Arab Tribal and Clan Forces

Arab Tribal and Clan Forces are an Arab nationalist militant group in the Governorate of Deir ez-Zor that was established to liberate the Arab lands.

Arab Tribal and Clan Forces
Leader	Ibrahim al-Hifl
Foundation	25 September 2023
Dates of operation	25 September 2023 – present
Country	Syria
Headquarters	Diban
Status	Active
Allies	Ba'athist Syria (until 2024) Hezbollah[1] Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham[2] Assad loyalists[2]
Opponents	Syrian Democratic Forces
Battles and wars	Syrian civil war Eastern Syria insurgency Deir ez-Zor clashes (2023) Arab tribal insurgency in Eastern Syria

History

The Arab Tribal Forces were established by Ibrahim al-Hifl in September 2023 with the aim of fighting the Syrian Democratic Forces in Deir ez-Zor province. They were supported by Ba'athist Syria.^[1]

On 8 August 2024, tribal forces launched attacks from areas controlled by Ba'athist Syria,^[3] which resulted in Arab fighters capturing 10 members of the Syrian Democratic Forces. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 20 vehicles with members of the Baqir Brigade arrived at the Baqir Brigade headquarters in the Deir ez-Zor neighborhood of Dahiya.^[4]

Following the fall of the Assad regime, Arab tribal forces and clans lost one of their financiers. According to a source in Deir ez-Zor, they allied with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham against Syrian Democratic Forces along with some Arab defectors.^[2][5]

On 20 January 2025, tribal forces launched an attack on SDF checkpoints, injuring three SDF fighters.^[2]