Key Facts
- Date of offensive
- December 2016
- Prior ISIL control of Palmyra
- May 2015 – March 2016
- Concurrent major offensives
- 3 (al-Bab, Raqqa, Mosul)
- Failed secondary objective
- ISIL attack on Tiyas T-4 Airbase
- Syrian counter-offensive launched
- January 2017
Strategic Narrative Overview
ISIL launched an unexpected blitz offensive in December 2016, rapidly overwhelming Syrian Army defenses in the Tadmur District and re-capturing Palmyra. Simultaneously, ISIL forces pushed westward toward the Tiyas T-4 Airbase but failed to seize it. The speed of the assault caught Syrian and allied forces off guard, particularly given that ISIL was simultaneously losing ground in Iraq and northern Syria during the same period.
01 / The Origins
By late 2016, ISIL faced simultaneous pressure from multiple fronts: a Turkish-backed offensive near al-Bab, a Kurdish-Arab campaign toward Raqqa, and the Iraqi Battle of Mosul. The Syrian Army had retaken Palmyra from ISIL in March 2016 with Russian support. Despite these setbacks, ISIL retained enough operational capacity to plan and execute a surprise offensive against the ancient city in December 2016.
03 / The Outcome
ISIL successfully recaptured Palmyra by December 2016, reversing the Syrian Army's earlier liberation of the city. The attack on T-4 Airbase was repelled. In January 2017, the Syrian Army and allied forces launched a renewed offensive to retake Palmyra and surrounding areas, indicating the city remained a contested strategic point in the broader Syrian Civil War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.