Syrian Navy

On 29 August 1950, the Syrian Navy was established following the procurement of a few naval vessels from France. The initial personnel consisted of army soldiers who had been sent to French naval academies for training.{{cite web|title=Syrian Arab Navy|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/syria/navy.htm|work=GlobalSecurity.org}}

29 August is considered an annual holiday for the Syrian navy, which was celebrated every year,[https://sana.sy/en/?p=282275 Under patronage of President al-Assad, Syrian Navy celebrates foundation day]. Syrian Arab News Agency. Published 29 August 2022. and it was also chosen because it was the anniversary of the naval Battle of the Masts in 654.

{{Main|First Battle of Latakia|Second Battle of Latakia}}

During the Yom Kippur War on 6–7 October 1973, the Syrian Arab Navy engaged for the first time in naval battle with Israeli ships in the Latakia area. It was the first battle in history in which both sides used sea-to-sea missile boats in combat.[http://battledescription.com/latakia-battle/ Latakia Battle]. Access-date 19-04-2012. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505053639/http://battledescription.com/latakia-battle/ |date=5 May 2012}}

The Israeli Navy had five missile boats launched from the port of Haifa towards the main positions of the Syrian fleet off the coast of Latakia. At first, the Israeli fleet encountered a small reconnaissance boat, and immediately sank it. Then the ships reached a naval minesweeper, which they attacked and immediately downed.[http://www.sudanradio.info/bank/lesson-1823-1.html Battle of Latakia]. Sudanese Radio Information Center. Accessed 19-04-2012. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322012313/http://www.sudanradio.info/bank/lesson-1823-1.html |date=22 March 2016}}

When the Israeli fleet advanced, it found the main forces of the Syrian fleet, the strongest and most modern militarily, which consisted of three missile boats (two Komar-class missile boats along with an Osa I-class missile boat, a K-123 torpedo boat and a T43-class minesweeper).Rabonovich, The Boats of Cherbourg, pp. 256–262.

The Syrian boats launched their missiles from a long range that the Israeli ships could not launch from. However, the Israeli fleet had an anti-missile system that could mislead its radars and keep them away from their targets. In real combat however, they succeeded completely and all the missiles missed the target. As a result of the battle, all five Syrian ships participating in it were sunk, the Israelis did not suffer any losses.{{cite news|last=Lerner|first=Adi |title=The Untold Story of Naval Heroism in the Yom Kippur War|url=http://www.nrg.co.il/online/54/ART2/293/839.html |access-date=7 October 2011 |newspaper=Maariv|date=7 October 2011|language=Hebrew}}

On 29 August 1989, a Syrian missile boat sank the Maltese tanker Sunshield, which attempted to enter the prohibited zone.{{Cite web |url=http://skywar.ru/Syrhelo.html |title=Сирийские вертолёты над Ливаном |access-date=2014-06-22 |archive-date=2018-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618130148/http://skywar.ru/Syrhelo.html}}

{{Main|Siege of Latakia}}

During the Syrian Civil War, opposition activists claimed that Syrian Navy warships supported a military attack by government forces against rebels in the city of Latakia.{{cite web |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/08/201181475734965763.html |title=Syrian 'warships shell port city of Latakia' |date=14 August 2011|publisher=Al Jazeera}} But the government denied that the city was bombed by sea.[https://www.france24.com/ar/20110815-syria-lattaquie-military-offensive-killed-wounded-war-boat-bombing- Tanks and warships bombarding neighborhoods in the city of Latakia And dozens of deaths]. France 24 Channel. Published: August 15, 2011. Accessed August 19, 2011. {{Cite web |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20110815-syria-lattaquie-military-offensive-killed-wounded-war-boat- |title=Archived copy |access-date=11 October 2022 |archive-date=6 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306023158/http://www.france24.com/en/20110815-syria-lattaquie-military-offensive-killed-wounded-war-boat- |url-status=bot: unknown }}

{{See also|Syria-Russia relations|Syria-Iran relations}}

In general, the Syrian Arab Navy did not have any modern equipment or weapons until 2006 (except for the OSA I and II anti-ship missile boats), in addition to its modest numbers of recruits compared to the 150-kilometre long Syrian coast. But since 2006, Russia and Iran began providing Syria with advanced weapons, providing it with heavy, short-range land-sea missiles, which are less expensive and more effective in battles than expensive torpedoes and boats, which are easily endangered during sea battles.[http://www.inbaa.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=21934 استنفار في القوى البحرية السورية والطوربيدات خضعت للصيانة وضعت في حالة تأهب قصوى]. تاريخ النشر 03-03-2008. تاريخ الولوج 18-04-2012. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301011844/http://www.inbaa.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=21934 |date=01 مارس 2011}}

Among the types of missiles that Iran and Russia supplied to the Syrian Navy are the Styx anti-ship missiles, intended for use in close-range missile engagement with battleships and warships. In recent years, they have also acquired an unknown number of Sepal missiles, and their possession was not known until they appeared in modern combat tests of the Syrian Arab Army in late 2011.[http://almawqef.com/spip.php?article5088&lang=ar التفوق الإستراتيجي في البحر المتوسط لصالح البحرية السورية]. تاريخ النشر 08-03-2012. تاريخ الولوج 18-04-2012. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623222120/http://almawqef.com/spip.php?article5088&lang=ar |date=23 يونيو 2018}}

The Syrian Navy also has a third type of missile, the Russian-made Yakhont missiles, which Syria purchased from Russia in a military deal in late 2011.{{cite news|title=Report: Russia delivers supersonic cruise missiles to Syria|author=Haaretz|newspaper=Haaretz|date=1 December 2011|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/report-russia-delivers-supersonic-cruise-missiles-to-syria-1.399048|access-date=1 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202034116/http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/report-russia-delivers-supersonic-cruise-missiles-to-syria-1.399048|archive-date=2 December 2011|url-status=live}} These are long-range missiles that have given Syria a strategic military advantage at the Eastern Mediterranean. As for the fourth type of missiles supplied to the Syrian Navy, it was the C-802 anti-ship missile of Chinese origin, which is believed to have been supplied to Syria by Iran.{{sfn|The International Institute for Strategic Studies|2022|p=273}}

Prior to the fall of Damascus in 2024, the Syrian Navy had hoped to receive two Amur-1650 class submarines from Russia. In 2015 a group of Syrian military officials arrived in Moscow to discuss prospects for bilateral military and technical cooperation, including the pair of submarines. The Project-677 or Lada-class diesel submarine, whose export version is known as the Amur 1650, features a new anti-sonar coating for its hull, an extended cruising range, and advanced anti-ship and anti-submarine weaponry.

Shortly after the collapse of the Ba'athist regime, on December 9, 2024 the Israeli Air Force launched an attack on various assets of the Syrian Fleet. Israel sought to destroy important naval assets to prevent their use by the incoming Syrian Government in the context of the 2024 Israeli invasion of Syria. Among other damage, at least 6 Osa-class missile boats were destroyed in Latakia.{{Cite web|url=https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/12/israeli-navy-destroys-syrian-fleet-in-latakia/|title=Israeli Navy destroys Syrian Fleet in Latakia|first=Tayfun|last=Ozberk|date=December 10, 2024}}

{{Main|Military ranks of Syria}}

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

The number of recruits for the Syrian Arab Navy has reached 4,000 soldiers and 2,500 reservists since the year 1985, and this number has not changed in the census in 2002. The proportion of navy personnel from the total number of recruits Syrian Arab Army was 1.4% in the year 1993.International Arab Encyclopedia - Second Edition (1999 CE), For “Encyclopedia Business for Publishing and Distribution”, Volume No. 13 letter (S), p. 219. This rose to 1.9% of the total armed forces personnel in the year 2000.The book “ALMANAC 2003” from Encyclopedia Britannica, p. 650.

The Syrian Arab Navy consists of the navy, coastal defense and naval aviation forces.

{{Main|Syrian Marines}}

The Syrian Marines followed the forces of naval infantry, consisting of about 1,500 conscripts, whose primary role was to protect the three military naval bases in the country, which are divided into three units, each of which was to protect one of the bases. These Marines had three amphibious assault ships, each of which can carry 100 soldiers and five tanks.

In general, the Syrian Marine Corps did not receive any special or advanced armament and very little training in the use of amphibious ships, and in general its recruits are only ordinary soldiers and do not have any experience in the ways of fighting as Marines. Although the Soviet Union set up part of Exercise Zapad-81 (the largest military training exercise ever in the entire history of the Soviet Union, and included the largest amphibious landing operation in its history as well), the Syrian soldiers did not participate.

The marines did not participate in any real amphibious naval landing during any of the wars Syria was involved in. Instead, they were used as infantry with a direct ground clash in the Yom Kippur War and in the Lebanon Civil War. During the first Gulf War, as part of the Coalition of the Gulf War, Syria sent marines as a component of its 17,000 soldier contribution, which may mean that it considers them highly experienced soldiers.

The Syrian Coastal Defense Forces were placed under the command of the Syrian Arab Navy since 1984. The coastal defense consists of brigade infantry, each of which was responsible for monitoring a specific coastal sector, and in addition to them, there was a battalion that monitors. In addition to these forces, there are two artillery battalions armed with 18 artillery pieces, 130 mm caliber M-46.{{cite news|language=fr|url=http://www.francesoir.fr/politique-monde/syrie-rudes-combats-abou-dali-entre-les-djihadistes-hayat-tahrir-al-cham-contre-regime-syrien-damas-bachar-al-assad-organisation-etat-islamique-guerre-civile-province-idlid-stephane-mantoux|title=Syrie: rudes combats à Abou Dali entre les djihadistes d'Hayat Tahrir al-Cham et le régime de Damas|date=19 October 2017|website=France Soir|access-date=28 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629022041/http://www.francesoir.fr/politique-monde/syrie-rudes-combats-abou-dali-entre-les-djihadistes-hayat-tahrir-al-cham-contre-regime-syrien-damas-bachar-al-assad-organisation-etat-islamique-guerre-civile-province-idlid-stephane-mantoux|archive-date=29 June 2018|url-status=live}} The Syrian coastal defense was also armed with Styx, Sepal, YJ-83 and P-800 Oniks missiles, as well as K-300P Bastion-P coastal defense missile system.{{cite web |last1=Mitzer |first1=Stijn |last2=Oliemans |first2=Joost |title=Photo Report: The Syrian Arab Navy |url=https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2016/08/photo-report-syrian-arab-navy.html |website=Oryx Blog |date=5 August 2016}}

{{See also|Russian naval base in Tartus}}

Tartus hosts a Soviet-era naval supply and maintenance base, under a 1971 agreement with Syria. The base was established during the Cold War to support the Soviet Navy fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. Since Russia forgave Syria three-fourths of its $13.4 billion Soviet-era debt and became its main arms supplier, the two countries have conducted talks about allowing Russia to develop and enlarge its naval base, so that Russia can strengthen its naval presence in the Mediterranean.{{cite book|last=Weitz|first=Richard|title=Global security watch--Russia : a reference handbook|year=2010|publisher=Praeger Security International|location=Santa Barbara, Calif.|isbn=978-0-313-35434-2|pages=30|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VcdZ9s2IAwMC&pg=PA30}} Amid Russia's deteriorating relations with the West, because of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War and plans to deploy a US missile defense shield in Poland, President Assad agreed to the port's conversion into a permanent Middle East base for Russia's nuclear-armed warships.{{cite news|title=Big Russian flotilla led by Admiral Kuznetsov carrier heads for Syrian port|url=http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5526|work=DEBKAfile|date=21 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080823171949/http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5526|archive-date=23 August 2008|access-date=7 October 2012}} Since 2009, Russia has been renovating the Tartus naval base and dredging the port to allow access for its larger naval vessels.{{cite web|title=INSS: Syria Report|url=http://www.inss.org.il/upload/(FILE)1287493352.pdf|publisher=Institute for National Security Studies|access-date=3 September 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002155900/http://www.inss.org.il/upload/%28FILE%291287493352.pdf|archive-date=2 October 2011}}

Following the fall of the Assad regime, the agreement was cancelled by the Syrian transitional government and Russia began withdrawing its forces from Syria through the Tartus naval base, though a convoy coming from the Khmeimim Air Base was reportedly denied entry by Syrian troops on 10 February 2025. According to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence negotiations between the Russia and the new Syrian government over the Khmeimim and Tartus military bases are "almost certainly ongoing," but the UK MoD notes that Moscow is in a weaker bargaining position due several factors including sheltering the former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.{{cite news |last1=Altman |first1=Howard |title=Russian Military Convoy Blocked From Entering Port Of Tartus In Syria |url=https://www.twz.com/news-features/russian-military-convoy-blocked-from-entering-port-of-tartus-in-syria |access-date=13 February 2025 |work=The War Zone |date=11 February 2025}}

Prior to the Israeli attacks against the fleet in 2024, the fleet consisted of the following ships:

• 63rd Helicopter Brigade
• 618th Maritime Warfare Squadron{{Cite web|url=https://www.scramble.nl/planning/orbats/syria/syrian-arab-naval-air-arm#OS56387|title=Orbats|website=scramble.nl}}

The Syrian Navy once operated three Project 613 submarines. These were former the Soviet boats {{ship|Soviet submarine|S-167||2}}, {{ship|Soviet submarine|S-171||2}}, and {{ship|Soviet submarine|S-183||2}}.{{cite web |title=Medium Submarines Project 613 |url=http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_613.htm |website=RussianShips.info |access-date=22 February 2021}}

They operated three {{sclass2|Romeo|submarine|1}}s (S-1, S-53, S-101). Built in 1961 for Soviet Navy and transferred to Syria 1985–1987, decommissioned by mid-1990s and all scrapped by 1996.{{Cite web|url=https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/article/34567/|title=Syrian Navy: Corruption and Nepotism|website=en.zamanalwsl.net}}

Syria had two {{sclass2|Vanya|minesweeper|1}}s since 1972. All ships were retired by the mid-1990s.

They also had two {{sclass2|Petya|frigate|1}}s in derelict condition at Tartus port.{{Cite web|last=Oryx|title=Photo Report: The Syrian Arab Navy|url=https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2016/08/photo-report-syrian-arab-navy.html|access-date=2021-08-13|website=Oryx Blog}} Both probably retired in 2017 or 2018. One decommissioned Syrian frigate was sunk by the Russian Air Force as a training target on 15 April 2018 off the coast of Syria.{{Cite web|last=Marjanović|first=Marko|date=2018-04-26|title=Russian Navy Hit and Sank a Decommissioned Frigate in Syria Live Fire Drills (VIDEO)|url=https://anti-empire.com/russian-navy-hit-and-sank-a-decommissioned-frigate-in-syria-live-fire-drills-video/|access-date=2021-08-13|website=Anti-Empire|language=en-US}}

The following table shows the strength of the Syrian Arab Naval Forces according to the year since 1990, in addition to the deals to be concluded in this regard until 2015:

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{cite book |author=The International Institute for Strategic Studies |title=The Military Balance 2022 |date=14 February 2022 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-000-62003-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vOFeEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}

{{Syria topics}}

{{Syrian security forces}}

{{Asia topic|Navy of|title=Navies of Asia}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Military of Syria

Syria

Category:1950 establishments in Syria