Syrian civil war
In March 2011, the city of Daraa erupted with protests that would ignite a fourteen-year war. Young students painted anti-government slogans on school walls and demanded political reforms from President Bashar al-Assad. Security forces responded with lethal force, arresting thousands and killing dozens in the first weeks of unrest. The Syrian government declared a state of emergency that had been in place since 1963, banning public gatherings of more than five people. By April 2011, over 100,000 Syrians had fled their homes as violence spread to Homs and Aleppo. Defections from the Syrian Arab Armed Forces began in late 2011, creating the Free Syrian Army. These defectors formed resistance militias across the country, transforming civil disobedience into armed insurgency. The conflict escalated rapidly, with international observers noting that by mid-2012, fighting had become a full-scale civil war involving multiple factions.
Iran launched its military intervention in support of the Syrian government in 2013, deploying an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 fighters at any given time. Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia militant group, escalated its involvement by 2012, deploying troops across Syria to bolster Assad's forces. Russia followed in September 2015, conducting airstrikes and ground operations that changed the war's trajectory. The United States led an international coalition beginning in 2014, providing air and ground support primarily against the Islamic State but occasionally targeting pro-Assad forces. Turkey occupied parts of northern Syria while fighting Kurdish groups, the Assad government, and the Islamic State alike. Under Operation Timber Sycamore, CIA operatives trained and armed nearly 10,000 rebel fighters at a cost of $1 billion annually since 2012. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Britain, France, Israel, and the Netherlands also provided political, logistic, and military support to various opposition groups. This foreign involvement turned Syria into a proxy war where regional powers fought their own battles through local militias.
The Ghouta sarin attack in August 2013 became the deadliest use of chemical weapons since the Iran-Iraq War. A UN fact-finding mission confirmed the use of sarin gas in four separate cases throughout the conflict. In April 2017, Khan Shaykhun witnessed another sarin attack that prompted the United States to launch its first intentional missile strike against Syrian government forces. The 2018 Douma chemical attack resulted in coordinated strikes by the United States, United Kingdom, and France. An investigation documented 336 confirmed attacks involving chemical weapons between December 2012 and January 2019. Ninety-eight percent of these attacks were attributed to the Assad regime, with almost 90% occurring after the initial Ghouta attack. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons suspended Syria from membership in April 2021 for non-cooperation. Despite international pressure, chlorine bombs continued to be used on towns like Talmenes in 2014 and Sarmin in 2015. Russia dismissed findings from the OPCW while Western European countries called for accountability for war crimes committed with these banned weapons.
In June 2014, members of the Islamic State crossed into northern Iraq and seized large swaths of territory as the Iraqi Army abandoned its positions. By 2014, the Syrian Arab Air Force conducted airstrikes against ISIL targets in Raqqa and al-Hasakah in coordination with the Iraqi government. The US-led coalition launched an aerial bombing campaign while providing ground support to the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-dominated coalition led by the People's Defense Units. Turkey established the Syrian National Army to help fight ISIS and pro-Assad forces during its invasion of northern Syria in 2016. IS was territorially defeated through campaigns in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor that concluded by late 2017. As of early 2023, reports indicated that ISIS forces had mostly been defeated, though a few cells remained in remote locations. Thousands of foreign fighters, including children born in Syria, were detained in camps after ISIS lost control of Baghuz, their last territorial hold. These detainees faced overcrowded conditions with insufficient food and medical attention in prisons like Hasaka's Sinaa facility.
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria gained de facto autonomy in 2012 within the context of the ongoing Rojava conflict. This region consists of self-governing sub-regions including Afrin, Jazira, Euphrates, Raqqa, Tabqa, Manbij, and Deir Ez-Zor. The official military force, the Syrian Democratic Forces, has taken part in operations against both ISIS and Turkish incursions. In October 2019, Kurdish leaders announced an agreement allowing Syrian Army forces to enter cities like Manbij and Kobani to deter Turkish attacks. Mazloum Abdi, leader of the SDF, stated in June 2022 that Kurdish groups would cooperate with the Syrian government to defend against Turkey while retaining autonomy. Turkey continued its support for various militias within Syria, consisting mostly of the Syrian National Army, which periodically attempted operations against Kurdish groups. President Erdoğan openly stated his support for creating safe zones along Turkey's border, targeting areas west of the Euphrates. Despite these tensions, the region maintained direct open elections and universal equality as part of its democratic policies. The administration faced accusations from some sources regarding authoritarianism and displacement but remained the most democratic system operating within Syria.
As of December 2022, an estimated 6.7 million refugees have been forced to flee Syria, with approximately 5.5 million residing across five nearby countries including Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt. Germany hosts the largest refugee population outside neighboring nations with more than 850,000 Syrian refugees. Over 3.7 million Syrian refugees live in Turkey, where they face resentment from citizens and increased attacks targeting their communities. In September 2014, the UN stated that the number of Syrian refugees had exceeded three million. One-third of all deaths occurred in the city of Homs alone according to some estimates. By January 2020, over 380,000 people had been killed since the war began nine years ago. More than 500 children were wounded or killed during the first three quarters of 2019, with over 65 falling victim to the war in December alone. As of March 2015, Al-Jazeera estimated that 10.9 million Syrians, almost half the population, had been displaced internally. Two-point-five million of these internally displaced persons are children who face severe hardship in camps like Washokani.
On the 27th of November 2024, a coalition led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham launched a major offensive against government forces in Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, and Homs Governorates. Rebel forces entered Aleppo within three days as Syrian Army positions collapsed across the country. On December 8, Bashar al-Assad fled Damascus for Moscow after his prime minister transferred power to the new government. The Syrian Salvation Government established a caretaker administration in Damascus with Mohammed al-Bashir serving as prime minister. Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of HTS, became de facto president of Syria following the regime's collapse. At the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference held on the 29th of January 2025, the new government announced the dissolution of several armed militias and their integration into the Ministry of Defense. Southern rebels captured Daraa and Suwayda while HTS took control of Hama. Israel invaded Quneitra Governorate from its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights starting in late 2024. A Druze insurgency formed in southern Suweida Governorate following clashes with the government and alleged sectarian violence later that year.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When did the Syrian civil war begin and what sparked it?
The Syrian civil war began in March 2011 after protests erupted in Daraa. Young students painted anti-government slogans on school walls and demanded political reforms from President Bashar al-Assad.
Which countries intervened militarily during the Syrian civil war between 2013 and 2015?
Iran launched its military intervention in support of the Syrian government in 2013 while Russia followed in September 2015 with airstrikes and ground operations. Hezbollah deployed troops across Syria to bolster Assad's forces by 2012 and Turkey occupied parts of northern Syria starting in 2016.
How many chemical weapons attacks occurred between December 2012 and January 2019?
An investigation documented 336 confirmed attacks involving chemical weapons between December 2012 and January 2019. Ninety-eight percent of these attacks were attributed to the Assad regime with almost 90% occurring after the initial Ghouta attack.
What happened to ISIS territory in Syria by late 2017?
ISIS was territorially defeated through campaigns in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor that concluded by late 2017. As of early 2023 reports indicated that ISIS forces had mostly been defeated though a few cells remained in remote locations.
Who became the de facto president of Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime on December 8 2024?
Ahmed al-Sharaa leader of HTS became de facto president of Syria following the regime's collapse. Bashar al-Assad fled Damascus for Moscow after his prime minister transferred power to the new government on the 8th of December 2024.