Syrian Civil War

Protests erupt in Deraa on the back of the Arab Spring. Protestors were demanding the freedom of political prisoners and government reforms, though no call for Assad to step down was made. Protests are met with a brutal government crackdown, while Assad announces the implementation of some appeasing measures such as the lifting of the state of emergency and the dismissal of some government officials.

In response to the brutal government crackdown, protests spread across Syria and the government continues its hard-handed approach, while the Western powers begin to impose sanctions.The Syrian army is called upon from its barracks and is deployed in major cities across the country.

The Free Syrian Army is formed and sees many defectors from the Syrian army joining its ranks.

Then U.S President Barrack Obama calls upon Assad to resign and signs an executive order for all Syrian government assets in the U.S to be frozen.The Syrian National Council is formed and offers hope for a united opposition by bridging exiled opposition members with those in Syria.

Syria is suspended from the Arab League for failing to adopt a proposed peace plan, and faces sanctions from other members.

• The shelling of Homs and other cities in Syria intensifies.

The U.N Security Council endorses a non-binding peace plan drafted by U.N Special Envoy Kofi Annan.

The shooting down of a Turkish jet by Syria increases tensions between the two, as Turkey declares any Syrian military forces approaching the border will be seen as a military threat.

The Syrian government declares that they face an armed opposition with extremists in their ranks backed by foreign powers. Fighting spreads to Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city.Free Syrian Army seizes Aleppo and assassinates three security high ranking military chiefs in Damascus.

Then U.S President Obama warns that any use of chemical weapons will push the U.S to intervene on the ground.Prime Minister Riad Hijab defects from the government and joins the Syrian political opposition.

A fire destroys much of the historic market in Aleppo.

US, Britain, France, Turkey and the Gulf states formally recognize the National Coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

The Syrian government blames Israel for an airstrike on a Syrian military base near Damascus, suspected as being the origin point for anti-air weapons destined for Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A Sarin gas attack in the Northern town of Khan Assel kills 26 people, half of whom were government soldiers. Both the government and the rebels accuse each other of the attack.

A deadly chemical gas attack on the town of Ghouta in the outskirts of Damascus claims the lives of hundreds. The Syrian government is blamed for the attack, though this is disputed on their part as they blame the opposition.

The U.N Security Council threatens to intervene with force in Syria if their chemical weapon stockpiles are not destroyed. By Mid-October, Syria signs on to the Chemical Weapons Convention.

“Non-Lethal” support for rebels in the North by the U.S and the U.K is suspended as a result of Islamist militants seizing the bases of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army.

U.S brokered peace talks in Geneva fail due to the Syrian government refusing to discuss any transition of power.

The Syrian army with the support of Hezbollah seize Yabroud, the last rebel held town on the Lebanese border.

The Islamic State proclaims its rule over lands stretching from Aleppo to Diyala province in Iraq. 

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons announces that all chemical weapons have been removed from the hands of the Syrian government, though the opposition disputes this.

The U.S and five Arab states begin launching airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria.

After a fierce four month battle, Kurdish forces push the Islamic State out of Kobane on the Turkish border.

The Islamic State seizes the historic town of Palmyra from the Syrian government, and proceeds to destroy the historical site and artifacts in the area.

Russia formally enters the conflict by launching airstrikes against the Islamic State, though the U.S alleges that it also targets anti-Assad rebels.

The Syrian army allows the rebel evacuation of Homs, effectively returning Syria’s third largest city back into the hands of the government.

The Syrian army recaptures the city of Palmyra from the Islamic State with the aid of intense Russian airstrikes.

The Turkish army crosses into Syria to push back the Islamic State and Kurdish fighters.

 The Syrian army captures Aleppo from the opposition, dealing them a severe blow as this deprives them of their last major stronghold.

Russia, Turkey, and Iran all agree to enforce a ceasefire between the government and non-Islamist rebels following talks in Kazakhstan.

58 civilians killed in a chemical gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, the government denies responsibility and blames rebels.

• The U.S launches cruise missiles at the Syrian air force base from which the alleged chemical attack took place.

The U.S decides to begin arming the Kurdish YPG, a move which infuriates Turkey and regional powers.

The U.S shoots down a Syrian fighter jet near Raqqah after alleging it had dropped bombs on the U.S backed SDF.

Hezbollah and the Syrian army launch an offensive to expel the last remnants of the opposition from the Arsal region on the Lebanese border.

The Islamic State is expelled from its de facto capital of Raqqah.

Riad Hijab resigns from his position as the head of the High Negotiations Committee.

Turkey launches military operation against the US-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units—a group that played a key role in the defeat of ISIS.

 The Assad regime conducts an assault on rebel-held enclave in eastern Ghouta, near Damascus. 1,200 civilians are killed during the four week assault

More than 500 people are brought to medical centres in Douma, in Eastern Ghouta, following a suspected chemical attack in an area which has been blocked off. 42-60 people are believed to have died as a result of the attack. Despite international condemnation, both the Syrian government and Russia have denied any responsibility for the alleged attack.

 A UN report states that Syrian forces committed crimes against humanity during the siege of Eastern Ghoutta. UN Investigators found that Syrian forces had systemically starve the local population as a method of warfare and bombing civilian inhabitants.

As factions of rebels collapse in south Syria, northern factions of the Free Syrian Army announce a new coalition, the National Liberation Front

The Russia-Turkey agreement to create a buffer zone around Idlib goes into effect, attempting to de-escalate violence by government forces attempting to capture the rebel territory

Lasting through January 10 2019, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) attacked and seized the positions of the National Liberation Front (NLF) across rebel-held Idlib and Aleppo. 

A Kurdish fighter was killed and two British special forces troops were seriously injured by an ISIS attack near the town of Deir al-Zour. The injured men were evacuated by US forces.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton said, on a trip to Israel and Turkey, that the withdrawal of US troops from Syria depends on certain conditions, including the assurance that the remnants of ISIS forces are defeated and Kurds in northern Syria were safe from Turkish forces. However, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected the call to protect Kurdish troops, whom he regarded as terrorist groups. The SDF said that they’d caught and arrested two American ISIS fighters, along with suspected fighters from Ireland and Pakistan, who had been planning a terrorist attack on fleeing Syrian civilians.

A truce was reached between the two factions, with the NLF surrendering their last positions in Idlib to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and evacuating to areas under the control of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army in Afrin. On January 10, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took control of the remaining positions previously held by the NLF.

US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said at a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo that the US would withdraw its troops from Syria while continuing the battle against ISIS, but warned that there would be no US reconstruction aid for areas controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad until Iran and its proxies had left.

A suicide bombing by an ISIS militant next to a US patrol in Kurdish-held Manbij killed 18 people, including four US service personnel, and wounded 18, on the same day that US vice-president Mike Pence claimed that ISIS had been defeated.

After many weeks of sporadic fighting as civilians left Baghuz, the SDF says the five-year “caliphate” was over and ISIS was now defeated in Syria.

ISIS reported that they had killed 35 government troops in Homs and Deir al-Zour provinces; SOHR reported 27 killed, saying that this was the largest attack since ISIL had been declared defeated. Thousands of ISIL fighters and their families captured from Baghuz remained in camps nearby.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence Michael Mulroy stated that the physical caliphate was defeated but ISIS was not and that there were over 10,000 completely unrepentant fighters left in Syria and Iraq. He expected the U.S. to be in Syria for the long haul with a very capable partner in the Syrian Democratic Forces. 

The Syrian Government, in coordination with the Russian Aerospace Forces, launched a ground offensive against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Jaysh al-Izza and National Front for Liberation-held territories in Northwestern Syria, in response to what it stated were repeated attacks on government-held areas, carried out by those groups from within the demilitarized zone.

A conditional ceasefire to end the bombing in Syria’s northwestern region of Idlib has been agreed upon after two days of negotiations in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan.

More than 30 Syrian government fighters have died in a blast at a military airport in central Syria, according to a monitoring group. The airfield was the alleged origin of a chemical attack on a rebel-held town in 2017.

Turkey will carry out an operation east of the Euphrates river in northern Syria, in an area controlled by the Kurdish YPG militia, as announced by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

A Syrian government fighter jet has been shot down by rebels in Idlib province, as Russia-backed government forces closed in on a strategically important town during a push on the last opposition stronghold. Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful armed group in the area, said on Wednesday its fighters had shot down a Sukhoi 22 jet that had taken off from a Syrian airbase in Homs province.

Seven members of one family have been killed in Syria’s Idlib in an escalation of a Russian-backed offensive against the last major rebel stronghold, according to a war monitor and activists.

Syrian regime forces entered a key northwestern town on Sunday amid intense fighting with jihadists and their rebel allies, which has left dozens of combatants dead. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported “fierce clashes” as it said regime ground troops penetrated Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province for the first time since they lost control of it in 2014. The latest fighting, which broke out overnight Saturday to Sunday, has already killed at least 59 jihadists and allied rebels as well as 28 members of pro-regime forces.

Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria say their forces have started to withdraw from outposts along the Turkish border after the United States and Turkey reached a deal to establish a “safe zone” there earlier this month.

Turkey will launch its own operation to establish a “safe zone” in northern Syria if talks with the United States fail to give Turkish troops control of the area “within a few weeks”, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

The US says it has carried out an attack on leaders of a group it calls al-Qaeda in Syria, in the country’s rebel-held Idlib province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said at least 18 Iranian and pro-Iranian fighters were killed. It was not clear who carried out the overnight strikes in and around the town of Albu Kamal. But Israel has carried out hundreds of attacks on Iranian-linked targets in Syria during the country’s civil war.

Report by UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria finds US, Syrian, and Russian forces could be responsible for war crimes.

This year’s Damascus International Fair – a commercial exhibition that resumed in 2017 after a five-year hiatus due to the Syrian civil war – was a grand social success. More than 1 million Syrians flocked to the fairground and toured the exhibits of firms from 30 countries during the 10-day event, which finished on Friday, September 6th. Sources in Hama say the economic situation in that city, Aleppo and Homs is better than in Damascus because they trade with the countryside and have revived small food and fabric industries.

U.S. President Donald Trump has given Turkish President Erodgan the greenlight to begin a military operation in northern Syria and create a safe zone” in the area by withdrawing U.S. troops from the area, in a statement released on twitter. The area is currently controlled by the Kurdish forces and their allies, and is home to the ethnic Kurdish population.

Turkey’s army has launched an offensive in northern Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday, as part of an operation to move US-backed Kurdish forces away from its border.

The Syrian army has begun deploying its troops to northern Syria battlefronts to “confront a Turkish aggression” on Syrian territory, after the Kurds asked the Syrian government in Damascus for support.

The United States is poised to withdraw some 1,000 troops from northern Syria, its defense secretary said on Sunday, after learning that Turkey planned to extend its military incursion against Kurdish militia further south than originally planned.

Turkish forces approached a key Kurdish-held town in northern Syria on Sunday, setting off clashes that allowed hundreds of ISIS supporters to escape from a camp for displaced people near a U.S.-led coalition base.

Germany and France said Saturday they would not export any more weapons to Turkey that could be deployed in the country’s military operation in Syria.

One-hundred-and-fifty delegates representing Syria’s government, opposition and various sectors of civil society are meeting in Geneva to try to draft a new constitution. The UN says the talks will be “Syrian-owned and Syrian-led”, and could pave the way for reforms and elections. It suggests they might, eventually, lead to peace negotiations.

Russia and Turkey on Friday began jointly patrolling north-eastern Syria after a deal that stopped Turkey’s military offensive in the region and forced the withdrawal of Kurdish forces.

At least 13 people were killed by a car bomb in the northern Syrian border town of Tal Abyad, Turkish authorities said.

 An attack by Syrian government forces on the rebel-held area of Idlib in northwestern Syria this week killed at least 15 and wounded several at a displaced persons camp, rescue workers said.

Israel says it has hit dozens of targets in Syria belonging to the government and allied Iranian forces. The Israeli military says the “wide-scale strikes” responded to rockets fired by an Iranian unit into Israel. Syria says two civilians died and that Syrian air defences shot down most of the missiles over Damascus. Other reports say the death toll was higher.

The pound, worth 47 to the dollar just before Syria’s civil war broke out nearly nine years ago, plunged to 950 pounds to the dollar, weakening it by another 25% in the past few days. It fluctuated around 765 pounds to the dollar last week.

The pound’s fall has accelerated since mid-October, when Lebanon’s economic crisis worsened amid a wave of anti-government protests.

The United Arab Emirates has officially expressed its hope that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad wins his country’s civil war, further cementing a gradual shift by Abu Dhabi and other regional powers to back Damascus after initially supporting efforts to oust the Syrian leader.

Twenty-four civilians were killed by airstrikes and artillery fire in the opposition-held Syrian province of Idlib on Tuesday, first responders say. Nine people, including three children, died when warplanes bombed the town of Talmenes, the White Helmets reported.

Meanwhile, the wife and three children of one of the group’s volunteers were among six members of the same family killed when shells hit Badama village. An airstrike on the town of Maasaran reportedly killed another six people. Idlib is the last major region still held by rebel fighters and jihadists opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.

Syrians have fled by the thousands from the last rebel-held stronghold of Idlib as a government offensive, supported by Russian jets, intensifies.

“We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war,” Trump said in a statement from his Mar-a-Lago resort, a day after a US drone strike on a Baghdad airport killed Qasem Soleimani.

Iran, in a letter to the United Nations, called the attack state terrorism and an unlawful criminal act.

President Tayyip Erdogan said that up to 250,000 migrants were fleeing toward Turkey from Syria’s northwest Idlib region after weeks of renewed bombardment by Russian and Syrian government forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled to Damascus on Tuesday for a meeting with President Bashar Assad, a rare visit that comes amid soaring tensions between Iran and United States following the U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general.

While the official statements made during the previously unannounced visit made no mention of the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the timing was conspicuous.

Israeli jets have attacked the main T4 airbase in Homs province, the Syrian army said, adding that its air defences downed several missiles in an attack that caused material damage.

An army spokesman told state media on Tuesday that four Israeli missiles did reach the base but said air defences intercepted and destroyed several others.

At least 21 people were killed in Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province as government forces and their Russian allies intensified an air offensive on the country’s northwest.

A new ceasefire agreement between Russia and Turkey, which support opposing sides in Syria’s nearly nine-year conflict, went into effect but violence has continued, according to rescue workers operating in opposition-held areas.

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday increased the punishment for transactions in foreign currencies to seven years of hard labour, the presidency said, as the Syrian pound has plummeted in recent weeks.

A new decree raised the “penalty for anybody who deals in anything other than the Syrian pound for payments, or any kind of commercial transaction”, it said.

Up to 40 Syrian soldiers have been killed in an assault by hundreds of militants in north-western Syria, according to Russia’s defence ministry.

The ministry, which supports Syria’s government, said there were several attacks in which the militants seized two settlements in Idlib province.

A US soldier has died in Syria, the US Defense Department announced.

Army Spc. Antonio I. Moore, 22, from Wilmington, North Carolina, died Friday, January 24 in Deir ez-Zor Province, Syria, according to a release by the department.

Tensions between U.S. and Russia military forces over gaining control over key oil fields in northeastern Syria are intensifying, as American troops blocked a Russian convoy trying to gain access to the oil fields for the fourth time in the last eight days.

Ten armoured vehicles carrying American soldiers stopped Russian military vehicles west of Al-Hasakah province while they were trying to reach the M4 highway to reach key oil fields in the province.

Following the incident, the Russian military sent a helicopter from the base in the town. In response, the U.S. military sent two helicopters to the area, forcing the Russian helicopter to land. The Russian military convoy then apparently turned back and returned to their home base.

Syrian government forces have taken control of several towns in northwestern Idlib province, a war monitor and Syrian state media reported, amid a renewed push by President Bashar al-Assad to recapture the last rebel stronghold.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Idlib in recent weeks amid stepped up airstrikes by Russian and Syrian forces aimed at clearing the opposition from its last redoubt after almost nine years of civil war.

Israeli warplanes have fired missiles at targets near Syria’s capital, Damascus, Syrian state media report.

The Sana news agency said air defences intercepted most of the missiles, but that eight people were wounded.

A monitoring group said Syrian army positions and those of Iran-backed militias were hit, killing 23 people.

Five Turkish soldiers have been killed in an attack carried out by Syrian government forces in Syria’s northwest, prompting Ankara to retaliate against dozens of Syrian army targets. The Turkish defence ministry said Monday’s shelling on a military base in Idlib province, the last rebel-held stronghold in the war-torn country, wounded a further five troops.

“The parliament… condemns and recognizes the genocide committed against the Armenians by the Ottoman state at the start of the twentieth century,” the legislature said in a statement. The Turkish foreign ministry slammed the Syrian parliament’s resolution as “hypocrisy” from a country it said is responsible for the “massacre” of its own people and “well known for its use of chemical weapons.”

Syrian state media reports the death of all crew members of a military helicopter downed in the Aleppo countryside. The National Liberation Front claims responsibility for the attack.

Al Jazeera reports that, since December, as many as 800,000 have fled the embattled region, the majority of whom are stranded in overcrowded camps on the Turkish border.

As Syrian forces tighten their grip on the north-western Idlib Governorate, president Assad promises to continue the offensive until a “complete victory” is achieved. The numbers displaced since December reach 900,000 as refugees are forced to sleep outside in sub-zero temperatures. Turkey and Russia meet to discuss a settlement of the crisis.

The Turkish premier threatens to begin an offensive in Syria’s north-western province after talks with Russia fail to achieve “the desired result”.

Two Turkish soldiers are killed and five injured in Syrian air attacks near Idlib. Turkey responds by killing over 50 Syrian forces, according to the country’s defence ministry.

The Kremlin reports that the Turkish and Russian presidents come to an agreement to intensify talks about the growing crisis in Idlib as the UN warns that the nearly one million civilians stuck in the region could be trapped in a “bloodbath”.

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The Turkish president announces that a summit will take place on 5 March 2020 between the leaders of Turkey, Russia, Germany and France, to discuss the predicament in north-western Syria. The announcement comes as Turkey confirms its 16th military casualty in the region in February due a Syrian aerial attack.

Israeli raids on the Syrian capital kill six people; two members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and four pro-Assad fighters.

Opposition fighters backed by the Turkish government recapture the north-western town of Nairab. The town is within 10km of Saraqib – a town situated at the junction of two key highways, the M4 and M5.

Several attacks by Russian and Syrian forces across the north-western Idlib governorate leave numerous civilians dead, including school teachers and children.

Three Turkish soldiers are killed during an offensive which retakes the key town of Saraqeb, at the junction of the M4 and M5 highways.

Meanwhile, a man, allegedly a member of the Syrian resistance to liberate the Golan Heights, is killed by an Israeli drone attack on a car in Syria’s south-western province of Quneitra.

Ankara vows that is will no longer prevent Syrian refugees fleeing to Europe after the loss of numerous soldiers in Idlib during the month of February. Greece and Bulgaria step up border patrols in response.

Turkey claims that it kills 309 Syrian government troops in response to a Syrian strike which kills 33 Turkish soldiers. NATO calls for a de-escalation of the violence.

Turkey shoots down two Syrian government planes over Idlib. Both pilots are allegedly unhurt as they parachute to safety.

Opposition to the Russian-backed Syrian government begin to retake ground in Idlib with the support of Turkish drones.

Russia mounts a heavy bombardment of Saraqib in an attempt to retake the key town.

The EU pledges funds to help Greece tackle the increase of migrants in the wake of Turkey’s decision to open its borders to Europe. The EU warns Erdogan against testing its “unity”.

Russia rejects accusations made by the UN Commission of Inquiry in Syria that aerial attacks in Idlib and rural Damascus constituted “war crimes”.

Backed by Russian airstrikes, government forces retake the key town of Saraqib. Turkey shoots down another Syrian plane in southern Idlib in response.

Two more Turkish soldiers are killed in Idlib the night before the Erdogan-Putin summit.

Following escalating tensions in Deraa and the deaths of at least 15 Syrian civilians in an air attack in the town of Maaret Misreen, the presidents of Russia and Turkey announce a ceasefire in Idlib from midnight on 5 March 2020.

Meanwhile, Turkey deploys 1,000 police officers to the Greek border in order to prevent Greece pushing migrants back into the country.

During talks in Brussels, the Turkish president calls on NATO and the EU to do more to help Turkey deal with the growing refugee crisis in the wake of the previous month’s heavy fighting in Idlib.

The Turkish president entreats the Russian government to take measures concerning minor breaches of the near week-long ceasefire in the Syrian province of Idlib, warning of a heavy military response should Turkish observation posts in the region come under fire.

The Syrian education ministry announces the closure of universities and schools as the country prepares for the effects of the coronavirus.

As the ceasefire holds, Al Jazeera reports that over half a million children have been displaced by the recent fighting. Some are forced to live in graveyards.

In accordance with the 5th March ceasefire agreement, Russia and Turkey begin joint patrols of the west-east M4 highway, which links the cities of Latakia and Aleppo. The intention is to prevent flare ups between Syrian government troops and rebel forces.

Meanwhile, the UN warns that more than 4.8 million children have been born into war since the Syrian conflict erupted more than 9 years ago.

A four-party video conference between the Turkish president and the premiers of France, Germany and the UK sees the leaders agree on issues regarding the conflict in Idlib, while still requiring “clarifications” on the approach to Syrian refugees.

A rocket attack in Syria’s Idlib province kills two Turkish soldiers, just two weeks into an agreed ceasefire. The Turkish defence ministry blames “radical groups” for the attack.

A 20-year-old woman in Damascus tests positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The woman is to be quarantined for two weeks while the country prepares to halt all public transport. The WHO announces testing will take in the country “within days”.

The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, calls for a nationwide ceasefire to enable the country to prepare to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Pederson also urges “large-scale releases” of prisoners on humanitarian grounds.

Health officials in Syria warn of a potential for as many as 100,000 in the north-west of the country if they do not receive sufficient medical equipment and supplies.

Syrian air defences intercept numerous Israeli missiles over the mid-western governorate of Homs. The weapons were fired from Lebanese air space.

Turkey vows to minimise the movement of troops in neighbouring Syria in an attempt to limit the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

An internal inquiry by the UN finds that it is “highly probable” that several deadly attacks on health facilities in Idlib were carried out by forces aligned with the government of Bashar al-Assad.

The world’s chemical weapons watchdog blames the Syrian government for alleged chemical weapons’ attacks in Hama during March 2017. Their report claims that sarin and chlorine were used on the town of Latamneh. The EU threatens further sanctions against Syria in response.

The UN’s envoy for Syria calls on all warring parties to cease fighting to enable the country to mount a concerted fight against the coronavirus. Rebel-held areas are particularly vulnerable, with limited supplies and overstretched hospitals.

A car carrying Lebanese Hezbollah members is targeted by an Israeli drone near the Jdaidit Yabous crossing between Syria and Lebanon. No casualties are reported.

Reports emerge of personnel in Kurdish-held north-east Syria using rubbish bags to manufacture makeshift medical equipment.

Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, visits Syria, criticising the US decision not to lift sanctions on the two countries despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Numerous Israeli missiles are shot down over the ancient city of Palmyra in Homs Governorate, according to Syrian state media. The weapons were ostensibly fired at Iran-backed fighters believed to be operating in the area.

Turkish president Erdogan warns of a brutal retaliation against Syrian forces if they exploit the chaos caused by the coronavirus outbreak to break the 5 March ceasefire agreement.

The Higher Regional Court in Germany’s southwestern city of Koblenz begins the landmark trial of a former Syrian colonel, Anwar Raslan, who is accused of crimes against humanity. Eyad al-Gharib, who ostensibly worked below the colonel, also faces trial under the legal principle of universal jurisdiction.

At least three civilians are killed and four injured as Israeli warplanes fire missiles at Damascus from Lebanese airpspace.

A fuel truck explosion in the Turkish-controlled northern Syrian town of Afrin claims the lives of at least 46 people. The Turkish government blames the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) for the attack. 

The Turkish Foreign Ministry releases a statement condemning the UAE’s Middle East policy as “destructive” and “hostile”, referring specifically to the ongoing conflicts in Yemen and Syria. 

Nine Syrian policeman are killed in Muzayrib – a town in the southern province of Daraa. No group takes immediate responsibility for the act. 

A military barracks in al-Safirah, a town in the countryside of Aleppo, is hit by Israeli air strikes. Fourteen Iranian and Iraqi fighters are killed in the attacks. 

A report released by the UK-based human rights group, Amnesty International, accuses the Assad government and their Russian backers of “war crimes” during the previous year’s offensives on opposition-held territories in north-west Syria. The majority of documented attacks took place in January and February of this year, with civilians and medical facilities allegedly deliberately targeted.

Geir Pederson, the UN Syria envoy, calls upon Moscow and Washington to take advantage of the relative calm in the country to begin discussions towards a settlement that may end the near decade-long war.

The UN special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, announces an opportunity for the opposing sides in Syria’s long-running civil war to start healing their divisions during a relative lull in the conflict. He tells journalists that talks between the parties will begin in Geneva as “soon as the pandemic” allows. Such a meeting would represent the ninth round of peace talks in the Swiss city, in addition to twelve rounds held in Kazakhstan.

Syrian tycoon Rami Makhlouf, the head of the country’s largest mobile operator Syriatel, is banned from travelling outside of the country amid allegations that he owes the state $185m.

For the first time since a ceasefire came into effect in March, Russia apparently launches air raids in rebel-held north-western Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) recorded several strikes overnight on the boundaries of the provinces of Idlib, Latakia and Hama. The north-west of the country continues to be under the control of the former al-Qaeda affiliate Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

An Israeli missile attack near the town of Masyaf on the countryside of Hama is thwarted by Syrian air defences. The attacks are part of growing attempts by Israel in recent week to check the alleged activities of Hezbollah in the country.

The Gerda Henkel Foundation and the Syrian Society for the Protection of Antiquities release a joint report revealing the extent of damage wrought on the country’s historical heritage during the ongoing civil war. The report documents extensive looting and destruction in addition to the illegal transfer of artefacts out of the country.

Meanwhile, air raids conducted by Russia in Syria’s north-western province of Idlib result in the deaths of at least two civilians, according to activists. These mark the first Russian military raids since the joint Russian and Turkish ceasefire brokered in March.​

Imad Khamis is dismissed without reason by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad following an economic downturn initiated in part by stricter US sanctions against the country. The move follows some relatively muted protests in government-held areas of the country.

Two soldiers are killed in Israeli air strikes against several military bases in Syria. The attacks, which hit three locations across the country, also leave four people wounded. The strikes are believed to be intended to undermine Iranian militias allegedly operating in the area.

The UN raises $7.7bn of aid for Syrians during a virtual donor conference, held in order to help both with those remaining in the country amid the ongoing 9-year war as well as refugees across the world. Although higher than what was expected, it the amount pledged falls short of the $10bn ideally needed by UN agencies operating in the country.

Iran, Turkey and Russia meet for the first time in almost a year to discuss potential political solutions to the ongoing Syrian Civil War. The discussions are held via video link and lead to a joint declaration rejecting a military resolution. Iran’s Rouhani also used the meeting to call for the withdrawal of US troops from the country, while Vladimir Putin denounced the US Caesar Act – which disciplines any country or individual doing business with the al-Assad government.

The UN alleges that war crimes were committed by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the sustained assault on the north-western province of Idlib at the beginning of this year and the end of last. Shelling attacks on markets and schools are mentioned in the report as causing “unfathomable suffering” and potentially constituting “crimes against humanity”.

China and Russia veto a UN Security Council Resolution proposing the continued use of two border crossings for another year, for the transfer of aid from Turkey to Syria. Having already been reduced from two crossing points earlier this year, the UN argues that a further reduction would lead to a deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the north-west of the country. Russia and China argue that such aid deliveries violate the country’s sovereignty, saying instead that the distribution of aid ought to be managed by Damascus.

A Russian motion to halve the border-crossing points in use for the delivery of aid to north-west Syria is rejected by the UN Security Council, with only four of its fifteen members voting in favour of the proposal. A new resolution proposing the continued use of two crossing points is expected to be tabled, with the current mandate for aid delivery expiring on 10 July.

Aid for displaced Syrians in the north-west of the country will now only be channelled through one crossing at the Turkish border, after the UN Security Council failed to overcome a Russian drive to close one of the previously operating crossings down.

An improvised explosive device (IED) hits a joint Russo-Turkish patrol of Syria’s north-western province of Idlib, injuring several troops. The device was set off in the south of the de-escalation zone, which has been jointly patrolled by Russian and Turkish troops since March.

Syria holds parliamentary elections in all of the government-controlled regions of the country, with over 2,000 candidates standing for election. Opposition to the ruling Baath party of President Bashar al-Assad is scarce, with many parties boycotting the vote.

Meanwhile, an explosion near the Bab al-Salameh border crossing with Turkey kills at least five people and wounds many more. The area is controlled by rebel fighters opposed to the government of Assad.

The Israeli Air Force strikes an ammunition depot near Damascus. The depot, allegedly run by Iranian proxy forces in the country, is located in the suburbs of the capital, with the strikes constituting part of an undergoing assault against the Iranian military presence in the country with US approval.

The trial of Omar al-Bashir, who acquired the position of Sudanese President in 1989 by way of a coup which overthrew the democratically elected Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, begins in Khartoum. Al-Bashir was in power for over 30 years before being removed by the military following protests against his rule in 2019.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s Baath party expectedly records a comfortable victory in Syria’s parliamentary elections in a result denounced by opposition leaders as a “theatre play”. The ruling party and its allies secured 177 of the available 250 seats on a 33% turnout.

The Turkish-held Syrian town of Ras al-Ain is hit by an explosion at a vegetable market. The blast kills 8 people and wounds a further 19, with Turkey’s defence ministry blaming the attack on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The US government announces further sanctions against the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad, aimed at drying up the President’s access to funds. The announcement includes a threat to blacklist anyone doing business with Assad until he agrees to support a negotiated end to his country’s 9-year civil war.

A car bomb targeting a checkpoint operated by forces supported by the Turkish government results in the deaths of five people in north-eastern Syria. The bombing in the village of Tal Halaf leaves a further 12 people wounded, with Turkish officials suggesting Syrian Kurdish fighters may have been responsible for the blast.

The Syrian government has accused the US of trying to steal its oil, after one of its oil companies signed an agreement with the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Statements in recent days indicate the US government was both aware and in favour of the deal, which Syrian officials have described as “without legal basis”.

The vast tent city of Syria’s Al-Hol refugee camp sees its first confirmed cases of coronavirus, after three health workers tested positive for the virus according to the UN Office for the Coordination fo Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Located in north-eastern Syria, the camp is under the control of Kurdish forces.

One soldier is killed and two others injured as US army helicopters strike a Syrian army checkpoint in the north-east of the country. The incident occurred after a US military patrol was denied passage through an army checkpoint.

The US extends sanctions on Syrian officials, targeting six members of government and the leaders of military units. The move comes as the US looks to starve Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of funds following its failure to support his toppling in the Syrian Civil War.

An apparent attack on a pipeline near Damascus has left Syria in darkness after a widespread electricity blackout. Ali Ghanem, the country’s oil minister, attributes responsibility for the attack to “terrorists” without further elaboration.

Meanwhile, proposed peace talks mediated by the UN in Geneva are put on hold as three of the delegates test positive for coronavirus. The meeting was supposed to host a constitutional review committee made up equally of members of the government, civil society, and opposition groups. The US, Russia, Iran and Turkey were also expected to view proceedings from the side-lines.

Russia has blamed US forces for a confrontation in Syria which saw Russian and US military vehicles face off against one another. Russian spokesmen say that advance warning had been given to US troops of the passing of a military convoy. Despite this, however, US troops attempted to prevent its passing. Some US troops were left injured following the skirmish.

Meanwhile, following a three-day delay caused by four of the delegates testing positive for coronavirus, talks pertaining to the forming of a new Syrian constitution resume in Geneva.

The UN has voiced its dismay about the “widespread” transmission of the new strain of coronavirus in Syria, as healthcare facilities in the war-torn country continue to face mounting pressures. Until now, some 2,5000 cases have been reported. However, it is widely believed that the true number greatly exceeds the level of confirmed positive tests.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seeking closer business ties with Russia in order to compensate for the economic shortfall suffered as a result of crippling US sanctions. Any new investment is likely to target the mining and energy sectors.  

The Commission of Inquiry on Syria reports that Syria’s government and opposition groups backed by the Turkish government are guilty of committing crimes against humanity, including torture, rape, and murder. The report deals with the first 6 months of this year, during which time a ceasefire between rival groups largely held.  

The Syrian administration accuses US President Donald Trump of presiding over a “rogue state”, after he claimed he thought about assassinating Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after an alleged chemical weapons attack in the country.  

The UN urges the Turkish government to look into alleged war crimes carried out by forces allied to Ankara in Syria. The UN’s statement is rejected by the Turkish government, which describes the allegations as “totally unfounded”. 

The US administration increases its diplomatic pressure on Syria, imposing new sanctions on six individuals and eleven entities linked to the Assad government. The new rules are aimed at reducing the Syrian government’s revenues in order to bring Assad to the negotiating table.

An explosion near a bus station in the Turkish-controlled northwest Syrian town of Al-Bab leaves at least 18 people dead and 75 others wounded. No group has yet taken responsibility for the blast.

Wildfires across war-torn Syria – which have also hit parts of Israel and Lebanon – have taken the lives of two people and destroyed acres of land. The fires across the north of the country have been caused by a heatwave uncharacteristic of this time of year.

A close ally of Syrian Presiden Bashar al-Assad, the Mufti for Damascus Adnan al-Afiyui is killed by a car bomb planeted in his vehicle in the small town of Qudssaya outside the capital.

Bombing raids carried out on a military camp in north-western Syria lead to the deaths of several opposition fighters. The raids are believed to have been carried out by Russian warplanes.

Syrian government shelling of a rebel enclave in north-western Syria has left seven people dead, including four children. The shelling targets Idlib city and two nearby towns where anti-government troops are based.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accuses the US administration of blocking the return of Syrian refugees, citing sanctions pressure on the UN and surrounding countries as reasons for the reluctance of people to return to their home country. Around 5.6 million people have fled the country since the civil war began.

A Syrian diplomat and the country’s former Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem dies aged 79 following years of heart problems and ill health. Moallem had been a strong defender of the country’s President Bashar al-Assad throughout the country’s 10-year civil war.

Israel launches air raids on Syria in an apparent retaliatory move following the discovery of explosive devices placed along Israel’s northern border. Three soldiers were killed and another wounded by the strikes, which were apparently aimed at Syrian and Iranian sites in the country.

Following the death of former Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem – a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad – last week, the presidency announces the appointment of Faisal Mekdad (the former deputy Foreign MInister) to the role.

Syrian military reports suggest that Israeli warplanes have attacked posts south of Damascus. Eight fighters, who were allegedly part of “pro-Iranian militias” according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, were killed.

A barrage of Israeli missiles is intercepted above the western Syrian province of Hama, as Syrian state TV reports that the attack was aimed at the town of Masyaf in the province’s countryside. Reports from witnesses in Lebanon suggest that Israel violated its airspace to launch the attacks. No injuries have thus far been reported.  

Increasingly violent clashes between the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in north-east Syria and the Turkish-supported Syrian National Army (TSNA) have seen nearly 10,000 people flee their homes in Ain Issa. Turkish-backed forces have been shelling the city daily for the past week.  

A series of air strikes on a military base in the countryside near Damascus has taken the life of one Syrian soldier and wounded several others. The attacks are believed to have been launched from neighbouring Israel, which has continued to bomb Syria throughout its Civil War in an attempt to weaken the influence of Hezbollah and Iran in the country. 

An ambush on a bus in the Syrian province of Deir Az Zour results in the deaths of at least 25 people and the wounding of 13 others. It appears that the targets of the assault were pro-government forces operating in the eastern province. 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organization, reported that a bomb exploded near the Russian military base in the Tal Saman area, which is south of Ayn Issa. This bomb wounded several Russian soldiers, and members of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group known as the Guardians of Religious Organization claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Israeli military launched air strikes in eastern Syria, close to the Iraqi border. At least 18 missiles were said to have struck Syria, and the Israelis’ targets were reportedly Iranian-backed militia. The death toll for the 18 strikes amounted to 57, with at least 7 Syrian soldiers and 16 allied fighters killed. The strikes were executed with intelligence from the United States’ intelligence community.

A car bomb exploded in Turkish-controlled Afrin, a city in Northern Syria. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party were thought to be responsible. 

Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces reached a truce in the Kurdish-controlled cities of Hasaka and Qamishli. This ended the SDF’s three-week siege of the government-held neighborhoods. 

The Israeli government continued to launch air strikes. However, they did not disclose the intended targets of these missiles. Nevertheless, sources have revealed that these air strikes had originated from the Golan Heights. The Syrian government reported that the Israelis’ airstrikes were unsuccessful, as the government forces were able to intercept the missiles with anti-air defenses.

Russian jets conducted over 100 air strikes in the ISIS-held Raqqa desert region. This caused the deaths of over 12 militants. 

The Pentagon reported that the American military did launch an attack on facilities used by Iran-backed militias. These attacks were launched in retaliation for Iraqi rocket attacks in Erbil, which caused the death of one civilian contractor.

The Russian military fired surface-to-air missiles from its warships, causing 4 deaths and 24 injuries. On the same day, the Syrian government attacked Turkish-backed rebel-held oil markets and refineries near Aleppo Governorate.

As the war has dragged on for nearly 10 years, the United Nations International Cahildren’s Education Fund (UNICEF) has expressed its concern for children and families in Syria, or have escaped from Syria. Its report suggested that at least 12,000 children have been killed during the conflict, and many millions have been displaced due to the war, which has disrupted their learning. The agency has made an appeal for $1.4 billion to assist Syrian families. 

Syrian Kurdish forces have launched operations in northwestern Syria, where family members of IS militants were reportedly staying. The raid of the al-Hol camp has led to 9 arrests, one of whom was an IS recruiter. The Kurdish forces were provided with intelligence by the US-led coalition which is also fighting IS.

On 3 April 2021, the Russian Air Force conducted over 70 airstrikes in the Hama desert in western Syria, killing 13 ISIS members. The next day, the British Royal Air Force mobilized a drone which targeted ISIS militants in northern Syria. Around two weeks later, Russian warplanes reportedly killed 200 ISIS militants and destroyed 24 vehicles along with 500 kilograms of ammunition during an airstrike near the city of Palmyra in central Syria. The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights reported that only 26 ISIS members were killed in the Russian airstrike.

Conflict between the NDF militia of the Syrian government and the SDF escalated in the city of Al-Qamishli. 5 members of the NDF and one Asayish Commander were reportedly killed during the clashes.

5 Syrian soldiers were killed during an operation launched by Uzbek jihadists against the Syrian forces in the village of al-Ruwayha in the southern Idlib countryside.

Israeli missiles were fired at the city of Damascus in Syria, killing one officer and wounding three others.

Operatives of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) reportedly ambushed the 5^th Corps of the Syrian Army in the Salamiyyah countryside. This attack caused the deaths of 2 Syrian soldiers and injured 3 others.

An Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Syria was targeted in an operation. However, it was unclear which side launched the attack. Al Jazeera reported that the drone which attacked the tanker had originated in Lebanese waters.

The Supreme Court of Syria rejected 48 of 51 applications submitted for the upcoming presidential elections in late May. The candidates which were turned down did not meet the “constitutional and legal prerequisite”.

ISIS militants attacked a convoy of Syrian army vehicles leaving the al-Kamm oil station in the east Deir ez-Zor desert. 2 Syrian soliders were killed, and many more were injured during the ambush.

Four members of the Kurdish defense forces were killed by ISIS militants who open-fired on their bus while transiting through the village of Al-Kabar in the countryside of Deir Ezzor.

Two mines planted by ISIS in the Jabal al-Amour area killed at least 7 Syrian soldiers. The ISIS operatives were said to have placed these mines near military installments to target military officers.

At least 6 ISIS militants were killed by Russian airstrikes in the Deir ez Zor desert region.

An Iranian militia within the Syrian army was the target of an ISIS attack near the al-Mateyah village in Masanah desert, east of Aleppo. This left at least 8 militiamen dead, including the leader of the militia group.

The Syrian presidential election took place on the 26^th May 2021. Incumbent President Bashar al-Assad was reelected with over 95% of the vote in what critics call an unfair election. Turnout was reported to be over 75%, but experts question the sheer possibility of this figure, given a large proportion of the population was displaced.

Two suspected members of ISIS shot two Turkish-backed police officers in the city of Al-Bab in northwestern Syria. One officer died immediately from the gunshot, while the other officer bled out from his wounds. Following the attack, the two militants escaped on a motorcycle and shouted “ISIS revives, infidels”.

A missile launched by Israeli forces was reportedly targeted towards the city of Damascus in Syria. The Syrian state news agency SANA asserted that the Syrian forces’ air defense system was able to intercept the missile, and hence there were no casualties as a result of the missile. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, however, reported that 11 pro-government fighters were killed.

A vehicle operated by Russian soldiers drove over a landmine in the village of Al-Asadiya in the Al-Hasaka countryside. One Russian soldier was killed by the blast, three others were injured.

The Syrian Army launched a bombardment on Iblin, a village in the Idlib Governorate. This led to the deaths of several high-level operatives in the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Sunni Islamist group involved in the Syrian Civil War. Abu Khaled al-Shamy, the spokesperson of the military wing of HTS, and Abu Mosa’ab, the media coordinator in the military media department, were both killed by the bombs.

The Assad Government was reportedly responsible for a missile that was launched from the Tell Rifaat area. The missile had struck the Al Shifa hospital in Afrin, which is an area controlled by Turkish-backed forces. In retaliation, Turkish forces used T-155 Fırtına to hit Syrian targets in Tell Rifaat.

A field commander and two other members of the Syrian 5^th Corps were found dead in the east Raqqa desert after being executed by ISIS cells.

4 Syrian soldiers were killed during an infiltration attempt from YPG forces.

American F-15 and F-16 aircraft were used on an operation which targeted Iran-backed militia along the Syria-Iraq border. The American military reported that these attacks were in retaliation for attacks against U.S. personnel and equipment in Iraq.

Iran-backed militia group took revenge and fired shells against the U.S. base at Al-Omar oil field in eastern Syria. According to U.S. military personnel, there were no injuries or deaths due to the shelling.

The Syrian army heavily shelled the Jabal al-Zawiyah region in the southern Idlib countryside, causing the deaths of 8 civilians, of whom of least 6 were thought to be children. The regional director of UNICEF has described this as the worst incident in terms of human rights since the ceasefire agreement in March 2020, and seriously condemns the actions of the Syrian government and military.

ISIS representatives have claimed responsibility for the killing of one civilian near the village of Al-Riz, east of Deir Ez Zour. The civilian was allegedly working with the SDF and was kidnapped by ISIS forces.

The Syrian government under the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad have announced price hikes for both bread and fuel. These increases have certainly had an immense impact on civilians, particularly those who are living in a war-torn country. At the same time, Assad’s regime has announced salary increases for civil servants and increase in pensions.

4 members of the IRGC were killed as a result of an ISIS IED attack on their convoy in the eastern countryside of Homs.

Israeli warplanes were reportedly carrying out airstrikes in the Jabl al-Waha area of the al-Sferah neighborhood of southeastern Aleppo. Five Iran-backed militiamen were said to have been killed, of which two were members of the Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah.

Turkish forces bombarded areas of the Al-Bab military frontline, killing one member of the Al-Bab military council, a mixed ethnic force of the SDF, Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen militiamen. Three other Al-Bab soldiers were killed during the same Turkish attack.

Possibly in response to the attack on the Al-Bab military council on July 23^rd, SDF operatives fired an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) at a Turkish armored vehicle in Hazwan, killing three Turkish soldiers and injuring another two. Turkey retaliated by launching artillery attacks at SDF positions and fortifications on the Manbij and Al-Bab fronts.

A landmine in the Syrian capital was detonated when a Syrian military vehicle drove over it. The landmine killed one Syrian soldier and injured at least another three.

A group of Uzbek Jihadists were said to have infiltrated the Hantoutin axis, a Syrian military installation. During the operation, 4 Uzbek Jihadists were killed, alongside an additional 6 Syrian soldiers.

An officer of the 11^th division of the Syrian Army was killed during an ambush by ISIL operatives in the al-Shoula desert in the south Deir Ezzor countryside. In response, at least 20 Russian airstrikes were carried out in the Syrian desert.

The air defense system of the Syrian military was able to successfully intercept missiles launched by the Israeli military against Damascus.

The Russian Air Force launched several airstrikes targeting ISIS positions.

Eyewitness reports stated that improvised missiles were targeting the city of Deraa in southwestern Syria.

Following intense shelling from the Syrian government against the opposition-held city of Deraa for several months, a ceasefire deal was reached between the two parties. Syrian and Russian government forces would be stationed in 4 places in the region as a result of the deal.

The Syrian air defense system was able to intercept Israeli missiles launched from southeastern Lebanon towards Damascus. Israeli missiles were reportedly targeting weapons-building sites of pro-Iranian forces in the Jamraya and Barzeh areas near the Syrian capital.

The Russian Air Force, over a period of 48 hours, conducted over 100 airstrikes, killing at least 9 ISIS members in the Syrian desert.

Turkish-backed forces began to attack SDF and Syrian military positions in the Aleppo countryside as a response to Russian airstrikes targeting their own positions.

Turkish forces killed Karaaslan after the PKK conducted an operation in the vicinity of Qamishli