Syria civil war updates - no end of casualty and instability - Know all about it here (15 March 2025):

 

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What caused the uprising? In 1982, Bashar’s father ordered a military crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in Hama, killing tens of thousands of people and flattening much of the city. Even global warming is said to have played a role in sparking the 2011 uprising. Severe drought plagued Syria from 2007-10, causing as many as 1.5 million people to migrate from the countryside into cities, exacerbating poverty and social unrest. While the lack of freedoms and economic woes drove resentment of the Syrian government, the harsh crackdown on protesters inflamed public anger. Arab Spring: In 2011, successful uprisings – known as the Arab Spring – toppled Tunisia‘s and Egypt‘s presidents. This gave hope to Syrian pro-democracy activists. That March, peaceful protests erupted in Syria as well, after 15 boys were detained and tortured for writing graffiti in support of the Arab Spring. One of the boys, a 13-year-old, was killed after having been brutally tortured. The Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad, responded to the protests by killing hundreds of demonstrators and imprisoning many more.  In July 2011, defectors from the military announced the formation of the Free Syrian Army, a rebel group aiming to overthrow the government, and Syria began to slide into war. While the protests in 2011 were mostly non-sectarian, the armed conflict brought to the surface starker sectarian divisions. Most Syrians are Sunni Muslims, but Syria’s security establishment has long been dominated by members of the Alawi sect, of which Assad is a member.

History and war updates about Syria:

Year 1946: Syria concluded a treaty with France, ending French rule in Syria. French troops are withdrawn.

Year 1947: The Baʿath party, an Arab nationalist party formed by  Salah al-Din al-Bitar and Michel Aflaq in the early 1940s, held its first congress in Damascus.

Year 1948: Israel proclaimed its independence and was attacked by the surrounding Arab states, including Syria. The large and disorganized Arab armies were defeated, shocking the Syrian public, which had expected a quick victory. Discontent with the government of Pres. Shukri al-Quwatli spread within the Syrian military.

Year 1949: Husni al-Zaʿim, the army chief of staff, seized power in a military coup in March. Zaʿim quickly alienated his supporters and was deposed by a second military coup in August orchestrated by Sami al-Hinnawi, who designated a new civilian government. In December, Hinnawi was overthrown by a third coup, led by Adib al-Shishakli.

Year 1951: Shishakli launched a second coup, deposing Syria’s civilian government and establishing a military dictatorship.

Year 1954: Shishakli was overthrown by a military coup, and the civilian government was restored.

Year 1958: Syria and Egypt merge politically to form the United Arab Republic, with Cairo as the capital and Gamal Abdel Nasser as president. The union, which led to the economic and political domination of Syria by Egypt, quickly became unpopular in Syria.

Year 1961: A military coup reestablished Syria as an independent country, and a new civilian government was formed.

Year 1963: A coalition of military officers, including Baʿathist and Nasserist officers, seized power in March. Soon after the coup, the Baʿathist faction took control, purging Nasserists in government and suppressing uprisings. Within the Baʿath party in Syria, a split began to develop between the party’s original leadership and younger members with a stronger commitment to socialist policies.

Year 1966: Salah al-Jadid, a military officer and a member of the Alawite minority sect, seized power at the head of a coup by the left-wing faction of the Baʿath party. Bitar and Aflaq are arrested. Hafez al-Assad, another Alawite officer, became the minister of defense. The Baʿath party began to split into a civilian faction headed by Jadid and a military faction headed by Assad.

Year 1967: Egypt, Jordan, and Syria were defeated in the Six-Day War with Israel. Israel seizes the Golan Heights from Syria.

Year 1970: Assad took power in a coup, ousting Jadid.

Year 1973: Syria and Egypt launched attacks against Israeli forces in the Golan Heights and the Sinai, respectively. Syria failed to retake Golan Heights. Hostilities end with a ceasefire agreement.

Year 1976: Syria intervened in the Lebanese Civil War, sending a force of 25,000 soldiers to Lebanon to prevent the defeat of right-wing Christian militias. Syria’s military presence in Lebanon has continued for nearly three decades, enabling Syria to exert significant influence on Lebanese politics.

Year 1979: The U.S. State Department designates Syria a state sponsor of terrorism, citing its alleged support for Palestinian militant groups. The designation carries economic sanctions.

Year 1980: Islamist resistance to the Assad regime grows. Islamist and secular opposition groups organize demonstrations and riots around the country. A member of the Muslim Brotherhood attempts to assassinate Assad.

Year 1982: Islamist forces briefly took over the city of Hama. The Syrian military launched a full-scale assault to put down the rebellion, destroying large areas of the city and killing thousands of civilians.

Year 1990: Syria joined the U.S.-led coalition against Iraq following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Year  1994: Hafez al-Assad’s eldest son, Basil, considered likely to succeed him as president, is killed in a car accident. Assad’s second son, Bashar, then studying ophthalmology in London, takes Basil’s place as Assad’s heir apparent.

Year 2000: Hafez al-Assad dies in June. The following day, the People’s Assembly amends the constitution to lower the minimum age of the president to 34, allowing Bashar al-Assad, then 34 years old, to succeed his father in office. He was elected president in a referendum in July. In November, Assad released 600 political prisoners, a move that is seen by many as a sign of his intention to advance democratic reforms. He came to the presidency with a reputation as a modernizer and reformer. However, Assad’s presidency raised largely unfulfilled hopes.

Year 2001: Assad initiated a new crackdown on reformist politicians and activists, disappointing hopes that the new president would lead a transition away from authoritarianism in Syria.

Year 2004: The United Nations (UN) passed Resolution 1559, calling for the removal of all non-Lebanese military forces from Lebanon. The resolution is aimed at Syria, which still has thousands of troops stationed in Lebanon.

Year 2005: Rafic al-Hariri, a former Lebanese prime minister and a prominent critic of the Syrian military presence in Lebanon, is assassinated in Beirut in February. His death increased pressure on Syria, suspected by many of ordering the assassination, to withdraw its troops from Lebanon. Syria withdrew its forces in April.

Year 2008: Syria and Lebanon agreed to formally establish diplomatic relations for the first time since the two countries became independent.

Year 2010: The Syrian government prohibits teachers from wearing the niqāb, a veil that covers all of the face except the eyes, while teaching.

Year 2006 to 2010: Between 2006 and 2010, Syria experienced the worst drought in the country’s modern history. Hundreds of thousands of farming families were reduced to poverty, causing a mass migration of rural people to urban shantytowns.

Uprising in Syria:

Year 2011:

February 2011: Several small demonstrations are held in Syria to call for reform and to show solidarity with pro-democracy protesters in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya.

March 2011: Major unrest began on 15 March 2011, when protesters marched in Damascus and Aleppo, demanding democratic reforms and the release of political prisoners, triggered by the arrest of a teenage boy and his friends a few days earlier in the city of Daraa, for writing in graffiti, "It's your turn, doctor". On 20 March, the protesters burned down a Ba'ath Party headquarters and other government buildings. The ensuing clashes claimed the lives of 15 protesters. Ten days later, in a speech, President Bashar al-Assad blamed "foreign conspirators" pushing Israeli propaganda for the protests. Syria’s government, led by Pres. Bashar al-Assad faced an unprecedented challenge to his authority when pro-democracy protests erupted throughout the country. Protesters demanded an end to the authoritarian practices of the Assad regime, in place since Assad’s father, Hafez al-Assad, became president in 1971.  As protests spread and the number of protesters reported killed rises, President Assad fires his cabinet. Representatives of the president hint that new reforms will be undertaken. In his first speech since protests began, Assad is defiant, blaming the unrest on foreign conspirators seeking to destabilize Syria. He offers no concrete reforms or concessions.

April  2011: The government begins to use heavy military weaponry against hubs of protest. Soldiers and tanks are deployed to the cities of Bāniyās and Homs. Assad gave his second speech since the protests began. He offers some concessions, vowing to lift Syria’s long-standing emergency law, which grants security forces broad authority to investigate and arrest Syrians when national security is deemed to be at risk. Bashar Al-Assad announces the granting of Syrian citizenship to tens of thousands of Kurds. In a televised address, Bashar Al-Assad announced the repeal of the emergency law and the granting of permission to hold demonstrations under certain conditions.  By Friday, 22 April, protests were taking place in twenty cities. On 25 April, the Syrian Army initiated a series of large-scale, deadly military attacks on towns with tanks, infantry carriers, and artillery, leading to hundreds of civilian deaths. Human rights groups and opposition groups estimate that the death toll exceeds 500. President Barack Obama and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued statements condemning the regime’s crackdown on demonstrators. Syrian refugees begin crossing the border into Turkey; the first of twenty-one Syrian refugee camps is established in the country. President Obama issues U.S. Executive Order 13572 blocking the property of three Syrian officials because of human rights abuses, including Maher Al-Assad, the Syrian president’s younger brother, who is commander of the Republican Guard and the army Fourth Armored Division.

May 2011: By the end of May 2011, 1,000 civilians and 150 soldiers and policemen had been killed and thousands detained; among the arrested were many students, liberal activists, and human rights advocates. Unverified reports claim that a portion of the security forces in Jisr al-Shughur defected after secret police and intelligence officers executed soldiers who had refused to fire on civilians. Later, more protesters in Syria took up arms, and more soldiers defected to protect protesters. The European Union (EU) imposed an arms embargo and applied travel restrictions and asset freezes to 13 senior Syrian officials, including Assad.  The United States imposed new sanctions against Syrian officials. The latest sanctions, which include asset freezes and travel bans, extend to Assad himself. U.S. Executive Order 13573 blocks U.S. property owned by Bashar Al-Assad and six other senior Syrian officials.

June 2011: Security forces reportedly killed thirty-four protesters in Hama during the largest anti-regime demonstration since the unrest began. Syrian official media reported that 120 soldiers were killed by armed gangs in the northern city of Jisr al-Shughūr, near the Turkish border. Members of the opposition claim that the soldiers were executed for refusing to fire on protesters. Some Western media reports suggest that residents took up arms to repel assaults by regime security forces. Syrian tanks and troops move into Jisr al-Shughūr. Thousands of residents flee across the border into Turkey. Assad gave a third speech in which he continued to blame foreign conspiracies for unrest in Syria. His calls for a national dialogue are dismissed by the opposition. Arab League condemns regime crackdown on protesters. Secretary-General Amr Moussa says Arab states are “worried, angry and actively monitoring” the crisis. Syrian conflict spreads to Lebanon with the outbreak of clashes in Tripoli between Lebanese supporters and opponents of the Syrian regime.

July 2011: On 1 July 2011, 100,000 people protested against the government across Syria. Tens of thousands of Syrians, many carrying roses and olive branches, stage a demonstration in Hama. Syrian tanks and troops are dispatched to Hama, where security forces raid houses and arrest suspected dissidents. Security forces reportedly killed more than 100 protesters in Hama. Amid concerns that the Syrian military’s actions in Hama could lead to a massacre, the U.S. ambassador to Syria showed solidarity with protesters by visiting Hama. The Syrian government denounces the visit, calling it proof that the United States is involved in fomenting protest in Syria. As massive demonstrations are held in Hama, the French ambassador to Syria also travels to the city to show support for protesters. Crowds of Assad supporters attacked the U.S. embassy and the French embassy in Damascus. The Syrian cabinet approved a draft law allowing for the formation of new political parties in Syria. The law includes provisions that, members of the Syrian opposition argue, could be used by the Assad regime to disqualify any viable party. The beginning of organized insurgency is typically marked by the formation of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) on 29 July 2011, when a group of defected officers declared the establishment of the first organized oppositional military force. Composed of defected Syrian Armed Forces personnel, the rebel army aimed to protect protestors and ultimately remove Bashar al-Assad and his government from power. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that Bashar Al-Assad has “lost legitimacy” and that “we have absolutely nothing invested in him remaining in power.”

August 2011: The UN Security Council condemns the Syrian government for its use of violence against protesters. Assad issues a decree putting the draft law allowing for the formation of new political parties into effect immediately. In a sign of the Assad regime’s increasing diplomatic isolation, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia recalled their ambassadors to Syria. U.S. Pres. Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French Pres. Nicholas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron issued statements calling for Assad to step down as president. UN human rights officials estimate that more than 2,200 people have been killed by Syrian security forces since mid-March. The UN Human Rights Council votes to open an investigation into possible crimes against humanity. U.S. Executive Order 13582 bans Syrian oil imports and new U.S. investments in Syria and blocks Syrian government property in the United States. Syrian factions inside and outside of Syria formed the Syrian National Council to oppose the Al-Assad regime.

September 2011: Bolstering sanctions, the EU agrees to a ban on the import of Syrian oil. Following a four-day conference of Syrian opposition activists in Istanbul, 140 people were selected to form the Syrian National Council, a council claiming to represent the Syrian opposition. In the first large-scale battle between government forces and the armed opposition, Syrian troops clash with army defectors—including members of the Free Syrian Army—in the city of Al-Rastan. After five days of fighting, government forces established control of the city. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says that his government has cut off contacts with Syria. Security forces and military defectors engage in heavy fighting in the city of Rastan.

October 2011: The Syrian National Council issued a statement calling on the international community to defend protesters in Syria. Meanwhile, Syria’s long-standing allies, Iran and Russia, continued their support. China and Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that condemns the Syrian government’s crackdowns and indicates that the continuation of violence against protesters could lead to international sanctions. The UN announced that 3,000 people have been killed since the start of the protests, including nearly 200 children. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay warns that the Syrian crisis “is already showing worrying signs of descending into an armed struggle.”

November 2011: Qatar’s foreign minister announces that Syria has accepted an Arab League plan for dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition. The plan calls for the Syrian government to cease violence against protesters, allow journalists into the country, remove tanks and armored vehicles from cities, and release political prisoners. The UN released a new report estimating that 3,500 people have been killed since the start of the protests. Violence continues despite the Syrian government’s reported agreement to withdraw its troops from cities. The Arab League voted to suspend Syria. Arab diplomats criticize Syria for failing to implement the Arab League’s peace agreement. In Syria, embassies and consulates belonging to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and France are attacked by angry crowds following the vote. The Free Syrian Army attacks several army checkpoints and an air force intelligence base near Damascus. The attacks, the first to target government forces near the capital, are seen by many as an indication of the armed opposition’s increasing confidence. The Arab League voted to impose sanctions against Syria, including a ban on senior Syrian officials traveling to other Arab countries, a freeze on assets linked to the Assad regime, and a ban on commercial flights between Syria and other Arab countries. Turkey announced that it would also adopt the Arab League’s sanctions.

December 2011: In an interview with an American television network, Bashar al-Assad defends the Syrian government’s response to protests and denies having ordered the security forces to kill protesters. He maintains that disturbances in the country are the work of armed criminal gangs and that primary victims of violence have been members of the security forces and civilian supporters of the government. Syria holds elections for local councils as fighting continues in several cities. The opposition dismissed the vote as irrelevant and called for a boycott. As fears of a civil war grow, Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, reports that more than 5,000 people have been killed since protests began. Syria signed an agreement allowing Arab League monitors to enter the country to observe Syria’s implementation of the Arab League peace plan, which the country accepted in November 2011. The first Arab League monitors arrive in Syria. The Syrian opposition objects to the appointment of Mustafa al-Dabi, a Sudanese general accused of having committed human rights violations in his own country, as the head of the delegation. Two suicide bombings kill at least forty people outside the State Security Directorate and another security building in Damascus. Syrian officials announced that the bombings were carried out by al-Qaeda suicide bombers. Opposition leaders contend that the bombings were staged by the government to substantiate its claims that it is facing an insurrection by Islamic radicals. The rest of the Arab League delegation arrives in Syria. Although the observers’ first statements about the situation in Syria are positive, reports indicate that violence against protesters in Homs continues while the monitors are in the city. Syria signs a new Arab League agreement requiring the regime to withdraw security forces and heavy weapons from civilian areas, commence talks with the opposition, and allow human rights workers and journalists into the country. Security forces reportedly killed nearly 200 people, including army defectors, in a massacre in Idlib province.  The Syrian regime announces the release of more than 750 prisoners detained during protests.

Year 2012:

January 2012: The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby, acknowledged during a press conference that Syrian security forces continue to kill protesters despite the presence of Arab League monitors. Elaraby says that monitors have confirmed that the Syrian government has withdrawn armored vehicles and tanks from cities, partially complying with the Arab League plan. Citing an increase in violence in Syria, Elaraby announces the suspension of the Arab League monitoring mission. The announcement comes after several Arab countries withdrew their members of the monitoring delegation over concerns for their safety. General Mustafa Ahmad AlSheikh became the highest-ranking military officer to defect and join the Free Syrian Army. Arab League calls on Bashar Al-Assad to hand over power to his top deputy and for the formation of a national unity government and new Syrian elections. Formation of Al-Nusra Front (Jabhat Al-Nusra), a Syrian affiliate of Al-Qaeda, is announced.

February 2012: Russia and China veto a UN Security Council resolution that condemns the Assad regime’s violent crackdown and calls for a transition to a democratic political system in Syria. Chinese and Russian officials say that the resolution places excessive pressure on the Syrian government, decreasing the likelihood of a political settlement. The Syrian army begins an assault on the city of Homs, an opposition stronghold. Predominately Sunni districts of the city are hit by artillery and sniper fire, causing large numbers of civilian casualties. The attack continued for several weeks. The Syrian government announced that it will speed up its plans to hold a referendum on a new draft constitution, scheduling the referendum for February 26. The draft constitution, praised by Syrian officials for incorporating democratic reforms, is dismissed by the opposition and much of the international community as a ploy meant to draw attention away from violence in the country. The UN General Assembly passes a nonbinding resolution condemning the Syrian government’s crackdown and calling on Assad to resign. Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the UN, is appointed as a joint UN and Arab League peace envoy for Syria. In a national referendum, Syrian voters approved a new constitution that establishes a multi-party system; opposition leaders call the vote a sham. The opposition said that the referendum, held on short notice amid widespread violence, must be considered illegitimate. A UN official says that the Syrian government’s crackdown has resulted in the deaths of more than 7,500 civilians since protests began. The United States closed its embassy in Damascus. Car bombings kill twenty-eight people outside the Military Intelligence Directorate and a police compound in Aleppo. Friends of Syria conference in Tunis demands that Bashar Al-Assad cease the use of violence and allow humanitarian aid into the country, and calls on the UN to send a peacekeeping mission to Syria. Arab League approves a resolution opening communication channels with the Syrian opposition.  Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri issues a videotaped message calling on militants throughout the region to participate in the overthrow of the Al-Assad regime. UN General Assembly votes 137-12 with seventeen abstentions to condemn the Syrian regime’s “widespread and systematic” human rights violations and demand Bashar Al-Assad’s resignation.

March 2012: UN Security Council backs sixpoint Annan peace plan, which calls on the Syrian government to partake in an inclusive political transition process; cease violence and withdraw security forces; allow access for humanitarian assistance; release prisoners who have been arbitrarily detained; allow freedom of movement for journalists; allow Syrians to demonstrate freely. Annan announced that Syria has agreed to the UN-backed peace plan. All 15 members of the UN Security Council agreed to a statement threatening Syria with further action if it fails to end the violence. Gulf Cooperation Council announces that its six member states— Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait—will close their embassies in Damascus.

April 2012: Annan announced that Assad has accepted April 12 as the deadline for the implementation of the ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons from cities as required by the UN peace plan. Over the next several days, media reports indicated escalating violence. UNSC Resolution 2043 establishes 300-member UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) to monitor the ceasefire and ensure implementation of Annan peace plan. Amid reports that Syrian forces have resumed attacks on civilians and opposition fighters, the UN Security Council passes a resolution authorizing the deployment of a team of monitors in Syria to observe the ceasefire. The first monitors arrived in Syria the following day. As violence escalates, Ban Ki-Moon, the secretary-general of the United Nations, states that Syria has failed to adhere to the terms of the UN peace plan and that both government and opposition forces have been responsible for breaching the ceasefire. Friends of Syria conference in Istanbul recognizes the Syrian National Council as the representative of the Syrian opposition. United States agreed to send communication equipment to rebels, while Arab nations pledged more than $100 million in financial support. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) opened the Domiz camp in Iraq for Syrians fleeing the conflict. U.S. Executive Order 13606 blocks U.S. property and bans entry to Syrians suspected of committing human rights abuses with information technology. Idlib bombing was a car bombing that targeted the Syrian military in Idlib, killing twenty people. Most of those killed were members of the security forces.

May 2012: Syria holds parliamentary elections amid boycott by opposition; reports say that the ruling Baath Party and allies won a 60 percent majority, with most of the other seats going to pro-regime independents. More than 50 people are killed in a double suicide bombing at a military base in Damascus.  More than 100 people were killed in the area known as Houla, north of Homs, with most of the victims concentrated in the village of Tall Daww. UN observers confirm that most of the dead were killed in house-to-house raids and that about 50 children died in the attacks.  FSA began nationwide offensives against government troops. The governments of several Western countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, expelled Syrian diplomats in response to the killings in Houla.

June 2012: On 6 June 2012, 78 civilians were killed in the Al-Qubeir massacre. According to activist sources, the Syrian Army started by shelling the village before the Shabiha militia moved in. The UN observers headed to Al-Qubeir in the hope of investigating the alleged massacre, but they were met with a roadblock and small arms fire and were forced to retreat. Assad named Riyad Hijab, a senior figure in the Baʿath Party, as prime minister. Bashar Al-Assad dissolved Adel Safar’s government and appointed Riyad Hijab, former agriculture minister, as prime minister. Hervé Ladsous, UN undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations, calls the crisis in Syria a full-scale civil war. UN suspends its monitoring mission in Syria, citing dangerous conditions after observers are directly targeted in attacks. Syrian air force pilot flies fighter jet to Jordan and defects. Action Group for Syria, comprised of the six members of the UN Security Council, European Union, Turkey, Iraq, Qatar, and Kuwait, meets in the Geneva I conference. Geneva Communiqué calls for implementation of the Annan peace plan. The United States and Russia were unable to agree on whether Assad would be included in a future Syrian government, though, so this was left unspecified. On 12 June 2012, the UN, for the first time, officially proclaimed Syria to be in a state of civil war.

July 2012: The International Committee of the Red Cross announced that it will classify the conflict in Syria as a civil war. The new designation means that combatants are subject to international humanitarian law and may be prosecuted for war crimes. An explosion at the National Security Building in Damascus kills or injures several seniors. Syrian military and security officials are responsible for the crackdown against the opposition. Those killed in the blast include Deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat, Bashar Al-Assad’s brother-in-law and a former intelligence chief, Defense Minister Daoud Rajha, and General Hassan Turkmani, a former defense minister.   UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says that the Syrian conflict has reached a “critical stage” and warns that it could be devastating for the entire region. Brigadier General Manaf Tlass, a member of Bashar Al-Assad’s inner circle and son of former Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass, defects to Turkey.  Nawaf Al-Fares, Syrian ambassador to Iraq, defects. Rebel forces capture eastern Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, establishing a foothold in the eastern part of the city. Also captured most of the city of Al-Qusayr, in Homs Governorate, and the town of Saraqeb, in Idlib Governorate. Russia and China vetoed a draft UNSC resolution that would extend the mandate of UNSMIS and threaten sanctions against the Syrian regime. Lamia Al-Hariri, Syrian ambassador to Cyprus and niece of Vice President Farouk Al-Sharaa defects, her husband, Abdelatif Al-Dabbagh, Syrian ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, defects shortly afterward. UNHCR opens the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. A colonel (left) and a first lieutenant (right) in the FSA announce the formation of the Conquest Brigade, part of the FSA in Tell Rifaat, north of Aleppo, 31 July 2012.

August 2012: Unable to broker a resolution to the crisis, Annan resigned from his position as the UN and Arab League peace envoy for Syria. Lakhdar Brahimi, veteran UN diplomat and former Algerian foreign minister, succeeds Kofi Annan as Joint Special Envoy. Riyad Hijab, Syria’s newly appointed prime minister, defects, fleeing to Jordan with his family. Following his defection, Hijab predicted the imminent collapse of the Assad regime. Bashar Al-Assad appoints Wael Al-Halqi, former minister of health, prime minister. A report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic says that the regime, as well as opposition forces, have committed crimes against humanity. Security forces reportedly killed some 400 people in the Damascus suburb of Dariya.

September 2012: Brahimi arrives in Damascus to meet for the first time with Assad and other senior Syrian officials. Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York after his first trip to Syria, Brahimi states that the situation in Syria is continuing to deteriorate and that he is pessimistic about the chances for a negotiated peace in the immediate future. Amid heavy fighting in Aleppo, a fire destroyed hundreds of shops in the city’s historic covered market, parts of which date back to the 15th and 16th centuries. After a week of negotiations in Qatar, Syrian opposition leaders announced the formation of a new Syrian opposition coalition, called the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (and sometimes also called the Syrian National Coalition). The Istanbul-based Syrian National Council, which had come to be regarded as too narrow to effectively represent the opposition, holds about a third of the seats in the new coalition’s leadership council. Over the next month, the coalition received recognition from dozens of countries as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. Brigadier General Mohammed Ali Jafari of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps says that the IRGC is providing “advisory help” to the Al-Assad regime. At Friends of Syria conference in New York, United States pledges $45 million in non-lethal and humanitarian aid for Syrian rebels.

October 2012: In October 2012, rebel forces seized control of Maarat al-Numan, a town in Idlib Governorate on the highway linking Damascus with Aleppo, and captured Douma, marking increased influence in Rif Dimashq.

November 2012: The Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says rebel forces may have committed war crimes by summarily executing Syrian soldiers who had surrendered. Syrian National Council and other factions form the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. Moaz Al-Khatib, a Muslim cleric, is named coalition president. The coalition’s goals include overthrowing the Al-Assad regime and establishing a “democratic and pluralistic civil state”. Israeli tanks open fire on Syrian posts after shelling of the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights. Friends of Syria conference in Tokyo calls on the Syrian regime to cease the use of violence and provide access for humanitarian aid.

December 2012:  Salim Idris replaces Riad Al-Asaad as commander of Free Syrian Army.  U.S. State Department designates the Al-Nusra Front a terrorist organization. UNHCR reports that more than 500,000 Syrian refugees have fled the country. President Obama says the United States recognizes the Syrian National Coalition as “the legitimate representative” of the Syrian people.

January 2013: The UN estimates that 60,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict in 2011. Syrian officials accused Israel of launching air strikes against a Syrian military research facility near Damascus. Israel does not formally acknowledge the attacks, but unofficial reports suggest that Israeli jets bombed a convoy carrying advanced weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon. In a televised address, Bashar Al-Assad announces reforms to end the conflict, including elections, a national reconciliation conference, and a new constitution. Special Joint Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi meets with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Deputy U.S. Secretary of State William Burns; they fail to resolve differences over role of Bashar Al-Assad in Syria’s transition. Bombings at Aleppo University kill more than eighty people. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that the bound bodies of sixty-five people, apparent victims of a mass execution, were found on a riverbank in Aleppo.

February 2013: A car bombing near the ruling Baath Party headquarters in Damascus kills more than fifty people. At Friends of Syria meeting in Rome, United States pledges $60 million in medical supplies and food for rebels.

March 2013: Rockets carrying chemical weapons are reportedly used in a town near Aleppo. Each side accuses the other of having deployed chemical agents, but the allegations remain unproved. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres reports that more than one million Syrians have become refugees from the conflict.  Arab League granted Syria’s seat in the organization to the Syrian National Coalition.

April  2013: At a Friends of Syria meeting in Istanbul, United States pledges an additional $123 million in non-lethal aid to the Syrian opposition. George Sabra, a former political prisoner and Communist Party official, is elected interim president of the Syrian National Coalition.  Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah says in a televised speech that his group’s fighters have intervened in Syria in support of the Al-Assad regime.

May 2013: The Syrian army launched an offensive against al-Quṣayr, a strategically important town held by the rebels in western Syria. Thousands of fighters belonging to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, an ally of the Syrian government, reportedly take part in the battle. Security forces and shabiha reportedly killed some 250 people in Baniyas and Bayda, triggering an exodus from the cities. Israel says its military aircraft bombed a shipment of advanced surface-to-surface missiles in Damascus possibly intended for Hezbollah. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that 4.25 million Syrians have become internally displaced persons (IDPs). Two car bombings kill more than forty people in the Turkish town of Reyhanli near the Syrian border. Friends of Syria conference in Amman condemns atrocities by Syrian regime and reiterates support for the Syrian National Coalition. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah promises military support for Bashar Al-Assad until the defeat of Syrian rebels.

June 2013: UN increases the target in its appeal for international aid to Syria from $3 billion to $5 billion, citing the rapid intensification of the conflict. Sunni rebels reportedly attacked Hatlah and killed some sixty Shiites. White House announces that U.S. intelligence officials have “high confidence” that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons multiple times over the past year, and that as a result of the finding, President Obama authorizes direct military support to the rebels. Friends of Syria conference in Doha agrees to provide “material and equipment” to rebels, and demands fighters from Hezbollah, Iran and Iraq withdraw from the country.

July 2013: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon announces that the UN estimates that more than 100,000 people have been killed since the start of the conflict. Ahmad Jarba, a former political prisoner, was elected to replace George Sabra as president of the Syrian National Coalition. Syrian National Coalition delegation, meeting with members of the UN Security Council, seeks a commitment that Bashar Al-Assad will not be part of a transitional government and calls on Russia to end its support for the Syrian regime. Iran opens a $3.6 billion line of credit enabling Syria to purchase oil from Iran.

August 2013: The Syrian opposition accuses pro-Assad forces of having killed hundreds in chemical weapons attacks in the suburbs of Damascus. Syrian officials deny having used chemical agents and assert that if such weapons were used, rebel forces are to blame. Officials from the UN, Europe, and the United States demand that UN weapons inspectors who entered Syria in early August to investigate earlier allegations of chemical weapons use be given immediate access to the sites of the most recent alleged attacks. Assad grants UN inspectors access to the sites of alleged attacks. U.S. Pres. Barack Obama announces that he is considering limited military action against targets in Syria in response to the Assad regime’s alleged use of chemical weapons. Sunni rebels capture Alawite towns in northwestern Syria, reportedly killing 200 people; rebels claim they killed regime forces, while residents say the dead were civilians. Inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-United Nations Joint Mission (OPCW-UN) arrive in Syria to investigate allegations of chemical weapons attacks. Thousands of social media messages report a chemical attack on Damascus suburbs; Western media publish images of bodies of purported victims; opposition accuses Al-Assad regime of toxic gas attack; Syrian Information Minister Omran Al-Zoubi says allegations are “untrue and completely fabricated.” After British Prime Minister David Cameron called for a military response to the chemical weapons attack, Britain’s parliament voted to reject a military strike on Syria. White House accuses Syrian regime of launching a chemical attack that killed 1,429 people in the Damascus suburbs on August 21; U.S. assessment says motive was to rid suburbs of opposition forces using area to stage attacks on capital; Doctors Without Borders later reports that three hospitals near Damascus treated 3,600 patients displaying neurotoxic symptoms, and that 355 of the patients were subsequently pronounced dead. President Obama asked Congress to authorize a U.S. military strike on Syrian regime targets in response to its use of chemical weapons.

September 2013: Russia proposes a plan to put Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile under international control. The United States, Russia, and Syria reached an agreement for a plan to place Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile under international control. A report by UN weapons inspectors finds “clear and convincing evidence” that on August 21, surface-to-surface missiles containing the nerve agent sarin were launched from regime-controlled positions on Ein Tarma, Moadamiyah, and Zamalka in the Ghouta area near Damascus. The report, however, does not specify which side was responsible for the attacks, and it does not give an exact number of victims. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov calls U.S. intelligence on the chemical weapons attack inconclusive. Bashar Al-Assad tells Le Figaro there is a risk of a “regional war” if Western nations strike Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin warns against a U.S. strike on Syria, saying: “We have our ideas about what we will do and how we will do it in case the situation develops toward the use of force or otherwise.” At the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that aid efforts are not keeping pace with the growing humanitarian crisis in Syria. Russia proposes that Syria place its chemical agents under international control and gradually destroy them to avoid a U.S. military strike. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem says his government welcomes the Russian plan. President Obama announced that he has asked Congress to postpone a vote to authorize the use of force against Syria while a diplomatic approach is pursued. Russia and the United States agree on a deal to place Syria’s chemical arsenal under international control and to destroy the arsenal by mid-2014; President Obama says that the United States is “prepared to act” if the deal fails.  President Obama announces $339 million in new humanitarian aid for Syria; total U.S. humanitarian aid reaches nearly $1.4 billion.  UN Security Council unanimously adopts UNSC Resolution 2118, requiring the Syrian regime to dismantle its chemical weapons arsenal.

October 2013: Officials from OPCW arrive in Damascus to monitor the dismantling of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal. OPCW reports that the Syrian regime has rendered its chemical weapons production facilities inoperable.

November 2013: Islamist rebels, including members of the Al-Nusra Front, capture oil installations in Deir Al-Zor province. In November 2013, Government forces recaptured several cities and installations with heavy casualties from both sides.

December 2013: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay says that a fact-finding team has found substantial evidence implicating the “highest levels” of the Syrian regime in war crimes.

Year 2014:

January 2014: Guardian and CNN cite a report by former international war crimes prosecutors accusing the regime of the “systematic killing” of 11,000 detainees; the report says evidence suggests the regime is guilty of crimes against humanity. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convenes the first round of Geneva II peace talks involving the Syrian government and the Syrian National Coalition; Joint Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi reports no progress toward a political agreement or delivering humanitarian aid, saying “the gaps between the sides remain wide.”

February 2014: Barrel bombs reportedly dropped by security forces kill at least 246 civilians in Aleppo.  A second round of Geneva II talks is held; representatives of government and opposition fail to agree on agenda; Joint Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi apologizes to the Syrian people for lack of progress in the talks. Abdul-Ilah Al-Bashir AlNoeimi replaces Salim Idris as commander of Free Syrian Army. UN Security Council unanimously adopts UNSC Resolution 2139 calling on the Syrian regime and the rebels to cease attacks on civilians and allow the delivery of humanitarian aid; calls for an end to “all forms of violence” and condemns Al Qaeda-related terrorism.

March 2014: Turkish military forces shoot down a Syrian fighter jet after it enters Turkish airspace. UNHCR reports that by the end of 2013, 2.3 million Syrian refugees had sought asylum in Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt; 18 percent of the refugees live in thirty UNHCR camps located in Turkey, Jordan, and Iraq.

April 2014: On 4 April, rebels captured the town of Babulin, Idlib. On 9 April, the Syrian Army took control of Rankous in the Qalamoun region. On 12 April, rebels in Aleppo stormed the Ba'athist government-held Ramouseh industrial district in an attempt to cut the Army supply route between the airport and a large Army base. The rebels also took the Rashidin neighbourhood and parts of the Jamiat al-Zahra district.  On 26 April, the Syrian Army took control of Al-Zabadani. Rebels took control of Tell Ahrmar and Quneitra,  and in Daraa, they also took over Brigade 61 Base and the 74th Battalion. On 26 April, the FSA announced they had begun an offensive against ISIL in the Raqqa Governorate and had seized five towns west of Raqqa city. On 29 April, activists said that the Syrian Army captured Tal Buraq near the town of Mashara in Quneitra without any clashes.

May 2014: On 7 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 Ba'athist government control, in exchange for the 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-Assad fighters at an army post near the town. Its seizure marked the third time rebels have taken control of the town.

June 2014: The last of the Syrian government’s declared stockpile of chemical weapons are removed from the country under the terms of the U.S.-Russian agreement from September 2013. After making significant territorial gains in Iraq in addition to its territory in Syria, the extremist militant group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) declares itself a caliphate, with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as its leader. Presidential election (3 June 2014): Syria held a presidential election in Ba'athist government-held areas on 3 June 2014. For the first time in the history of Syria more than one person was allowed to stand as a presidential candidate. According to the Supreme Constitutional Court of Syria, 11.63 million Syrians voted (the turnout was 73.42%). President Bashar al-Assad won the election with 88.7% of the votes. Allies of Assad from more than 30 countries were invited by the Syrian Ba'athist government to follow the presidential election, including Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, India, Iran, Iraq, Nicaragua, Russia, South Africa, and Venezuela. The Iranian official Alaeddin Boroujerdi read a statement by the group saying the election was "free, fair and transparent". The Gulf Cooperation Council, the European Union, and the United States all dismissed the election as illegitimate and a farce.

ISIL–Ba'athist government conflict intensifies (June–September 2014)

September 2014: The United States and a coalition of Arab countries expanded their air campaign against ISIL to strike targets in Syria as well as Iraq.

May 2015: ISIL takes control of Palmyra, an ancient city in eastern Syria with a rich collection of Greco-Roman monuments. ISIL later disseminates photographs and video of its fighters demolishing artifacts and structures.

September 2015: Russia carried out its first air strikes in Syria.

In the summer of 2015, Russia began to take a more active role in the conflict, deploying troops and military equipment to an air base near Latakia. In September 2015, Russia launched its first air strikes against targets in Syria. Russian officials originally claimed that the air strikes were targeting ISIL, but it quickly became clear that they were targeting mostly rebels fighting against Assad, intending to bolster their ally.

Year 2016:

March 2016: Syrian troops, bolstered by Hezbollah fighters and Russian air support, retake Palmyra from ISIL.

September 2016: After a brief ceasefire fails, Russia and Syrian government forces begin heavy bombardment of rebel-held territory in Aleppo.

October 2016: On 26 October 2016, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said that an offensive to retake Raqqa from ISIL would begin within weeks.

December 2016: The Syrian government declares victory in Aleppo after the last rebel fighters are evacuated from the city.

April 2017: The United States struck the Shayrat air base, a government-controlled air force base,  With 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack carried out by government forces against rebels in Khān Shaykhūn.

June 2017: The Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S.-aligned predominantly Kurdish force, launch an attack on Al-Raqqah, ISIL’s de facto capital in Syria. The attack is supported by U.S. air strikes and special forces.

October 2017: The Syrian Democratic Forces announced that Al-Raqqah has been cleared of ISIL fighters.

November 2017: Pro-government Syrian troops expel ISIL from Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria.

April 2018: After the Syrian government used chemical weapons in Douma, U.S., British, and French forces launched more than 100 strikes targeting chemical weapons facilities near Damascus and Homs.

May 2018: After a series of Israeli strikes targeting the Iranian military in Syria, Iran shelled Golan Heights from Syrian territory. Israel responded with a barrage against dozens of Iranian military sites in Syria.

June–July 2018: Syrian government forces launched an offensive to retake the southwest region from rebel forces. The assault initially focused on the province of Daraa and later expanded into surrounding areas, including the province of Quneitra. As the success of the government operation became clear, a deal was brokered with the help of Russia that allowed rebels safe passage to the rebel-held province of Idlib in the north in exchange for their surrender in the southwest of the country.

October 2018: A buffer zone is implemented in and around Idlib, according to an agreement negotiated between Russia and Turkey a month prior. The agreement is meant to de-escalate a potentially devastating attempt by the government to capture the last rebel-held territory.

April–June 2019: Idlib comes under assault from Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes, but rebel forces can push the fighting back into the neighboring province of Hama.

October 2019: Turkey launches an offensive into the Kurdish region of northeastern Syria, days after the United States says it would not fight such an incursion.

February - March  2020: Turkey and Russian-backed Syrian government forces come into confrontation after dozens of Turkish soldiers are killed. The confrontation ends after a ceasefire is brokered by Turkey and Syria’s ally, Russia.

Year 2023: The Arab League votes to reinstate the Syrian government. After the government succeeds in holding control of most of Syria for three years, Arab leaders seek to normalize realizations and cooperate with Syria on international matters, including the return of Syrian refugees.

Year 2024:

September – November 2024: Fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli forces in neighboring Lebanon leads to a tremendous setback for Hezbollah, which in October pulls back fighters from Syria to reinforce its front lines. A fragile ceasefire agreement on November 26 leaves Hezbollah with limited room to maneuver. On 27 November 2024, a coalition of Syrian opposition groups called the  Military Operations Command led by Islamist Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a  lightning offensive against pro-government Syrian Arab Army (SAA) forces in  Aleppo, Idlib, Hama and Homs Governorates in Syria. This was followed by other rebel offensives from the Southern Front, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the Syrian Free Army. The government continued to get some backing from its allies Russia and Iran, including Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah, although these allies were entangled in their conflicts in Ukraine and Lebanon. On November 28, it was reported that Russian and Syrian warplanes were bombing rebel positions in response to the offensive. Additionally, Iranian state media said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Kioumars Pourhashemi, a senior Iranian military adviser in Syria, was killed in Aleppo. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the leading rebel force, launched a new offensive. Within days, the group entered Aleppo’s city center, and on November 29, government forces fully withdrew from the city. In the Battle of Aleppo, from 29 November to 2 December, HTS-led forces took Aleppo from the government. On 30 November, several more settlements were seized, with the rebels entering Hama and Homs. In the Southern Syria offensive, 29 November to December 2024, rebels organized in the Southern Operations Room took most of Southern Syria..

December 2024:

On 1 December As part of the renewed rebel advance into the southern Idlib and Hama Governorates, seven HTS fighters were killed in Khan Shaykhun by booby-trapped missiles in a former SAA warehouse that was abandoned by retreating government forces in the city. On the same day, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), opposition forces took control of the towns of Khanasir and As-Safira and the Kuwayres military airbase in the eastern countryside of Aleppo. Nine SAA soldiers were killed during the fighting. Furthermore, according to SOHR, six Iranian militiamen were killed in a local gunmen attack in Talbiseh. According to SOHR, 13 civilians were killed by a Russian airstrike in Idlib city, and 12 other people were killed in a Russian airstrike in the Aleppo city centre, including 2 HTS fighters.

On 2 December According to Kurdish sources, the AANES General Security Directorate arrested an ISIS emir in the town of Al-Izba, north of Deir ez-Zor. They said the emir was responsible for several recent bombings and assassinations in the town. According to SOHR, eight civilians were killed in an HTS rocket attack on Hama city. Four civilians were killed in a Russian airstrike near the directorate of health in Idlib city. Heavy clashes began between Syrian Army forces and forces of HTS on the renewed Hama front in the towns of Karnaz and Suran. Clashes also occurred on the frontline in the Al-Ghab Plain, amid a failed HTS offensive where at least ten HTS members were killed attacking SAA positions. According to SOHR, three SDF fighters were killed in a Turkish drone strike on their car on the M4 Highway.

Between 2 and 3 December, according to SOHR, at least 68 people, including 23 Syrian opposition fighters, 29 government soldiers, and 16 civilians, were killed in Syria.

On 3 December Two civilians were killed in a Russian airstrike in Khan Shaykhun, southern Idlib. At least 17 SAA soldiers and 8 HTS fighters were killed in the clashes north of Hama. Two civilians were also killed by HTS shelling in the city. According to SOHR, at least 11 SDF/civilians, including a woman, were executed by SNA fighters, amid many more Kurdish civilians being held captive and evacuated from the Al-Shuhada area and northern Aleppo countryside.  Six SAA soldiers were killed in an American airstrike near Deir ez Zor airport. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), which is aligned with pro-Turkish opposition groups, reported that the SDF used a rocket launcher to fire multiple rockets at Jarablos city in eastern rural Aleppo governorate, killing two.

Between 3 and 4 December, according to SOHR, at least 129 people, including 70 Syrian opposition fighters, 47 SAA soldiers, and 12 civilians, were killed in Syria.

December 5, 2024: After several days of clashes just outside of Hama, government forces withdrew, and HTS took control of the city. Kurds' dream of self-rule under threat as Turkish-backed forces sweep across Syria, Dec 5, 2024, France24.

On 6 December: Advancing south on the M5 motorway from Hama, HTS-led rebels entered Al-Dar al-Kabirah, on the northern edge of Syria's third city Homs, where the government forces were expected to make their last stand. The government lost control of Deraa to local rebels, who gave government officers safe passage to Damascus. The Russian government ordered its nationals to leave the country. Iran pledged extra support for the regime, while Israel struck targets on the Lebanese border to prevent Hezbollah engagement. That day, the Deir ez-Zor Military Council, Kurdish and Arab fighters of the SDF, took control of Deir ez-Zor city after government forces and Iran-backed militias withdrew. According to SOHR, a SDF fighter was killed and three others injured in a Turkish shelling of Manbij.

In the Palmyra offensive, 6–7 December, US-backed rebels took Palmyra.

December 7, 2024: On 7 December 2024, the outskirts of Damascus were reached by rebel forces. HTS took control of Daraa and Homs, effectively isolating Damascus. Rebel forces enter Damascus hours later as reports surface that Assad has fled. On that same day, according to SOHR, two SDF fighters were killed in a Turkish kamikaze drone strike in Manbij City.

December 8, 2024: On 8 December, Syrian opposition forces in the Operations Room to Liberate Damascus, who had been waiting for HTS-led forces to take Homs, captured Damascus, with thousands of government soldiers surrendering before fighting began, and subsequently announced the collapse of Assad's regime. Rebel forces declare Damascus “liberated,” and Assad is toppled. "Syrian rebels topple President Assad, prime minister calls for free elections". Reuters.   "Syrian rebels capture Damascus, saying President Assad has fled". BBC News.  Al Jazeera Staff (8 December 2024). "What happened in Syria? How did al-Assad fall?".    As Assad falls, fighting intensifies over northern Syria town, by Sirwan Kajjo, December 8, 2024, Voice of America.

According to official state reports in Russian mass media and media footage, President Bashar al-Assad left Damascus by air to Moscow,  where he was granted asylum, sealing the fall of his regime.

Some of the events after the collapse of the Assad regime on December 08, 2024,

Israeli invasion of Syria: On the same day, hours after the fall of the Assad regime, Israeli forces were sent to reinforce the UN's forces (UNDOF) in maintaining the UN buffer zone, citing concerns of extremist groups operating in the region after the dissolution of the Syrian Arab Army, while stating that they were not interested in interfering in events in Syria. Hours later, Israeli forces invaded and seized the UN buffer zone in the Golan Heights, declaring the 1974 disengagement agreement void. Additionally, they moved forces into Syrian territory, occupying the Druze towns of Khan Arnabeh and al-Baath. Israel later took complete control of Mount Hermon after taking control of the Syrian side without facing resistance.

Turkey Action: Despite the collapse of the Assad regime, Turkish-backed forces in northern Syria have continued to attack the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. With the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in Damascus and the uncertainty over what comes next, Turkey has been seeking an opportunity to wipe out its Kurdish opponents and carve out a puppet state in Syria's north. With air cover from the Turkish Air Force, militias known as the Syrian National Army (SNA) overran the nearby city of Manbij and marched toward Kobane. There was also fighting between the Turkish-backed rebel Syrian National Army (SNA) and the US-backed and Kurdish-led SDF in Northeastern Syria, On December 9, Turkish-backed SNA fighters captured the city of Manbij in northern Syria. Furthermore, according to SOHR, 11 SDF fighters were also killed in a Turkish drone strike on an SDF position near Qarquzaq bridge east of Manbij. On the same day, according to SOHR, 11 civilians were killed by a Turkish drone strike in SDF-controlled Al-Mustariha in Ain Issa countryside in northern Al-Raqqah. On 10 December, eight civilians were killed by a Turkish drone strike in the village of Safia in the Ain Issa countryside, according to SOHR. Another two civilians were also killed in a separate Turkish drone strike in Ja’ada Village southwest of Kobani. On 11 December, according to SOHR, six SDF fighters were killed and four others wounded by a Turkish drone strike in the West of Euphrates. In December 2024, the factions supported by Turkey announced they would discontinue the ceasefire with groups supported by the US, such as the Syrian Democratic Forces.

December 09, 2024: Ali Mahmoud, the highest ranking Syrian officer, was found dead. According to SOHR, at least 80 people were killed in Syria.

December 10, 2024: According to SOHR, at least 198 people were killed in Syria, including 68 SDF and 30 SNA fighters in clashes in Manbij.   The SOHR reported that at least 3 civilians and tens of wounded Manbij Military Council fighters were extrajudicially executed by SNA fighters after the fall of the Manbij area to SNA forces following the Manbij offensive. Five fighters of Ahrar al-Sharqiya were killed in clashes with SDF forces after attacking SDF positions in the towns of Al-Aliyah and Al-Susah in the Tel Tamr countryside in northern Al-Hasakah, according to SOHR. As part of a new offensive into ex-SAA positions in the Homs desert, ISIS militants captured and executed at least 54 ex-Syrian Army soldiers, according to SOHR. At least six employees working in the Al-Taim oil field were killed in an attack by ISIS fighters, according to SOHR.

Syria's Rojava Revolution Is in Grave Danger, reason.com, December 11, 2024.

On 12 December, according to SOHR, at least 51 people were killed in Syria. At least five civilians were executed by ISIS militants in two separate attacks in the Jabal Al-Omour area in the Homs countryside, according to SOHR.

On 13 December, according to SOHR, at least 73 people were killed in Syria, including in an execution of 11 people who were executed by gunmen in the village of Bahra, Hama. Four SNA fighters were killed in clashes with SDF forces in an infiltration attempt in the frontline of Qabiyat Saqiro village in Ain Issa countryside and the frontline of Sluk in Al-Hamid and Al-Sharikah villages in Tel Abyad countryside, according to SOHR.

On 14 December, according to SOHR, four militants of the Sham Legion were killed in an ambush by pro-Assad gunmen in the Al-Mazra'a area in Jabla countryside, Latakia.  Russia evacuated its T4 base in Homs, leaving it with just two bases in  Syria, Khmeimim airbase and Tartous port. That night, Israel launched multiple airstrikes on Syrian targets, including its naval base in Latakia, despite Abu Mohammed al-Jolani saying that HTS was not interested in conflict with Israel.

On 15 December, schools and universities, as well as bars in Christian neighbourhoods, re-opened in Damascus, and large celebrations of the fall of the regime continued. The US and UK both said they had initiated diplomatic contact with al-Jolani's government.

On 16 December, according to SOHR, two ex-SAA soldiers were kidnapped and executed by HTS militants near Homs city. Turkey-backed Syrian factions end US-mediated ceasefire with Kurdish-led SDF, Sources told Al-Monitor that negotiations between the sides had “failed” amid “significant military buildups” on the Turkish border. by Amberin Zaman, Dec 16, 2024.

On 17 December, according to SOHR, an SDF fighter was killed by an ISIS attack in Deir Ezzor. On 17 December, according to SOHR, two SDF fighters were killed and four others wounded by an ISIS attack on a checkpoint in Al-Raqqa. On 17 December 2024, the US said the ceasefire in the Northeast had been extended, However, pro-Kurdish sources said that the factions supported by Turkey announced they would discontinue the ceasefire with groups supported by the US, such as the Syrian Democratic Forces. Kurdish sources told Al-Monitor that the SNA, an umbrella organization, informed the SDF "that it would be returning to 'a state of combat against us'... The sources said negotiations between the SDF and the SNA had 'failed' and that 'significant military buildups' in areas east and west of the Kurdish town of Kobani on the Turkish border were being observed." According to SOHR, four SNA fighters were killed in clashes with SDF forces in an attack on Tishrin Dam in the Al-Raqqa countryside.  Two civilians were also killed in the crossfire. In Damascus that day, France met with the transitional government, reopened its embassy, and said they would host a meeting of states to end sanctions on the country. On 18 December, according to SOHR, 21 SNA fighters were killed after attacking SDF forces in residential areas in Tishrin Dam near Kobani City. On December 19, both Turkey and the SDF renewed their commitment to fighting for Kobani, rejecting any ceasefire deal. The SDF leader confirmed for the first time that several non-Syrian Kurds were fighting in its ranks, committing to their departure as Syria entered a new era. On 19 December, two Kurdish journalists, Jihan Belkin and Nazim Dashdan, affiliated with AANES news platforms, were killed in a suspected Turkish airstrike on their car in the Ain-Al Arab countryside. The same day, Iraq returned nearly 2000 Syrian government soldiers who had fled the rebel advance, on condition of their protection by the new government. On 20 December, US officials arrived in Damascus to meet the transitional government. Since the beginning of December, Turkish airstrikes have left 20 SDF fighters, 15 former SAA soldiers, and 16 civilians killed during Operation Dawn of Freedom. On 20 December, two ISIS fighters, including the emir of Wilayat Al-Khair, were killed in  a US airstrike in Deir Ezzor. On 21 December, five civilians were killed in a Turkish airstrike in areas of operation. Furthermore, five SDF fighters were killed by Turkish and allied artillery shelling of positions on Tishrin Dam. On December 22, two civilians were killed in a Turkish artillery shelling of Kobani.

On 23 December, the SDF launched an offensive into recently lost areas in the eastern Aleppo countryside, following the end of the Manbij offensive and the clashes in the Kobani area. On 24 December, the bodies of 9 dead ex-SAA soldiers were found near Kaziya in the Al-Sukhna area in the Homs desert, after being captured and executed by ISIS militants in the area. On 25 December, three former SAA soldiers were executed by ISIS cells in the eastern Homs desert. On the same day, 12 opposition fighters were killed by gunmen following the arrest of an ex-officer of the SAA in Tartus. A protestor was also shot and killed by opposition forces during a protest against HTS fighters attacking an Alawite shrine in Homs city. A civilian was stabbed to death in a hospital in Manbij by SNA fighters following an earlier dispute. On December 26, 2024, former Syrian major general Mohammad Kanjo Hassan was found hiding in a hole in the town of Khirbet al-Ma'zah. he was arrested along with 20 of his loyalists. "Syria's new rulers arrest officials behind Saydnaya death penalties". France 24. 27 December 2024. On 29 December, five SNA fighters were killed by SDF special forces in an infiltration operation on two positions in Al-Raihaniya Village near Tel Tamr Town in the Al-Hasakah countryside. On the same day, at least 11 people, mostly civilians, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a former Syrian Army weapons depot in Adra, near Damascus.

Al-Monitor reported that Kurdish sources had told them that the SNA "informed the SDF... that it would be returning to 'a state of combat against us,'... The sources said negotiations between the SDF and the SNA had 'failed' and that 'significant military buildups' in areas east and west of... Kobani on the Turkish border was being observed.

January 2025: Dozens of pro-Turkey and Kurdish forces were killed in fighting in northern Syria. The monitoring group says Turkish-backed groups aim to seize Kobane and al-Tabqa before moving on to Raqqa. By MEE staff, published date: 5 January 2025. Massacres of Syrian Alawites. In January 2025, major fighting occurred between pro-Turkish militias and Kurdish forces. On 2 January, multiple Israeli airstrikes were reported near Al Safira, targeting defense factories and a research center on the outskirts of the city. Between 2 and 3 January, at least 50 SNA fighters and 12 SDF fighters were killed in clashes in the eastern Aleppo countryside. On 4 January, at least 20 SNA fighters and 4 SDF fighters were killed in the fighting in the eastern Aleppo countryside. On 5 January, three SDF fighters were killed and four others injured in a Turkish airstrike on Tishreen Dam. Pro-SNA media reported that the SNA managed to outflank the SDF advance and took some villages on the Aleppo-Raqqa highway. On 6 January, four SNA fighters and an SDF fighter were killed following artillery attacks near the Tishreen dam area. Five SNA fighters were also killed in the area in clashes the following day. On 7 January, four SDF fighters were killed in an attack by two ISIS gunmen in the Jazara Mashhour area in the western Deir Ezzor countryside. On 8 January, a family of three was shot dead in an execution by unknown gunmen in a farm in Ain Al-Sharqiyah town, Latakia. On the same day, five civilians were killed by a Turkish airstrike targeting a public convoy near Tishrin Dam. Between 8 and 9 January, 26 SNA fighters and 6 SDF fighters were killed in clashes on frontlines in the Manbij countryside in the eastern countryside of Aleppo. On 9 January, a Turkish soldier was killed by an SDF kamikaze drone on the Al-Arishah base in the Ras Al-Ain countryside. Between 9 and 10 January, at least 10 SNA fighters and 2 SDF fighters were killed in clashes in the eastern Aleppo countryside. On 10 January, four ISIS militants were killed in a coalition-backed SDF security operation in the Bako area in the Al-Hasakah countryside. On 11 January, seven SNA fighters were killed in clashes on the Manbij frontline. On the same day, SOHR reported that three people were shot dead in a summary execution in Harim in Idlib countryside after being accused of being 'thugs'. On 12 January, SOHR reported, five Shia civilians, including four brothers, were shot dead in a summary execution in the gardens of Baba Amr in Homs. Between 14 and 15 January, 13 SNA fighters and 5 SDF fighters were killed in clashes near the Tishrin dam in the eastern Aleppo countryside. On 16 January, five civilians were killed in Turkish airstrikes near the Tishrin dam in the eastern Aleppo countryside. On the same day, an SDF fighter was executed by ISIS cells, and the body was dumped in the western part of Abu Khashab town in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor. On 17 January, eight SNA fighters were killed in clashes on the Tishrin dam frontline in the eastern Aleppo countryside. Between 18 and 19 January, 21 SNA fighters, 6 civilians, and one SDF fighter were killed in clashes on the frontline. On 19 January, SOHR reported that a civilian was shot dead by HTS militants in Jaburin village in the Homs countryside. Three people were also executed by gunmen in Mahrada city in the Hama countryside. On 21 January, SOHR alleged that five people were executed by Military Operations Command militants during a 'security operation' in the Shia majority town of Al-Ghour Al-Gharbiya Town in the northwestern Homs countryside. Between 21 and 22 January, 8 SNA fighters and 4 civilians were killed, with fighting continuing in the Manbij, Tishreen Dam, and Qara Qozak Bridge areas. On 22 January, pro-Assad insurgents attacked a checkpoint of the new Syrian regime in Jableh city in the Latakia countryside, killing two HTS fighters and injuring two others. On the same day, SOHR reported that a former Assad-era photographer of the Syrian Arab News Agency was shot dead by gunmen in Hama city. Between 22 and 23 January, 15 SNA fighters and three civilians were killed in fighting in the eastern Aleppo countryside. Between 20 and 23 January, SOHR claimed, at least 22 civilians had been executed by gunmen linked to the Syrian transitional government in various attacks on ex-Assad loyalists, Alawites, and Shia Muslims. On 23 January, a car bomb exploded in the town of Manbij, northern Syria, killing 3 people and injuring another 5. On 24 January, according to SOHR, 16 people were killed in a mass execution by suspected HTS militants in the majority Alawite and Greek Orthodox village of Fahil, in the Homs countryside. 53 other people were also arrested by the militants. Between 24 and 25 January, according to SOHR, at least 7 people were executed in different security campaigns by the forces of the new Syrian government in several villages in the Homs and Hama countryside. On 26 January, 12 SNA fighters, one SDF fighter, and 2 civilians were killed in clashes on the east Aleppo frontline. On 27 January, 10 SNA fighters were killed in the eastern Aleppo countryside. Between the 28th and 29th, 13 SNA fighters were killed in clashes on the Immu village Al-Hawshariyah village in the Manbij countryside and the frontline of Qarah Qarquzaq bridge. On the same day, a Turkish Army officer was killed by an SDF rocket attack on a Turkish base in Bab Al-Faraj, within the “Peace Spring” area in northwest Al-Hasakah. On 29 January 2025, Ahmed al-Sharaa took charge as Transitional President of the Syrian Arab Republic.   On 30 January, an American airstrike killed Muhammad Salah al-Zabir, a senior militant of the Hurras al-Din group in northwestern Syria. In late January, SOHR said, at least four civilians from the Homs countryside were killed under detention after being arrested by the Military Operations Command. On 31 January, at least 13 SNA fighters, one SDF fighter, and a civilian were killed in clashes south of Manbij and Deir Hafer in the eastern Aleppo countryside. On the same day, SOHR said that 10 civilians were shot dead in a massacre in the Alawite-majority village of Arza in the northwestern Hama countryside.

February 2025:

In February, the Syrian Observatory on Human Rights and other sources continued to report acts of sectarian violence.  On 1 February, SOHR reported that four people were shot dead in a mass execution by gunmen in the Shia village of Tell Dahab in the Hama countryside. It also alleged that an Alawite professor was shot dead in an execution in Ma’araba in Rif Dimashq. It said it had documented that at least 61 people were killed in Syria that day. Fighting continued between the SDF and SNA in east Aleppo. Between 1 and 2 February, SOHR reported that 14 SNA fighters and 7 SDF fighters were killed on the frontlines of Qarrah Quzaq and Teshreen dam in the eastern countryside of Aleppo. The city of Manbij was a particular focus of this fighting.  On 3 February, at least 21 people were killed by a car bomb explosion in Manbij. On the same day, it was reported that at least six people had been recently executed in revenge attacks by gunmen in Jdeidet Al-Wadi in Rif Dimashq. Also, a fighter SOHR described as an "Uzbek" jihadist was shot dead in an assassination in Kafr Ruhin, Idlib. Between 3 and 4 February, 5 SNA fighters and 5 SDF fighters were killed in clashes on the Manbij frontline, according to SOHR. On 6 February, an SDF fighter was killed, and another was wounded in an ISIS attack in Deir ez-Zor. On 7 February, the SOHR documented that at least 30 people were killed in Syria. Between 7 and 8 February, 15 SNA fighters were killed in clashes with SDF forces on different frontlines of the eastern countryside of Aleppo. On 9 February, three Alawites of the same family from the Al-Zahraa neighbourhood of Homs city were executed after being arrested by the Military Operations Command administration in the city, according to SOHR. On 10 February, 4 SDF fighters were killed in Turkish drone strikes along the Manbij countryside frontline. On the same day, an ISIS fighter was shot dead, and another blew himself up during an SDF raid in Markadah town in southern Al-Hasakah countryside. On 11 February, 3 SDF fighters were killed in clashes with SNA forces on the Manbij frontline. On 12 February, nine fighters were killed in SNA infighting in Tell Abyad in the 'Peace Spring' area in northern Syria. On the same day, two SNA fighters were killed after SDF forces attacked two positions on the frontline of Qarrah Quzaq hill and the telecommunication tower in Qabr Immu village in the eastern Aleppo countryside. On February 15, an American airstrike killed a senior finance and logistics official  of Hurras al-Din in Northwestern Syria. The same day, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that the SDF fired multiple rockets at al-Khafsa town in eastern rural Aleppo governorate, killing one woman and injuring several. Also on 15 February, SOHR said that two Shia men were killed in separate execution attacks in the Homs countryside. On the same day, SOHR alleged, a former SAA soldier was found dead in Ariha, Idlib, with a note attached claiming he was executed for "dropping barrel bombs on civilians". On 15 February, a SDF member was killed and three others wounded in a Turkish airstrike on the Al-Raqqa countryside. On 16 February, SOHR said that four people of the same family were shot dead in an execution by gunmen in the Al-Sheikh Saeed neighbourhood in Aleppo. The family allegedly supported the former Assad regime. On 16 February, SOHR documented that at least 14 people were killed in Syria. On 17 February, the SNHR reported that the SDF fired rockets at al-Khafsa town in the eastern rural Aleppo governorate, striking a mosque. On 19 February, a SDF member was killed by accidental gunshot in a family infighting incident that took place in Al-Hasakah. On 20 February, two SDF fighters were killed and three others wounded in a Turkish airstrike on the Tişrin Dam area. On 21 February, two SDF fighters were killed in a landmine explosion in the Ain al-Arab countryside. On 23 February, SOHR said that two civilians were found executed in the Hama countryside, including one that had been mutilated. The SNHR said that the SDF used drones to target a water processing station in southern al-Khafsa town in the eastern rural Aleppo governorate, in an area under SNA control. On 24 February, at least 18 people were killed in Syria. On 25 February, an American drone strike killed Abu Ahmed Al-Shamy, a senior member of Hurras al-Din in Al-Nasr Al-Khairiya in the Jarablus countryside east of Aleppo. On the same day, two people were killed in an Israeli drone strike in the Jurod Al-Naby area opposite Sarghaya Town in Rif Dimashq, southern Syria. During the night between 25 and 26 February, Israel launched a series of violent airstrikes targeting sites in Rif Dimashq and Daraa, southern Syria. The airstrikes killed at least 4 people. On 26 February, 12 people were killed, including four SDF fighters, in a Turkish airstrike on a fortified SDF position in Deir ez-Zor. On 26 February, the SOHR documented that at least 21 people were killed in Syria. On 27 February, the Military Operations Administration carried out a large-scale military operation in Ain Shams village, under the pretext of 'prosecuting affiliates of the former regime'. The operation left 5 civilians dead and a further 52 arrested. On the same day, a civilian working for SDF was killed in Western Deir ez-Zor Countryside. Also, four civilians, including a former Syrian Navy officer, were killed after members of the Military Operations Administration stationed in Latakia fired on a car with an RPG. Furthermore, four Alawite civilians were shot dead in a sectarian attack by gunmen in a café in Baniyas. On 27 February, the SOHR documented that at least 15 people were killed in Syria.

March 2025:

On 1 March, three men of the same family were killed by gunmen in a summary execution in the Al-Sheikh Saeed neighbourhood in Aleppo City. On 2 March, four civilians were killed, and six others were injured after gunmen opened fire on praying civilians in Hayalin Town in the Hama countryside. On 2 March, the SOHR reported that at least 22 people were killed in Syria. On 4 March, two General Security Service members were killed in an ambush by Pro-Assad militiamen in Latakia's Daatur district.  Two men were later killed by Syrian security forces following the ambush. Also, three former members of the Assad-era Military Intelligence Directorate were shot dead by gunmen in Al-Sanamayn City, northern Daraa province. On 4 March, the SOHR documented that at least 14 people were killed in Syria. On 5 March, three members of the General Security Service and a local militiaman were killed by gunmen of the former Assad-era Military Intelligence Directorate in Al-Sanamayn city in the northern Daraa countryside. On the same day, two SDF members were killed in clashes with SNA on the Manbij frontlines. Between 4 and 6 March, eight members of the General Security Service, six pro-Assad gunmen, and one civilian were killed in armed clashes in Al-Sanamayn city in northern Daraa. On 6 March, a major uprising began in Western Syria after pro-Assad loyalists launched attacks on areas controlled by the Syrian Transitional Government (STG). 71 people were killed in these initial attacks, including 35 STG fighters, 32 Pro-Assad fighters, and four civilians. On the same day, 52 Alawite civilians were killed by Syrian Government forces in parts of the Latakia countryside. Also, a TAF  (Turkish armed forces) soldier was killed in action in an attack by an SDF drone near Kara Kozak bridge. Four smugglers were also killed in clashes with Jordanian forces on the border. On 7 March, the SOHR reported that at least 240 people were killed in Syria, including 34 STG fighters, 42 Pro-Assad loyalists, and 155 civilians, mostly killed in massacres by the Syrian Government on Alawite civilians. On 8 March 2025, it was reported that at least 745 Alawite civilians had been killed by Syrian Government forces and allied militias since 6 March 2025. On the same day, at least 32 STG fighters and 28 Pro-Assad fighters were killed in the western Syria clashes. Furthermore, six civilians were shot dead by gunmen in the town of Inkhil, Daraa. Also, three fighters of the Syrian Ministry of Defense were shot dead by gunmen in Deir ez-Zor.

9 March – March 2025 Western Syria clashes: Over 1,300 people are killed over 72 hours amid ongoing clashes between the transitional government and pro-Assad forces. At least 973 Alawites,  Christians, and civilians of other religious minorities were killed in reprisal massacres by alleged transitional Government-associated armed forces. 11 March – The Syrian Democratic Forces sign an agreement to integrate its soldiers and institutions into the transitional government. 12 March – The transitional government announces the formation of a National Security Council to be chaired by President al-Sharaa.

On 13 March, the Caretaker Authorities signed a Constitutional Declaration, following the announcement on 10 March of the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into Syrian State institutions. UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen has welcomed the move toward restoring the rule of law and hoped the declaration can be a solid legal framework for a genuinely credible and inclusive political transition. The IDF carries out an airstrike in Damascus, killing one person.

Since 6 March, escalating hostilities in the Tartous, Lattakia, Homs, and Hama have resulted in the death of scores of civilians, damage to property and infrastructure, and thousands of people displaced in the coastal areas. Over 1,000 people – including 745 civilians – were killed in attacks last week that mostly targeted the Alawite minority.

13 March 2025: The interim president on Thursday signed a temporary constitution that leaves the country under Islamist rule while promising to protect the rights of all Syrians for five years during a transitional phase. The nation’s interim rulers have struggled to exert their authority across much of Syria since the Islamist former insurgent group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, led a lightning insurgency that overthrew longtime President Bashar al-Assad in December. Former HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa is now the country’s interim president — a decision that was announced after a meeting of the armed groups that took part in the offensive against Assad. At the same meeting, the groups agreed to repeal the country’s old constitution and said a new one would be drafted.

As of 14 March 2025, UNHCR estimates that some 354,900 Syrians have crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024. The figures are based on a triangulation of sources from outside and inside Syria and include refugees registered with UNHCR and other Syrians crossing from Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt, as well as those transiting from beyond the region. On 14 March 2025, the Security Council is expected to adopt a presidential statement on the situation in Syria. The statement, co-authored by Russia and the US, is a response to sectarian conflict between 6 and 10 March that reportedly left hundreds of civilians dead in Syria’s coastal governorates of Latakia and Tartous, representing the most dangerous escalation of violence in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024. 14 MARCH 2025: Syria’s interim president on Thursday signed a temporary constitution that leaves the country under Islamist rule for five years during a transitional phase. Israel strikes Damascus: The signing of the constitutional declaration came as the Israeli Air Force conducted an air strike in Damascus on Thursday. “We heard two loud explosions almost at the same time the constitutional declaration was being signed,” said Al Jazeera’s Serdar, adding that reports that one person had been killed were still unconfirmed. Syria’s state news agency said three civilians had been hurt, including a woman who was in critical condition, and that the building was at the edge of Damascus.

Miscellaneous news: More than 465,000 Syrians have been killed in the fighting, over a million have been injured, and over 12 million – half the country’s pre-war population – have been displaced. More than 12 million people have been displaced, including over six million as refugees; critical infrastructure lies in ruins, and access to essential services is cut off. Syrian security forces were accused of killing dozens of Alawites. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 162 civilians were "executed" in a coastal region linked to ousted president Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian government still faces a threat from Assad loyalists. Clashes between Syrian forces and Assad loyalists in the dictator's former heartlands show the risks ahead, writes Middle East correspondent Hugh Bachega. Worst violence in Syria since Assad fell. A group that has been monitoring the civil war said 71 people died in clashes between the two sides. Syria vows to destroy any remaining Assad-era chemical weapons. Asaad al-Shibani asks for the support of the global chemical weapons watchdog to "end this painful legacy".

Disclaimer: This blog makes every effort to provide updated and authentic information. However, the data is collected and summarized from the websites mentioned below. This blog is not AI-generated; it is compiled manually. In any case, the author does not take any responsibility (legal or otherwise) for its correctness, completeness, discrepancies, typographical errors, or any contradictions with other data. Any further use of data and its consequences lies with the user only.

https://www.britannica.com https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk https://www.thecairoreview.com/ https://www.aljazeera.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki https://www.bbc.com/news/ https://reliefweb.int https://www.securitycouncilreport.org

My personal opinion: What happened? Can not come back. What is left? Save it. Human safety should be a top priority. Assume that most of the players have made some mistakes to protect humanity. Therefore, leave some differences to clear the path of compromise, peace, and stable government. Best of luck for future peace in the region and world. For health, diseases and treatment, wealth, visa rules, and international updates, please visit www.healthwealthcommunication.com. ==The End==