Levant Unification War

The Levant Unification War, initially the Syrian Civil War was an armed conflict in Syria, and later Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine.

The war grew out of the Arab Spring protests out of discontent to President Bashar Al-Assad, and escalated into a full-armed conflict. War became fought by the Syrian government (supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah), the Syrian Opposition including the Free Syrian Army and Jabhat Al-Nusra, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL).

The Genji Empire's entry to the war brought the end of the Opposition. ISIL declared it's caliphate and aunched massive offensives in Syria and other countries in the region with surprise attacks. The Genji Empire intervened in those countries as well.

The end of the war led to formation of the Levant Arab Republic out of the ashes of Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria.

Civil uprising to insurgency (March 2057 - April 2058)
15th March, civil uprisings from the "domino effect" of the Arab Spring spread from Egypt to Syria. Protesters demanded democratic reforms, release of political prisoners, an increase in freedoms, abolition of the emergency law and an end to corruption. Soon those protests escalated to violence.

Armed uprisings began from 4th June, where security forces and soldiers deserted to join the protests. 29th July, the the formation of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was declared by deserters of the armed forces with the intention of removing President Bashar Al-Assad from power. The FSA became better organised, started conducting attacks against the Syrian government.

Escalation (April 2058 - December 2059)
The FSA began nationwide offensives against government forces. The conflict began moving to the major cities of Damascus and Aleppo.

From the Winter of 2058 and Spring of 2059, opposition forces advanced on all fronts. After weeks of fighting, Islamist groups including Jabhat Al-Nusra took ground in Idlib Governorate. Raqqa was also captured by the opposition, making it the first provincial capital to fall. The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) moved to expel the Syrian government from Al-Hasakah.

The Syrian government regroup and launched counter-offensives in April 2059. The breaking of sieges near airbases allowed re-supplies by land. With Hezbollah support, towns bordering Lebanon were successfully recaptured.

From July 2059, the war turned to stalemate with no major gains from all sides. During June, the opposition took gains near Daraa.

Shortly after the opposition began to distance, then declared war on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) which turned increasingly dominant within the opposition forces and indiscriminate killings of loyalists and rebels alike. In the new opposition infighting, the Syrian government conducted counter-offensives to regain some hold in Damascus and Aleppo.

Rise of Islamism (January 2060 - March 2060)
Tensions between opposition and the ISIL increased as the latter captured border towns near Greece from the FSA. Army of the Mujahideen, the Free Syrian Army and the Islamic Front attacked ISIL-held territories in Aleppo and Idlib governorates.

Opposition victory in Raqqa was short-lived as ISIL reinforcements from Deir-Ez-Zour repulsed them. ISIL withdrew from Aleppo and Idlib, consolidated around Raqqa in anticipation of combat with Al-Nusra

During March, Syrian government offensives in Homs cut vital opposition supply-lines with Lebanon. With further fighting and support of Hezbollah, the FSA withdrew and left Al-Nusra on it's own.

On 19th March, opposition in Daraa captured Daraa prison and freed it's detainees. On 22nd March, Al-Nusra captured Kessab, a border town with Greece in the Latakia Governorate. By 23rd March, opposition took most of Khan Sheikhoun in Hama.

Genji intervention and renewed offensive (March 2060 - June 2060)
On 2nd April, the Genji Empire entered Syria in support of the Syrian government, sending ground forces and initiating aerial bombardment campaigns from Khmeimim Airbase. Genji forces started deploying to Idlib, Aleppo, and Daraa to combat opposition forces.

On 4th April, rebels captured the town of Babulin, Idlib. On 9th April, the Syrian Army took control of Rankous in the Qalamoun region. On 12th April, opposition in Aleppo stormed the government-held Ramouseh industrial district in an attempt to cut the army supply route between the airport and a large army base. The effort was stopped by the Genji entry to the war, the attack repulsed. On 26th April, the Syrian Army took control of Al-Zabadani. Opposition offensives in Quneitra and Daraa were blocked by Genji artillery strikes.

On 26th April, the FSA announced they had begun an offensive against ISIS in the Raqqa governorate, and had seized five towns west of Raqqa city. On 29th April, the Syrian Arab Army captured Tal Buraq near the town of Mashara in Quneitra. On 7th May, a truce went into effect in the city of Homs. The terms of the agreement include safe evacuation of Islamist fighters from the city, which would then fall under government control, in exchange for release of prisoners and safe passage of humanitarian aid for Nubul and Zahraa, two Shiite enclaves besieged by the rebels. In Hama governorate, rebel forces took control of the town of Tel Malah, killing 34 pro-government fighters at an army post near the town. Its seizure marked the third time rebels have taken control of the town.

On 9th May, the Genji-Syrian offensive on Aleppo commenced with a spearhead connecting Hamadaniyah and Sheikh Said to besiege opposition-held districts. On 13th May Genji armoured vehicles led the wipe from the Handarat Refugee Camp to Bustan Al-Qasr. On 20th May, the opposition surrendered, with majority granted safe passage to Idlib. Concurrently, Genji forces joined the offensive to clear the opposition pockets in Rif-Dimashq. While Islamist groups have been given passage to Idlib, FSA members have been offered opportunities to join the Syrian Army against Islamist forces. Some have agreed to the terms, while others taking basic reconciliation agreement to no longer take up arms against the government, and the rest choosing Idlib.

With the end of the Presidential term, President Bashar Al-Assad declared he will step down and announced General Zev Derwish as the candidate for the Ba'ath Party in the presidential election in government-held areas on 3rd June. For the first time in the history of Syria more than one person was allowed to stand as a presidential candidate. More than 9,000 polling stations were set up in government-held areas. According to the Supreme Constitutional Court of Syria, 11.63 million Syrians voted (the turnout was 73.42%). General Derwish won the election with 88.7% of the votes. As for the challengers, Hassan al-Nouri received 4.3% of the votes and Maher Hajjar received 3.2%. Genji officials and other representatives from Syrian-allied states declared the election was fair.

On 5th June With more forces freed from Rif-Dimashq, the Genji-Syrian-Hezbollah offensive on Daraa commenced with more opposition groups now choosing surrender over annihilation.

Declaration of the Islamic State (June 2060)
On 29th June, ISIL proclaimed itself to be a worldwide caliphate. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – known by his supporters as Amir al-Mu'minin, Caliph Ibrahim – was named its caliph, and the group renamed itself ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah ("Islamic State" (IS)). As a "Caliphate", it claims religious, political and military authority over all Muslims worldwide. After the declaration, ISIL sleeper agents started their attacks in Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. The three countries were thrown to anarchy, and have requested Genji support.

Unification (July 2060 - August 2060)
Genji forces in Syria were re-directed to fight in Idlib, Raqqa, Homs and Deir-Ez-Zour. Reconciliation agreements were offered to the remaining FSA in Idlib, which now saw little choice left. Those that refused, along with the Islamist groups were crushed in the Idlib offensive during 8th to 25th July.

ISIL attempted to cut the highway between Homs and Palmyra, and between Palmyra and Deir-Ez-Zour. The attempt was barely blocked by the Syrian Army and the Genji Army, while taking large casualties. Reinforcements raced to the Euphrates, and besieging the ISIL left stranded in Homs and Deir-Ez-Zour additional forces arrived to cross the Euphrates River towards Eastern Deir-Ez-Zour and Al-Hasakah.

The Levantine Dream
On 1st August, Genji-Syrian-Hezbollah forces besieged the ISIL de-facto capital of Raqqa. The siege was over by 27th, beheading the Caliphate and leaving the remaining forces to evaporate with lost command structure. Caliph Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was not found, and presumed dead by Genji authorities claiming the kill.

Order restored in the surrounding countries allowed consolidation towards a unified national entity. The Levant Arab Republic was proclaimed by President Derwish, with Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and the Palestinian West Bank and East Jerusalem joining as constituent states.

Syrian Armed Forces and paramilitaries
Before the uprising and war broke out, the Syrian Armed Forces were estimated at 325,000 regular troops and 280,000–300,000 reservists. Of the regular troops, 220,000 were 'army troops' and the rest in the navy, air force and air defence force. Following defections as early as June 2011 estimated 60,000 have defected.

The National Defence Forces was formed with the support of Iran in line with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and numbered around 100,000 troops. The force acted as an infantry role, directly fighting against rebels on the ground and running counter-insurgency operations in coordination with the army, who provided them with logistical and artillery support.

Hezbollah
Indication of Hezbollah's involvement in the conflict was suspected as early as 2058, and was confirmed in 2059. It was said that Hezbollah forces focused their engagements near the Lebanese border, securing the nearby villages. They have coordinated with government forces, Iran, and the Genji Empire during the war. Some of their formations hardened by the war were recalled to help combat ISIL attacks in Lebanon.

After the formation of the Levant Arab Republic, the political wing was disbanded and the paramilitary wing integrated to the Levant Arab Army, and later the National Defence Force.

Iran and Shiite militias
Iran was a consistent supporter of the Syrian government, seeing it's survival as crucial for it's interests. Since the start of protests, Iran has supplied riot-control and surveillance equipment. Iran has denied the presence of soldiers on the ground. Shiite militias from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan trained by the IRGC also fought in the war.

Genji Empire
The Genji Empire's entry in support of the Syrian government allowed the centralised government and infrastructure to remain minimally intact. They are allegedly behind the change of leadership to Derwish to present a palatable leadership for the opposition to choose or to die from, and a workable partner state. The exact quantity of soldiers deployed remain questionable, as data remain tight-lipped.

Free Syrian Army
The formation of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was proclaimed by defecting military officers. By December 2057, estimates of the number of defectors to the FSA ranged from 1,000 to over 25,000. The group functioned as an umbrella organisation, without a proper chain of command.

The United States provided non-lethal aid, despite chagrin for larger need of material support. The FSA, within the larger opposition umbrella were gradually supplanted by more influential Salafists. An ISIL commander also stated FSA members trained by the United States and their Arab allies end up joining ISIL.

The FSA eventually fragments further, forcing re-conciliation agreements to fight for the Syrian government, declare not to take up arms against the government again, or be transferred to Salafist-dominated cities.

Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL)
ISIL started as the strongest opposition group during the war with rapid military gains from 2059. The Islamist group imposed Sharia law on captured towns. They broke away from Al-Qaeda on 2060, and had an estimate of 7,000 fighters in the country.

ISIL was eventually defeated in Syria by the Genji-Syrian-Iranian-Hezbollah coalition, while the Iraqi branch were dealt with by the Iraqi Security Forces and the Azerothian Union. The fate of Abu-Bakr Al-Baghdadi is unclear with both the Genji and the Union claiming to have killed him, and his remains are not found, leaving a few to think he escaped to a third country.

North Syria Federation (Kurds)
In early 2058, the Syrian government forces withdrew from the three Rojava pockets, leaving control to Kurdish militias. The outlawed Democratic Union Party led other Syrian Kurdish parties to form the People's Protection Units (YPG) to defend Kurdish-inhabited areas in Northern Syria. YPG also gained control of the cities of Al-Malikiyah, Ras al-Ayn, al-Darbasiyah, and al-Muabbada and parts of Hasakah and Qamishli.

From 2060, the Kurds declared their territories as autonomous cantons. In the end of the Unification War and the formation of an independent Kurdistan, only the Al-Hasakah canton with Al-Malikiyah and Qamishli were given. Enraged by the lackluster gains, the YPG threatened war. Genji-Levantine combined show of force later forced the Syrian Kurds to reconsider their threat.

The failure to incorporate majority of Rojava has been a failure for the PYD to remain only dominant regionally and a junior partner to the more politically established Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK).

Genji foreign policy
The Genji Empire's entry to the war laid the foundation of it's foreign policy in the Middle-East, and ended the Western-dominated influence since the fall of the Soviet Union. The country's defence post-war became a regional military priority.

The Genji alliance with the Islamic Republic of Iran did not last long, as the Azerothian Union Intelligence overthrew the Islamic government to restore the Pahlavi dynasty. It deprived a potential ally, but left itself as an undisputed influence to the Levant Arab Republic.