The 4th Armoured Division Of The Syrian Arab Army: History And Capabilities
NOVANEWS
By South Front
The 4th Armoured Division was formed in 1984 out of the remnants of the Defense Companies (Saraya Al-Difa’) that had been dismantled after Rifa’at al-Assad’s failed coup attempt against his brother President Hafez al-Assad. Major General Mohammad Ali Dirgham currently leads the 4th Armoured Division while the Syrian President’s brother Maher al-Assad serves as a Brigadier. Some claim that a majority of the orders are given by Maher al-Assad but in reality the 4th Armoured Division is run in accordance with the typical chain of command hierarchy followed by all sectors of the Syrian Arab Army.
The division mainly dependents on volunteers from Homs and the Syrian coast in addition to conscripts spanning all Syrian provinces. Almost all of the 4th Armored Divis...