Eagles of the Whirlwind

The Eagles of Whirlwind (Arabic: نسور الزوبعة, Nusour al Zawba'a) were the armed wing of the Syrian Social National Party. Around 6,000 to 8,000 men strong,[2] they participated in many battles and operations throughout the Syrian civil war fighting alongside the Syrian Arab Army and its allies and participating in various military operations.

Eagles of the Whirlwind
نسور الزوبعة
DissolvedNovember 2019
Active regionsSyria, Lebanon
IdeologySyrian nationalism
Anti-Zionism
Syrian irredentism[1]
Pro-Syrian government
Size6,000–8,000[2]
Part of Syrian Social Nationalist Party
Allies Syria (Until 2019)  Russia
 Hezbollah
Sootoro
Ba'ath Brigades (Until 2019)
Popular Committees (Until 2019)
OpponentsSyria Free Syrian Army
Islamic Front
Al-Nusra Front
Islamic State Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Battles and warsSyrian civil war
Flag

After the escalation of the crisis in Syria to an armed conflict and later full-scale civil war, the Eagles began taking recruits and their fighters were primarily deployed in the governorates of Homs and Damascus and were said to be the most formidable military force other than the Syrian Arab Army in Suweida.[14] Their most notable military operations is their participation in the battles of Sadad, Ma'loula, and al-Qaryatayn, among others.[15]

As part of campaigns launched by the Ba'ath party to strengthen its role in Syrian society since 2019,[16] Syrian wing of SSNP (Amana) financed by businessman Rami Makhlouf was banned.[17] This was part of the wider clampdown on business assets and private militias of Rami Makhlouf ordered by Bashar al-Assad.[18] In November 2019, Ba'athist authorities initiated crackdown on armed SSNP militias across the country, and dismantled Eagles of Whirlwind. EOW fighters were subsequently assimilated into Russian-backed Fifth Corps after surrendering their artillery.[19][20][21]

Ideology
See also: SSNP § Ideology

The eagles were the armed wing of the SSNP and thus shared the same ideologies and goals. The SSNP's core ideology is Syrian nationalism and the belief in the concept of a 'Greater Syria' or 'Natural Syria' which extends from the Taurus range north of Syria to the Suez Canal in Egypt, thus encompassing the modern states of Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Palestine, Israel and parts of Egypt, Turkey and Iran. Despite political differences with the ruling Ba'ath party, SSNP has stood by the Syrian government throughout the course of the Syrian civil war.

See also

References
  1. Solomon, McDonald, Grinstead, Chris, Jesse, Nick (January 2019). "Eagles riding the storm of war: CRU Policy Brief The role of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party" (PDF). Clingendael Institute: 2, 3 – via Clingendael. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. "The Eagles of the Whirlwind - Foreign Policy".
  3. "Syrian Army and Hezbollah advance in southern al-Zabadani". Al Masdar News. Archived from the original on 5 February 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  4. "Syrian Army goes all-in on Aleppo as more reinforcements pour into the city". Al Masdar News. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  5. "Syrian Army secures Ghaniyah in the al-Ghaab plains". Al Masdar News. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  6. Leith Fadel. "Islamist Rebels Announce the 2nd Phase of Their Wide-Scale Offensive in Hama". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  7. "Syrian Army captures Beit Fares village in northern Latakia". Al Masdar News. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  8. "Syrian Army recaptures key village in northern Latakia". Al Masdar News. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  9. "Syrian army prepares large-scale offensive in northern Hama". Al Masdar News. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  10. "Der Syrische Bürgerkrieg". Truppendienst. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  11. "The SSNP 'Hurricane' in the Syrian Conflict: Syria and South Lebanon Are the Same Battlefield". Al Akhbar News. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  12. Leith Aboufadel (18 June 2018). "In pictures: SSNP forces crack ISIL's lines in southeast Syria". al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  13. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (27 July 2018). "The Suwayda' Attacks: Interview". Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  14. "The SSNP 'Hurricane' in the Syrian Conflict: Syria and South Lebanon Are the Same Battlefield". Al Akhbar English. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  15. Natalia Sancha (5 April 2016). "El Ejército sirio expulsa al Estado Islámico del desierto". El País. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  16. Abdul-Jalil, Moghrabi, Murad, Yamen (3 July 2020). "Al-Assad attempts to boost "Ba'ath" vigor to tighten control". Enab Baladi. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. Shaar, Akil, Karam, Samy (28 January 2021). "Inside Syria's Clapping Chamber: Dynamics of the 2020 Parliamentary Elections". Middle East Institute. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. "The Intractable Roots of Assad-Makhlouf Drama in Syria". Newslines Institute. 15 May 2020. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021.
  19. Kataw, Nawwar (14 October 2019). "هل هي خطوة انتقامية من آل مخلوف؟ كل ما تريد معرفته عن الحزب القومي السوري الاجتماعي وحل النظام له" [Is it a revenge move from the Makhlouf family? All you need to know about the Syrian National Social Party and the regime's solution to it]. Arab Post. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023.
  20. Kanjou, Hassan (13 November 2019). "لماذا أخلت ميليشيا "نسور الزوبعة" معسكراتها في حمص؟" [Why did the "Eagles of Whirlwind" militia evacuate its camps in Homs?]. Orient Net. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019.
  21. Shaar, Akil, Karam, Samy (28 January 2021). "Inside Syria's Clapping Chamber: Dynamics of the 2020 Parliamentary Elections". Middle East Institute. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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