Since the conclusion of the Qusayr campaign, Hizb Allah has reverted to its previous duty of combat support to regular SAA units in other villages. It finds that although Hizb Allah eventually ousted the rebel forces and reclaimed the town with the assistance of air and artillery support from the SAA, the organization lacks the capacity to replicate its Qusayr tactics on a more frequent basis and in larger urban environments across Syria. This article examines how Hizb Allah and the SAA waged offensive operations in Qusayr, how the anti-Assad rebels sought to defend the town against the assault, and if Hizb Allah’s success in Qusayr will embolden it to escalate militancy elsewhere in Syria. Hizb Allah suffered a relatively high number of casualties during the battle, yet the casualty toll and blowback in Lebanon-politically and in terms of security-has not deterred the organization from deploying to other combat theaters in Syria in support of the SAA, underlining its commitment to the trilateral “axis of resistance” with the al-Assad regime and Iran. Furthermore, it was Hizb Allah’s first experience in launching a major offensive operation in an urban environment. The battle also marked the first time that Hizb Allah played a significant lead combat role in the Syria war, even though its fighters operated in Syria for at least a year prior to the Qusayr offensive. The loss of Qusayr was a significant blow to the armed opposition, perhaps more in terms of morale and perception than strategic value, a sentiment reinforced by subsequent regime gains on the ground, continued hesitation by the international community to provide weapons to rebel forces and signs of growing animosity among rebel factions. The return of Qusayr to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in June 2013-after being held in rebel hands for more than a year-marked the beginning of a broader campaign by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) to restore control over key strategic areas that had fallen to rebel hands.
The 17-day assault spearheaded by Lebanon’s Shi`a militia Hizb Allah against the Syrian town of Qusayr set a number of precedents both for Syria’s civil war and for Hizb Allah.
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