Direct proof of use
The M60A3 is documented in the 2011 Syrian Civil War through Turkish Army use during Operation Euphrates Shield. A SETA study of the operation says Turkish-backed forces captured Jarablus and nearby villages on August 24, 2016 with M60A3 tank maneuvers, ACV-15 vehicles, tactical wheeled vehicles, and T-155 Firtina artillery support.
The same study reports that two M60A3 tanks belonging to Operation Euphrates Shield components were hit near Amerne by MILAN and 9M133 Kornet anti-tank rockets. Defence Turkey and GlobalSecurity separately connect Turkish M60A3, M60T, and Leopard 2A4 tanks hit by anti-tank guided missiles in Syria to the later Turkish modernization effort for M60A3 and other main battle tanks.
Sources: Operation Euphrates Shield Lessons Learned, Turkish Land Platforms Operation Euphrates Shield, M60TM Main Battle Tank Modernization Context
Timeline
Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield on August 24, 2016, sending tanks, warplanes, and Syrian opposition fighters across the border in a campaign aimed at Islamic State positions around Jarablus and at preventing Kurdish militia expansion in northern Syria. SETA describes the initial Jarablus-Sajur phase as an armored and mechanized advance in which M60A3 tanks were among the maneuver systems used on the first day.
During the August 2016 fighting near Amerne, SETA says YPG/PKK elements hit two M60A3 tanks with anti-tank rockets. In the October-December 2016 advance toward al-Bab, SETA states that the operation relied mainly on Leopard 2A4 and M60T maneuver and firepower, while M60A3 tanks were also tasked in the phase.
Sources: Guardian Euphrates Shield Launch, Operation Euphrates Shield Lessons Learned
Narrative
The Syrian Civil War M60A3 record centers on Turkey, not on Syrian government or opposition ownership of the tank. The documented operator was the Turkish Armed Forces, working with Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army components during Operation Euphrates Shield. SETA describes the operation force as Turkish conventional land-force and special-forces units integrated with local allied formations.
In the Jarablus-Sajur phase, the M60A3 served as part of Turkey's armored maneuver and direct-fire package. SETA places M60A3 tanks in the first-day capture of Jarablus and nearby villages, then identifies two M60A3s hit near Amerne as the operation turned south toward YPG/PKK positions. This evidence supports fielding and combat exposure of the variant, including anti-tank missile hits, but it does not by itself provide a complete loss inventory.
Later reporting frames those M60A3 incidents as part of a broader Turkish armor-survivability problem in Syria. Defence Turkey says several Turkish M60A3, M60T, and Leopard 2A4 tanks were hit by anti-tank guided missiles during Operation Euphrates Shield and that the experience fed into modernization work for M60T, M60A3, and Leopard 2A4 fleets. GlobalSecurity gives the same conflict-use context and links it to the M60TM modernization program.
Sources: Operation Euphrates Shield Lessons Learned, Turkish Land Platforms Operation Euphrates Shield, M60TM Main Battle Tank Modernization Context
