Syrian Resistance

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Syrian Resistance

The Syrian Resistance is a left-wing, pro‑Assad militia that has operated in northwest Syria since 2011, backing the Ba’athist regime during the civil war. It is led by Mihrac Ural (also known as Ali Kayyali), a Turkish‑born Alawite who later became a Syrian citizen.

Origins and purpose
Founded before the war under the name Popular Front for the Liberation of the Sanjak of Iskandarun, the group describes itself as a broad Syrian nationalist movement with Marxist‑Leninist and secular left ideas. It says it defends Syria’s Alawite and Twelver Shi’a minorities, but opponents have called it sectarian. The group emphasizes national unity and anti‑imperialism, while also promoting leftist and socialist principles.

Location and size
Until 2024 its headquarters were in Latakia, and it has been active mainly in Latakia and in parts of Homs, Aleppo and Idlib. Estimates of its size reached about 2,000 fighters in 2015.

Structure and alliances
The Syrian Resistance has worked with Syria’s Military Intelligence Directorate and has been allied with the Syrian Arab Armed Forces and the National Defence Forces at various times up to 2024. It has been linked to the Turkish DHKP-C. Its opponents have included the Free Syrian Army, Jaysh al-Islam, Ahrar al‑Sham, Hay’at Tahrir al‑Sham, Turkey, and ISIS. It has also faced accusations of carrying out bombings and attacks in Turkey and within Syria, including in the village of Baniyas in 2013.

Key events and activities
- In 2013, members of the group were linked to a massacre in Baniyas.
- Turkey suspected its involvement in the Reyhanlı bombings.
- In 2016, the group sent reinforcements from Hama to support pro‑government forces in the Battle of Aleppo, operating on multiple fronts around the city.
- The Falcons of the Jazira and Euphrates, a militia from Deir ez‑Zor, joined the Syrian Resistance and took part in the central Syria campaign around 2017.
- Jamal Trabelsi, the group’s information director, survived an IED attack in Aleppo in July 2017; a few days later, a female media officer, Duaa Hayel Sulaiman, was assassinated in Damascus.

Late 2020s to 2025 developments
During large‑scale government offensives in late 2024, the Syrian Resistance supported pro‑government defense efforts. Its Latakia base and depots were later occupied by the caretaker government after Assad’s regime faced pressure, though Ural reportedly remained free. In a March 2025 interview, Ural accused Russia of engineering the collapse of the Assad regime and urged Alawites and Kurds to resist the transitional government, while expressing support for a federal structure in Syria.