Palmyra offensive (March 2016)

Palmyra offensive (March 2016)
	Part of the Syrian Civil War, Military intervention against ISIL, Russian military intervention in Syria, Iranian involvement in the Syrian Civil War, and Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian Civil War
	; Map showing areas captured by 26 March
Date	9 – 27 March 2016 (2 weeks and 4 days)
Location	Tadmur District, Eastern Homs Governorate, Syria34°33′36″N 38°16′02″E / 34.5600°N 38.2672°E
Result	Syrian government victory Syrian Army captures Palmyra city and its area;
Belligerents
Syrian Arab Republic; Russia; Iran; Allied militias:; Hezbollah; Iraqi Shi'ite militias: Kata'ib al-Imam Ali; Kata'ib Hezbollah; Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba; Badr Organization; Liwa Fatemiyoun; Liwa Sayf al-Mahdi; Ba'ath Brigades; Galilee Forces	Islamic State
Commanders and leaders
Major General Suhayl al-Hasan; (Operations chief commander); Ali Rahmoun †; (Syrian Marines commander); Colonel Ali Shaheen; (Panther Forces Brigade commander); Colonel Shadi Isma'el; (Cheetah Forces commander); Suleiman al-Shwakh; (Desert Commandos commander); "The Uncle" Abu Ismail; (Military Security Shield Forces commander); Col. Gen. Aleksandr Dvornikov; (Russian forces commander); Lt. Gen. Aleksandr Zhuravlev; (Russian operations commander); Sen. Lt. Alexander Prokhorenko †; (Spetsnaz commander) Yevgeny Prigozhin; (Wagner Group Leader)	Sultan bin 'Abdel-Rahman †; (Emir of Palmyra); Khalil Mohameed †; (Emir of Palmyra)
Units involved
Syrian Armed Forces Syrian Army 18th Armoured Division 67th Brigade; 134th Armoured Brigade; ; Tiger Forces Panther Forces Brigade; Cheetah Forces; ; Republican Guard Syrian Marines; Qalamoun Shield Forces; ; Desert Hawks Brigade; ; Military Intelligence Directorate Desert Commandos Regiment; Military Security Shield Forces; Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes; ; National Defence Forces Golan Regiment; Al-Quneitra Hawks Brigade; ; ; Russian forces Russian Air Force; Russian naval infantry advisors; Special operations forces advisors; Wagner Group (PMC); IRGC advisors; Hezbollah National Ideological Resistance;	Military of ISIL
Strength
6,000+	2,000+ (per Syrian Army)
Casualties and losses
391 killed; 12 killed; 3 killed	417 killed (per SOHR); 450 killed (per Syrian Army); 500+ killed (per Russia; 20–27 March)

The Palmyra offensive (March 2016) was a military operation of the Syrian Arab Army, supported by Russian airstrikes, to recapture from the Islamic State the city of Tadmur (near the ruins of the ancient city of Palmyra), which was strategically important for both forces due to its position in central Syria. The city was fully recaptured on 27 March.