Syria; key historical events
See also Islam for events in the wider Islamic world
Page last modified 15/3/2020
11/1/2019, The USA began to pull its
forces out of Syria. Russia, ally of Syrian President Assad, welcomed the
news, as Assad appeared to have won the Syrian Civil War. There were concerns
that the US move could allow ISIS to regroup, or expose the Kurds to attacks
from Turkey.
7/4/2018, A poison gas attack (chlorine
or sarin) on Syrian civilians in the rebel-held area of Douma was reported. Russia, who
was backing Syrian President Assad, along with Iran, alleged that the attack was a
fabrication. The US and Israel replied with airstrikes on Syrian air force
facilities.
7/9/2017, Four Israeli jets fired missiles at a Syrian
facility believed to be a site of chemicals weapons production, killing two
Syrians.
6/4/2017, US
President Trump ordered the
firing of 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Airbase, Syria, in response to
the gas attack
of 2/4/2017. 4 were killed. Russia, an ally of Assad, was angry and said the
incident had nearly started a war between Russia and the US. Trump
said he might fire more missiles into Syria.
4/4/2017, 58 were killed by poison gas in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun. Government forces under
Assad
were blamed.
28/2/2017, Syria’s close ally Russia, also China, vetoed a UN Security Council
resolution authorising sanctions against the Syrian government for use of chemical weapons.
13/12/2016, Aleppo was completely taken by Syrian Government forces,
after rebel fighters were defeated, with Russian assistance. However the Syrian
civil war, which had begun in 2011, continued, and fighting was still reported
in the Aleppo area.
24/8/2016, The United Nations determined that the Syrian government twice used
helicopters to deploy chlorine gas against its opponents, in civilian
areas in the northern Idlib province. A later report held the government
responsible for a third attack. The attacks occurred in 2014 and 2015. The
panel also found that ISIS had used mustard gas.
31/5/2016, 25 people died in airstrikes in Idlib, Syria.
24/11/2015, Turkey shot down a Russian jet fighter that was taking
part in Russia’s pro-Assad campaign in Syria, against both ISIS and non-ISIS
rebels. Turkey said the aircraft had transgressed into Turkish airspace, and
was warned several times. Russia denied the warnings, and it appeared the jet
had at most been in Turkish airspace for 2 or 3 seconds as it (might have)
crossed a finger of Turkish territory jutting into Syria.
12/11/2015, ‘Jihadi
John’ was killed by a US drone strike in the ISIS stronghold of
Raqqah, northern Syria.
30/9/2015, Russia began airstrikes in Syria,
against anti-Assad rebels.
7/8/2015, The U.N. Security Council authorised investigators to probe reports of
chemical weapons
use in Syria, as reports circulated of repeated chlorine gas attacks by government
forces against civilians in opposition-held areas. Chlorine gas, though not as
toxic as nerve agents, can be classified as a chemical weapon depending on its
use.
1/4/2015, ISIS forces took Palmyra.
29/10/2014, 150 Kurdish fighters set off from Erbil (Kurdish Iraq) to travel
through Turkish territory to reinforce
Kurdish fighters across the Turkish-Syria border battling ISIS in the Syrian
border town of Kobani. ISIS began to lose ground there, as Syrian Kurds were
reinforced by US arms drops and US air strikes against ISIS. The fight for
Kobani assumed increased importance as the global TV media focussed on the
battle from just across the border in Turkey. The issue of Turkey allowing
Kurdish reinforcements across its territory was sensitive because Turkey has
its own Kurdish minority region in the south-east.
22/9/2014, A US-led coalition began air strikes against ISIS in Syria.
23/6/2014, The Organization
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said it had removed the last of the
Syrian government's chemical weapons. Syrian opposition officials maintained
that the government's stocks were not fully accounted for, and that it retained
supplies.
14/1/2014, ISIS forces took Raqqa, Syria.
3/1/2014, Anti-Assad
groups in northern Syria united against ISIS.
14/10/2013, Syria became a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention,
prohibiting it from producing, stockpiling or using chemical weapons.
27/9/2013, The UN Security Council ordered Syria to account for
and destroy its stocks of chemical weapons, following a surprise agreement
between the USA and Russia, so averting US airstrikes. Use of force was
threatened by the UN if Syria did not comply.
31/8/2013, US President Obama desired
to carry out punitive airstrikes against the Syrian government, but Congress
did not support the idea.
21/8/2013, Hundreds of people suffocated in rebel-held suburbs
of the Syrian capital, with many suffering from convulsions, pinpoint pupils,
and foaming at the mouth. U.N. investigators visited the sites and determined
that ground-to-ground missiles loaded with sarin were fired on civilian areas while residents
slept. The U.S. and others blamed the Syrian government, the only party to the
conflict known to have sarin gas.
5/6/2013, In the Syrian civil war, the town of
Qusayr was recaptured by pro-Assad forces.
7/4/2013, The Syrian government launched an air
raid on rebels in Aleppo, killing 15 people.
19/3/2013, 26 Syrians, including a dozen Government soldiers, were killed in a gas attack
on the town of Khan-al-Assal,
northern Syria. A UN investigation found that sarin nerve
gas had been used, but could not identify the source.
20/8/2012, US President Obama strongly cautioned the Syrian Government against
any use of chemical weapons.
19/7/2012, Groups
opposed to the regime of Syria’s leader, Bashar al
Assad, attacked the city of Aleppo. Aleppo became divided into a
pro-regime west and a pro-rebel east.
18/8/2011, US President Obama called on Syrian President Assad to resign, and
froze Syrian assets in the US.
31/7/2011, In Syria, an army raid on the town
of Hama killed over 120. So far the Syrian civil war had claimed 3,000 lives.
12/6/2011, Thousands of Syrians fled into Turkey to escape the civil war.
1/4/2011, Large
protests by Syrian civilians against their Government after Friday prayers.
18/3/2011, Further protests in Deraa over the detention by
security forces of a group of boys accused of painting anti-govermnment
graffiti on the walls of their school. Earlier, on 15/3/2011, protests against
the boys’ detention had taken place in Damascus. On 18/3/2011 Syrian government
forces opened fire in Deraa, killing four people. These are regarded as the first deaths in the Syrian civil war.
6/3/2011, Unrest in
Deraa, Syria.
2006, The Danish
Embassy in Damascus was attacked over cartoons in a Danish newspaper
satrirising the propheyty Mohammed.
10/6/2000, Hafez al Assad, President of Syria, died. His
son, Bashar
Assad, succeeded him.
27/12/1989, Egypt and Syria resumed full
diplomatic relations.
16/3/1980, Martial Law was proclaimed in Aleppo as political violence swept Syria.
1973, A new
Syrian Constitution entrenched Ba’ath
Party dominance.
1970, Hafez al Assad
seized power again.
23/2/1966, A military junta seized power in Syria, ousting Hafez al Assad.
1963, Ba’athist military junta seized power, with Major General
Amin al Hafez as leader.
29/9/1961, Syria seceded from the United Arab Republic after
anti-Egyptian
uprisings.
25/12/1959, The USSR agreed to supply financial and technical
aid to Syria.
6/1936, Syria and France
negotiated a Treaty of Independence, to take effect in 1939; Hashim
al-Atassi was elected to be the first President of the newly
independent country. However the French legislature never ratified the Treaty,
and in 1940 France fell to the Nazis and the Vichy French Government took over.
At this point British and Free French forces took over Syria, consolidating
theor control over the country in July 1941. After World War Two, Syrian Nationalists
forced the French to leave the country and a Republican Government took over
the running of Syria.
1925, Druze revolt in Damascus
against French occupation. French High Commissioner General Sarrail ordered the
bombardment of this area of the city.
11/3/1920, The National Congress in Syria proclaimed Feisal,
3rd son of King
Hussein of the Hejaz, King of an independent Syria.
1918, Arab troops led by Emir Faisal
captured Damascus from the Ottoman Turks, ending 400 years of Ottoman rule.
1516, Ottoman Turkey conquered
Syria.
For events in
the Syria region during Roman and Byzantine times see Roman Empire
For events in the
Syria region in pre-Roman times see Jewish
