The Southern Operations Room (Arabic: غرفة العمليات الجنوبية), also known as SOR, is a Syrian rebel coalition consisting of various Syrian opposition groups in southern Daraa, Suwayda and Quneitra provinces.[5][6]
The formation process began in 2023, with advisers from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led Military Operations Command bringing together the leaders of around 25 opposition factions in southern Syria to coordinate planning for a future military operation.[7]
The Southern Operations Room was announced on 6 December 2024 and was declared to consist of groups called the "8th Brigade", and the "Central Committee" alongside other organizations that were based in the Suwayda and Quneitra Governorates.[6] The 8th Brigade was previously known as the Youth of Sunna Forces. In the past, the 8th Brigade numbered about 1,200 militants, and was one of the biggest opposition groups in the Daraa Governorate prior to the 2018 reconciliation deal. The Central Committee had been active in the Syrian opposition since 2011. Their mandate was centered on two main goals: addressing community needs by guaranteeing stability and protection for Syrian citizens, and formalizing the Russian-sponsored reconciliation agreement into an accepted document. The central committee was accused of working with the Syrian government and its security forces at the expense of the local populace.[2]
In the official statement made by the SOR command, the group pledged to maintain security and stability while controlling the southern regions of Syria. It additionally called on all the countries of the world to support the decision of the Syrian people to "gain freedom and build their own country".[11]
The SOR has emphasized its objective of creating a "unified and just Syria" and characterized its militant campaign as a fight for "freedom and dignity." In order to avert chaos and create a stable post-conflict state, its leaders have urged the maintenance of state institutions previously controlled by opposing individuals whilst working with different Syrian communities.[9]
Leadership
Very little is known about the SOR coalition's "key leadership" as of December 2024.[2] Nassim Abu Ara, a former commander of the Free Syrian Army under the Youth of Sunna Forces, is one of the leaders that have been identified. Prior to joining the rebels at the start of the Syrian civil war, Abu Ara served as an officer in Assad's army. He was serving as a rebel commander of Youth of Sunnah Forces and later switched sides and become one of the commanders of the 8th Brigade in 2018. Abu Ara was seen by many as having collaborated with Russia and Assad. He currently serves as the spokesman and a commander of SOR.[12]
Known as "Russia's man in Southern Syria"[2], Ahmad al-Awda, the alleged leader of SOR, was also the commander of the Youth of Sunna Forces. Similar to Abu Ara, he was a member of Assad's army before joining the rebels in his region during the outbreak of civil war. He collaborated with a number of Islamist groups in the southern parts of Syria, such as Al-Nusra Front. Al-Awda's reputation as "Russia's man" was further solidified in 2018 following the reconciliation agreement with Russia, when he was appointed as commander of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces' 5th Corps branch in the Daraa Governorate, following the recapture of territory by government forces in most of Syria.[12][13][14]
Military actions
A year before the fall of the Assad regime, Tahrir al-Sham sent a message to Southern rebel groups to get ready for a future offensive.[15]
The coordination of the Southern Syria offensive is attributed to SOR. With the help of other local opposition groups, SOR captured the city of Daraa and small towns around it after the withdrawal of Syrian Arab Armed Forces and pro-Assad Iranian armed groups.[13][16] SOR claimed to have taken full control of the Daraa District and have started combing through its neighbourhoods and securing its institutions and government offices.[17] SOR also said that it had fully taken control of Quneitra Governorate, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in southwestern Syria. In response, the Israel Defense Forces said they deployed “reinforced forces in the Golan Heights area.”[18]
On 7 December 2024, the spokesperson of SOR announced its plans to push toward Damascus, stating, "Our target is Damascus, and our meeting point is Umayyad Square."[19] His statement also addressed people in Suwaida and Quneitra cities, saying, “We stand at the gates of Damascus as partners in this liberation alongside the steadfast people of Suwaida and the honorable revolutionaries of Quneitra. We extend our hands for cooperation with all components of a new, unified Syria—free from terrorism and sectarianism and aspiring for liberation from tyranny.”[8] The same day, Hassan Abdel Ghani, the commander of the southern rebels, declared that "our forces have begun implementing the final phase of encircling the capital Damascus".[20] Southern rebels together with SOR started encircling Damascus after capturing Al-Sanamayn, a town 20 km from the southern entrance of Damascus.[21] They were supposed to wait until Homs fell so that the two rebel coalitions could approach Damascus at the same time, but the fighters started the offensive earlier out of excitement and energy.[15]
Early on 8 December, Damascus was captured by the SOR rebels; president Bashar al-Assad escaped Syria on a plane to Russia. Over a Syrian state television broadcast, a group of opposition leaders declared victory. Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali stated that his government is willing to "extend its hand" to the new opposition led transitional government, offering to work with it.[22] Some sources indicate that an agreement to transfer of power to the transitional government could be signed by 9 December 2024.[23] Colonel Nassim Abu Ara, the military spokesperson and commander of SOR, attributed the swift collapse of Syrian Arab Armed Forces to “the expansion of points of engagement and attacks from several areas in Daraa province, quickly taking control of many military positions and checkpoints”, which, he stated, caused “a collapse in morale”.[24] As of 9 December, the SOR rebels control the majority of southern Syrian provinces.
On 11 December, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani met with the leaders of the Southern Operations Room to discuss military and civilian affairs coordination. The discussion included "coordination", "cooperation" and a "unified effort," without explicit support for the HTS-led government.[25] As part of the Southern Front, the Southern Operations Room leaders had previously fought against al-Jolani and the Al-Qaeda affiliated group Al-Nusra Front, which was the forerunner of HTS in the mid-2010s.[26][27]
^Moore, Johanna; Parry, Andie; Campa, Kelly; Reddy, Ria; Wells, Katherine; Braverman, Alexandra; Kishore, Siddhant; Rezaei, Ben; Carter, Brian (11 December 2024). "Iran Update, December 11, 2024". Institute For the Study of War. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
