Yom Kippur War The division, formed as 7th Infantry Division, was a key component of the Syrian attack force in the 1973
Yom Kippur War, involved in some of the heaviest fighting in the Golan Heights, especially in the aptly named '
Valley of Tears'. The division, with its attached armoured brigade, lost a great number of tanks when trying on many accounts to rush the Israeli defenses. Brig. Gen. Omar Abrash was serving as the division commander. In 1973, the division's equipment, organisation, tactics, and training were virtually identical to those of the
5th Infantry Division during its
action in Jordan. In the later stages of the war, the 81st Armored Brigade (from the
3rd Division) and the 1st
Moroccan Mechanized Brigade were also attached to the ranks of the division and fought within it. Although Syrian division had a nominal strength of around 10,000 men, 200 tanks, 72 artillery pieces and similar numbers of
SAMs and anti-aircraft guns, the 7th Infantry Division had only 80% of its tanks and APCs during the war. Furthermore, although designated as an infantry division, the division was essentially mechanised. Because of the extensive losses suffered by the division during the
battle of the Valley of Tears, one of the division's brigades had to be pulled out of action for 3 days before being reorganized as a battalion.
Syrian Civil War During the
civil war the 7th Division lost at least four unit commanders: Louka turned the remaining four brigades of the 7th Division into "elite units" as well as moved the division’s headquarters from Damascus to Aleppo. In November 2018, he was promoted again to director of the
Political Security Directorate of Syria. In May 2019, elements of the 121st and 78th Brigades of the 7th Division were ordered to north Hama and participated in the
Northwestern Syria offensive (April–August 2019). ==References==