/206839-druze-preachers-in-swaida-urge-defections.ashx#axzz2Lajr1h86 |date=18 November 2018 }}. The Daily Star (Lebanon), 18 February 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2013. Christians, Kurds and Palestinians.[https://web.archive.org/web/20130513185153/http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCABRE89U1I320121031?sp=true "Syrian rebels arm Palestinians against Assad"]. Reuters, 31 October 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2013.

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 the last three call-ups, and that lower-level officers were deserting in large numbers; in some cases, whole units had deserted en masse.{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/assad-losing-control-as-10-000-soldiers-desert-syrian-military-1.402625|title=Assad losing control as 10,000 soldiers desert Syrian military|first1=Avi|last1=Issacharoff|first2=Amos|last2=Harel|date=21 December 2011|work=Haaretz|access-date=7 February 2012}} An anonymously speaking U.S. official however estimated in December 2011 1,000 to 3,500 defectors in total.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/world/middleeast/syria-army-defectors-said-to-kill-soldiers-in-coordinated-assault.html|work=The New York Times|first=Nada|last=Bakri|title=Syria Army Defectors Reportedly Kill 27 Soldiers|date=15 December 2011}}

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 the Syrian border.{{cite journal|last1=Stein|first1=Aaron|title=Stumbling in Iraq and Syria, 2011–14|journal=Whitehall Papers|date=2014|volume=83|issue=1|pages=59–87|doi=10.1080/02681307.2014.989693|s2cid=162061686}} {{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} 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.{{cite web|url=http://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/50896?lang=en|title=Syria's Armed Opposition: A Brief Overview|work=Carnegie Middle East Center|date=7 February 2013}}

{{external media

|width = 230px

|float = right

|video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ssu3tufO2A Idlib, Syria, 21 February 2012], About 500 soldiers led by Afif Suleiman defect from the Syrian army's 17th Regiment and join the opposition Free Syrian Army.[https://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/22/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html Global meeting on Syria faces pressure]. CNN (22 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

}}

On 6 January 2012, General Mustafa al-Sheikh of the Syrian Army defected from the government forces to join the FSA.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8997209/Damascus-bomb-kills-25-as-regime-suffers-high-level-defection.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8997209/Damascus-bomb-kills-25-as-regime-suffers-high-level-defection.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Damascus bomb kills 25 as regime suffers high level defection|last=Blomfield|first=Adrian|date=6 January 2012|work=The Telegraph|access-date=8 February 2012|location=London}}{{cbignore}} 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 the army in a year to a year-and-a-half, even if they are armed only with rocket-propelled grenades and light weapons".{{cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-defections-idUKTRE80C0ST20120113|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202123344/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-defections-idUKTRE80C0ST20120113|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 February 2016|title=Syria's army weakened by growing desertions|first=Khaled Yacoub|last=Oweis|date=13 January 2012|work=Reuters|access-date=8 February 2012}}

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 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."{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/01/20121772734954345.html|title=Scores more soldiers defect from Syrian army|date=7 January 2012|publisher=Al Jazeera|access-date=8 February 2012}}

Syrian forces clashed with army deserters in an area near 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.[http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1683458.php/Clashes-between-Syrian-army-and-defectors-says-opposition Clashes between Syrian army and defectors, says opposition] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102131350/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1683458.php/Clashes-between-Syrian-army-and-defectors-says-opposition |date=2 January 2012 }}. Monsters and Critics (1 January 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. 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 a third checkpoint killing and wounding several loyalists.{{cite news | url=http://in.reuters.com/article/syria-idINDEE80108K20120102 | work=Reuters | title=Rebels capture Syrian troops in north – opposition | date=2 January 2012 | access-date=5 July 2021 | archive-date=6 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306050220/http://in.reuters.com/article/syria-idINDEE80108K20120102 | url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite news|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19700338|title=Clashes kill 11 Syrian soldiers|work=MercuryNews|date=8 January 2012|access-date=8 January 2012|archive-date=14 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314221743/http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19700338|url-status=dead}} Shelling and gunfire were also reported in Deir ez-Zor by the LCC.{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/01/201217235048263324.html|work=Al Jazeera|date=8 January 2012|access-date=8 January 2012|title=Arab League debates future of Syria mission}} On 14 January, the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights said there 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.africasia.com/services/news_mideast/article.php?ID=CNG.b55e62b1849467d932ccf3eb6b36cb49.441|title=Qatar emir says he favours Arab force in Syria|work=africasia.com|access-date=8 February 2012}} {{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

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.[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/16/zabadani-syria-resort_n_1208743.html Zabadani, Former Syria Resort, Now Rebel Stronghold]. Huffington Post (16 January 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

On 16 January General Mouaffac Hamzeh in the city of Qusayr in Homs province was announced to have defected to the opposition.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jan/16/syria-arab-league-divided-on-military-intervention-live-updates|title=Syria: Arab League split over sending troops |date=16 January 2012|work=The Guardian|access-date=8 February 2012|location=London|first=Matthew|last=Weaver}}

By 26 January, the Damascus suburb of Douma had fallen under control of the Free Syrian Army, with occasional raids by security forces failing to dislodge the rebels, mainly made of armed civilians, and some army defectors, mostly armed with assault rifles and hand grenades.Bowen, Jeremy. (28 January 2012) [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16771542 BBC News – Syria rebels gain foothold in Damascus]. BBC. Retrieved on 23 March 2012. Because of the growing number of defectors, some defectors managed to take their tanks with them. A spokesman for the Free Syrian Army said that more than 100 soldiers defected on 28 January 2012, bringing three tanks along with them. By the end of January and the beginning of February, videos surfaced showing BMP-2 armoured personnel carriers in Homs carrying the Syrian independence flag firing at government forces, supported by FSA soldiers.{{cite news|url=http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/video-of-heavy-street-fighting-in-syria/|title=Video of Heavy Street Fighting in Syria|last=Goodman|first=J. David|date=1 February 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=8 February 2012}}

On 29 January, there were reports of a new round of high-ranking defections after the Syrian Army was deployed to fight in the Damascus suburbs, some of them joining FSA. At least two generals and hundreds of soldiers with their weapons defected at this time.[https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/01/29/world/middleeast/20120129Syria-5.html In Rankous, Barely Holding On]. The New York Times (29 January 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syrian-opposition-defections-rise.aspx?pageID=238&nID=12670&NewsCatID=352|title=Syrian opposition: defections rise|last=Yezdani|first=İpek|date=31 January 2012|work=Hürriyet Daily News|access-date=8 February 2012}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/endgame-in-syria/2012/01/31/gIQA9aHzfQ_blog.html|title=Endgame in Syria|last=Ignatius|first=David|date=31 January 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=8 February 2012}}

Between 29 and 30 January, government forces massed over 2,000 troops and at least 50 tanks and launched a major offensive to reclaim the northern suburbs – held by the FSA – and drive them from the city. By the end of 30 January, it appeared that the operation had been mostly successful, and the FSA had made a tactical withdrawal.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16784711 Syrian army returns to Damascus suburbs]. BBC (30 January 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. 10 FSA fighters and eight government soldiers were killed during the day in the whole country. Two of the defectors died in the Damascus suburb of Rankus, which had been retaken by the military.[https://archive.today/20130104225447/http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/afp/syria-troops-crack-down-on-damascus-outskirts/494784 Syria troops crack down on Damascus outskirts]. Jakarta Globe (31 January 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. Another report put the day's death toll in the suburbs at 19 civilians and 6 FSA fighters, while the overall number of those killed in the previous three days, since the fighting in the area started, was 100.[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-idUSTRE80S08620120130 Assad troops fight back against Syria rebels]. Reuters (30 January 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. The same day, it was reported by opposition activists that one of the original founders of the FSA, Colonel Hussein Harmush, who was captured in late August by Syrian special forces, was executed several weeks earlier.

On 31 January, the Syrian army continued to advance to remove the last FSA pockets.[http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/syrian-troops-push-towards-damascus-16111322.html Syrian troops push towards Damascus]. Belfast Telegraph (31 January 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. The army fired into the air, as they advanced with tanks even beyond the positions from where the FSA withdrew. Activists told that the suburbs were on unannounced curfew while others were allowed to flee. The army was conducting arrests on suspected people in the district of Arbin.{{cite web|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e7ee0ad2-4c18-11e1-b1b5-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1l3HAhxcb|title=UN urged to endorse Syria transition plan|author=Geoff Dyer|author2=Roula Khalaf|author3=Abigail Fielding-Smith|date=1 February 2012|work=The Financial Times|access-date=8 February 2012}}{{registration required|date=May 2012}}{{Request quotation|date=February 2012}} In some instances, curfews were defied by some citizens, who put up a large opposition flag in the centre of Damascus.[https://archive.today/20130116085501/http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/syria-jan-31-2012-0836 AJE live blog]. Al Jazeera (31 January 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

On 1 February, the Syrian army extended their operations around Damascus, with more troops moving into the mountainous area of Qaramoun, north of Damascus. Further north, the troops which took the control of Rankous, started to extend their control into farmland surrounding the city. In the eastern suburbs of Mesraba, activist reported that army snipers were positioned and that tanks were in the streets.[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-idUSTRE80S08620120201 Russia says will veto unacceptable Syria resolution]. Reuters (1 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. Initially, 12 people, including six FSA rebels, were killed in fighting in Wadi Barada, located north-west of Damascus in the Rif Damashk governorate, according to the Local Committee of Coordination.[https://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/01/world/meast/syria-unrest/ U.N. Security Council at standstill on Syria, reports of deaths rise]. CNN (1 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. Later, the death toll of FSA fighters in the area was raised to 14.[http://www.lccsyria.org/5962 Syria Today 1-2-2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806202953/http://www.lccsyria.org/5962 |date=6 August 2012 }}. Lccsyria.org (1 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. The town of Deir Kanoun and Ein al Fija were also under army assaults according to the London-based SOHR.Keath, Lee. (1 February 2012) [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/1/syrian-troops-move-new-rebel-areas-near-damascus/ Syrian troops move on new rebel areas near Damascus]. Washington Times. Retrieved on 23 March 2012. At the same time, SANA reported that, further south in the suburbs Daraa, security forces killed 11 armed fighters and wounded two when they attacked a military bus killing one army sergeant and wounding two others.[https://web.archive.org/web/20141025184141/http://english.cri.cn/6966/2012/02/01/2821s678712.htm 11 Gunmen Killed in Clashes with Syrian Gov't Troops]. English.cri.cn (1 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. Also, the Al-Watan newspaper reported that 37 rebel fighters were killed in fighting in Homs and 15 in Rastan, while four soldiers died in Bab Dreib and two in Rastan.[http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C02%5C02%5Cstory_2-2-2012_pg7_10 Deaths mount as Russia resists UN drive on Syria] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227225227/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C02%5C02%5Cstory_2-2-2012_pg7_10 |date=27 December 2013 }}. Daily Times (2 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, troops and army defectors clashed in the northwestern province of Idlib and the southern province of Daraa on 5 February. They report two civilians and nine soldiers killed in Idlib.{{cite news|url=http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-02-05-ML-Syria/id-2d04856e03c14616a6756e5ebe98d5b0|title=After UN veto, US floats coalition on Syria|last=Matthew|first=Lee|author2=Bassem Mroue|date=5 February 2012|agency=Associated Press|access-date=8 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827010909/http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-02-05-ML-Syria/id-2d04856e03c14616a6756e5ebe98d5b0|archive-date=27 August 2012|url-status=dead}} Five government troops were shot in clashes with rebel fighters in Qalaat al-Madyaq town in restive Hama area, on 14 February.[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-idUSL5E8DB0BH20120214 Conflict flares across Syria, Arabs mull arms support]. Reuters (14 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

On the night of 3 February and in the early hours of 4 February, government forces launched a major offensive against Homs, leading to over 200 deaths and 800 injuries. FSA forces engaged loyalist forces and threatened reprisals particularly in Damascus.[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/201223231333768854.html 'Scores dead' in army assault on Syria's Homs]. Al Jazeera (3 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. On 10 February, Sky News reported that the FSA had taken full control of the northern city of Idlib. However, Syrian tanks were surrounding Idlib, and citizens and defected soldiers feared a new offensive. Renewed fighting in the Idlib province was reported on 11 February.

On 6 February 2012, Riad al-Asaad voiced his concern about the SNC's lack of political and material support for the FSA, and stated that if differences could not be resolved the FSA would break off its relations with the SNC.{{cite web|title=Cracks in the Syrian opposition as Assad launches offensive |url=http://subyraman.com/cracks-in-the-syrian-opposition-as-assad-launches-offensive/ |work=Tabeer |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514014019/http://subyraman.com/cracks-in-the-syrian-opposition-as-assad-launches-offensive/ |archive-date=14 May 2013 }}{{better source needed|What is this source? Appears to be an SPS|date=February 2020}}

Heavy fighting had taken place in the town of Al-Qusayr in Homs since 13 February, when the FSA captured the headquarters of the secret service in Homs, killing five agents in the process. Remaining government troops retreated to the town hall and hospital in the city. Four tanks came to reinforce them.[https://archive.today/20120720055240/http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1690793.php/Death-a-daily-event-in-al-Qusayr-south-of-Homs Death a daily event in al-Qusayr south of Homs]. Monsters and Critics (13 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. However, 1 of the 4 tanks as well as 30 soldiers defected to the opposition, where the tank, aided by tractors and trucks, took out remaining government positions and the other 3 tanks. During the Battle of Al-Qusayr, FSA fighters were able to establish full control of the city. They said 20 government soldiers had been killed and 80 had fled. FSA fighters said 1 of their men had been killed and another 6 wounded during the battle.[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/defectors-turn-the-tide-against-assad-forces/story-fnb64oi6-1226280989010 Defectors turn the tide against Assad forces]. The Australian (17 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

Around 18 February 2012, General Fayez Amro of the Syrian Air Force, who was from the Bab Amr district in Homs and of Turkmen origin, defected to Turkey.

Another intelligence general from the Syrian army also defected at this time to Turkey. His name was not disclosed due to security reasons, opposition forces said.[http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/defected-syria-general-vows-return-fight.aspx?pageID=238&nID=14223&NewsCatID=338 "Chemical weapons used against Syrians, says defected soldier"]. Hurriyet Daily News, 21 February 2012. Retrieved on 22 September 2014.

22 February, a brigadier general defected in Idlib with 200 of his soldiers.[http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/dozens-killed-in-syria-as-top-military-officer-defects-with-hundreds-of-soldiers-1.414183 "Dozens killed in Syria as top military officer defects with hundreds of soldiers"]. Haaretz, 22 February 2012. Retrieved on 22 September 2014. In March, General Adnan Farzat from the city of Rastan and two other generals defected.Solomon, Erika. (8 March 2012) [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-defections-idUSBRE82717V20120308 "Four more generals defect from Syrian army: rebels"]. Reuters. Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[https://web.archive.org/web/20130514023511/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5incQo_QrhnRZts7cTR6a3hsg5x9A?docId=CNG.1b8f7ac940bf7703a478ec2514dd94e4.2e1 AFP: "Two more Syrian generals defect: Turkish diplomat"]. Google. Retrieved on 23 March 2012. Turkish government sources reported that same month a surge in desertions with 20,000 desertions in the past month alone bringing the total number of deserters from the Syrian army to over 60,000 soldiers.Peker, Emre. (15 March 2012) [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-15/syria-loses-20-000-troops-as-deserters-flee-turkey-says-1-.html "Syrian Armed Forces Desertion Said to Surge to 60,000"]. Bloomberg. Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

In February 2012, Fahad Al Masri was one of the founders of the first joint command of the Free Syrian Army Interior, along with Colonel Qassem Saad Eddin and other officers, and helped strengthen the formation of military councils, at the governorate level, and the establishment of press offices.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} Al Masri was accredited as the movement's spokesman.{{Cite web|title=Syrie : "la fin du régime est proche"|url=https://www.europe1.fr/international/Syrie-la-fin-du-regime-est-proche-375348|access-date=30 August 2021|website=Europe 1|date=20 July 2012 |language=fr}}

In late February 2012, the Syrian National Council established a military bureau to oversee military operations. This initiative was met with criticism by Free Syrian Army leaders who said that they had not been informed.Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, [http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/divisions-lack-of-arms-underscore-weakness-of-free-syrian-army#page2 "Divisions, lack of arms underscore weakness of Free Syrian Army"]. The National (25 May 2010). Retrieved on 24 March 2012. Defected General Mustafa al-Sheikh created a similar discord in the army when he established a rival group called the Higher Military Revolutionary Council which was rejected by the FSA leadership and field units.

Earlier the Muslim Brotherhood had also tried to coopt the FSA but the leadership rejected their attempt. Colonel Al Kurdi, the deputy leader of the FSA, dismissed the internal disputes and said that despite disagreements, the opposition remained united against the government and in their call for arms.

In late 2011, the FSA established control over a number of towns and villages across Idlib province.{{cite web|url=http://observers.france24.com/content/20120127-free-syrian-army-gains-civil-war-fsa-regime-protesters-ardeen-damascus-hama-saqba-homs-jisr-al-shougour-soldier|title=As Free Syrian Army gains ground, country nears all-out civil war|date=27 January 2012|work=France 24|access-date=8 February 2012|archive-date=13 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513185915/http://observers.france24.com/content/20120127-free-syrian-army-gains-civil-war-fsa-regime-protesters-ardeen-damascus-hama-saqba-homs-jisr-al-shougour-soldier|url-status=dead}}Derek Henry Flood, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120131101224/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NB01Ak01.html "Inside Free Syria"]. Asia Times (1 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

Later in January 2012, the Free Syrian Army succeeded in taking control of the town of Zabadani in Damascus province, following intense clashes with the regular troops.

On 21 January, the FSA temporarily captured the town of Douma, near Damascus.{{cite news|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ggp2zJbtHWbVmv-ukvWDLn7wuSgQ?docId=CNG.6c59117697b540dd3fa7f0314f6ff7b4.4e1 |title=Deserters 'take Syria town' as SNC seeks UN action |agency=AFP |date=21 January 2012 |access-date=31 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514023533/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ggp2zJbtHWbVmv-ukvWDLn7wuSgQ?docId=CNG.6c59117697b540dd3fa7f0314f6ff7b4.4e1 |archive-date=14 May 2013 }}

The Free Syrian Army also for three months controlled around two-thirds of Homs, Syria's third largest city, according to Syrian military officers inside the city.[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-city-idUSTRE80M2D620120123 "Gunfire, funerals and fear in Syria's protest centre"]. Reuters (23 January 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

In January, some Damascus suburbs fell under partial opposition control. For example, the town of Saqba, an eastern suburb of Damascus fell under opposition control for a week until the FSA was forced to tactically retreat into the local population after sustaining heavy bombardment by the Syrian Army.Kareem Fahim, [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/28/world/middleeast/violence-rises-sharply-in-syria-flustering-arab-league-monitors.html "Syrian Rebels Make Inroads With Help of Armed Fighters"]. The New York Times (28 January 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-syria-damascustre80p1n6-20120126,0,5367047.story "Outside Syria's capital, suburbs look like war zone"]. {{dead link|date=March 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 23 March 2012. In late February, the city of Idlib was under opposition control, with opposition flags flying in the city centre.[https://web.archive.org/web/20120211141627/http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16167393 "Opposition Stronghold Prepares For Assault"]. Sky News. Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

As deserted government soldiers had no armored vehicles and only light weaponry and munitions, FSA in August–October 2011 mostly ambushed security forces and the state's Shabiha (ghost) militia, and attacked trucks and buses bringing in security reinforcements by planting bombs or with hit-and-run attacks, but seldom confronted other regular army soldiers.

The FSA uses guerrilla warfare tactics when it fights and does not aim to occupy terrain once a fight is over, however, by late 2011 large swathes of area in Syria had fallen under partial control of the Free Syrian Army.[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-defections-idUSTRE80C2IV20120113 "Syria's army weakened by growing desertions"]. Reuters (13 January 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.Peel, Michael. (31 January 2012) [http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/7a3b229a-4c1d-11e1-b1b5-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1lMn6x17k "Syria slides towards civil war"]. Financial Times. Retrieved on 23 March 2012.{{registration required|date=May 2012}}

The Free Syrian Army's armed actions focus on the government's combat advantages, which include the ability to mount coordinated operations on a large scale, the ability to move its forces at will, and the ability to employ heavy firepower.Jeffrey White, [http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3451 "Bashar al-Assad vs. the Syrian People"]. Washington Institute for Near East Policy. 14 February 2012 To counter these advantages, the FSA has mounted attacks on the government's command and control and logistical infrastructure. A sabotage campaign has begun in Syria, with reports of attacks on different government assets. The FSA has mounted attacks on security service command centers, and posts information on Syrian social media sites about blocking roads, attacking logistics vehicles, cutting coaxial communications cables servicing airfields, destroying telecommunications towers, sabotaging government vehicles by sugaring fuel tanks, and attacking railways and pipelines.Jeffrey White [http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3455 "Indirect Intervention in Syria: Crafting an Effective Response to the Crisis"]. Washington Institute for Near East Policy. 21 February 2012[https://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/24/world/meast/syria-homs-closeup/index.html "Freelance cameraman provides a rare glimpse into Homs"]. CNN (24 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

File:FSA Fighter.PNG

The Free Syrian Army on the local level engages and ambushes the state's shabiha militia and confronts the army during which it encourages defections.Tyler Hicks, [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/world/middleeast/bearing-witness-in-syria-a-war-reporters-last-days.html "Bearing Witness in Syria: A Correspondent's Last Days"]. New York Times (4 March 2012) Some members of the Free Syrian Army have stated that the organization does not have the resources to occupy and take control of territories, and instead relies primarily on hit and run attacks to prompt the Syrian army into withdrawing.{{cite web|url=http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=359174|title=Regime no longer controls half of Syria, rebels say|date=31 January 2012|work=NOW Lebanon|access-date=7 February 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207052801/http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=359174|archive-date=7 February 2012}} The FSA also uses improvised explosive devices to attack military convoys of buses, trucks and tanks that are transporting supplies and security reinforcements and engages in attack and retreat operations on government checkpoints.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15563900|title=Q&A: The Free Syrian Army|date=16 November 2011|work=BBC News}} In neighborhoods opposed to the government, the FSA has acted as a defense force, guarding streets while protests take place and attacking the militias, known as shabiha, which are an integral part of the government's efforts to suppress dissent.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/in-syria-defectors-form-dissident-army-in-sign-uprising-may-be-entering-new-phase/2011/09/24/gIQAKef8wK_story_1.html|title=In Syria, defectors form dissident army in sign uprising may be entering new phase|last=Sly|first=Liz|date=25 September 2011|access-date=6 October 2011|newspaper=Washington Post}} In Deir ez-Zor, Al-Rastan, Abu Kamal and other cities the Free Syrian Army, however, engaged in street battles that raged for days with no particular side gaining the advantage. The FSA has also sought international help in bringing down the Assad government. It has asked the international community for arms and the implementation of a no fly zone and naval blockade of Syria{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-syria-colonel-idUSTRE7964OQ20111007|title=War is only option to topple Syrian leader|last=Burch|first=Johnathon|date=7 October 2011|access-date=7 October 2011|newspaper=Reuters}}

Communication inside the battalion unit is carried out by walkie talkie.Nicholas Blanford, [http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2012/0221/A-defector-s-tale-How-a-Syrian-soldier-turned-rebel "A defector's tale: How a Syrian soldier turned rebel"]. Christian Science Monitor (21 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. The FSA battalion units work closely with the local population and defectors typically join units from the region or town that they come.Oliver Trenkamp, [http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,817225,00.html "The Free Syrian Army Front: Deserters Battle Assad from Turkey"]. Spiegel. Retrieved on 23 March 2012. The FSA is closely interlinked with ad hoc activist networks and it works closely with the civilian formed local councils.Mousa Ladqani, [http://www.marxist.com/syria-regime-is-shaking-elements-of-dual-power-emerge.htm "Syria: The regime is shaking – elements of dual power emerge"]. Marxist (29 January 2012)[http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/01/20/syrian_dissidents_start_to_call_cairo_home "Syrian Dissidents Start to Call Cairo Home"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203020300/http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/01/20/syrian_dissidents_start_to_call_cairo_home |date=3 December 2013 }}. Wright, Nate. Foreign Policy (20 January 2012). Retrieved on 24 March 2012. Around key population centers, such as Damascus, Aleppo, Daraa and Hama, the FSA operates military councils that coordinate operations in the area.Gabe Kahn, [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/154044#.T2t2MsUgfKY "Free Syrian Army Forms Damascus Military Council"]. Israel National News. Retrieved on 24 March 2012.{{cite news|last=White|first=Jeffrey|title=The Tides of Battle in Syria|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3463|access-date=25 March 2012|publisher=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy|date=23 March 2012}}

The army's command and control is exercised through a variety of means, including mobile phones, voice over IP, email, couriers and social media. In November 2011, the army spent $2 million to improve communication links between opposition fighters in Syria. The Bashar al-Assad government captured a number of sophisticated communications devices from opposition fighters, including Thuraya mobile satellite phones, very high and ultra-high frequency (VHF/UHF) devices, and Inmarsat mobile communication satellite systems. In February 2012, Qatar had supplied the army with 3,000 satellite phones.{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/report-us-and-allies-considering-plans-for-military-aid-to-syrian-rebels/|title=Report: US and allies 'considering plans' for military aid to Syrian rebels|date=8 February 2012|publisher=Fox News|access-date=9 February 2012}} The United States has also provided communication equipment to help create a more structured army.{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/02/201221315020166516.html|title=Q&A: Nir Rosen on Syria's armed opposition |publisher=Al Jazeera English|access-date=31 August 2013}}{{cite news|url=http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/02/u-s-aid-to-syrian-opposition-includes-specialized-communications-equipment/|title=U.S. aid to Syrian opposition includes specialized communications equipment Blogs|publisher=CNN|access-date=31 August 2013|date=2 April 2012|archive-date=10 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810034222/https://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/02/u-s-aid-to-syrian-opposition-includes-specialized-communications-equipment/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|author=Chris Hughes|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/cia-sent-to-help-syria-rebels-1213336|title=CIA sent to help Syria rebels fightv Bashar al-Assad by US President Barack Obama |work=Daily Mirror|date=3 August 2012|access-date=31 August 2013}}

At the outset, the Free Syrian Army was mainly armed with AK-47s, DShKs and RPG-7s.{{cite news|url=http://observers.france24.com/content/20111118-free-syrian-army-soldier-lack-weapons-homs-army-defectors-bashar-al-assad-syrian-national-council|title=Free Syrian Army soldier: "We lack weapons"|work=The Observers|date=18 November 2011|access-date=16 December 2011|archive-date=20 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020001421/http://observers.france24.com/content/20111118-free-syrian-army-soldier-lack-weapons-homs-army-defectors-bashar-al-assad-syrian-national-council|url-status=dead}} As defecting soldiers lack air cover, deserting soldiers have to abandon their armoured vehicles. Soldiers defected carrying only their army issued light arms and hide in cities, suburbs or the cover of the countryside. Besides AK-47s, some FSA soldiers also have M16s, Steyr AUGs, G3s, FN FALs, SVDs and shotguns,[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EW_jKYOr1g A Force is Born – Syria]. YouTube (22 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna46033027 "Syria to let monitors stay; Obama ups pressure"]. NBC News (17 January 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. and PK machine guns.[http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-76640.html "Photo gallery: The Syrians Fight Back"]. Der Spiegel (23 December 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

The FSA had a few heavy weapons captured from the Syrian government. In February 2012, video footage was posted online showing a captured government tank, being used in Homs by FSA forces. The tank carried Syrian opposition flags and was seen firing with armed men in civilian clothes taking cover behind it.[https://archive.today/20130116091221/http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/syria-feb-2-2012-0019 AJE live blog]. Al Jazeera (1 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. An FSA spokesman has said that the organization received three tanks from a group of 100 deserters from the Syrian army. The FSA has also reportedly acquired a number of anti-aircraft missiles.{{cite news|url=http://www.salon.com/2012/10/23/syrian_regime_and_rebels_constantly_adapt_arsenals_2/singleton/ |title=Syrian regime and rebels constantly adapt arsenals |work=Salon |date=23 October 2012 |author1=Hubbard, Ben |author2=Hendawi, Hamza |access-date=23 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514045929/http://www.salon.com/2012/10/23/syrian_regime_and_rebels_constantly_adapt_arsenals_2/singleton/ |archive-date=14 May 2013 }}

The Free Syrian Army later began manufacturing its own mortars and rockets.{{cite web|url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/11/29/175908/syrian-rebels-arsenal-now-includes.html|title=Syrian rebels' arsenal now includes heavy weapons|publisher=McClatchy Newspapers|date=29 November 2012|access-date=15 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531171636/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/11/29/175908/syrian-rebels-arsenal-now-includes.html|archive-date=31 May 2013|url-status=dead}} Raids on government checkpoints and arms depots are carried out to supply the FSA with much of its ammunition and new arms. The FSA also purchases weapons on the Syrian black market which is supplied by arms smugglers from neighboring countries and corrupt loyalist forces selling government arms.

There have been reports that whole arms depots have been offered for sale, although these offers were refused because of fears of a potential trap.{{cite news|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/11/25/gun-smuggling-business-is-booming-thanks-to-syrian-uprising/|title=Syrian uprising means good business for gun-smugglers|work=National Post|date=25 November 2011}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/11/inside-syria-rebels-call-arms|location=London|work=The Guardian|first=Ghaith|last=Abdul-Ahad|title=Inside Syria: the rebel call for arms and ammunition|date=11 December 2011}} FSA fighters are also sometimes able to purchase weapons directly from army supply bases, provided that they have enough money to satisfy the government troops guarding them. It is also reported that the FSA purchases much of its heavy weaponry from Iraqi arms smugglers.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/video/idUSBRE8610SH20120819?videoId=237112878|title=Inside the Free Syrian Army: A trip to the front lines|date=16 August 2012|work=Fast Forward|publisher=Reuters|access-date=31 October 2012}}

Col. Riad Asaad has asked the international community to supply the FSA with arms to alleviate the organization's supply issues.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/28/world/europe/turkey-is-sheltering-antigovernment-syrian-militia.html|work=The New York Times|first=Liam|last=Stack|title=In Slap at Syria, Turkey Shelters Anti-Assad Fighters|date=27 October 2011|access-date=25 February 2016}}Hugh Macleod and Annasofie Flamand, [http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/111102/syria-free-syrian-army-bashar-al-assad "Meet the Free Syrian Army"]. Global Post (3 November 2011). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

File:Formation of Conquest Brigade in Tell Rifaat.png (left) and a first lieutenant (right) in the FSA announce the formation of the Conquest Brigade, part of the FSA in Tell Rifaat, north of Aleppo, 31 July 2012.]]

In March 2012, two reporters of The New York Times witnessed an FSA attack with a roadside bomb and AK-47 rifles on a column of armored Syrian tanks in Saraqib in Idlib Governorate, and learned that FSA had a stock of able, trained soldiers and ex-officers, organized to some extent, but were without the weapons to put up a realistic fight.

Baba Amr district in Homs fell to government forces on the morning of 1 March, as the Free Syrian Army claimed they had made a "tactical retreat" from the area, after running low on weapons and ammunition. They made the decision to withdraw from Baba Amr and into other parts of Homs because "worsening humanitarian conditions, lack of food and medicine and water, electricity and communication cuts as well as shortages in weapons."Fassihi, Farnaz. (1 March 2012) [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203753704577254712115662208 Syria to Allow Aid as Rebels Pull Back]. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

Shortly after their retreat from Baba Amr in Homs, the FSA suffered another setback on 3 March, when a defection of 50 soldiers from the Abu Athuhoor Military Airport in Idlib province was foiled after their plans were discovered. 47 of the soldiers were executed[http://www.lccsyria.org/7087 Syria Today 3-3-2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430190836/http://www.lccsyria.org/7087 |date=30 April 2012 }}. Lccsyria.org. Retrieved on 23 March 2012. and only three managed to escape. Their bodies were reportedly dumped in a lake.[https://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/03/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html Dozens of defecting Syrian soldiers executed, activists say]. CNN (3 March 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

A raid was conducted in the Mezze area of Damascus, involving machine-gun fire and rocket propelled grenades. A defecting general was escorted from the area. A military helicopter flew over the area leading to the detection and deaths of 7 FSA fighters.{{cite web|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/03/25/203087.html|title=Free Syrian Army to conduct 'Guerilla warfare' in Damascus: report|date=25 March 2012|website=Al Arabiya News|access-date=26 January 2018}} Also, 80 elements of the security forces including pro-government militia were reportedly killed and 200 wounded during the clashes. The deputy commander of the Free Syrian Army also said that two military tanks were destroyed during the operation.{{cite web|url=http://www.mjdna.com/Article.php?ID=2077|date=19 March 2012|website=mjdna.com|language=ar|script-title=ar:سورية: مقتل أكثر من 80 عنصرا من قوات الأمن في اشتباكات بين الجيش الحر والنظامي|trans-title=SYRIA: More than 80 members of the security forces were killed in clashes between the Free and Regime Army|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123190721/http://www.mjdna.com/Article.php?ID=2077|archive-date=23 January 2018|url-status=live|access-date=13 December 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.25jan-news.com/article.php?id=21366|last=بقلم|date=19 March 2012|website=25jan-news.com|language=ar|script-title=ar:مقتل وإصابة 280 في اشتباكات بحي المزة|trans-title=280 killed and wounded in clashes in Mazza district|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728153333/http://www.25jan-news.com/article.php?id=21366|archive-date=28 July 2013|url-status=usurped|access-date=13 December 2014}} However, neither the opposition-affiliated SOHR activist group or any independent media confirmed the high number of government casualties in the clashes.

FSA fighters claimed to control the back roads in the countryside, but also admitted that no one knew for certain where the Syrian Army would be at a given time.Tyler Hicks, [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/world/middleeast/bearing-witness-in-syria-a-war-reporters-last-days.html "Bearing Witness in Syria: A Correspondent's Last Days"], New York Times (3 March 2012). Retrieved 20 September 2014. On 24 March 2012, the Free Syrian Army united with the Higher Military Council. The groups agreed to put their differences behind them, and in a statement said: "First, we decided to unite all the military councils and battalions and all the armed battalions inside the country under one unified leadership of the Free Syrian Army and to follow the orders of the commander of the FSA, Col. Riad al-Asaad."{{cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/24/world/meast/syria-unrest/|publisher=CNN|title=Military defectors unite under Free Syrian Army|date=25 March 2012}}

By late April 2012, despite a cease-fire being declared in the whole country, heavy fighting continued in Al-Qusayr, where rebel forces controlled the northern part of the city, while the military held the southern part. FSA forces were holding onto Al-Qusayr, due to it being the last major transit point toward the Lebanese border. A rebel commander from the Farouq Brigades in the town reported that 2,000 Farouq fighters had been killed in Homs province since August 2011. At this point, there were talks among the rebels in Al-Qusayr, where many of the retreating rebels from Homs city's Baba Amr district had gone, of Homs being abandoned completely.{{cite web|url=http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/04/19/2783703/syrias-farouq-rebels-battle-to.html |title=Local news from The Sun News in Myrtle Beach SC |publisher=MyrtleBeachOnline.com |access-date=13 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025134759/http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/04/19/2783703/syrias-farouq-rebels-battle-to.html |archive-date=25 October 2014 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/04/18/v-lite/2112500/syrian-rebels-army-trade-blows.html|title=Local News – The News Tribune|access-date=13 December 2014}}

File:Free Syrian Army Occupied Area (North).jpgBy late April 2012, despite a cease-fire being declared in the whole country, heavy fighting continued in Al-Qusayr, where rebel forces controlled the northern part of the city, while the military held the southern part. FSA forces were holding onto Al-Qusayr, due to it being the last major transit point toward the Lebanese border. A rebel commander from the Farouq Brigades in the town reported that 2,000 Farouq fighters had been killed in Homs province since August 2011. At this point, there were talks among the rebels in Al-Qusayr, where many of the retreating rebels from Homs city's Baba Amr district had gone, of Homs being abandoned completely.

Despite the UN ceasefire, fighting between the Free Syrian Army and Syrian government forces continued throughout May. The FSA had used much of early May to regroup{{cite web |date=8 May 2012 |title=Exclusive: Free Syrian Army 'regrouping' |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AoPYjJ3Zkg |access-date=13 December 2014 |work=YouTube |publisher=Al Jazeera |language=en }} and gradually launched more and more attacks on government forces as the month progressed (despite often being poorly armed){{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2012/may/15/free-syrian-army-fights-on-video | work=The Guardian | title=Syria (News), Middle East and North Africa (News) MENA, Bashar al-Assad, Arab and Middle East unrest (News), World news | date=15 May 2012}} and it became clear that the ceasefire had failed. Kofi Annan himself expressed exasperation at the ongoing violence.

Footage in late-May appeared to show FSA forces had been destroying Assad forces' tanks in Idlib.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2012/may/22/idlib-syrian-tank-video | work=The Guardian | title=Syria (News), Middle East and North Africa (News) MENA, Arab and Middle East unrest (News), Bashar al-Assad, World news | date=22 May 2012}}

In May, United Nations monitors confirmed media reports that large areas of Syria's countryside and provincial cities were under the de facto control of the FSA.{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/05/30/what%20_the_hell_should_we_do_about_syria |title=What the Hell Should We Do About Syria? |work=Foreign Policy |date=30 May 2012 |access-date=31 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801095340/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/05/30/what%20_the_hell_should_we_do_about_syria |archive-date=1 August 2013 }} The Free Syrian Army has stated that it only has partial control over its held areas, and that in a head-to-head battle with the Syrian army was unable in most cases to hold the territory. The FSA's goal as of winter was to loosen government control over areas, rather than to impose firm control of its own.{{cite news|last=Solomon|first=Erika|title=Syria rebels hope Damascus battle will force international allies to act|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/01/syria-rebels-hope-damascus-battle-will-force-international-allies-to-act/|newspaper=National Post|date=1 February 2012}}

File:Free Syrian Army Occupied Area (South).jpgBy June 2012, CNN estimated opposition forces to have grown to 40,000 men.{{cite news|title=Why Syrian Army Can't Crush Opposition|url=http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/bestoftv/2012/06/22/exp-syrian-opposition-forces.cnn|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111230244/http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/bestoftv/2012/06/22/exp-syrian-opposition-forces.cnn|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 November 2011|access-date=21 September 2014|publisher=CNN|date=25 June 2012}} The Free Syrian Army announced on 4 June it was abandoning its ceasefire agreement. Spokesman Sami al-Kurdi told Reuters that the FSA had begun attacking soldiers to "defend our people". At least 80 government soldiers were killed in escalating violence over that weekend.{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18325949 | work=BBC News | title=Free Syrian Army rebels abandon Annan ceasefire | date=4 June 2012}} By mid-June, the FSA controlled large swathes of land in Idlib governorate and Northern Hama governorate. In these areas, the FSA and local individuals administered justice and the distribution of supplies to residents.{{Cite web |title=In Northern Syria Rebels Now Control... |url=https://account.miamiherald.com/paywall/subscriber-only?resume=1940426&intcid=ab_archive |access-date=23 January 2018 |website=Miami Herald |url-access=subscription}}

It was reported on 28 June that the opposition almost entirely controlled the city of Deir ez-Zor, while the government army had shelled it, trying to take it back. Human rights groups said that this assault with tanks and artillery had killed over 100 residents. The government also reportedly told doctors not to treat people at local hospitals and targeted hospitals that refused with mortar rounds. Humanitarian aid workers from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were targeted by the army, one worker was killed.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syria/syrian-city-deir-ezzor-under-heavy-government-shelling-seventh-day|title=Syrian city of Deir Ezzor under heavy government shelling for seventh day|work=Al Jazeera Blogs|access-date=13 December 2014|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065201/http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syria/syrian-city-deir-ezzor-under-heavy-government-shelling-seventh-day|url-status=dead}} In Homs, the FSA held out against government forces bombarding large parts of the city, including the opposition bastion of Khaldiyah. Also, renewed fighting between rebels and loyalists was reported in the Baba Amr neighbourhood of Homs.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}}

By July 2012, there were over 100,000 defectors from the armed forces reported.{{cite web|url=http://www.yalibnan.com/2012/07/10/over-100000-defected-from-syrian-army-report/|title=Over 100,000 Defected from Syrian army, report|location=Lebanon|publisher=Ya Libnan|date=10 July 2012|access-date=31 August 2013}} In July, it was reported that the Free Syrian Army had taken control of a number of suburbs north of the capital Damascus, including Zamalka and Irbeen. FSA fighters openly patrolled the streets of the suburbs, and clashes occurred less than 10 kilometers from the center of Damascus city itself.{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/news/2012-07-02/is-syrian-army-losing-control-of-damascus/|title=Is Syrian Army losing control of Damascus?|work=ITV News|date=2 July 2012|access-date=13 December 2014}}

It was reported that the Free Syrian Army also took control of a commercial crossing in Bab al-Hawa in Syria's northern frontier. FSA fighters had fought government forces there for ten days until they won. FSA fighters were seen in video footage, destroying portraits of Assad and celebrating their victory.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWeAe5b-zTA|title=YouTube|website=YouTube|access-date=13 December 2014}}

On 21 August 2012, Fahad Al Masri was the first to meet the international envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, after his meeting with French President Francois Hollande as part of his mission in the Syrian file in France.{{Cite web|title=Fahad Al-Masri فهد المصري – National Salvation Front In Syria|url=https://nsf-syria.org/fahad-al-masri-%d9%81%d9%87%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b5%d8%b1%d9%8a/|access-date=30 August 2021|website=nsf-syria.org|language=ar|archive-date=31 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731201101/https://nsf-syria.org/fahad-al-masri-%D9%81%D9%87%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%8A/|url-status=dead}}

Prior to September 2012, the Free Syrian Army operated its command and headquarters from Turkey's southern Hatay province close to the Syrian border with field commanders operating inside Syria.{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/node/21534827|newspaper=The Economist|title=Cracks in the army|date=29 October 2011}} In September 2012, the FSA announced that it had moved its headquarters to rebel-controlled territory of Idlib Governorate in northern Syria,{{cite news|title=Rebel Group Says It Is Now Based in Syria, a Major Step|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/world/middleeast/rebels-move-command-from-turkey-to-syria.html|access-date=23 September 2012|work=The New York Times|date=23 September 2012|first1=Anne|last1=Barnard|first2=Hania|last2=Mourtada}}{{cite news|last=Sherlock|first=Ruth|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9560925/Syria-rebel-army-shifts-from-Turkey.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9560925/Syria-rebel-army-shifts-from-Turkey.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Syria rebel army shifts from Turkey|newspaper=Telegraph|date=23 September 2012|access-date=31 August 2013|location=London}}{{cbignore}} which was later overrun by the Islamic Front in December 2013.{{Citation needed|date=May 2016|reason=WSJ article is not freely accessible}}{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304202204579252021900591220|title=Top U.S.-backed Commander in Syria Run Out, U.S. Officials Say|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=12 December 2013}}

In October 2012, Fahad Al Masri, spokesman for the Free Syrian Army, went to Turkey to participate in meetings with several officers who had defected in areas near the Syrian-Turkish border, as well as with the French ambassador in charge of the Syrian file with several military{{vague|date=September 2021}}.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

According to a France 24 report in October 2012, "rich businessmen from Damascus and Aleppo support the FSA as well as political organisations like the Muslim Brotherhood." The ideology of various FSA groups depended on their sponsors and funders. "If a militia receives money from the Muslim Brotherhood, then it obviously going to be an Islamist militia", an observer stated.{{cite web|url= http://observers.france24.com/en/20120810-syria-free-syrian-army-structure-funding-ideology-methods-fight-against-assad-regime|title=Who is the Free Syrian Army?|work=France 24 Observers|date=8 October 2012}}

File:FSA rebels hold a planning session.jpg (October 2012).]]The Syrian National Coalition, formed in November 2012 and by September 2013 based in Istanbul, dubbed the 'main opposition alliance',{{Citation needed|date=March 2017}} was recognized by the FSA by September 2013.[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24239779 'Islamist rebels in Syria reject National Coalition']. BBC, 25 September 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2016.

On 18 November, rebels took control of one of the Syrian Army's largest military bases in northern Syria, Base 46 in the Aleppo Governorate after weeks of intense fighting with government forces. Defected General Mohammed Ahmed al-Faj, who commanded the assault, hailed the capture of Base 46 as "one of our biggest victories since the start of the revolution" against Bashar al-Assad, claiming nearly 300 Syrian troops had been killed and 60 had been captured with rebels seizing large amounts of heavy weapons and tanks.{{cite web |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/11/21/251049.html |title=Syrian rebels set up camp on hilltop Base 46 |access-date=23 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123222545/http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/11/21/251049.html |archive-date=23 November 2012 |url-status=dead }}

On 22 November, rebels captured the Mayadin military base in the country's eastern Deir ez Zor province. Activists said this gave the rebels control of a large amount of territory east of the base, to the Iraqi border.{{cite news|last=Yeranian|first=Edward|title=Analysts Weigh In on Longevity of Syria's Assad|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/analysts_weight_in_on_longevity_of_syrias_assad/1551388.html|access-date=24 November 2012|newspaper=Voice of America|date=22 November 2012}}

On 7 December 2012, about 260 to 550 commanders and representatives of the Syrian armed opposition met in Antalya and elected a new 30-person military council for the FSA, called Supreme Military Council.{{cite news|title=Rebel groups in Syria make framework for military |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/08/world/middleeast/rebel-groups-in-syria-make-framework-for-military.html |agency=The New York Times|date=7 December 2012|access-date=27 April 2016|last1=MacFarquhar |first1=Neil |last2=Saad |first2=Hwaida }}

Colonel Riad al-Asaad, who was not present at the meeting, retained his formal role as Commander-in-Chief but lost effective power to Brigadier General Salim Idris, who was elected as the new Chief of Staff of the FSA and effective leader.{{Citation needed|date=March 2017}}

Security officials from the United States, United Kingdom, France, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Jordan were present at the meeting,{{cite news|first=Bassem |last=Mroue |author2=Suzan Fraser |title=Syria Rebels Create New Unified Military Command |date=8 December 2012 |agency=The World Post (Huffington Post) |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/08/syria-rebels-military-council_n_2263256.html |access-date=8 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121210193825/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/08/syria-rebels-military-council_n_2263256.html |archive-date=10 December 2012 }}{{cite news|first=Khaled Yacoub|last=Oweis|author2=Jason Webb|title=Syrian rebels elect head of new military command|date=8 December 2012|publisher=Thomson Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-rebels-idUSBRE8B70AJ20121208|access-date=8 December 2012}}{{cite news|first=Ruth|last=Sherlock|title=Syrian rebels defy US and pledge allegiance to jihadi group|date=11 December 2012|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9735988/Syrian-rebels-defy-US-and-pledge-allegiance-to-jihadi-group.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9735988/Syrian-rebels-defy-US-and-pledge-allegiance-to-jihadi-group.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=11 December 2012|location=London}}{{cbignore}}

days before a meeting of the Friends of Syria Group that had pledged non-military aid to militant rebels.

Al-Nusra Front and Ahrar ash-Sham were not invited to the meeting. Thomson Reuters stated that the new Chief of Staff Gen. Salim Idris "is not ideological", while two of his new deputy commanders, Abdelbasset Tawil from Idlib Governorate and Abdelqader Saleh from Aleppo Governorate are Islamist. FSA commanders "[appeared] to want to sideline extremist groups that have been playing a bigger role in recent months" and that there would be a total of five deputy commanders associated with five different regions of Syria.

File:Political Military Opposition Structure (June 2012).jpg

In December 2012, more than 260 Free Syrian Army rebel commanders from all over Syria agreed to a unified command structure of the Free Syrian Army. The participants elected a 30-member Supreme Military Council, which then selected General Salim Idris as chief of staff.{{cite news|title=Rebel Groups in Syria Make Framework for Military|newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/08/world/middleeast/rebel-groups-in-syria-make-framework-for-military.html|agency=The New York Times|date=7 December 2012|last1=MacFarquhar |first1=Neil |author-link=Neil MacFarquhar |last2=Saad |first2=Hwaida |author2-link=Hwaida Saad }} Idris was later replaced by Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir.{{cite news|title=Free Syrian Army sacks chief, appoints replacement|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-rebels-idUSBREA1G05420140217|work=Reuters|date= 16 February 2014}}

The FSA's formal leader is its Commander-in-Chief Colonel Riad al-Asaad; however, the army's effective military leader is its Supreme Military Councils Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir. Beneath General al-Bashir there are five deputy chief of staffs who are in charge of five different regions of Syria. Two of these deputy chiefs of staff are Abdelbasset Tawil from Idlib Governorate and Abdelqader Saleh from Aleppo Governorate.

The Free Syrian Army has field units located across the country. The field units are under the direct command of nine regional commanders which are based in the provinces of Homs, Hama, Idlib, Deir al-Zor, Damascus, Aleppo and Latakia. The regional commanders include Colonel Qasim Saad al-Din who directs military operations in Homs province and Colonel Khaled al-Haboush who directs military operations in the capital. The regional commanders are under the direct operational command of Colonel Riad Asaad and hold conference calls almost daily.{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-syria-rebelsl6e8etb3k-20120329,0,6635331,full.story|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119065023/http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-syria-rebelsl6e8etb3k-20120329,0,6635331,full.story|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 January 2013|work=Chicago Tribune|title=Rebels announce internal Syria command structure|date=29 March 2012|access-date=16 April 2020}}{{cite web|url=http://www.aawsat.com/details.asp?section=4&article=670408&issueno=12176|title="الجيش الحر" يعلن عن تشكيل القيادة المشتركة له في الداخل, أخبــــــار|publisher=Aawsat.com|date=30 March 2012|access-date=31 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801084900/http://www.aawsat.com/details.asp?section=4&article=670408&issueno=12176|archive-date=1 August 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2012/al-monitor/us-authorizes-financial-support.html|title=US Authorizes Financial Support For the Free Syrian Army – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East|publisher=Al-Monitor|access-date=31 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910214235/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2012/al-monitor/us-authorizes-financial-support.html|archive-date=10 September 2013|url-status=dead}} For internal communication and operations, the FSA appears to have an extensive internet based communication network that state security has tried to penetrate.[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/03/05/bab-amro-s-last-stand-the-final-days-of-the-syrian-rebel-stronghold.html Baba Amr's Last Stand: The Final Days of the Syrian Rebel Stronghold]. The Daily Beast (5 March 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012.

The Free Syrian Army has adopted the configuration and tactics of a guerrilla force. A typical field unit such as the Tel Kalakh Martyrs' Brigade numbers between 300 and 400 fighters split into combat units of six to 10 men. Each man in the unit is armed with a light weapon, such as an AK-47, and the combat unit as a whole is equipped with an RPG launcher and a light machine gun.

Free Syrian Army units specialize in different tasks. Units close to the borders are involved with logistics and the transport of injured soldiers out of the country and also with the transport medical equipment, material supplies and weapons into the country.[http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/wadi-khaled-free-syrian-army-base-lebanon-ii Wadi Khaled: The Free Syrian Army Base in Lebanon (II)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312151149/http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/wadi-khaled-free-syrian-army-base-lebanon-ii |date=12 March 2012 }}. Al Akhbar (8 February 2012). Retrieved on 23 March 2012. Other units such as the Farouq Brigades which are based in the city of Homs are involved in protecting civilians and fending off the Syrian army. The Farouq Brigade is one of the more active FSA battalion units. It is led by Lieutenant Abdul-Razzaq Tlass, the nephew of former Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhUz77ihRcU 1 week with the "free syrian army" – Feb 2012 – Arte reportage 1 of 2]. YouTube. Retrieved on 23 March 2012. Lieutenant Tlass was one of the first defectors and is one of the key figures in the Syrian uprising. His unit of 500–2,000 soldiers has engaged the Syrian army in Homs and raided Syrian checkpoints and command centers.[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/02/28/a-syrian-rebel-s-first-hand-report-on-the-fighting-and-bombing-in-homs.html A Syrian Rebel's Firsthand Report on the Fighting and Bombing in Homs]. The Daily Beast (28 February 2012). Retrieved on 24 March 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/03/2012334752803236.html|title=UN chief criticises 'atrocious' Homs assault|publisher=Aljazeera.com|access-date=31 August 2013}} {{As of|2012|01}}, the army had around 37 named battalion units, 17–23 of which appeared to be engaged in combat.Jeffrey White [http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3447 The Free Syrian Army Bleeds the Assad Regime]. Washington Institute. 27 January 2012 In October 2012 the Time magazine reported that the FSA was "never more than an umbrella term that provided political cover for the loose franchise of defectors and armed civilians fighting Assad's regime" and some units were merely made up of a few dozen fighters.{{cite magazine|url=https://world.time.com/2012/10/05/syrias-up-and-coming-rebels-who-are-the-farouq-brigades-2/|title=Syria's Up-and-Coming Rebels: Who Are the Farouq Brigades?|magazine=TIME|date=5 October 2012|last1=Abouzeid|first1=Rania}}

{{See also|Opposition-Islamic State conflict during the Syrian civil war}}File:Syrian Civil War map (March 15 2013).svg

File:Smc-structure.jpg, the Syrian National Coalition's military wing, by late 2013 ]]

In April 2013, the US announced it would transfer $123 million in nonlethal aid to Syrian rebels through the Supreme Military Council led by defected general Salim Idris, the then Chief of Staff of FSA.

In April–May 2013, FSA was losing fighters to Salafist jihadist organisation Al-Nusra Front which was emerging as the best-equipped, financed and motivated anti-Assad force, concluded The Guardian after interviewing FSA commanders across Syria. FSA commander Basha said that in the last few months 3,000 FSA fighters had gone over to al-Nusra, mainly because FSA lacks weapons and ammunition. Another FSA commander said that also the Islamic doctrine of al-Nusra attracts FSA fighters. A Western diplomat played down suggestions that Nusra would be cleaner, better and stronger: "fighters are moving from one group to another", but you can't say that Nusra has in general more momentum than others, he maintained.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/08/free-syrian-army-rebels-defect-islamist-group |title=Free Syrian Army rebels defect to Islamist group Jabhat al-Nusra |date=8 May 2013|access-date=25 February 2016 |work=The Guardian|location=London}}

In May 2013, FSA commander Salim Idris said that "the rebels" were badly fragmented and lacked the military skill needed to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Idris said he was working on a countrywide command structure, but that a lack of material support—ammunition and weapons, fuel for the cars and money for logistics and salaries—was hurting that effort. "The battles are not so simple now," Idriss said. "Now it is very important for them to be unified. But unifying them in a manner to work like a regular army is still difficult." He denied any cooperation with Al-Nusra Front but acknowledged common operations with another Islamist group Ahrar ash-Sham. The growth of al-Nusra Front and other Islamist groups, during the first half of 2013, disillusioned thousands of FSA men who felt that their own revolution against the government has been stolen from them. In areas of Homs province, fighting between FSA and the Syrian army had virtually ceased.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/a-syrian-solution-to-civil-conflict-the-free-syrian-army-is-holding-talks-with-assads-senior-staff-8847615.html|title=A Syrian solution to civil conflict? The Free Syrian Army is holding talks with Assad's senior staff|work=The Independent|date=29 September 2013|access-date=19 September 2014|location=London|first=Robert|last=Fisk}}

Another major challenge to FSA arose when the Islamic State of Iraq announced its expansion into Syria on 8 April 2013, when Abubakr al-Baghdadi claimed that Al-Nusra Front was "an extension of the Islamic State in Iraq and part of it" and declared the formation of "Islamic State of Iraq and Levant". While Al-Nusra's leadership rejected the merger, a number of Al-Nusra fighters defected to ISIL and pledged allegiance to Baghdadi. ISIL loyalists and foreign fighters soon began to expand through opposition-held territories in North East Syria throughout the year and captured the city of Raqqa from Free Syrian Army by May 2013. The new developments drastically altered the dynamics of the Syrian civil war and FSA forces began regrouping with the rival Islamic Front to unite against both the Assad regime and ISIL.{{Cite book |last1=C. Tucker |first1=Spencer |title=U.S Conflicts in The 21st Centiry (Volume 1) |last2=G. Pierpaoli Jr. |first2=Paul |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-4408-3878-1 |location=Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911, USA |pages=834 |chapter=Syria}}{{Cite news |date=9 April 2013 |title=Al-Qaeda in Iraq confirms Syria's Nusra Front is part of its network |work=Al Arabiya |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2013/04/09/Al-Qaeda-in-Iraq-confirms-Syria-s-Nusra-Front-is-part-of-its-network |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005221604/https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2013/04/09/Al-Qaeda-in-Iraq-confirms-Syria-s-Nusra-Front-is-part-of-its-network |archive-date=5 October 2022}}{{Cite web |last=Abouzeid |first=Rania |date=23 June 2014 |title=The Jihad Next Door: The Syrian roots of Iraq's newest civil war. |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/al-qaeda-iraq-syria-108214/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230119010037/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/al-qaeda-iraq-syria-108214/ |archive-date=19 January 2023 |website=Politico}}

On 11 July 2013, an FSA officer was assassinated by a jihadist group, north of Latakia. In mid-August 2013, a delegation of FSA met with an official of President Assad, to suggest talks between government and FSA about "a Syrian solution" to the war. The government accepted this proposal for "a dialogue within the Syrian homeland". Six weeks later, in seven rebel-held areas of Aleppo, civil employees could return to work, and government institutions and schools could reopen. Salafi-Jihadist leader Mohammed Shalabi in Jordan, also known as Abu Sayyaf, stated in July 2013 in Ammon News that irreconcilable differences exist between the aims of FSA and those of Sunni Islamist militias fighting in Syria against Assad.{{cite web|url=http://en.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleno=22322#.Ueh5fPmTjoI|title=Jordanian Salafist Leader Foresees Conflict with Secular Syrian Opposition|publisher=En.ammonnews.net|date=16 July 2013|access-date=31 August 2013}}

Initially FSA groups were not averse to the existence of, nor co-operation with, ISIL as a fellow armed group working to remove the Assad regime. Conditions varied in different times and places, but one example of conditional co-operation in the form of joint operations was the 2013 capture of Managh Air Base.{{Cite web|date=8 August 2013|title=Syria Analysis: Getting A Story Right – Free Syrian Army, "Jihadist Militants", & Capture of Menagh Airbase|url=https://eaworldview.com/2013/08/syria-analysis-getting-a-story-right-free-syrian-army-jihadist-militants-capture-of-menagh-airbase/|access-date=18 December 2020|website=EA WorldView|language=en-US}} After the battle, Col. Abdul Jabbar al-Okaidi, the head of the United States-backed opposition's Aleppo military council, appeared in a video alongside Abu Jandal, a leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.{{cite news|last1=Barnard|first1=Anne|last2=Schmitt|first2=Eric|date=9 August 2013|title=As Foreign Fighters Flood Syria, Fears of a New Extremist Haven (Published 2013)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/09/world/middleeast/as-foreign-fighters-flood-syria-fears-of-a-new-extremist-haven.html|access-date=18 December 2020|issn=0362-4331}} FSA groups were also engaged in conflict and clashed violently with ISIL in other regions during the same period. During the capture of Managh Air Base the Northern Storm Brigade had been in clashes with ISIL as recently as the month before the base was captured and put their differences to the side to co-operate for the final battle.

Locals near the Turkish border complained in November 2013 that, in contrast with al-Nusra Front, the groups aligned with FSA were becoming increasingly corrupt.{{cite news|author=Jamie Dettmer|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/12/syria-s-rebel-rivalry-between-jihadists-and-fsa.html|title=Syria's Rebel Rivalry Between Jihadists and FSA|work=The Daily Beast|date=12 January 2013|access-date=31 August 2013}} Also in 2013, U.S. senior military officials speaking on condition of anonymity indicated that the Pentagon estimates that "extreme Islamist groups" constitute "more than 50 percent" of rebel groups that identify as the Free Syrian Army with the percentage "growing by the day".

The International Business Times considered the emergence of ISIL in 2014 as the beginning of the end for groups like FSA which the US had dubbed "moderate rebels".Erin Banco, [http://www.ibtimes.com/four-years-later-free-syrian-army-has-collapsed-1847116 "Four Years Later, The Free Syrian Army Has Collapsed"], International Business Times, 14 March 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2016.

The SMC, the formal FSA command structure, slowly disintegrated within Aleppo Governorate from a lack of resources over the course of 2014.{{cite news|last1=Cafarella|first1=Jennifer|title=Jabat al-Nusra in Syria |page=34|url=http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/JN%20Final.pdf|access-date=24 April 2016 |publisher=Institute for the Study of War|date=December 2014}} For example, according to data obtained by IBT, the Hazzm movement received a total of about $6 million from the U.S. government in 2014, which works out to just $500,000 a month for a force consisting of 5,000 soldiers.

In February 2014, Colonel Qassem Saadeddine of the FSA announced that Chief of Staff Idris had been replaced with Brigadier General Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir, due to "the paralysis within the military command these past months."{{cite news|title=Free Syrian Army fires military chief|publisher=Al Jazeera English|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/02/free-syrian-army-fires-military-chief-201421742719901171.html|date=18 February 2014|access-date=16 September 2014}}

In February 2014, 49 factions came together in the Southern Front (Jabhat al-Janoubi).Cody Roche [https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2016/08/13/syrian-opposition-factions-in-the-syrian-civil-war/ Syrian Opposition Factions in the Syrian Civil War], Bellingcat, 13 August 2016

In March 2014, Fahad Al Masri, then spokesman for the movement, announced in a statement published by news agencies his withdrawal from the joint command of the Free Syrian Army, due to the state of fragmentation, corruption and Islamization.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

In March, FSA and Jordanian sources and video evidence suggested that the FSA received a Saudi shipment of anti-tank missiles through Jordan, and sold these to al-Nusra fighters for $15,000 each.{{cite news|last1=Cafarella|first1=Jennifer|title=Jabat al-Nusra in Syria|url=http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/JN%20Final.pdf|access-date=3 March 2016|publisher=Institute for the Study of War|date=December 2014}}

Abu Yusaf, a high-level commander of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), said in August 2014 that many of the FSA members who had been trained by United States' and Turkish and Arab military officers were now actually joining ISIL. "In the East of Syria, there is no Free Syrian Army any longer. All Free Syrian Army people [there] have joined the Islamic State" he said.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/08/18/the-terrorists-fighting-us-now-we-just-finished-training-them/ |title=The terrorists fighting us now? We just finished training them. |last=Mekhennet|first=Souad|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=19 September 2014| date=18 August 2014}}

On 25 September 2014, the Supreme Military Council united with the Syriac Military Council to fight against Assad and the newly declared Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/25/world/meast/us-syria-rebel-agreement/ |last1=Bronstein |first1=Scott |last2=Griffin |first2=Drew |title=Syrian rebel groups unite to fight ISIS |publisher=CNN News|date=26 September 2014| access-date=27 April 2016|location=Antakya, Turkey}}

In September/October 2014, according to the Kurdish oriented press agency ARA News and the US International Business Times, FSA brigades in Northern Syria, especially the Kobanî area (Aleppo Governorate), united with the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) under the Euphrates Volcano joint operations room, more specifically the Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa (Revolutionaries of Raqqa Brigade),{{cite news|last1=Banco|first1=Erin|title=Free Syrian Army Rebels Join Forces With Kurds To Fight ISIS In Kobane|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/free-syrian-army-rebels-join-forces-kurds-fight-isis-kobane-1702500|date=9 October 2014|access-date=23 April 2016|agency=International Business Times}} to oppose ISIL and the Assad government.{{cite web|url=http://aranews.net/2014/09/ypg-fsa-launch-joint-military-operations-islamic-state-northern-syria/|title=YPG and FSA launch joint military operations against Islamic State in northern Syria|last=Ali|first=Jan|publisher=ARA News|date=13 September 2014|access-date=8 June 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913032746/http://aranews.net/2014/09/ypg-fsa-launch-joint-military-operations-islamic-state-northern-syria/|archive-date=13 September 2014}}

In October, Syria Revolutionaries Front (SRF) – an alliance of FSA brigades defying FSA's leadership SMC—was ousted from Idlib by al-Nusra. According to retired Jordanian general Fayez al-Dweiri in November 2014, apart from southern Syria and pockets around Aleppo, "the FSA has been effectively decimated and no longer effectively exists."{{cite news |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-rebels-idUSKCN0IX11I20141113 |title=Syria rebels in south emerge as West's last hope as moderates crushed elsewhere |date=13 November 2014 |publisher=13 November 2014 |access-date=13 November 2014|last1=Perry |first1=Tom }}

The German journalist Jürgen Todenhöfer, having toured for ten days in ISIL-held territory in late 2014, told CNN that the ISIL leadership had said to him: if the FSA get a good weapon, they sell it to us; FSA are our best arms sellers.{{cite news | title=Inside ISIS: Rare access to Islamic State – CNN Video | website=CNN | date=22 December 2014 | url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2014/12/22/amanpour-exclusive-inside-isis.cnn | access-date=17 February 2020}}

From October 2015 onwards, several groups that identify as part of the FSA in northern Syria joined the newly founded, and U.S.-supported, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia umbrella organization.{{cite web|url=http://syriadirect.org/news/15-opposition-groups-in-idlib-aleppo-join-sdf-forces/|title=15 opposition brigades in Idlib, Aleppo join SDF forces|date=18 November 2015|website=Syria Direct|access-date=20 April 2016|archive-date=25 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925122913/https://syriadirect.org/news/15-opposition-groups-in-idlib-aleppo-join-sdf-forces/|url-status=dead}} In December 2015, according to the American Institute for the Study of War, groups that identify as FSA were still present around Aleppo and Hama and in southern Syria, and the FSA was still "the biggest and most secular of the rebel groups" fighting the Assad government, but had taken the brunt of the Russian air attacks in Syria since 30 September 2015.{{cite news|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/12/free-syrian-army-morale-russia-strikes.html|title=Can FSA get back on its feet after Russian intervention?|last=Alami|first=Mona|date=31 December 2015|work=Al-Monitor|access-date=27 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084956/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/12/free-syrian-army-morale-russia-strikes.html|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}} The same month, the Istanbul-based think tank Omran Dirasat estimated the FSA self-declared groups at around 35,000 fighters spread out over thousands of groups of various sizes; 27 larger factions of around 1,000 fighters each along with a myriad of smaller groups and localised militias.

{{main|Turkish military intervention in the Syrian Civil War}}

The Turkish military intervention in the Syrian Civil War against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Syrian Democratic Forces, called Operation Euphrates Shield, starting 24 August 2016, was launched by sending groups identifying as FSA into Syria, backed by Turkish armor.{{cite web|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/09/turkey-syria-fsa-fails-in-euphrates-shield.html|title=Turkey faces decision over boots on the ground in Syria|last=Gursel|first=Kadri|date=27 September 2016|publisher=Al-Monitor|access-date=28 September 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927211206/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/09/turkey-syria-fsa-fails-in-euphrates-shield.html|archive-date=27 September 2016}} The rebels that are active in the area allied with the Turkish army are often referred to as the Syrian National Army (SNA) by the media. Early in the morning of 24 August, Turkish forces directed intense artillery fire against ISIL positions in Jarabulus while the Turkish Air Force bombed 11 targets from the air.{{cite news|url=http://en.trend.az/world/turkey/2652129.html|title=Turkish jets bomb Daesh targets in Jarabulus|agency=Trend News Agency|date=24 August 2016|access-date=26 January 2018|archive-date=1 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101125014/http://en.trend.az/world/turkey/2652129.html|url-status=dead}} Later that day, Turkish main battle tanks followed by pick-up trucks, believed to be carrying Turkish-backed Syrian rebels,{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37171995|title=Turkey sends tanks into northern Syria|publisher=BBC|date=24 August 2016}} and the Turkish Special Forces crossed the border and were joined by hundreds of FSA fighters as the ground forces attacked the town.{{cite news|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20160824-turkey-us-led-forces-launch-joint-operation-northern-syria|title=Turkey, US-led coalition launch major operation in northern Syria|work=France 24|date=24 August 2016}} U.S.-led coalition planes helped the Turkish forces.{{cite web | title=Turkey-backed rebels take Syrian town | website=BBC News | date=24 August 2016 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37171995 | access-date=17 February 2020}} The FSA said progress was slow because of mines planted by ISIL fighters.

A few hours after the offensive's beginning, Turkish Special Forces and the Sham Legion captured their first village, Tal Katlijah, after ISIL fighters retreated from it to reinforce Jarabulus, according to Faylaq Al-Sham's official media wing.{{cite news|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/turkish-led-forces-capture-first-village-northern-syria/|title=Turkish-led forces capture first village in northern Syria|work=al-Masdar News|date=24 August 2016|access-date=26 January 2018|archive-date=28 August 2016|location=Aleppo, Syria|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828110054/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/turkish-led-forces-capture-first-village-northern-syria/|url-status=dead}} Some time later, the FSA captured four more villages{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-24/turkey-launches-operation-on-syrian-border/7782078|title=Turkish military, US-led coalition launch operation to sweep Islamic State from Syrian town|work=ABC News|date=24 August 2016|access-date=24 August 2016}} including Tel Shair, Alwaniyah and two other villages.{{cite web|url=http://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/operation-euphrates-shield-timeline-2517043|title=Operation Euphrates Shield: Timeline|publisher=Yeni Şafak|date=25 August 2016|access-date=25 August 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/turkey-backed-opposition-forces-enter-daeshs-stronghold-2516710|title=Turkey-backed opposition forces enter Daesh's stronghold|publisher=Yeni Şafak|date=24 August 2016|access-date=25 August 2016}} Hours later, Turkish- and US-backed rebels were reported to have captured the border town of Jarabulus, with ISIL offering little resistance.{{cite web|url=http://uk.businessinsider.com/syrian-rebels-isis-jarablus-2016-8?r=US&IR=T|title=Turkish and US-backed Syrian rebels have captured a key ISIS border crossing|work=Business Insider|date=24 August 2016|access-date=26 January 2018|archive-date=26 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826110432/http://uk.businessinsider.com/syrian-rebels-isis-jarablus-2016-8?r=US&IR=T|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/24/middleeast/turkish-troops-isis-syria-operation/|title=Turkey sends tanks into Syria to battle ISIS|work=CNN News|last1=McKirdy|first1=Euan|last2=Hanna|first2=Jason|last3=Sariyuce|first3=Isil|location=Istanbul, Turkey|date=24 August 2016}} The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) also reported that the FSA had captured almost all of the city.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37171995|title=IS conflict: Turkey-backed Syrian rebels 'take Jarablus'|work=BBC News|date=24 August 2016}} A FSA spokesman stated that a large number of ISIL fighters had withdrawn to al-Bab in front of the offensive.{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/syria-turkish-backed-rebels-seize-jarablus-isil-160824162712114.html|title=Syria: Turkish-backed rebels 'seize' Jarablus from ISIL|work=Al Jazeera|date=25 August 2016}}

Turkish-backed forces then began a major attack against the SDF positions, capturing Amarnah and nearby Ayn al-Bayda, according to the SOHR.{{cite news | title=Al menos 35 civiles muertos en dos bombardeos turcos en el norte de Siria |trans-title=At least 35 civilians killed in two Turkish airstrikes in northern Syria|work=Deutsche Presse-Agentur|publisher=El Mundo | date=28 August 2016 | url=https://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2016/08/28/57c2a698e2704e955e8b456e.html | language=es | access-date=17 February 2020}}

On 3 September, Turkey additionally deployed tanks to the Syrian town of al-Rai to help the Turkish-backed rebels to push east from the town towards villages captured by the rebels west of Jarabulus. The incursion was launched from Kilis Province which had been frequently targeted with rocket attacks from ISIL.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-idUSKCN1190GT|title=Turkish tanks roll into Syria, opening new line of attack|website=Reuters|date=4 September 2016|last1=Davison|first1=Umit Ozdal}} The Sham Legion and the Hamza Division also announced they had captured four villages (Fursan, Lilawa, Kino and Najma) south of Arab Ezza. The United States stated that it had hit ISIL targets near the Turkey-Syria border via the newly deployed HIMARS system.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/03/isis-us-military-syria-turkey-border|title=US forces hit Isis targets in Syria with mobile rocket system, official says |agency=Reuters|work=The Guardian|date=3 September 2016|access-date=3 September 2016|location=Istanbul}}{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-04/us-forces-strike-is-targets-near-syria-turkey-border/7812276|title=Turkish tanks open new line of attack in Syria's north |work=ABC News|date=3 September 2016|access-date=3 September 2016}} The Turkish armed forces meanwhile reported that the rebels had captured two villages and an airport near al-Rai.{{cite news|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/more-turkish-tanks-enter-syria-new-front-1097053372|title=More Turkish tanks enter Syria in new front |publisher=Middle East Eye|date=3 September 2016|access-date=3 September 2016}}{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syrian-war-more-turkish-tanks-cross-border-into-al-rai-as-operation-against-isis-and-kurds-enters-a7224271.html|title=Syrian war: More Turkish tanks cross border into al-Rai as operation against Isis and Kurds enters 'new phase' |first=Lizzie|last= Dearden |work=The Independent|date=3 September 2016|access-date=3 September 2016}} An official of the Fastaqim Kama Umirt also stated that the rebels had captured eight villages to the east and south of the town.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-idUSKCN1190GT|title=Turkish tanks roll into Syria, opening new line of attack|work=Reuters|date=3 September 2016|access-date=3 September 2016}} SOHR confirmed that the Turkish-backed rebels had captured three villages near the Sajur river with advances in two other villages. It also confirmed that the rebels had captured a village near al-Rai.[http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=50190 The "Islamic state" almost lost the rest of its border with Turkey and the outside world] SOHR (3 September 2016) The U.S. Embassy in Ankara said US forces hit ISIL targets overnight near Turkey's border with Syria using HIMARS located in Turkey.{{cite web|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/|title=Around 50 US soldiers arrive in Turkey to use newly-deployed HIMARS system|website=Hürriyet Daily News|access-date=21 September 2016}}

On 4 September, Turkey declared that the Turkish-backed rebels had captured the last remaining ISIL held villages along the Turkish border, cutting off key supply lines used by the group to bring in foreign fighters, weapons and ammunition.{{cite news|url=http://time.com/4478871/isis-territory-turkey-syria-border/?xid=homepage|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160904182852/http://time.com/4478871/isis-territory-turkey-syria-border/?xid=homepage|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 September 2016|title=Turkey Says ISIS Has Lost All Territory Along the Turkey-Syria Border|last1=Mroue|first1=Bassem|first2=Zeynep|last2=Bilginsoy|date=4 September 2016|magazine=Time|access-date=5 September 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/09/syria-war-isil-driven-turkey-syria-border-160904164425932.html|title=Syria's war: ISIL 'driven out' from Turkey-Syria border|date=4 September 2016|work=Al Jazeera|access-date=5 September 2016}}

On 5 September, nine more villages in northern Syria were cleared of ISIL by the Turkish-backed rebels as part of Operation Euphrates Shield, according to Turkish armed forces.{{cite web|url=http://www.dailysabah.com/asia/2016/09/05/nine-more-syrian-villages-cleared-of-daesh-terrorists-by-the-fsa-turkish-army|title=Nine more Syrian villages cleared of Daesh terrorists by the FSA: Turkish army|work=Daily Sabah|date=5 September 2016|access-date=6 September 2016}} On 7 September, around 300 Syrians started to return to Jarabulus in Syria, after Turkish-backed rebels recaptured the region from ISIL, marking the first formal return of civilians since Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield.{{cite news|url=http://www.trtworld.com/mea/syrians-return-to-jarablus-from-turkey-after-daesh-ousted-181654|title=Syrians return to Jarablus from Turkey after DAESH ousted|work=TRT World|access-date=8 September 2016|archive-date=22 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122181617/https://www.trtworld.com/mea/syrians-return-to-jarablus-from-turkey-after-daesh-ousted-181654|url-status=dead}}

As of 14 September, a total of 1,900 Syrian refugees returned to the area cleansed by Turkish-backed forces, mainly to Jarabulus and Al Rai.{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com.tr/haber/bin-900-suriyeli-cerablusa-dondu|title=Bin 900 Suriyeli Cerablus'a döndü|trans-title=1,900 Syrians returned to Jarabulus|language=tr|work=Al Jazeera Türk|date=15 September 2016|access-date=15 September 2016}} On 17 September the Mountain Hawks Brigade announced that it had withdrawn from the Jarabulus and al-Rai fronts and its fighters and equipment will be transferred to the fronts in Aleppo city, Hama, and Latakia.{{cite web|url=http://aranews.org/2016/09/%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%B5%D9%82%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A8%D9%84-%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%AD%D8%A8-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA/|language=ar|title=لواء صقور الجبل ينسحب من "درع الفرات"، والوجهة حلب|trans-title=Mountain Hawks Brigade withdraw from Euphrates Shield and head to Aleppo|work=ARA News|date=17 September 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921061251/http://aranews.org/2016/09/%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%B5%D9%82%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A8%D9%84-%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%AD%D8%A8-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA/|archive-date=21 September 2016}} (see also Northern al-Bab offensive (September 2016)) On 5 October, FSA primarily driven by the Sultan Murad Division, took control of four more villages from ISIL and, with the Turkish Special Forces, reportedly entered the small and strategic town of Akhtarin, easing the way for a planned attack on the iconic town of Dabiq.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} The town was captured by them on 6 October.[https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/turkish-backed-rebels-capture-important-town-isis-northern-aleppo/ Turkish-backed rebels capture important town from ISIS in northern Aleppo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126175622/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/turkish-backed-rebels-capture-important-town-isis-northern-aleppo/ |date=26 January 2018 }} Al-Masdar News (6 October 2016){{better source needed|not reliable|date=February 2020}}

After taking control of the supply route between Al-Bab and Dabiq by taking Akhtarin and its vicinity, on 9 October, Turkey and the affiliated rebels announced that the area between Mare, Akhtarin and Kafrghan, an area which contains two important IS-held locations, Sawran and Dabiq, a military zone.{{cite news|url=http://www.haberler.com/isid-in-el-bab-la-dabik-arasindaki-ikmal-yolu-8841074-haberi/|publisher=Haberler.com|title=IŞİD'in Bab'la Dabık Arasındaki İkmal Yolu Kesildi|date=9 October 2016|access-date=9 October 2016}} On the same day the offensive started from three different fronts towards Dabiq, from north, south and east of the city and seven villages were taken by FSA forces.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/sayed_ridha/status/785120049270972420|publisher=Hassan Ridha|title=FSA advance towards Dabiq and Sawran|date=9 October 2016|access-date=9 October 2016}}{{Primary source inline|date=January 2018}}

On 10 October, Turkish forces and Turkish-backed rebels made significant advances and established control in all settlements on the way to the town of Sawran from its north and northwest, and started pushing into the town of Ihtamillat, the last settlement east of Sawran.{{cite news|url=http://www.sozcu.com.tr/2016/gundem/firat-harekatinin-48-gunu-1437770/|newspaper=Sözcü|title=Fırat Harekatı'nın 48.günü|date=10 October 2016|access-date=10 October 2016}}{{cite news|url=http://www.gazetevatan.com/firat-kalkani-harekati-nda-son-durum-993755-gundem/|work=Vatan|title=Fırat Kalkanı Harekatı'nda Son Durum|date=10 October 2016|access-date=10 October 2016}} One week later, following heavy clashes around the area, on 16 October, the FSA, headed by Sultan Murad Division, first took control of Sawran and continued towards Dabiq. Soon after Sawran, Dabiq was also taken and rebel forces went as south as Asunbul to secure the newly acquired area before proceeding to the next stage of the offensive targeting Qabasin and Bab.{{cite news|url=http://aljazeera.com.tr/haber/dabik-isidden-alindi|publisher=Al Jazeera Türk|title=Dabık IŞİD'den alındı|date=16 October 2016|access-date=16 October 2016}}

On 17 October, Turkish troops and SNA forces started their offensive headed towards al-Bab and captured 7 villages in the first day, namely; Guzhe, Baruze, al-Wash, Aq Burhan, Qar Kalbin, Talatayna and Shudud.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} On 18 October, the Northern Thunder Brigade issued an ultimatum to the "PKK" and the Army of Revolutionaries, warning them to leave Tell Rifaat within 48 hours after which they will attack the town.{{cite web|url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2016/10/19/fsa-poised-for-showdown-with-kurdish-forces-in-aleppo|title=FSA poised for showdown with Kurdish forces in Aleppo|work=The New Arab|date=19 October 2016}} On 22 October, Turkish-backed rebels surrounded Shaykh Issa, just east of Tell Rifaat. Turkish artillery shelling and air strikes mainly focused on Tell Rifaat, Shaykh Issa and villages under SDF control in western al-Bab. Turkish tanks entered Syria also from the west, from Hatay region into Idlib region, to the southernmost point of the PYD-held Afrin canton and positioned on hills overlooking Tel Rifat and Afrin.{{cite news|url=http://eurasiadiary.info.tr/news/conflicts/79869-havadan-vurulan-teror-orgutu-pyd-artik-karadan-da-vurulacak|title=Havadan vurulan PYD artık karadan da vurulacak|date=22 October 2016|access-date=22 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022222421/http://eurasiadiary.info.tr/news/conflicts/79869-havadan-vurulan-teror-orgutu-pyd-artik-karadan-da-vurulacak|archive-date=22 October 2016|url-status=dead}} By 25 October, it became evident that the SDF had repelled all assaults by Turkish-backed rebels on villages and positions under its control.{{cite web|url=http://aranews.net/2016/10/us-concerned-turkish-strikes-killing-civilians-northern-syria/|title=US denies involvement in Tukey's campaign against the SDF, expresses concern|publisher=ARA News|date=25 October 2016|access-date=27 October 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026162628/http://aranews.net/2016/10/us-concerned-turkish-strikes-killing-civilians-northern-syria/|archive-date=26 October 2016}}

{{See also|Aleppo offensive (September–October 2016)|Aleppo offensive (October–November 2016)|Aleppo offensive (November–December 2016)}}

Mainstream Western news sources in September and October 2016 suggested that "the Free Syrian Army" still exist as considerable army or structure of militias by mentioning or suggesting a role of the FSA in two offensives around Aleppo. In the Syrian government's offensive late September 2016 on (eastern) Aleppo, according to The New York Times, some of the defending rebel groups identified themselves as Free Syrian Army (FSA).{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/world/middleeast/aleppo-syria-ground-offensive.html|title=Syrian Troops Clash With Rebels as Bombs Fall on Aleppo|last=Saad|first=Hwaida|date=27 September 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=7 November 2016}}

During the October–November Aleppo offensive of rebel forces against the Syrian Assad government forces, the French {{Lang|fr|Le Figaro}} wrote: "On 22 October 2016, violence again broke out in Aleppo between the regime forces and the rebels. (...) The insurgent groups, dominated by Al-Nusra Front ('Front for the Conquest'), have called for a general mobilization of the fighters of East-Aleppo. The moderates of the Free Syrian Army have advised the inhabitants of West-Aleppo to keep at distance from government buildings."{{cite news|language=fr|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2016/10/23/01003-20161023ARTFIG00136-les-armes-parlent-de-nouveau-a-alep.php|title=Les armes parlent de nouveau à Alep|trans-title=The weapons speak again in Aleppo|work=Le Figaro|date=23 October 2016|access-date=29 October 2016|last=Malbrunot|first=Georges}} The Dutch NRC Handelsblad wrote: "Syrian rebel groups have on 28 October started a large offensive to break the siege of East-Aleppo. The Free Syrian Army declared: "It will be a large battle, with all rebel groups taking part"."{{cite news|language=nl|url=http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2016/10/28/syrie-rebellen-lanceren-offensief-aleppo-5034514-a1529143|title=Syrië: Rebellen lanceren offensief Aleppo|trans-title=Syria: Rebels launch offensive in Aleppo|work=NRC Handelsblad|date=28 October 2016|access-date= 29 October 2016|first=Toon|last=Beemsterboer}} The New York Times wrote: "Syrian rebels counter-attacked the [Syrian] army on 28 October, aiming to break a siege on eastern Aleppo (...) The assault included Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner."{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/10/28/world/europe/28reuters-mideast-crisis-syria-offensive.html|title=Syrian Rebels Launch Aleppo Counter-Attack to Break Siege|work=The New York Times|date=28 October 2016|access-date=30 October 2016}}{{dead link|date=November 2022}}

On 14 November 2016, Reuters reported that earlier in November the "Zinki group and the allied jihadist Jabhat Fateh al-Sham tried to crush the Fastaqim faction, which is part of the FSA" in eastern Aleppo.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-rebels-idUSKBN1391MA|title=Syrian rebels battle each other north of Aleppo|last=Perry|first=Tom|location=Beirut|editor-last=Stonestreet|editor-first=John|work=Reuters|date=14 November 2016}}

{{further|Syrian National Army}}

File:Al-Bab military council.png fighters during the Battle of al-Bab]]

The year 2017 saw the FSA further divided. Rebel factions operating under the banner of the Syrian Interim Government have reorganized and merged in a unified armed group. Jawad Abu Hatab, the head of the opposition's Interim government and the Defense Minister, announced its official formation after meeting with moderate rebel commanders in the town of Azaz in Aleppo province. The newly formed body has 22,000 fighters, some of them have been trained and equipped by Turkey.

On 23 February 2017, the important city of al-Bab was completely captured from ISIL by the SNA, along with the towns of Qabasin and Bizaah.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/turkey-backed-rebels-enter-center-of-islamic-states-al-bab-strongholdin-syria/2017/02/23/e389a506-f9c3-11e6-9b3e-ed886f4f4825_story.html|title=Turkey-backed rebels seize Islamic State's al-Bab stronghold in Syria|date=23 February 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=23 February 2017|first1=Louisa|last1=Loveluck|first2=Liz|last2=Sly}}{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/9de31f34-f9e4-11e6-bd4e-68d53499ed71|title=Turkey recaptures strategic Syrian town of al-Bab from Isis|date=23 February 2017|newspaper=Financial Times|access-date=23 February 2017|first1=Mehul|last1=Srivastava|first2=Erika|last2=Solomon}}{{cite news|url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=61456|title=The 'Islamic State' organization withdraws from Bzaah and Qabasin and inspection operations continue in al-Bab city and kill 7 fighters in mine explosion|date=23 February 2017|newspaper=SOHR|access-date=23 February 2017}} As of 25 February 2017, 50,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey have returned to the areas which were taken from ISIL by the SNA.{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com.tr/haber/cavusoglu-rakkayi-rakkalilara-teslim-edebiliriz|publisher=Al Jazeera Türk|language=tr|date=24 February 2017|access-date=25 February 2017|title=Çavuşoğlu:Rakka'yı Rakkalılara teslim edebiliriz|trans-title=Çavuşoğlu: We can hand over Raqqa to Raqqans}}

Also, in the south of the country at the frontier with Jordan, FSA units (the largest being Southern Front) remained on frontlines with the Syrian government and ISIL in Daraa and Quneitra Governorates.

On the other hand, in September 2017, the founder of the FSA, Col. Riad al-Asaad, was appointed as deputy prime minister for military affairs of the Syrian Salvation Government (an alternative government of the Syrian Opposition seated within Idlib Governorate).{{cite web |url=http://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2017/09/syrian-general-conference-faces-interim-government-idlib/ |title=The Syrian General Conference Faces the Interim Government in Idlib |date=18 September 2017 |publisher=Enab Baladi |access-date=13 December 2017}}[http://www.shaam.org/news/syria-news/تعريف-بالاسم-وكامل-التفاصيل-لـ-11-وزيراً-في-حكومة-الإنقاذ-في-الداخل-السوري.html Syria news] Shaam network

{{further|Turkish military operation in Afrin|Rif Dimashq offensive (February–April 2018)|Douma chemical attack|2018 Southern Syria offensive}}

On 21 February, the Ba'athist government began an operation to capture rebel-held Ghouta east of Damascus; the operation started with an intensive air campaign.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-ghouta/pro-government-forces-hit-syrias-ghouta-with-rockets-air-raids-idUSKCN1G50S2|title=Syria's Ghouta residents 'wait to die' as more bombs fall|date=21 February 2018|work=Reuters|access-date=22 February 2018|last1=Nehme|first1=Dahlia|last2=Barrington|first2=Lisa}} On 7 April 2018, a chemical attack was reported in the city of Douma, with 70 people killed{{cite news|title=Syria attack: nerve agent experts race to smuggle bodies out of Douma|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/12/syria-attack-experts-check-signs-nerve-agent|work=The Guardian|last=Chulov|first=Martin|date=12 April 2018}} and 500 injured. On-site medics stated the cause of those deaths was exposure to chlorine and sarin gas.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/08/dozens-reported-dead-chemical-attack-insyria-us-blames-russia/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/08/dozens-reported-dead-chemical-attack-insyria-us-blames-russia/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Russia blames Israel for attack on Syrian air base as pressure mounts over gas atrocity|first1=Chris|last1=Graham|first2=Charlotte|last2=Krol|first3=Rob|last3=Crilly|first4=Josie|last4=Ensor|first5=Steven|last5=Swinford|first6=Ben|last6=Riley-Smith|first7=Louis|last7=Emanuel|date=8 April 2018|access-date=9 April 2018|work=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}} Following the incident, Syrian Ba'athist government forces entered and established control over the city of Douma.{{cite news|last1=Ensor|first1=Josie|title=Syrian flag flying over onetime rebel stronghold Douma as Russians announce victory in Eastern Ghouta|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/12/syrian-flag-flying-onetime-rebel-stronghold-douma-russians-announce/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/12/syrian-flag-flying-onetime-rebel-stronghold-douma-russians-announce/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=13 April 2018|work=The Telegraph|date=12 April 2018}}{{cbignore}} On 6 July, as a result of the Southern Syria offensive, which had begun in June, the Syrian Army backed by Russian forces reached the border with Jordan and captured the Nasib Border Crossing.{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/rebels-southern-syria-reach-ceasefire-deal-russia-180706130719825.html|title=Rebels in southern Syria reach deal to end violence|work=Al Jazeera|access-date=20 August 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://ria.ru/syria/20180706/1524110423.html?referrer_block=index_main_3|language=ru|location=Daraa, Syria|trans-title=Syrian army takes control of main border crossing with Jordan|title=Сирийская армия взяла под контроль главный пограничный переход с Иорданией|work=RIA Novosti|date=6 July 2018|access-date=20 August 2018}}

On 20 January, the SNA began a cross-border operation in the Kurdish-majority Afrin Canton and the Tel Rifaat Area of Shahba Canton in Northern Syria, against the Kurdish-led Democratic Union Party in Syria (PYD),{{cite web |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/erdogan-operation-syria-afrin-begun-180120120424928.html|title=Erdogan: Operation in Syria's Afrin has begun|publisher=Al Jazeera}} its armed wing People's Protection Units (YPG), and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions.Mustafa Aydın. [http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/opinion/mustafa-aydin/public-support-for-cross-border-operations-126603 Public support for cross-border operations] Hürriyet Daily News, 1 February 2018. On 18 March, on the 58th day of the operation in Afrin, Operation Olive Branch, the SNA captured Afrin from the YPG. The battle was seen as an overall strategic victory, because it would open a ground corridor into nearby Idlib province.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/22/syrian-rebel-victory-in-afrin-reveals-strength-of-turkish-backed-force|access-date=20 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216005707/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/22/syrian-rebel-victory-in-afrin-reveals-strength-of-turkish-backed-force|archive-date=16 December 2018|title=Syrian rebel victory in Afrin reveals strength of Turkish-backed force|newspaper=The Guardian|date=22 March 2018}}

{{further|Northwestern Syria offensive (April–August 2019)|2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria}}

On 6 May, the Syrian Government, in coordination with the Russian Aerospace Forces, launched a ground offensive against rebel-held territories in Northwestern Syria, in response to what it stated were repeated attacks on government-held areas, carried out by those groups from within the demilitarized zone.{{cite news|url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article230156544.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508131454/https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article230156544.html|archive-date=8 May 2019|title=Syrian ground troops capture rebel enclave|agency=Associated Press|publisher=Miami Herald|language=en|access-date=8 May 2019|date=8 May 2019}}

In October, the SNA launched an offensive code-named "Operation Peace Spring" against the Kurds and the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in northeastern Syria.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-government-sdf-idUSKBN1WS0PF|title=Syrian army to deploy along Turkish border in deal with Kurdish-led forces|date=13 October 2019|via=www.reuters.com|newspaper=Reuters}} The SNA captured a total area of between {{convert|3412|km2}} and {{convert|4220|km2}},{{cite web|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/ypg-pkk-terror-group-as-dangerous-as-daesh-erdogan/1625176|title=YPG/PKK terror group as dangerous as Daesh: Erdogan|website=aa.com.tr|access-date=27 October 2019|archive-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026151100/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/ypg-pkk-terror-group-as-dangerous-as-daesh-erdogan/1625176|url-status=dead}} and, according to the SOHR, 68 settlements including Ras al-Ayn, Tell Abyad, Suluk, Mabrouka and Manajir and cut the M4 highway{{cite web|url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=144313|title=8 days of Operation "Peace Spring": Turkey controls 68 areas, "Ras al-Ain" under siege, and 416 dead among the SDF, Turkish forces and Turkish-backed factions|date=17 October 2019}}{{cite news|url=http://www.syriahr.com/?p=342499|language=ar|work=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights|trans-title=The Turkish forces and completely besiege the city of Ras al-Ain (Sere Kaniye), and there is no truth to the Syrian regime's control over the prisons of the Syrian Democratic Forces within the areas in which it has been deployed| title=القوات التركية والفصائل تحاصر مدينة رأس العين (سري كانييه) بشكل كامل، ولا صحة لسيطرة "النظام السوري" على سجون قوات سوريا الديمقراطية ضمن المناطق التي انتشرت بها | date=17 October 2019 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.syriahr.com/?p=343053|title=قوات سوريا الديمقراطية تنسحب من كامل مدينة رأس العين (سري كانييه) • المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان|language=ar|trans-title=The Syrian Democratic Forces withdraw from the entire city of Ras al-Ayn (Sere Kaniye)|date=20 October 2019|work=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights}}

File:Daraa Insurgency (2020).svg

On 1 March, the March 2020 Daraa clashes began. Clashes began after the start of a government security operation against FSA insurgent cells in Al-Sanamayn and other areas in the Daraa governorate that have been active since 2018. This crackdown led to actions of retaliation by rebels across the province that led to levels of fighting unseen on such a scale since the government offensive in 2018.{{cite web|url=http://www.aymennjawad.org/2020/03/unrest-in-deraa-interview|title=Unrest in Deraa: Interview|first=Aymenn Jawad|last=Al-Tamimi|website=Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi|date=March 2020 }}{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/19/middleeast/syria-government-rebels-daraa-intl/index.html|title=Syrian government reaches reconciliation deal with rebels in Nawa|author1=Kareem Khadder |author2=Natalie Gallón |author3=Ben Westcott|website=CNN}}{{cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20190830-cradle-of-syria-s-uprising-turns-into-chaotic-south|title=Cradle of Syria's uprising turns into 'chaotic' south|date=30 August 2019|work=Agence France-Presse|publisher=France 24|location=Beirut}}{{cite news|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/tensions-syrias-daraa-are-getting-out-hand|title=Tensions in Syria's Daraa are getting out of hand|website=Middle East Eye|last=Rollins|first=Tom|date=26 January 2020}}{{cite news|url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=156767|title=Regime forces seize residential complex east of Daraa's Tafas|date=12 March 2020|work=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights}} On 29 February 2020, the Syrian military mobilized units from the 4th armored division and 9th armored division in preparation for a security operation in the western areas of the town of Al-Sanamayn, where rebels were present.{{cite web|url=https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/unrest-in-south-west-syria-erupts-into-urban-warfare-1.989980|title=Unrest in south-west Syria erupts into urban warfare|date=8 March 2020|work=The National (Abu Dhabi)|access-date=18 March 2020|last=Rollins|first=Tom}} The next day, on 1 March, Sanamayn was besieged by the Syrian military which launched a security operation against insurgent cells in the city,{{cite web|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syrian-army-launches-new-anti-terror-operation-in-daraa/|title=Syrian Army launches new anti-terror operation in Daraa|date=1 March 2020|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-date=10 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200310201951/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syrian-army-launches-new-anti-terror-operation-in-daraa/|url-status=dead}} leading to heavy fighting{{Cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/156071/|title=Fierce clashes erupt in Al-Sanamayn as regime forces storm the city using heavy weapons • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights|date=1 March 2020}} that left three civilians dead. In response to the military operation, rebel attacks were conducted in the western and eastern countryside of Daraa. The rebels attacked and seized an Army checkpoint in the Jaleen Housing district, a suburb in western Daraa city, capturing four officers. The FSA fighters also captured two soldiers of the fourth division in Al-Karak al-Sharqi and blocked routes west of Daraa.{{Cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/156084/|title=Local gunmen respond to regime security crackdown in Al-Sanamayn by attacking regime positions in east and west Daraa • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights|date=1 March 2020}} The Syrian Army attempted to storm the town of Tafas where three rebels were killed by tank fire.{{Cite news|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/156142/|title=Daraa's Al-Sanamin: security alert and demonstrations take place in different cities and towns of Daraa, and several killed or wounded during clashes|work=Syrian Observatory For Human Rights|date=1 March 2020|location=Daraa Governate}}

The rebels also seized checkpoints in the towns of Karak and al-Joulan, taking hostage several members of Air Force Intelligence. In the town of Muzayrib, rebels seized all entrances and took control of a government building there. They also set up roadblocks in Nawa, Muzayrib and Karak.{{cite web|url=http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Dera%27a%20Insurgency%20Map%202020%20MAR%20%282%29.pdf|title=March 1 Attacks on Regime Positions Demonstrate Growing Strength of Southern Syria Insurgency|date=1 March 2020|website=Institute for the Study of War}} A soldier was killed in front of his home in Daraa al-Balad by unknown gunmen and the bodies of three soldiers were found in the western countryside.{{Cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/156148/|title=Daraa: several unidentified bodies found and unknown gunmen assassinate regime soldier • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights|date=1 March 2020}}{{cite news|url=https://twitter.com/HalabTodayTV/status/1234230138700734472|title=Aleppo correspondent today: The bodies of three members of the regime were found with gunshots in the vicinity of the town of Al-Mazyreeb in the western countryside of Daraa.|date=2 March 2020|access-date=2 March 2020|publisher=Twitter|agency=HalabtodayTV}}

By the following day, seven rebels{{Cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/156239/|title="Reconcile with regime or leave to N Syria": Russia mediates a deal between Syrian regime and former fighters in Daraa • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights|date=2 March 2020}} and seven civilians were killed in the clashes in Al-Sanamayn.{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/tensions-escalate-deraa-cradle-syrian-revolution-200304110051998.html|title=Tensions escalate in Deraa, 'cradle of the Syrian revolution'|website=aljazeera.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/156306/|title=Former fighters arrive in N Syria after rejecting reconciliation with Syrian regime in Daraa • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights|date=3 March 2020}} The government forces withdrew from Jaleen back to their barracks after three soldiers were killed.{{cite web|url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=157623|title=Armed attack targets regime security posts in Daraa countryside|date=18 March 2020|website=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights|access-date=19 March 2020}} Later that day, the Syrian Army and loyalists began shelling the town, killing eight civilians and injuring four others.{{cite web|url=https://www.zaitunagency.net/18535/|title=The Assad regime is committing a massacre of civilians west of Daraa|language=ar|date=18 March 2020|website=Zaitun Agency|access-date=18 March 2020|archive-date=13 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913044712/https://www.zaitunagency.net/18535/|url-status=dead}} The Syrian Army also shelled the town of Tasil.{{cite web|url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=157623|title=Armed attack targets regime security posts in Daraa countryside|date=18 March 2020|website=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights}}

Tensions escalated as violence erupted between government forces and a local Druze armed group named "Sheikh al-Karama" in the province of Suwayda. On 26 March, the group Sheikh al-Karama clashed with government forces at a checkpoint near the city of Salkhad in As-Suwayda governorate. One Syrian soldier and four local fighters were confirmed killed in the clashes. On 27 March, violent clashes took place after gunmen from Bosra al-Sham attempted to infiltrate the province and attacked the town of Al-Quraya. They were repelled by the Syrian Army and pro-government local factions. Four of the attackers and ten members of the local factions were killed in the clashes, and six fighters were captured.{{cite web|url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=158436|title=Sweida factions and regime forces repel infiltration attempt by gunmen west of the province|date=27 March 2020|website=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights|access-date=28 March 2020}}{{cite web|url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=158472|title=Al-Quraya dramatic developments: Armed groups in Bosra Al-Sham execute six local fighters from Al-Suwaidaa captured yesterday|date=28 March 2020|website=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights}}

Syrian mercenaries associated with the FSA were reported by various sources fighting alongside Azerbaijan in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war against Armenia{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54356334|title=Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict: Azerbaijan president vows to fight on|date=30 September 2020|website=bbc.com|access-date=11 October 2020|archive-date=1 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001213255/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54356334|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Carley|first1=Patricia|title=Turkey recruiting Syrians to guard troops and facilities in Azerbaijan|url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/azerbaijan-armenia-turkey-syrians-recruiting-guard-facilities|publisher=Middle East Eye|date=29 September 2020|access-date=11 October 2020|archive-date=2 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002075651/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/azerbaijan-armenia-turkey-syrians-recruiting-guard-facilities|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/30/nagorno-karabakh-at-least-three-syrian-fighters-killed|title=Nagorno-Karabakh: at least three Syrian fighters killed|first1=Bethan|last1=McKernan |first2=Michael|last2=Safi|date=30 September 2020|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=11 October 2020|archive-date=8 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008211028/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/30/nagorno-karabakh-at-least-three-syrian-fighters-killed|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Rose|first=John Irish, Michel|date=1 October 2020|title=France accuses Turkey of sending Syrian jihadists to Nagorno-Karabakh|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-armenia-azerbaijan-putin-macron-idUSKBN26L3SB|access-date=2 December 2020}} prompting concerns from notable adversaries of the FSA, Russia{{Cite web|title=Russia unhappy with Turkey sending Syrian mercenaries to Azerbaijan {{!}}|url=https://thearabweekly.com/russia-unhappy-turkey-sending-syrian-mercenaries-azerbaijan|access-date=2 December 2020|website=AW|language=en}} and Iran,{{Cite web|last=AFP|title=Iran warns 'terrorists' near border in Karabakh fighting|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/afp/2020/10/armenia-azerbaijan-karabakh-conflict-iran.html|access-date=2 December 2020|website=Al-Monitor|language=en}} Turkey and Azerbaijan have denied using Syrian mercenaries,{{Cite web|title=Azerbaijan denies Turkey sent it fighters from Syria|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/28/azerbaijan-denies-turkey-sent-it-fighters-from-syria|access-date=2 December 2020|website=www.aljazeera.com|language=en}} and in turn accused Armenia of using members from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA).{{Cite web|last=Aliyev|first=Jeyhun|date=28 September 2020|title='Armenia deploys terror groups PKK, ASALA to occupied areas'|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/azerbaijan-front-line/armenia-deploys-terror-groups-pkk-asala-to-occupied-areas/1987803|website=Anadolu Agency}} The PKK denied the allegations.{{Cite web|last=English|first=Basnews|title=PKK Rejects Reports of Fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh|url=https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/639892|access-date=2 December 2020|website=www.basnews.com}}

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 541 Syrian Rebels were killed during the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war.{{cite web|date=3 December 2020|title=SOHR exclusive {{!}} Death toll of mercenaries in Azerbaijan is higher than that in Libya, while Syrian fighters given varying payments |url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/194516/|access-date=3 December 2020|publisher=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights}}

File:Daraa Clashes (July 2021).svg

In 2021, there were heavy clashes between FSA and Syrian government forces throughout the Daraa Governorate, particularly in the Daraa al-Balad neighborhood, which was besieged by government troops.{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/29/syrias-daraa-gripped-by-worst-clashes-in-three-years-monitor|title=Heavy clashes grip southern Syria's Deraa province, monitor says|publisher=Al Jazeera English|date=29 July 2021|accessdate=29 July 2021}}{{Cite web|title=Thousands flee Assad regime offensive in southern Syria|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/syria/2021/08/30/thousands-flee-assad-regime-offensive-in-southern-syria/|access-date=1 September 2021|website=The National|date=30 August 2021 }} The clashes were the fiercest Daraa had witnessed since the Syrian Army 2018 offensive.{{cite news |title=Syrian Rebels Attack Army Outposts in Southern Syria |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-07-29/syrian-rebels-attack-army-outposts-in-southern-syria |access-date=29 July 2021 |publisher=US News |date=29 July 2021}} The persistent siege of government led to extortionate prices on goods and limited availability of drinking water.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=10 July 2021|title=Humanitarian crisis looms in south Syria town amid ongoing government siege|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/07/humanitarian-crisis-looms-south-syria-town-amid-ongoing-government-siege|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710170647/https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/07/humanitarian-crisis-looms-south-syria-town-amid-ongoing-government-siege |archive-date=10 July 2021 |access-date=1 August 2021|website=Al-Monitor}}

The Syrian Army started to fire artillery shells towards FSA cells in Daraa city on 29 July 2021. Syrian Army sources described the attack as "start of a military operation against hideouts of terrorists who thwarted a reconciliation deal."{{Cite web|date=28 July 2021|title=Syrian regime forces storm Daraa al-Balad as negotiations fail|url=https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/syrian-regime-storms-daraa-al-balad-displacing-residents |access-date=1 August 2021|website=The New Arab|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=29 July 2021|title=Monitor: Syria's Daraa Gripped by Worst Clashes in Three Years|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/middle-east_monitor-syrias-daraa-gripped-worst-clashes-three-years/6208888.html|access-date=1 August 2021|website=Voice of America|language=en}}{{cite news |title=سوريا: تجدد القتال العنيف في درعا بعد فشل الاتفاق بين المعارضة والحكومة |url=https://www.masrawy.com/news/news_publicaffairs/details/2021/7/29/2063658/سوريا-تجدد-القتال-العنيف-في-درعا-بعد-فشل-الاتفاق-بين-المعارضة-والحكومة- |access-date=29 July 2021 |publisher=Masrawi |date=29 July 2021}} In contrast, pro-opposition figures accused the government of failure to adhere to the agreement including promises to stay out of al-Balad district.{{cite web |url=https://www.aymennjawad.org/2021/07/military-escalation-in-deraa-interview |title=Military Escalation in Deraa: Interview |author=Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi |date=29 July 2021 |access-date=1 August 2021 }}

The government's operation led to actions of retaliation by rebels across the province. The fighters involved in the attack are former rebel fighters that surrendered to the government in 2018, as well as former rebels that defected to the government, and had been working against the government from within. Anti-government fighters seized several checkpoints and captured many surprised Syrian Army soldiers and Military Intelligence Directorate agents.{{cite web |url=https://www.aymennjawad.org/2021/07/events-in-deraa-perspective-from-the-fourth |title=Events in Deraa: Perspective from the Fourth Division |author=Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi |date=30 July 2021 |access-date=31 July 2021 }} While the Syrian Army's 4th Division was leading the anti-rebel operations, the overrun checkpoints mostly belonged to the 5th Division, 9th Division, and Air Force Intelligence Directorate. Overall, 18 positions in the countryside east and west of Daraa were captured by armed locals.{{cite news |title= Cautious calm in Daraa awaiting negotiations results {{!}} Above 20 local civilians and fighters killed by regime forces fire during largest escalation in three years |url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/220210/ |date=30 July 2021}}

Both sides agreed to a ceasefire for 30–31 July after negotiations organized by the Russians and military officer Ahmad al-Awda. On 31 July, the situation remained tense, but most areas adhered to the ceasefire. There were sporadic instances of government forces firing at residential areas in Daraa al-Balad, Jasim, Muzayrib, and near Tafas, while an armed group consisting of ex-insurgents organized a curfew in al-Shajara.{{cite news |title= Recent developments in Daraa. Regime forces target positions in Daraa al-Balad with rockets and machineguns, and 130 persons to be evacuated to north Syria |url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/220245/ |access-date=31 July 2021 |publisher=SOHR |date=1 August 2021}} On 5 August, after several days of tense calm, rebels targeted a Syrian army vehicle on the road between Nahtah and Basr al-Harir in eastern Daraa countryside, leaving a soldier dead and 6 others wounded. There was also reported rocket fire by the Syrian army, targeting the town of Nahtah.{{cite web|url= https://www.syriahr.com/en/220425/|title=Seven members of regime forces killed and wounded in targeting military vehicle in eastern Daraa countryside|publisher=SOHR |date=5 August 2021}} On 14 August, hours before talks were set to take place between the Central Committee and Russian delegations, the Syrian Army bombarded Daraa al-Balad, killing one civilian.{{cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/220747/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=pmd_d66ce3114082c9e261e901b692efea05a6203ff4-1628966635-0-gqNtZGzNAeKjcnBszQqO|title= Hours before meeting between Central Committee and Russian delegation: Regime forces shell Daraa al-Balad, killing civilian|publisher=SOHR |date=14 August 2021}} On 16 August, a member of the Syrian Army's 4th Division was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Maskin city in the north-western countryside of Daraa. A civilian was also killed by gunmen in al-Sanamayn city, after being accused of "dealing with the military security service and snitching on oppositionists".{{cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/220872/|title=Daraa security vacuum : Civilian woman and member of 4th Division killed in separate attacks|publisher=SOHR |date=16 August 2021}}

On 19 August, an IED targeted a Syrian army convoy of the 112th Brigade on the al-Shabrouq road between the two towns of Nafaa and Ain Zakr in west of Daraa countryside, killing 6 Syrian soldiers and militiamen, including a brigadier.{{cite web|url= https://www.syriahr.com/en/220979/|title=IED explosion {{!}} Regime forces officer and five members killed in explosion in western Daraa countryside|publisher=SOHR |date=19 August 2021}} On 20 August, Syrian artillery shelling in Daraa al-Balad killed Mohamed Hilal Zatima, a reconciled commander of the Free Syrian Army.{{cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/221080/|title=Daraa : Ex-commander killed in regime bombardment on residential neighborhoods|date= 20 August 2021|work=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights}} On 26 August, one Syrian soldier was killed and 4 others were wounded after an IED exploded targeting a Syrian army vehicle on the road between Nawa and Sheikh Maskeen.{{cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/221449/|title=IED attack : Five regime soldiers killed and wounded in ambush in Daraa countryside|work=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights|date=26 August 2021 }} This follows Syrian army bombardments on Tafas city, resulting in the death of 2 civilians and the injury of several others.{{cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/221448/|title=Bombardment on Tafas : Woman among many civilians killed and wounded in regime artillery and rocket fire|work=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights|date=26 August 2021 }} On 27 August 6 members of the reconciled 5th Corps, including a commander, were killed in a Syrian army ambush at al-Ruba'i checkpoint between al-Msifrah and al-Jizah.{{cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/221479/|title= Ambush by regime forces : Commander of Russian-backed military formation among four militiamen killed in east Daraa countryside|work=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights|date= 27 August 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/221530/|title= Fierce clashes : Tank attacks target positions in west Daraa countryside, along with clashes on frontlines of Daraa al-Balad|work=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights|date= 27 August 2021}} Fierce fighting between FSA and the Syrian army took place on the frontline of al-Kaziyah in al-Mansheya area in Daraa al-Balad shortly after.

Between 29 and 30 August 7 Syrian soldiers were killed in clashes with FSA along with 12 others wounded throughout Daraa province. These events come prior to Syrian army shelling on the besieged Daraa al-Balad, that left civilian casualties.{{cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/221703/|title= In 24 hours : 20 regime soldiers killed and injured in attacks by local gunmen on military checkpoints throughout Daraa|work=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights|date= 30 August 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/222402/|title=New terms of Daraa agreement applied {{!}} Russian military police escort regime forces to Daraa al-Balad neighbourhoods to start inspection and establish military posts|work=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights|date=8 September 2021}}

Protests were held in support of the rebels in Daraa in the opposition-held cities of Idlib and al-Bab.{{cite news |title=تضامناً مع درعا البلد وجبل الزاوية.. احتجاجات في مدينتي إدلب والباب |url=https://www.syriahr.com/تضامناً-مع-درعا-البلد-وجبل-الزاوية-احت/443728/|language=Arabic|access-date=29 July 2021 |publisher=SOHR |date=29 July 2021}} On 3 August, the main road connecting Arbin, Mesraba and Madira, in the Ghouta region of Rif Dimashq was cut by rebel supporters for a day before the army was deployed to the region.{{Cite web|date=3 August 2021|title=بعد إشعال إطارات نصرة لدرعا.. دوريات تابعة لـ"الأمن العسكري" تتجول في مناطق الغوطة الشرقية|url=https://www.syriahr.com/%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%A5%D8%B4%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A5%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%86%D8%B5%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B9%D8%A7-%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8/444138/|url-status=live|access-date=9 August 2021|website=SOHR|language=ar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809194357/https://www.syriahr.com/amp/%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%A5%D8%B4%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A5%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%86%D8%B5%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B9%D8%A7-%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8/444138/ |archive-date=9 August 2021 }}

See Timeline of the Syrian civil war (2022)

See Timeline of the Syrian civil war (2023)

See Timeline of the Syrian civil war (2024)

In December 2024, after the fall of the Assad government, the founding leader of FSA, Riad al-Asaad, returned to Syrian capital Damascus. He told that Free Syrian Army (FSA) had been working closely with Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the overthrown of the Assad regime.{{cite news |title=Back in Damascus, rebel leader confident of post-Assad unity |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20241215-back-in-damascus-rebel-leader-confident-of-post-assad-unity |work=France 24 |date=15 December 2024 |language=en}}

File:Afrine 2018 ASL Jandiris.jpg

During the announcement of the formation of the FSA by Riad al-Asaad on 29 July 2011, he listed 4 small subunits which claimed to the founding members of the FSA:{{cite web|url=http://english.aawsat.com/2011/08/article55245595/syrian-army-colonel-defects-forms-free-syrian-army|title=Syrian Army Colonel Defects forms Free Syrian Army|work=Aawsat|date=1 August 2011|access-date=1 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126063655/http://english.aawsat.com/2011/08/article55245595/syrian-army-colonel-defects-forms-free-syrian-army|archive-date=26 November 2015|url-status=dead}}

• Hamza al-Khateeb Battalion
• Freedom Battalion
• Saladin Battalion
• Al-Qashash Battalion

{{Further|List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War}}

• 1st Coastal Division is a rebel group that was an early operator and among the most prolific and effective users of TOW missiles, supplied by the US and Qatar.{{cite web|url=https://hasanmustafas.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/the-moderate-rebels-a-complete-and-growing-list-of-vetted-groups-fielding-tow-missiles/|title=The Moderate Rebels: A Growing List of Vetted Groups Fielding BGM-71 TOW Anti-Tank Guided Missiles|last=hasanmustafas|date=8 May 2015|access-date=1 September 2016}}
• 1st Infantry Brigade
• 16th Division was a rebel group operating around the city of Aleppo which is defunct since July 2016.
• 101st Infantry Division is a rebel group that was an early operator of TOW missiles.{{cite web|url=http://tahrirsouri.com/2014/06/06/exclusive-interview-former-mig-pilot-recounts-audacious-defection-talks-tow-missiles/ |title=Exclusive Interview: Former MIG pilot recounts audacious defection, talks TOW missiles |work=Tahrir Souri |date=6 June 2014 |access-date=1 December 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140608054515/http://tahrirsouri.com/2014/06/06/exclusive-interview-former-mig-pilot-recounts-audacious-defection-talks-tow-missiles/ |archive-date=8 June 2014 }}
• Army of Mujahideen was formerly an independent Sunni Islamist alliance, but later identified as FSA after incorporating more small FSA-affiliated factions.
• Central Division is a rebel group operating in Idlib Governorate and Hama Governorate.
• Fastaqim Union is an Islamist rebel group in Aleppo, there are conflicting reports as to whether it considers itself to be part of the FSA.
• Free Idlib Army was created in September 2016 as an umbrella for three FSA-identified groups in northwestern Syria:
• Northern Division
• Mountain Hawks Brigade
• 19px 13th Division
• Hamza Division is a rebel group operating in Aleppo Governorate which identifies as part of the FSA. It is trained and equipped by the US and Turkey and one of its subgroup has received TOW missiles.{{cite web|url=http://www.enabbaladi.net/archives/76333|title=Hamza Division: merger of five FSA factions in northern Aleppo|work=Enab Baladi|date=25 April 2016}}
• Hazzm Movement was a US-backed rebel group armed with TOW missiles which announced its dissolution into the Levant Front in March 2015.{{cite news|title=U.S.-backed Syria rebel group dissolves itself after losses|url=http://www.jamestownsun.com/news/nation-and-world/3690163-us-backed-syria-rebel-group-dissolves-itself-after-losses|date=1 March 2015|access-date=1 March 2015|publisher=Reuters Media|archive-date=9 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209165425/https://www.jamestownsun.com/news/nation-and-world/3690163-us-backed-syria-rebel-group-dissolves-itself-after-losses|url-status=dead}}
• Jaish al-Izzah is a rebel group mainly operating in Hama that identifies as part of the FSA.
• Jaysh al-Nasr is a large rebel group operating in northwestern Syria.{{cite web|url=http://syrianobserver.com/EN/News/29615/Idleb_Hama_Rebels_Unite_Under_Army_Victory_Operations_Room|title=Idleb, Hama Rebels Unite Under 'Army of Victory' Operations Room|work=The Syrian Observer|date=5 August 2015|access-date=6 May 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110819/http://syrianobserver.com/EN/News/29615/Idleb_Hama_Rebels_Unite_Under_Army_Victory_Operations_Room|url-status=dead}}
• Jaish al-Tahrir is a rebel coalition established in February 2016 and operating in Hama, Idlib, and Aleppo.{{cite web|url=https://rfsmediaoffice.com/en/2016/02/24/28207/#.VzfFKJF97IU|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623181335/https://rfsmediaoffice.com/en/2016/02/24/28207/#.VzfFKJF97IU|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 June 2016|title=Five Factions Merge under the Name "Jaish Al Tahrir"|work=RFS Media Office|date=24 February 2016}}
• al-Mu'tasim Brigade is a FSA group and has become famous for its comprehensive arsenal of U.S. provided weaponry.{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/russia-is-trying-to-poach-us-trained-rebels-with-unlimited-weapons-in-syria|title=Russia Is Trying to Poach U.S.-Trained Rebels With 'Unlimited' Weapons in Syria|work=The Daily Beast|date=5 August 2016|access-date=9 September 2017|last1=Weiss|first1=Michael}}
• Liwa Ahrar Souriya operates around Aleppo and identified as part of the FSA since 2012, but later joined the Sham Legion.{{cite news|url=http://carnegieendowment.org/2012/12/04/aleppo-and-battle-for-syrian-revolution-s-soul/fd4q|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923024742/http://carnegieendowment.org/2012/12/04/aleppo-and-battle-for-syrian-revolution-s-soul/fd4q|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 September 2016|title=Aleppo and the Battle for the Syrian Revolution's Soul|date=4 December 2012|publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|access-date=1 June 2014}}
• Sultan Murad Division is one of the Syrian Turkmen Brigades supported by Turkey in 2015 and prolifically identified as part of the FSA
• Al-Tawhid Brigade identified as part of the FSA in mid-2012, joined the Syrian Islamic Liberation Front and the Islamic Front between late 2012 and 2013, and dissolved in late 2014.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vice.com/ground-zero/syria-the-free-syrian-army|title=Syria – The Free Syrian Army|magazine=Vice|date=22 December 2012|access-date=17 May 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518025303/http://www.vice.com/ground-zero/syria-the-free-syrian-army|archive-date=18 May 2014}}
• Levant Front was originally an independent Sunni Islamist and Salafist coalition that operated around Aleppo and Azaz consisting of the Islamic Front, Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki, the FSA-labelled Fastaqim Union and Liwa Ahrar Souriya, and the Authenticity and Development Front. Soon after, all of the original groups left and the Levant Front became defunct. However, a new Levant Front was formed by the Hazzm Movement, the Thuwar al-Sham Battalions, the former al-Tawhid Brigade, and the Northern Storm Brigade, and the new group began to identify as part of the FSA in early 2016.
• Victory Brigades was a rebel coalition established in June 2016 in Azaz to serve as an umbrella for groups that identified as part of the FSA in the area. However, soon after its formation, its leaders were arrested by the Levant Front on allegations of cooperating with Russia{{cite web|url=http://aranews.org/2016/06/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A8%D9%87%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%A4%D8%B3%D8%B3-%D8%A3%D9%84%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B5%D8%B1/|title=Levant Front detains founder of Victory Brigades in the countryside north of Aleppo|work=ARA News|date=8 June 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610132958/http://aranews.org/2016/06/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A8%D9%87%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%A4%D8%B3%D8%B3-%D8%A3%D9%84%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B5%D8%B1/|archive-date=10 June 2016}}

File:Saadoun al-Faisal (Abu Laya).png (right) was one of the most prominent FSA commanders among the Syrian Democratic Forces. Of mixed Kurdish–Arab origin, he fought with the Free Syria Brigade, Kurdish Front, and Northern Sun Battalion until being killed during the Manbij offensive.]]

File:SDF fighters in Raqqa stadium.png

• Euphrates Jarabulus Brigades continue to use the FSA designation since becoming part of the Syrian Democratic Forces in November 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.hawarnews.com/%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%87%D9%85-%D8%AA%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B9-%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%A8-%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%9F/|title=Who are the Euphrates Jarabulus Brigades?|website=Hawar News Agency|date=22 November 2015|access-date=20 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124123256/http://www.hawarnews.com/%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%87%D9%85-%D8%AA%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B9-%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%A8-%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%9F/|archive-date=24 November 2015|url-status=dead}}
• Army of Revolutionaries is a rebel coalition established in May 2015 and operating throughout northwestern Syria, part of the Syrian Democratic Forces since its October 2015 founding, and continues to identify as part of the FSA.
• Northern Sun Battalion
• Jabhat al-Akrad identifies as part of the FSA, but was expelled from the FSA's Aleppo Military Council in August 2013
• Seljuk Brigade
• Northern Democratic Brigade, FSA group that joined the SDF in 2015, and continues to regard itself as part of the FSA{{cite news |url=https://theregion.org/article/12757-whose-free-syrian-army-the-arab-opposition-resisting-turkey-039-s-afrin-attacks |title=Whose Free Syrian Army? The Arab opposition resisting Turkey's Afrin attacks |author=Mohammed Elnaiem |work=The Region |date=7 February 2018 |access-date=28 July 2018 |archive-date=20 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920230345/https://theregion.org/article/12757-whose-free-syrian-army-the-arab-opposition-resisting-turkey-039-s-afrin-attacks |url-status=dead }} while also aligning itself with the ideology of democratic confederalism

• Syrian Free Army is a rebel group founded by the United States in 2015 and operating in eastern Syria which considers itself to be part of the FSA.{{cite tweet|user=MaghaweirThowra|number=1356541448968110080|date=2 February 2021|author=جيش سورية الحرة|trans-author=Free Syrian Army|lang=ar|title=المقاتلين في جيش مغاوير الثورة، عزيمة لا تقهر# التنف #مخيمـالركبان #سوريا @OIRSpox @CJTFOIR @SOJTFOIR|trans-title=The fighters in the Maghawir al-Thawra army are indomitable #التنف #مخيمـالركبان #سوريا @OIRSpox @CJTFOIR @SOJTFOIR}}
• Forces of Martyr Ahmad al-Abdo is a rebel group operating in Rif Dimashq Governorate.{{cite web|url=http://notgeorgesabra.wordpress.com/2014/10/21/the-moderate-rebels-a-complete-and-growing-list-of-vetted-groups/|title=The Moderate Rebels: A Complete and Growing List of Vetted Groups|work=Democratic Revolution, Syrian Style|date=21 October 2014|access-date=2 December 2014}}
• Alwiya al-Furqan{{cite journal|url=https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/iwr_20161123_free_syrian_army1.pdf|title=The Free Syrian Army: A decentralized insurgent brand|last=Lister|first=Charles|issue=26|date=November 2016|journal=The Brookings Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World}}

• al-Rahman Legion was a large rebel group operating in the Damascus suburbs which occasionally identifies as part of the FSA.
• Southern Front was an alliance of rebel groups in southern Syria, ranging from secularist to moderately Islamist, and considers itself to be the southern branch of the FSA. It had 54 affiliated groups in mid-2015{{cite web |url= http://lb.boell.org/en/2015/08/21/southern-front-allies-without-strategy |title=The Southern Front: allies without a strategy |first=Haid |last=Haid |date=21 August 2015 |publisher=Heinrich Böll Foundation |access-date=30 August 2015}} and 25–30,000 fighters in 58 groups by mid-2016.
• Revolutionary Army was a large rebel coalition operating in Daraa Governorate.
• Syrian Revolutionaries Front
• Southern Army was a rebel coalition established in October 2015 and operating in southern Syria.{{cite web|url=https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/NewsReports/566119-new-fsa-alliance-formed-in-southern-syria|title=New FSA alliance formed in southern Syria|date=26 October 2015|work=mmedia.me|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208071702/https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/NewsReports/566119-new-fsa-alliance-formed-in-southern-syria|archive-date=8 December 2015}}
• Army of Free Tribes was a tribal coalition in Daraa Governorate.{{cite web|url=https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/NewsReports/566331-jordan-backed-tribesmen-supporting-fsa-offensive|title=Jordan-backed tribesmen supporting FSA offensive|date=4 December 2015|access-date=8 April 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410073854/https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/NewsReports/566331-jordan-backed-tribesmen-supporting-fsa-offensive|archive-date=10 April 2016}}

The Obama administration of the United States admitted to militarily supporting some, so-called "moderate", groups fighting under the banner of the FSA. FSA is said to have received substantial weapons, financing and other support from the Obama administration of the United States, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states. Hamas was also reported to have trained some elements of the FSA but its rival the Palestinian Authority maintained good relations with the Syrian President throughout the Syrian Civil War.{{Cite web |title=Abbas 'firmly' backs Russian airstrikes for Assad |url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/207665 |access-date=22 March 2022 |website=Israel National News |date=7 February 2016 |language=en}}

Israel's stance on the Free Syrian Army changed throughout the Syrian civil war as the FSA had elements who claimed they supported the Palestinians and rejected normalizing relations with Israel. In 2012, Free Syrian Army accused Israel of helping and aiding the Syrian government.{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Elhanan |title=Free Syrian Army accuses Israel of aiding regime |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/free-syrian-army-accuses-israel-of-aiding-assad/ |access-date=22 March 2022 |website=www.timesofisrael.com |language=en-US}} But in 2019, a former IDF Chief alleged that Israel funded a Syrian rebel faction called Fursan al-Joulan which claimed to be loosely affiliated with the Free Syrian Army.{{Cite web |last=Gross |first=Judah Ari |title=IDF chief finally acknowledges that Israel supplied weapons to Syrian rebels |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-chief-acknowledges-long-claimed-weapons-supply-to-syrian-rebels/ |access-date=22 March 2022 |website=www.timesofisrael.com |language=en-US}} This is despite the fact that Israel stated in 2015 that it had become neutral in ousting Bashar al-Assad from power{{Cite web |last=Images |first=Getty |title=Israel Now Neutral on Ousting Syria's Bashar al-Assad |url=https://forward.com/news/breaking-news/323876/israel-now-neutral-on-ousting-syrias-assad/ |access-date=22 March 2022 |website=The Forward |date=3 November 2015 |language=en-US}}

Norway has also supported the Free Syrian Army with anti-terror co-operation, military training and more. Norwegian forces did also fight off an extensive attack from ISIS, on the Tanf-base, near the Jordanian and Iraqi border.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vg.no/i/26djx|title=Kilder: Norske spesialsoldater på bakken i Syria – nær IS-angrep|date=11 April 2017|website=www.vg.no}} Support for the FSA in the United States ceased under the Trump administration beginning in 2017.{{cite news|title=Trump ends CIA arms support for anti-Assad Syria rebels: U.S. officials|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-usa-syria-idUSKBN1A42KC|work=Reuters|date=19 July 2017|access-date=19 July 2017}}

{{Further|Syrian Train and Equip Program|Timber Sycamore}}

File:Jesus Christ Brigade BGM-71E.png missile]]

File:Free Syrian Army M2 Browning in northern Aleppo.png heavy machine gun in northern Aleppo, November 2016.]]

In February 2012 Britain pledged to send advanced communications equipment to the FSA to help them coordinate their forces.[http://syrianfreedomls.tumblr.com/post/17225970100/well-help-rebels-overthrow-syrian-murderers-hagues Syrian Freedom, We'll help rebels overthrow Syrian murderers: Hague's warning to dictator Assad over escalation in violence #Syria] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320051039/http://syrianfreedomls.tumblr.com/post/17225970100/well-help-rebels-overthrow-syrian-murderers-hagues |date=20 March 2013 }}. Syrianfreedomls.tumblr.com (7 February 2012). Retrieved on 24 March 2012. On 1 March 2012, Kuwait's parliament declared support for the FSA.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kuwait-syria-idUSTRE8200OA20120301|work=Reuters|title=Kuwait parliament says supports Syria's rebel army|date=1 March 2012}} By mid-May, it was reported that, according to opposition activists and foreign officials, the FSA had started to receive significant financial support from the Persian Gulf nations for the purchase of arms.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/syrian-rebels-get-influx-of-arms-with-gulf-neighbors-money-us-coordination/2012/05/15/gIQAds2TSU_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|first1=Karen|last1=DeYoung|first2=Liz|last2=Sly|title=Syrian rebels get influx of arms with gulf neighbors' money, U.S. coordination|date=16 May 2012}}

In April 2012, the Lebanese Navy intercepted a Sierra Leone-registered vessel carrying a large number of arms and ammunition believed to be destined for the Free Syrian Army. Some of the arms were labeled as Libyan."Lebanon holds ship 'carrying weapons for Syria rebels." BBC News. 29 April 2012. Accessed 29 April 2012. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17885085

In July 2012 the Syrian Support Group based in Washington DC received clearance from the U.S. Treasury Department to fund the Free Syrian Army.{{cite web|url=http://www.yalibnan.com/2012/07/28/us-authorizes-financial-support-to-free-syrian-army|title=US Authorizes Financial Support to Free Syrian Army|location=LB|publisher=Ya Libnan|date=28 July 2012|access-date=31 August 2013}} As of August 2012, US President Obama started funding 'Syrian rebels' – presumably FSA—with money, weapons and goods.NRC Handelsblad, 26 August 2016.

In December 2012, security officials from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Jordan were present at an FSA meeting that elected a new leadership council.

By December 2012 the international diplomatic collective 'Friends of Syria Group' had pledged non-military aid to unspecified militant rebels.

Since December 2012, Saudi Arabia has supplied groups identifying with the FSA, in addition to other rebel groups, with weapons from Croatia.{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/26/saudi-arabia-arming-syrian-rebels_n_2764375.html|work=The Huffington Post|title=Saudi Arabia Arming Syrian Rebels With Croatian Weapons Since December 2012 (VIDEO)|date=26 February 2013|first=Carlo|last=Davis}} In April 2013, the US promised to funnel $123 million nonlethal aid to Syrian rebels through the Supreme Military Council, a then coordination body of FSA groups.{{cite web|url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/05/07/190602/syrian-rebel-leader-salim-idriss.html|title=Syrian rebel leader Salim Idriss admits difficulty of unifying fighters|work=McClatchyDC|access-date=19 September 2014|date=7 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006092133/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/05/07/190602/syrian-rebel-leader-salim-idriss.html|archive-date=6 October 2014|url-status=dead}} In June 2013, rebels reported to have received 250 9M113 Konkurs anti-tank missiles with a range of 4 kilometers and accuracy of 90%.{{cite web|last=Shmulovich|first=Michal|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/middle-east-state-reportedly-sends-rebels-antitank-missiles/|title=Middle East state reportedly sends rebels antitank missiles|work=Times of Israel|date=18 June 2013|access-date=31 August 2013}}

In April 2014, according to Charles Lister at the U.S. Brookings Institution, 40 different rebel groups first began receiving U.S.-made BGM-71 TOW missiles costing $50,000 each, through the CIA. FSA-identified and other rebel groups posted videos of TOW missile launches online.{{cite web|last1=Crowcroft|first1=Orlando|title=Syrian sniper: US TOW missiles transform CIA-backed Syria rebels into ace marksmen|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/syrian-sniper-us-tow-missiles-transform-cia-backed-syria-rebels-into-ace-marksmen-fight-against-1526468|access-date=29 February 2016|website=International Business Times|date=30 October 2015}} In December 2014, the Institute for the Study of War reported that the U.S.-led Military Operations Command was leading training and assist missions for FSA groups in Daraa, at the Jordanian border.

The Washington Post stated in late 2014 that the US and European friends had "in recent years" given training, financial and military support to Syrian "rebel groups", more or less suggesting that FSA was among them. Also an ISIL commander then stated that FSA rebels who in 2014 ran over to ISIL had received training from United States', Turkish and Arab military officers at a NATO base in southern Turkey.

The Dutch government stated in December 2014 that the 59 countries strong US-led coalition that had convened in Brussels that month was militarily supporting "the moderate Syrian opposition".[https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/dossier/27925/kst-27925-526?resultIndex=74&sorttype=1&sortorder=4 Letter of the Dutch government to Parliament, 15 December 2014: "Fight against international terrorism" (Kamerstuk 27925 nr. 526)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917034459/https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/dossier/27925/kst-27925-526?resultIndex=74&sorttype=1&sortorder=4 |date=17 September 2018 }}. Retrieved 17 March 2016.

After being pressed by their Parliament to be more precise, they admitted that 'moderate Syrian opposition' meant: some, but not all, groups that are part of the Free Syrian Army – but squarely refused to name the FSA groups that were being supported.[https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/dossier/27925/kst-27925-527?resultIndex=76&sorttype=1&sortorder=4 Questions from Dutch Parliament, answers from Dutch government. 4 February 2015: "Fight against international terrorism" (Kamerstuk 27925 nr. 527)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917034349/https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/dossier/27925/kst-27925-527?resultIndex=76&sorttype=1&sortorder=4 |date=17 September 2018 }}. (Question 22.) Retrieved 21 March 2016.

File:Brigade de la Tempête du Nord 1-2-2018.jpg during the Turkish military operation in Afrin, February 2018]]

Since 2014, dozens of rebel groups that identified as part of the FSA in southern, central, and northern Syria have been provided with BGM-71 TOW missiles. In February 2015, The Carter Center listed 23 groups within the Southern Front of the Free Syrian Army that have been documented using US-supplied TOWs.{{cite news|url=http://www.cartercenter.org/resources/pdfs/peace/conflict_resolution/syria-conflict/NationwideUpdate-Feb-28-2015.pdf |title=Syria Countrywide Conflict Report No. 5 |publisher=The Carter Center |date=February 2015|access-date=28 May 2015 |page=22}} Groups provided with TOWs in northern and central Syria include the Hazzm Movement, the 13th Division, Syria Revolutionaries Front, Yarmouk Army, Knights of Justice Brigade, and the 101st Division.{{cite news |url=http://eaworldview.com/2014/05/syria-9-insurgent-groups-us-made-tow-anti-tank-missiles/ |title=Syria: The 9 Insurgent Groups with US-Made TOW Anti-Tank Missiles |publisher=EA WorldView |last=Lucas |first=Scott |date=9 May 2015 |access-date=15 May 2015}}

In 2015, the International Business Times wrote the U.S. has sent weapons shipments to FSA-identified groups through a U.S. CIA program for years. In October 2015 Reuters reported that the U.S. (CIA) and allied countries had broadened the number of rebel groups clandestinely receiving TOW missiles. The International Business Times reported that TOW missile attacks against Syrian government tanks increased by 850% between September and October 2015. Rebel groups associated with the FSA in November 2015 released numerous videos showing them launching TOW missiles against Syrian government forces. According to Russian and Syrian sources, the missiles were delivered through Turkish territory.

In October 2015 Reuters reported that the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Qatar had broadened the number of rebel groups clandestinely receiving TOW missiles.{{cite news|last1=Perry|first1=Tom|title=Syrian army source: rebels make heavy use of TOW missiles|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-arms-idUSKBN0TE1KJ20151125|access-date=29 February 2016|work=Reuters|date=25 November 2015}} Also the BBC reported in October 2015 that a Saudi official confirmed the delivery of 500 TOW missiles to FSA fighters.{{cite web|last1=Bender|first1=Jeremy|title=Saudi Arabia just replenished Syrian rebels with one of the most effective weapons against the Assad regime|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/syria-rebels-and-tow-missiles-2015-10|access-date=29 February 2016|website=Business Insider|date=9 October 2015}}

The U.S. supplied a considerable amount of weapons and ammunition, generally of Soviet-type from Eastern Europe, to Syrian rebel groups under operation Timber Sycamore. For example, Jane's Defence Weekly reported a December 2015 shipment of 994 tonnes of weapons and ammunition (including packaging and container weight) to Syrian rebel groups. A detailed list of weapon types and shipment weights had been obtained from the U.S. government's Federal Business Opportunities website.{{cite news |url=http://www.janes.com/article/59374/us-arms-shipment-to-syrian-rebels-detailed |title=US arms shipment to Syrian rebels detailed |author=Jeremy Binnie, Neil Gibson |publisher=IHS |work=Jane's Defence Weekly |date=8 April 2016 |access-date=3 December 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Malone|first1=Paul|title=Save us from the Dr Strangeloves|access-date=21 September 2016|url=https://www.smh.com.au/comment/save-us-from-todays-dr-strangeloves-20160707-gq0d74.html|work=Canberra Times|date=10 July 2016}}

The Libyan National Transitional Council in November 2011 reportedly dispatched 600 fighters or more of the Libyan National Liberation Army to the Free Syrian Army, entering Syria through Turkey.{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/libya-to-arm-rebels-in-syria-20111126-1o088.html|title = Libya to arm syrian rebels|access-date =27 November 2011|date =27 November 2011|agency = Associated Press|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|first=Ruth|last=Sherlock|location=Misrata}}[https://archive.today/20120527085206/http://m.albawaba.com/en/node/403268 Libyan fighters join "free Syrian army" forces]. Al Bawaba (29 November 2011). Retrieved on 24 March 2012.

The number of foreign militants active within the FSA is hard to assess. In late May 2012, based on interviews with FSA fighters, it was reported that 300 Lebanese had joined the FSA. The presence of Algerians, Tunisians, Jordanians and fighters from Saudi Arabia was also confirmed.{{cite journal|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/May-30/175072-lebanese-join-the-free-syrian-armys-struggle.ashx#axzz1wNF5ae2M|title=Lebanese join the Free Syrian Army's struggle|journal=Daily Star|access-date=31 August 2013|archive-date=28 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628164656/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/May-30/175072-lebanese-join-the-free-syrian-armys-struggle.ashx#axzz1wNF5ae2M|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/region/syria/lebanese-fighter-trains-new-generation-of-jihadis-for-syria-1.1030788|title=Lebanese fighter trains new generation of jihadis for Syria|newspaper=Gulfnews.com|date=2 June 2012|access-date=31 August 2013}} A leader of the FSA told an AFP correspondent that five Libyan combatants have been killed in clashes with the Syrian Army. The same leader, while denying the presence of many foreign fighters, said that there are few of different nationalities. Peter Harling, from the International Crisis Group, told the AFP that the proportion of foreign fighters is currently very small, but might grow after Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced their support for arming the rebels.{{cite news|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/346709/foreign-militants-fighting-in-syria-battlefields/|title=Foreign militants fighting in Syria battlefields|date=7 March 2012|agency=Agence France-Presse|access-date=2 April 2012}}

Croatian General Marinko Krešić confirmed that there are between 80 and 100 Croat mercenaries between the ages of 40 and 60 helping the Free Syrian Army. They are veterans from the Croatian War of Independence (1991–95) or Bosnian War (1992–95), but also fought as mercenaries in Iraq War (2003–11), Libyan Civil War, Tunisian revolution and Egyptian revolution. Krešić stated that some are serving as security, instructors while others are killing. He also stated that they are very well trained and that "they are the one who will probably kill rather than be killed". Krešić stated that their payment is up to 2,000 US$ a day due to "rich foreign donators". He also added that the majority of the volunteers coming from the Balkans to help the FSA are Croats and citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.{{cite news|title=Marinko Krešić, predsjednik udruge 'Hrvatski generalski zbor': Assada ruši i stotinu hrvatskih bojovnika|url=http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/Novosti/Hrvatska/tabid/66/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/184341/Default.aspx|last=Jadrijević-Tomas|first=Saša|newspaper=Slobodna Dalmacija|date=16 August 2012|language=hr|access-date=18 August 2012}}{{cite news|title=Balkanski plaćenici: Assada ruši i stotinu hrvatskih bojovnika |url=http://www.vidiportal.ba/novosti/svijet/13449-balkanski-plaenici-assada-rui-i-stotinu-hrvatskih-bojovnika |publisher=Vidportal.ba |date=17 August 2012 |language=hr |access-date=18 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819235455/http://www.vidiportal.ba/novosti/svijet/13449-balkanski-plaenici-assada-rui-i-stotinu-hrvatskih-bojovnika |archive-date=19 August 2012 }}{{cite news|title=Protiv Asada se bore i hrvatski plaćenici|url=http://www.tportal.hr/vijesti/svijet/209471/Protiv-Assada-se-bore-i-hrvatski-placenici.html|publisher=Tportal.hr|date=16 August 2012|language=hr|access-date=18 August 2012}} Sources close to the Belgrade military circles confirmed that the former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army are also aiding the FSA. They are mostly instructors who train the rebels mostly for the urban and the guerrilla warfare.{{cite news|title=Od Oluje do Alepa – tko je sve u rovu?|url=http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/Hrvatska/tabid/66/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/184340/Default.aspx|last=Krnić|first=Denis|newspaper=Slobodna Dalmacija|date=17 August 2012|language=hr|access-date=19 August 2012}} A first reported death of a member of the Kosovo Liberation Army was announced on 13 November. Naman Demoli, a former member of the KLA was killed near Syrian-Turkish border.{{cite news|title=Pripadnik OVK sa sirijskim pobunjenicima|url=http://www.rts.rs/page/stories/sr/story/10/Svet/1210096/Pripadnik+OVK+sa+sirijskim+pobunjenicima.html|publisher=Radio Television of Serbia|date=13 November 2012|language=sr|access-date=14 November 2012}} According to Al Monitor, there exist also Turkmen Brigades within the FSA.{{cite news|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/02/turkey-syria-what-do-turks-really-thinks-of-fsa.html|title=Turkish public divided over military's alliance with FSA|last=Tremblay|first=Pinar|date=16 February 2018|work=Al-Monitor|access-date=17 February 2018|language=en-us}}

Dozens of Kuwaiti volunteers entering from Turkey fought in the ranks of the FSA. The volunteers were given Syrian IDs as a precautionary measure in case of arrest, before being armed and sent to fight in various locations in Syria.{{cite news|title=Fighters from Kuwait joining Syrian rebels – Kurd new SNC leader |url=http://news.kuwaittimes.net/2012/06/10/fighters-from-kuwait-joining-syrian-rebels-kurd-new-snc-leader/ |newspaper=Kuwait Times |access-date=10 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701182649/http://news.kuwaittimes.net/2012/06/10/fighters-from-kuwait-joining-syrian-rebels-kurd-new-snc-leader/ |archive-date=1 July 2012 }}

In September 2013, the U.S. broadcast network NBC News reported about the structure of FSA:

{{blockquote|[FSA] is an army in name only. It is made up of hundreds of small units, some secular, some religious – whether mainstream or radical. Others are family gangs, or simply criminals. The FSA is by far the largest Syrian rebel force... Publicly, the FSA says it wants to oust Assad so that it can create a state that is prosperous and tolerant of its religious minorities, including the Alawites, who have ruled Syria for decades even though they make up less than 15 percent of the population. It also rejects, leaders say, the radical philosophy of al Qaeda-linked groups like the al-Nusra Front.[https://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/extremist-element-among-syrian-rebels-growing-worry-f8C11115141 "Extremist element among Syrian rebels a growing worry"], NBC News.}}

Since 2015, some journalists from The Independent began dismissing the unity of the command structure of FSA. In October 2015, Robert Fisk stated that the FSA had fallen to pieces and their fighters had defected to al-Nusra Front or ISIL or retired to the countryside maintaining a few scattered checkpoints, and stated that the US government had already admitted the disappearance of the FSA two months before.[https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/syria-s-moderates-have-disappeared-and-there-are-no-good-guys-a6679406.html "Syria's 'moderates' have disappeared... and there are no good guys"] ′′The Independent′′, 4 October 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2016. In the same month, his colleague Patrick Cockburn stated that "The Free Syrian Army was always a mosaic of factions and is now largely ineffectual."{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/who-is-russia-bombing-in-syria-the-groups-set-for-fight-to-the-death-isis-al-nusra-a6675751.html |title=Who is Russia bombing in Syria? The militant groups determined to fight to the death |newspaper=The Independent |date=1 October 2015}}

In March 2015, Rami Jarrah, a prominent Syrian-British activist, claimed: "There is no such thing as the Free Syrian Army, people still use the term in Syria to make it seem like the rebels have some sort of structure. But there really isn't." In May 2015, an al-Nusra Front spokesman said that fighters identifying as FSA in southern Syria alone numbered roughly 60,000,{{cite news|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2015/0504/Syria-crisis-Spooked-by-rebel-gains-Jordan-doubles-down-on-Islamic-State|title=Syria crisis: Spooked by rebel gains, Jordan doubles down on Islamic State|date=4 May 2015|website=The Christian Science Monitor|access-date=7 May 2016}}

although another Nusra leader in December 2015 denied the existence of the FSA to the astonishment and intense displeasure of FSA fighters throughout Syria on social media.{{cite web|url=http://www.orient-news.net/en/news_show/96917/0/Wave-of-resentment-over-words-of-alGolani-in-Syria|title=Wave of resentment over words of al-Golani in Syria|publisher=Orient News|date=31 December 2015|access-date=4 May 2016|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224144346/https://www.orient-news.net/en/news_show/96917/0/Wave-of-resentment-over-words-of-alGolani-in-Syria|url-status=dead}}

In June 2015, the International Business Times stated that since the emergence of ISIL on the Syrian battlefield in 2014, the FSA had "all but dissipated",{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/syrian-rebel-groups-merge-take-assad-deraa-deep-divisions-remain-1984616|title=Syrian Rebel Groups Merge To Take On Assad In Dera'a, But Deep Divisions Remain|date=26 June 2015|website=International Business Times|last1=Banco|first1=Erin|access-date=28 February 2016}} and reported that the remnants of the FSA had joined the coalitions of the Army of Conquest (Islamist) and the Southern Front (ranging from secularist to moderate religious{{cite web|url=http://lb.boell.org/en/2015/08/21/southern-front-allies-without-strategy|title=The Southern Front: allies without a strategy|last=Haid|first=Haid|date=21 August 2015|publisher=Heinrich Böll Foundation|access-date=29 February 2016}}) in their assault on Dera'a, south of Damascus. In September 2015 a rebel colonel told CBS News that only a small proportion of US-approved fighters under a $500 million US aid program received training, weapons, and ammunition, and much of this material got taken over by the al-Nusra Front.{{cite web | title=U.S. draws line on protecting CIA-backed rebels in Syria | website=CBS News | date=13 October 2015 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/united-states-draws-a-line-on-protecting-cia-backed-rebels-in-syria-russia/ | access-date=17 February 2020}}

{{Main|Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war}}

According to Western sources – including the BBC and Reuters – on 30 September 2015, as part of its military intervention in Syria, Russia started air strikes on groups identified as part of the FSA despite offering "help" to the FSA in order to fight ISIS.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34627441 Syria war: Russia 'is ready to assist FSA rebels']. BBC News, 24 October 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2016.{{Cite news |date=25 October 2015 |title=Syria conflict: FSA rebels reject Russia military help |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34632483 |access-date=21 January 2023}} Examples of attacked groups included ones such as the Mountain Hawks Brigade{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-russia-syria-idUSKCN0RV41O20151001|title=Iran troops to join Syria war, Russia bombs group trained by CIA|date=1 October 2015|work=Reuters}} and the Army of Glory that had confirmed being hit by missiles from Russia airstrikes on the same day in September 2015.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-russia-rebels-idUKKCN0RU1XH20150930|title=Western-backed Syrian rebel group says hit by Russian air strikes|date=30 September 2015|work=Reuters}} Various other FSA militia commanders also condemned Putin and Russian generals as "a bunch of liars", accusing them of striking their military checkpoints and headquarters.{{Cite news |date=15 December 2015 |title=Free Syrian Army rebels deny Russian support |work=Alarabiya News |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2015/12/15/Free-Syrian-Army-rebels-deny-Russian-support |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314181858/https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2015/12/15/Free-Syrian-Army-rebels-deny-Russian-support |archive-date=14 March 2021}}

Early October 2015, Russian state media reported Vladimir Putin's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov stating on Russia's cooperating with FSA on fighting ISIS:

"They tell us about the Free Syrian Army, but where is it? It remains a phantom group, nothing is known about it (...) I've asked [US Secretary of State] John Kerry to provide us with information about the whereabouts of this Free Syrian Army and who commands it".{{cite web | title=Russian Foreign Minister calls Free Syrian Army 'phantom' group | website=TASS | date=2015-10-05 | url=https://tass.com/politics/826244 | language=la | access-date=2021-05-14}}

"Vladimir Putin, is assisting a regime that indiscriminately kills their own people.. How could we trust the Russians' help?.. If the Syrians stood with Assad he would not ask for invaders to come to Syria."{{Cite news |date=25 October 2015 |title=Syria conflict: FSA rebels reject Russia military help |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34632483 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121171106/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34632483 |archive-date=21 January 2023}}

On 20 March 2012, Human Rights Watch issued an open letter to the opposition (including the FSA), calling on them to stop carrying out unlawful kidnappings, torture and executions.{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/03/20/syria-armed-opposition-groups-committing-abuses|title=Syria: Armed Opposition Groups Committing Abuses|date=20 March 2012|publisher=Hrw.org|access-date=31 August 2013}} The United Nations-sponsored "Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic" has documented war crimes in Syria since the start of the civil war. It said that rebels had committed war crimes, but that they "did not reach the gravity, frequency and scale" of those by state forces.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/syria-crisis-idUSL6E8JECO820120815|title=Syrian air raid kills 30 in rebel-held town -activists|date=15 August 2012|publisher=Reuters.com|access-date=31 August 2013}}Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, February 2013, [http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/IICISyria/Pages/IndependentInternationalCommission.aspx]

In 2012, the FSA was accused of summarily executing numerous prisoners who it claims are government soldiers or shabiha,{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec12/othernews_08-01.html|title=PBS NewsHour, August 1, 2012|publisher=Pbs.org|access-date=31 August 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829072254/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec12/othernews_08-01.html|archive-date=29 August 2013}} and people who it claims are informers. A rebel commander in Damascus said that over the months his unit had executed perhaps 150 people that the "military council" had found to be informers. He explained: "If a man is accused of being an informer, he is judged by the military council. Then he is either executed or released".{{cite web|url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/08/03/159888/accounts-of-syria-rebels-executing.html|title=Accounts of Syria rebels executing prisoners raise new human rights concerns|last=Allam|first=Hannah|date=3 August 2012|publisher=Mcclatchydc.com|access-date=31 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815172353/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/08/03/159888/accounts-of-syria-rebels-executing.html|archive-date=15 August 2013|url-status=dead}} Nadim Houry, a Middle East researcher for Human Rights Watch argued that "Intentionally killing anyone, even a shabiha, once he is outside of combat is a war crime, regardless of how horrible the person may have been".{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/syrian-rebel-execution-could-be--war-crime-20120802-23h2s.html|title=Syrian rebel execution could be 'war crime'|date=2 August 2012|work=Sydney Morning Herald|author=J. David Goodman|access-date=31 August 2013}} On 10 August 2012, a report indicated that Human Rights Watch was investigating rebel forces for such killings. The FSA, for its part, stated that they would put those fighters that had conducted the unlawful killings on trial.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9467657/Syrian-rebels-accused-of-war-crimes.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9467657/Syrian-rebels-accused-of-war-crimes.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Syrian rebels accused of war crimes|last=McElroy|first=Damien|date=10 August 2012|work=Telegraph|location=London|access-date=31 August 2013}}{{cbignore}}

In 2012, witnesses also reported rebels conducting 'trial by grave' in which an alleged government soldier was given a mock trial next to a pre-made grave and executed on the spot by members of the FSA Amr bin al-Aas brigade. One rebel said: "We took him right to his grave and, after hearing the witnesses' statements, we shot him dead".{{cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-crisis-justice-idUKBRE8700KJ20120801|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208220107/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-crisis-justice-idUKBRE8700KJ20120801|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 December 2015|title=Syrian soldier executed after graveside "trial"|last=Shalchi|first=Hadeel Al|date=1 August 2012|work=Reuters|access-date=31 August 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://ncronline.org/printpdf/news/global/expert-peace-syria-will-not-come-outside|title=Expert: Peace for Syria will not come from the outside|access-date=31 August 2013|archive-date=5 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505094800/https://www.ncronline.org/printpdf/news/global/expert-peace-syria-will-not-come-outside|url-status=dead}}

The Daoud Battalion, operating in the Jabal-al-Zawiya area, reportedly used captured soldiers in proxy bombings in 2012. This involved tying the captured soldier into a car loaded with explosives and forcing him to drive to an army checkpoint, where the explosives would be remotely detonated.{{cite web|url=http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Backgrounder_RebelGroupsJebelAlZawiyah_31July.pdf|title=Rebel gROupS In Jebel Al-ZAwIyAH|access-date=31 August 2013}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19342917|title=Syrian rebels try to use prisoner for suicide bombing|date=22 August 2012|work=BBC News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326134113/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19342917|archive-date=26 March 2015|access-date=23 August 2012}}

In 2012, the UN noted some credible allegations that rebel forces, including the FSA, were recruiting children as soldiers.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syria/free-syrian-army-accused-recruiting-children-read-more|title=Free Syrian Army accused of recruiting children|date=12 June 2012|publisher=Al Jazeera|access-date=31 August 2013|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230932/http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syria/free-syrian-army-accused-recruiting-children-read-more|url-status=dead}} One rebel commander said that his 16-year-old son had died fighting government troops.{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/syria-rebels-divided-violent-rebel-commander-ahmed-eissa-al-sheikh-a-list-dead-article-1.1100077|title=Picture emerges of leaderless, divided Syrian rebel forces|date=21 June 2012|work=Daily News (New York)|location=New York|access-date=31 August 2013|archive-date=23 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623223133/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/syria-rebels-divided-violent-rebel-commander-ahmed-eissa-al-sheikh-a-list-dead-article-1.1100077|url-status=dead}}

In a video uploaded to the Internet in early August 2012, an FSA representative announced that, in response to international concerns, FSA units would follow the Geneva Convention's guidelines for the treatment of prisoners and would guarantee its captives food, medical attention and holding areas away from combat zones. He also invited Red Cross workers to inspect their detention facilities. On 8 August, after videoes showed FSA rebels conducting summary executions, FSA commanders distributed an 11-point code of conduct paper that states that all fighters must respect human rights.{{cite web|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Aug-14/184583-syria-rebel-atrocities-on-video-spark-outrage.ashx#axzz23tODmRlC|title=Syria rebel atrocities on video spark outrage|date=14 August 2012|work=Daily Star|access-date=31 August 2013|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019200142/http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Middle-East/2012/Aug-14/184583-syria-rebel-atrocities-on-video-spark-outrage.ashx#axzz23tODmRlC|url-status=dead}}

Timeline of some prominent war crimes by groups considered to be part of the FSA:

• On 22 May 2012, the Northern Storm Brigade kidnapped 11 Lebanese pilgrims coming from Iran.{{cite news|url=http://m.naharnet.com/stories/en/41069-free-syrian-army-abducts-16-lebanese-shiite-pilgrims-in-aleppo|title=Free Syrian Army Abducts 16 Lebanese Shiite Pilgrims in Aleppo|date=22 May 2012|newspaper=An-Nahar|access-date=16 August 2012}} Four of them were killed in an airstrike by the Syrian Air Force and the rest were released unharmed.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/Aug-16/184804-mansour-says-11-kidnapped-lebanese-pilgrims-safe.ashx#axzz23sWofK00|title=Mansour says kidnapped Lebanese pilgrims safe, rebels say four dead|date=6 August 2012|newspaper=The Daily Star|access-date=18 August 2012|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019195705/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/Aug-16/184804-mansour-says-11-kidnapped-lebanese-pilgrims-safe.ashx#axzz23sWofK00|url-status=dead}}
• On 20 July 2012, Iraq's deputy interior minister, Adnan al-Assadi, said that Iraqi border guards had witnessed the FSA take control of a border post, detain a Syrian Army lieutenant colonel, and then cut off his arms and legs before executing 22 Syrian soldiers.{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/syria-rebels-seize-iraq-border/story-e6frf7k6-1226430521076|title=Syria rebels take border as UN bid blocked|date=2 February 2012|publisher=Heraldsun.com.au|agency=Australian Associated Press|author=Samantha Maiden|access-date=31 August 2013}}
• On 21 July 2012, Turkish truck drivers said that they had their trucks stolen by members of the FSA when it captured a border post. They said that some of the trucks were burnt and others sold back to their drivers after the goods were looted.[https://web.archive.org/web/20130514023405/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gcxqjKt6Y5Xfl2EVPq4U09_ypUvw?docId=CNG.14ee08cd81a96d23327fb33afcb2654e.631 Turkish truck drivers accuse rebel fighters of looting], AFP, 21 July 2012
• The United Nations report on war crimes states that the FSA's execution of five Alawite soldiers in Latakia, post-July 2012 was a war crime. The report states, "In this instance, the FSA perpetrated the war crime of execution without due process."
• On 13 August 2012, a series of three videos surfaced showing executions of prisoners by rebel forces, in Aleppo province. In one video, six postal workers were being thrown off the main postal building in Al-Bab to their deaths by FSA fighters. The gunmen claimed they were shabiha.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-14/outrage-as-grisly-syria-video-shows-bodies-thrown-from-roof/4196550|title=Uproar as footage shows Syrian rebel atrocities|date=14 August 2012|publisher=Abc.net.au|access-date=1 September 2013}}{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/08/syria-rebels-video-bodies-thrown-off-roof.html|title=Syrian video said to show rebels throwing bodies off roof|date=12 August 2012|publisher=Latimesblogs.latimes.com|access-date=1 September 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/01/08/a-closer-look-at-the-free-syrian.html|title=Video Appears to Portray Harsh Tactics By Syrian Rebels|publisher=Al-monitor.com|access-date=1 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514183517/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/01/08/a-closer-look-at-the-free-syrian.html|archive-date=14 May 2013|url-status=dead|date=17 August 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/08/2012814152542741795.html|title=Free Syrian Army accused of brutality|publisher=Al Jazeera|access-date=1 September 2013}}
• On 9 September 2012 the FSA exploded a car bomb near al-Hayat Hospital and the Central Hospital in Aleppo. According to Syrian state media, at least 30 people were killed{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/10/aleppo-car-bomb-blast_n_1870248.html|title=Syria Crisis: Aleppo Car Bomb Blast Kills At Least 30|date=10 September 2012|last2=Keller|first2=Greg|last1=Mroue|first1=Bassem|newspaper=Huffington Post|access-date=11 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120911000702/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/10/aleppo-car-bomb-blast_n_1870248.html|archive-date=11 September 2012}} and more than 64 wounded.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Sep-10/187346-car-bomb-kills-27-wounds-64-in-aleppo.ashx#axzz25z82CWBj|title=Car bomb kills 27, wounds 64 in Aleppo|date=10 September 2012|newspaper=The Daily Star|access-date=10 September 2012}} The FSA claimed that the army had occupied the hospital buildings and were using them as a base.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19539410|title=Syria conflict: Aleppo car bomb 'kills 17'|date=10 September 2012|publisher=BBC|access-date=10 September 2012}}
• On 10 September 2012 the FSA's Hawks of Syria brigade executed more than 20 Syrian soldiers captured in Hanano military base.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Sep-11/187474-summary-executions-overshadow-clashes-in-aleppo.ashx#axzz26ASPiLP8|title=Summary executions overshadow clashes in Aleppo|date=11 September 2012|newspaper=The Daily Star|access-date=11 September 2012|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019195956/http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Middle-East/2012/Sep-11/187474-summary-executions-overshadow-clashes-in-aleppo.ashx#axzz26ASPiLP8|url-status=dead}}
• On 2 November 2012 the FSA's al-Siddiq Battalion kidnapped and executed prominent Syrian actor Mohammed Rafeh, claiming he was a member of the shabiha and was carrying a gun and military ID.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Nov-05/193896-bab-al-hara-actor-murdered-for-alleged-pro-regime-activity.ashx#axzz2C8uB5C1t|title=Bab al-Hara actor murdered for alleged pro-regime activity|last=Dick|first=Marlin|date=5 November 2012|newspaper=The Daily Star|access-date=13 November 2012}}{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/tepid-response-to-us-move/article4091267.ece|title=Tepid response to U.S. move|last=Aneja|first=Atul|date=12 November 2012|location=Chennai, India|newspaper=The Hindu|access-date=13 November 2012}}
• In May 2013, a video was posted on the internet showing a rebel cutting organs from the dead body of a Syrian soldier and putting one in his mouth, "as if he is taking a bite out of it". He called rebels to follow his example and terrorize the Alawite sect, which mostly backs Assad. Humans Rights Watch (HRW) confirmed the authenticity of the footage, and stated that "The mutilation of the bodies of enemies is a war crime". The rebel was Khalid al-Hamad, known by his nom de guerre "Abu Sakkar", a commander of the Independent Omar al-Farouq Brigade. The BBC called it an offshoot of the FSA's Farouq Brigades, while HRW said it is "not known" whether the brigade is part of the FSA. The incident was condemned by the FSA's Chief of Staff and the Syrian National Coalition said that Abu Sakkar would be put on trial.{{cite news|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/05/13/syria-brigade-fighting-homs-implicated-atrocities|title=Syria: Brigade Fighting in Homs Implicated in Atrocities|date=13 May 2013|publisher=Human Rights Watch|access-date=14 May 2013}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22519770|title=Outrage at Syrian rebel shown 'eating soldier's heart'|date=14 May 2013|publisher=BBC|access-date=14 May 2013}} Abu Sakkar said the mutilation was revenge. He claimed to have found a video on the soldier's cellphone in which the soldier sexually abuses a woman and her two daughters,{{cite news|url=https://world.time.com/2013/05/14/we-will-slaughter-all-of-them-an-interview-with-the-man-behind-the-syrian-atrocity-video/?iid=gs-main-lead|title=Exclusive: 'We Will Slaughter All of Them.' The Rebel Behind The Syrian Atrocity Video|date=14 May 2013|magazine=Time|author=Aryn Baker|access-date=14 May 2013}} along with other videos of Assad loyalists raping, torturing, dismembering and killing people, including children.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10066988/Syrian-cannibal-rebel-explains-his-actions.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520045106/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10066988/Syrian-cannibal-rebel-explains-his-actions.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 May 2013|title=Syrian 'cannibal' rebel explains his actions|date=19 May 2013|work=The Telegraph|access-date=22 May 2013}} He further stated that if the war was to continue, "all Syrian people" would be like him. He was killed in northwest Latakia province on 6 April 2016 by the Syrian Army, while being affiliated to the al-Qaeda linked Al-Nusra Front.{{cite news|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/al-qaeda-cannibal-abu-sakkar-7698125|title=Al-Qaeda 'cannibal' Abu Sakkar who ate Syrian soldier's heart in gruesome video killed in combat|date=6 April 2016|work=Daily Mirror|author=Chris Hughes, Sam Webb|access-date=31 July 2016}}
• In December 2012, militants abducted an NBC News Team of six journalists around NBC's chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel. Engel initially blamed pro-regime Shabiha militants, but it turned out the perpetrators were most likely the FSA-affiliated rebel group North Idlib Falcons Brigade.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/business/media/nbc-news-alters-account-of-correspondents-kidnapping-in-syria.html|title=NBC News Alters Account of Correspondent's Kidnapping in Syria|date=15 April 2015|author1=Ravi Somaiya|author2-link=C. J. Chivers|author2=C. J. Chivers|author3=Karam Shoumali|newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=8 December 2015}}
• Since July 2013, the al-Nusra Front, at times in coordination with other armed groups, carried out a series of killings of Kurdish civilians in al-Youssoufiyah, Qamishli and al-Asadia (al-Hasakah). During a raid by ISIL, al-Nusra, the Islamic Front and FSA groups, fighters killed a Kurdish Yazidi man in al-Asadia who refused to convert to Islam.{{cite web|url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session25/Documents/A-HRC-25-65_en.doc|title=Report of the independent international commission of inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic: Twenty-fifth session|website=UN Human Rights Council}}
• After their capture of the town of Jarabulus from ISIL in September 2016, opposition militias of the Sultan Murad Division published pictures of themselves torturing four YPG members prisoners of war, who were captured by the rebel group while, according to YPG claims, trying to evacuate civilians.{{cite web|url=http://aranews.net/2016/09/ypg-holds-turkey-backed-rebels-accountable-torturing-kurdish-fighters/|title=YPG holds Turkey-backed rebels accountable for torturing Kurdish fighters|date=1 September 2016|publisher=ARA News|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915165423/http://aranews.net/2016/09/ypg-holds-turkey-backed-rebels-accountable-torturing-kurdish-fighters/|archive-date=15 September 2016}}
• The FSA group Army of Victory have taken civilians, including children, as prisoners, mainly from Latakia. 112 of them were released in February 2017 as part of a prisoner exchange.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-prisoners-idUSKBN15M29G|title=Syrian government, rebels swap more than 100 prisoners in Hama|date=7 February 2017|work=Reuters}}

The FSA was mentioned in a 2014 Human Rights Watch report detailing the widespread practise of using child soldiers by non-state armed groups; the report interviewed children as young as 14 who fought with the FSA.{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/06/22/syria-armed-groups-send-children-battle|title=Syria: Armed Groups Send Children into Battle|work=Human Rights Watch|date=22 June 2014}}

In 2014, the United Nations verified that the Free Syrian army had recruited more than 142 child soldiers. The UN reported stated "fragmentation of FSA resulted in localized and variable recruitment, training and salary practices. During armed battles, children were used for fighting, attending to the wounded or for recording events for propaganda purposes."{{cite news|url=https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/69/926|title=United Nations Official Document|work=un.org|access-date=6 December 2016}}

In 2016, the United Nations verified another 62 cases where Free Syrian Army had recruited and used child soldiers.{{cite news|url=https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/70/836&Lang=E&Area=UNDOC|title=United Nations Official Document|work=un.org|access-date=6 December 2016}}

{{Portal|Asia}}

• List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War
• Syrian Armed Forces
• Syrian Democratic Forces
• Army of Conquest
• Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• {{cite report|last1=Holliday|first1=Joseph|date=March 2012|title=Syria's Armed Opposition|volume=3|issue=Middle East Security Report|publisher=Institute for the Study of War|url=http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Syrias_Armed_Opposition.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512145439/http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Syrias_Armed_Opposition.pdf|archive-date=12 May 2012}}
• {{cite report|last1=Holliday|first1=Joseph|date=June 2012|title=Syria's Maturing Insurgency|volume=5|issue=Middle East Security Report|publisher=Institute for the Study of War|url=http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Syrias_MaturingInsurgency_21June2012.pdf}}
• {{cite report|last1=O'Bagy|first1=Elizabeth|date=March 2013|title=The Free Syrian Army|volume=9|issue=Middle East Security Report|publisher=Institute for the Study of War|url=http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/The-Free-Syrian-Army-24MAR.pdf}}

{{Commons category|Free Syrian Army}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140108112406/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZcCbIPM37w Original video declaration of formation] on Wayback Machine {{in lang|ar}}
• {{Cite web |date=4 June 2017 |title=The launch of the second conference of the National Democratic Alliance Syrian |url=http://www.hawarnews.com/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82-%D9%81%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A4%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%84/ |access-date=15 May 2023 |archive-date=4 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170604035353/http://www.hawarnews.com/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82-%D9%81%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A4%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%84/ |url-status=bot: unknown }}

{{Syrian civil war}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2011 establishments in Syria

Category:Anti-Assad factions of the Syrian civil war

Category:Anti-ISIL factions in Syria

Category:Guerrilla organizations

Category:Military units and formations established in 2011

Category:Arab militant groups

Category:Turkish supported militant groups of the Syrian civil war