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57-840: During the Syrian Civil War , the town was taken by the rebels and blockaded by the government in 2012. A truce ending the blockade was reached in November 2013. The government placed the town under siege again in July 2015, until a deal was reached in November 2015 for the rebels to be transferred to Idlib province . On 12 October 2016, armed fighters turned in their weaponry as per the surrender deal in which about 150 rebel fighters from Qudsaya and al-Hamah will be allowed safe-passage to rebel-held areas in Idlib. More than 300 rebel fighters who have chosen to stay behind will have their cases settled. The agreement

114-526: A coup d'état in 1963 . For several years, Syria went through additional coups and changes in leadership, until in March 1971, General Hafez al-Assad , an Alawite , declared himself President . It marked the beginning of the domination of personality cults centred around the Assad dynasty that pervaded all aspects of Syrian daily life and was accompanied by a systematic suppression of civil and political freedoms, becoming

171-465: A full-blown civil war. Rebel forces, receiving arms from NATO and Gulf Cooperation Council states, initially made significant advances against the government forces, who were receiving arms from Iran and Russia . Rebels captured the regional capitals of Raqqa in 2013 and Idlib in 2015. Consequently, Russia launched a military intervention in support of the government in September 2015, shifting

228-620: A further government advance toward the town of Afis . Concurrently, a Syrian Air Force Aero L-39 Albatros was shot downed by a Turkish F-16 over Idlib, with conflicting reports over the pilots fate. Meanwhile, a Turkish Bayraktar drone was shot down by the Syrian Army in the western Aleppo countryside. During the day, five Turkish soldiers were killed by Syrian bombardment in Taftanaz Airbase , Al-Tarnaba and Al-Mastouma camp. On 4 March, Turkish sources claimed that Suheil al-Hassan

285-602: A location in Rif Dimashq Governorate , Syria is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Syrian Civil War Total deaths 580,000 –617,910+ Civilian deaths 219,223–306,887+ Displaced people Foreign intervention in behalf of Syrian rebels U.S.-led intervention against ISIL The Syrian civil war is an ongoing multi-sided conflict in Syria involving various state-sponsored and non-state actors . In March 2011, popular discontent with

342-626: A major rebel offensive in the northwest led by Tahrir al-Sham in November 2024, during which Aleppo was seized . In March 2011, popular discontent with the Ba'athist government led to large-scale protests and pro-democracy rallies across Syria, as part of the wider Arab Spring protests in the region. Numerous protests were violently suppressed by security forces in deadly crackdowns ordered by Bashar al-Assad, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and detentions , many of whom were civilians. The Syrian revolution transformed into an insurgency with

399-472: A mass migration of farming families to urban centers. This migration strained infrastructure already burdened by the influx of some 1.5 million refugees from the Iraq War . The drought has been linked to anthropogenic global warming . Subsequent analysis, however, has challenged the narrative of the drought as a major contributor to the start of the war. Adequate water supply continues to be an issue in

456-1881: A point of contention for United States since falling in the hands of ISIS, which were captured by American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in 2017. Protests, civil uprising, and defections (March–July 2011) Initial armed insurgency (July 2011 – April 2012) Kofi Annan ceasefire attempt (April–May 2012) Next phase of the war starts: escalation (2012–2013) Rise of the Islamist groups (January–September 2014) U.S. intervention (September 2014 – September 2015) Russian intervention (September 2015 – March 2016), including first partial ceasefire Aleppo recaptured; Russian/Iranian/Turkish-backed ceasefire (December 2016 – April 2017) Syrian-American conflict; de-escalation zones (April–June 2017) ISIL siege of Deir ez-Zor broken; CIA program halted; Russian forces permanent (July–December 2017) Army advance in Hama province and Ghouta; Turkish intervention in Afrin (January–March 2018) Douma chemical attack; U.S.-led missile strikes; southern Syria offensive (April–August 2018) Idlib demilitarization; Trump announces U.S. withdrawal; Iraq strikes ISIL targets (September–December 2018) ISIL attacks continue; U.S. states conditions of withdrawal; fifth inter-rebel conflict (January–May 2019) Demilitarization agreement falls apart; 2019 northwestern Syria offensive; northern Syria buffer zone established (May–October 2019) U.S. forces withdraw from buffer zone; Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria (October 2019) Northwestern offensive; Baylun airstrikes; Operation Spring Shield; Daraa clashes; Afrin bombing (late 2019; 2020) New economic crisis and stalemate conflict (June 2020–November 2024) Operation Spring Shield This

513-469: A political settlement have gone nowhere, leaving the Assad regime firmly in power. The U.S. Council on Foreign Relations said: The war whose brutality once dominated headlines has settled into an uncomfortable stalemate. Hopes for regime change have largely died out, peace talks have been fruitless, and some regional governments are reconsidering their opposition to engaging with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. The government has regained control of most of

570-412: A stalemate, by early 2023. The United States Institute of Peace said: Twelve years into Syria's devastating civil war, the conflict appears to have settled into a frozen state. Although roughly 30% of the country is controlled by opposition forces, heavy fighting has largely ceased and there is a growing regional trend toward normalizing relations with the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Over the last decade,

627-642: A step towards de-escalation in the region. On 27 February 2020, during the Dawn of Idlib 2 Operation , Turkish Army positions in Balyun, Idlib Governorate, came under attack from airstrikes allegedly conducted by the Syrian Air Force and the Russian Air Force. Resulting in the deaths of 36 Turkish soldiers, with a reported number of wounded ranging from 36 to 60. The following day, Russia denied it had carried out

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684-532: A threat. Violence in the war peaked during 2012–2017, but the situation remains a crisis. By 2020, the Syrian government controlled about two-thirds of the country and was consolidating power. Frontline fighting between the Assad government and opposition groups had mostly subsided by 2023, but there had been regular flareups in northwestern Syria and large-scale protests emerged in southern Syria and spread nationwide in response to extensive autocratic policies and

741-1006: Is an accepted version of this page Ceasefire [REDACTED] Turkish Armed Forces [REDACTED] Syrian Armed Forces [REDACTED]   Iran Per Turkey: [REDACTED] 41 killed 81 wounded (including Balyun airstrikes ) Materiel: Per SOHR : [REDACTED] 170 soldiers and 27 militiamen killed (between 15th of January and the 5th of March 2020) . Per Middle East Institute : [REDACTED] 405 government soldiers and militias killed Per Turkey : [REDACTED] 3,136 soldiers and militiamen "neutralized" [REDACTED] 9-14 Killed, 30 Wounded [REDACTED] 55 militias killed Materiel: Foreign intervention in behalf of Syrian rebels U.S.-led intervention against ISIL Operation Euphrates Shield Idlib operations Operation Olive Branch Operation Peace Spring Spillover into Turkey Operation Spring Shield ( Turkish : Bahar Kalkanı Harekâtı )

798-594: The 2023 Ankara bombing , which the Turkish government alleges was carried out by attackers originating from Northeastern Syria. On 27 November 2024, it was reported that in a sudden offensive in Northwestern Syria , rebels seized 13 villages, including the strategic towns of Urm Al-Sughra and Anjara, as well as Base 46, the largest Syrian regime base in the region. On 28 November it was reported that Russian and Syrian warplanes were bombing rebel positions in response to

855-553: The Battle of Raqqa , the Islamic State was territorially defeated by late 2017. In August 2016, Turkey launched a multi-pronged invasion of northern Syria , in response to the creation of Rojava , while also fighting the Islamic State and government forces in the process. Between the March 2020 Idlib ceasefire and late 2024, frontline fighting mostly subsided, but was characterized by regular skirmishes. Heavy fighting renewed with

912-474: The Iran–Iraq–Syria pipeline . Syrian president Bashar al-Assad declined Qatar's year 2000 proposal to build a $ 10 billion Qatar–Turkey pipeline through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Turkey, allegedly prompting covert CIA operations to spark a Syrian civil war to pressure Bashar al-Assad to resign and allow a pro-American president to step in and sign off on the deal. Leaked documents have shown that in 2009,

969-586: The Muslim Brotherhood and the ulama . Assad regime violently crushed the Islamic revolts that occurred during 1976–1982, waged by revolutionaries from the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood . The Ba'ath party carefully constructed Assad as the guiding father figure of the party and modern Syrian nation, advocating the continuation of Assad dynastic rule of Syria. As part of the publicity efforts to brand

1026-671: The Syrian National Army and allied Free Syrian militias ). Another opposition faction is the Syrian Salvation Government , whose armed forces are represented by a coalition of Sunni militias led by Tahrir al-Sham . Independent of them is the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria , whose military force is the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a multi-ethnic, Arab-majority force led by

1083-403: The 2000 Damascus Spring , Bashar al-Assad was widely reported as having failed to implement any improvements. In 2010, he imposed a controversial national ban on female Islamic dress codes (such as face veils ) across universities, where reportedly over a thousand primary school teachers that wore the niqab were reassigned to administrative jobs. A Human Rights Watch report issued just before

1140-756: The Autonomous Administration's Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkish forces currently occupy parts of northern Syria and, since 2016, have fought the SDF, IS and the Assad government while actively supporting the Syrian National Army (SNA). Between 2011 and 2017, fighting from the Syrian civil war spilled over into Lebanon as opponents and supporters of the Syrian government traveled to Lebanon to fight and attack each other on Lebanese soil. While officially neutral, Israel has exchanged border fire and conducted repeated strikes against Hezbollah and Iranian forces , whose presence in western Syria it views as

1197-887: The CIA began funding and supporting opposition groups in Syria to foment a civil war. Harvard Professor Mitchell A Orenstein and George Romer stated that this pipeline feud is the true motivation behind Russia entering the war in support of Bashar al-Assad, supporting his rejection of the Qatar-Turkey pipeline and hoping to pave the way for the Iran-Iraq-Syria pipeline which would bolster Russia's allies and stimulate Iran's economy. The U.S. military has set up bases near gas pipelines in Syria, purportedly to fight ISIS but perhaps also to defend their own natural gas assets, which have been allegedly targeted by Iranian militias. The Conoco gas fields have been

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1254-578: The Kurdish YPG. Other competing factions include Jihadist organizations such as the al-Qaeda-branch Hurras al-Din (successor of Al-Nusra Front ) and the Islamic State (IS). A number of foreign countries, such as Iran , Russia , Turkey and the United States , have been directly involved in the civil war , providing support to opposing factions in the conflict. Iran, Russia and Hezbollah support

1311-762: The Lebanese Hezbollah were killed during the day. On 29 February, Turkish airstrikes targeted the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center in As-Safira . Which a Turkish official claimed was used to develop chemical weapons . During the day, 48 Syrian government soldiers and militias, including 14 Hezbollah fighters were killed and at least 13 military vehicles were destroyed by Turkish strikes. On 1 March, two Syrian Su-24 jets were shot down by Turkish Air Force F-16s . All four Syrian pilots safely ejected. Both Syrian and Turkish forces confirmed

1368-550: The Syrian Arab Republic militarily, with Russia conducting airstrikes and ground operations in the country since September 2015. Since 2014, the U.S.-led international coalition has been conducting air and ground operations primarily against the Islamic State and occasionally against pro-Assad forces , and has been militarily and logistically supporting factions such as the Revolutionary Commando Army and

1425-690: The Turkish Ministry of National Defense reported that the Turkish armed forces had responded to the airstrikes and claimed to have "neutralized" 329 Syrian troops. Additionally, they claimed to have successfully destroyed five helicopters, 23 tanks, 10 armored vehicles, 23 artillery and howitzers, one SA-17, and one SA-22 air defense systems belonging to the Syrian government. A Syrian military official acknowledged that their armored and technical vehicles had been heavily targeted, resulting in significant destruction of their arsenal in northwestern Syria. A Turkish soldier, 11 Syrian soldiers and four members of

1482-954: The Turkish and Russian leaders following their one-on-one meeting, a ceasefire in the area of Idlib was to come into force from 00:00 hrs on 6 March. The terms of the ceasefire included a secure corridor 6 kilometers either side of the M4 highway , to be patrolled jointly by Russia and Turkey beginning on 15 March. According to the Oryx blog , Syrian government equipment losses on the ground amounted to 50 T-55 , T-62 , T-72 tanks, 38 artilleries and MLRS 's, 21 BMP-1 IFV's, 7 ZU-23 Air Defence Guns, 2 Pantsir and 31 other vehicles. The Middle East Institute reported that Turkish drone and artillery strikes, alongside rebel fighters, killed at least 405 pro-regime fighters between February 27 and March 5. And that Damascus had also lost at least 73 armored vehicles to drone strikes and rebel anti-tank guided missile operators during

1539-481: The Turkish operation . According to Reuters , 9 Hezbollah militants were killed and 30 were injured in an air strike by the Turkish Air Force . According to a database compiled by Analyst Gregory Waters, a researcher on Syrian regime and ISIS , 55 militia fighters belonging to various Iranian-backed groups — including Baqir Brigade , Hezbollah , Liwa Fatemiyoun and Liwa Zainebiyoun brigades— were killed in

1596-463: The U.S.-led coalition —of severe human rights violations and massacres . The conflict has caused a major refugee crisis , with millions of people fleeing to neighboring countries such as Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan ; however, a sizable minority has also sought refuge in countries outside of the Middle East, with Germany alone accepting over half a million Syrians since 2011. Over the course of

1653-408: The airstrikes and stated that it had made efforts to halt the Syrian military's firing to facilitate the safe evacuation of the Turkish troops. Russia said that the Turkish forces should not have been present in the area, where "counter-terror operations" were underway, and criticized Turkey for failing to notify them about the soldiers' presence in advance. On the contrary, Turkey maintained that Russia

1710-482: The balance of the conflict. By late 2018, all rebel strongholds except parts of Idlib region had fallen to the government forces. In 2014, the Islamic State group seized control of large parts of Eastern Syria and Western Iraq , prompting the U.S. -led CJTF coalition to launch an aerial bombing campaign against it, while providing ground support to the Kurdish -majority Syrian Democratic Forces . Culminating in

1767-531: The beginning of the 2011 uprising stated that Assad had failed to substantially improve the state of human rights since taking power. The United States and its allies intended to build the Qatar–Turkey pipeline which would relieve Europe of its dependence on Russian natural gas, especially during winter months where many European homes rely on Russia to survive the winter. On the contrary, Russia and its allies intended to stop this planned pipeline and instead build

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1824-567: The central feature of state propaganda. Authority in Ba'athist Syria is monopolised by three power-centres: Alawite loyalist clans, Ba'ath party and the armed forces ; glued together by unwavering allegiance towards the Assad dynasty . The Syrian Regional Branch remained the dominant political authority in what had been a one-party state until the first multi-party election to the People's Council of Syria

1881-493: The civil society groups, political reformists and democratic activists that emerged during the Damascus spring in the 2000s. Bashar Al-Assad claims that no 'moderate opposition' to his government exists, and that all opposition forces are Islamists focused on destroying his secular leadership ; his view was that terrorist groups operating in Syria are 'linked to the agendas of foreign countries'. The total population in July 2018

1938-637: The civilian population. Upon Hafez al-Assad's death in 2000, his son Bashar al-Assad succeeded him as the President of Syria . Bashar's wife Asma , a Sunni Muslim born and educated in Britain, was initially hailed in the Western press a "rose in the desert". The couple once raised hopes amongst Syrian intellectuals and outside Western observers as wanting to implement economic and political reforms. However, Bashar failed to deliver on promised reforms, instead crushing

1995-412: The conflict erupted into one of the most complicated in the world, with a dizzying array of international and regional powers, opposition groups, proxies, local militias and extremist groups all playing a role. The Syrian population has been brutalized, with nearly a half a million killed, 12 million fleeing their homes to find safety elsewhere, and widespread poverty and hunger. Meanwhile, efforts to broker

2052-465: The country), Druze 3% and Jewish (few remaining in Damascus and Aleppo). Socioeconomic inequality increased significantly after free market policies were initiated by Hafez al-Assad in his later years, and it accelerated after Bashar al-Assad came to power. With an emphasis on the service sector , these policies benefited a minority of the nation's population, mostly people who had connections with

2109-616: The country, and Assad's hold on power seems secure. In 2023, the main military conflict was not between the Syrian government and rebels, but between Turkish forces and factions within Syria. In late 2023, Turkish forces continued to attack Kurdish forces in the region of Rojava. Starting on 5 October 2023, the Turkish Armed Forces launched a series of air and ground strikes targeting the Syrian Democratic Forces in Northeastern Syria . The airstrikes were launched in response to

2166-479: The day, a Turkish soldier and 26 Syrian government soldiers were killed in the clashes in Jabal Al-Zawiyah, south Idlib countryside, Saraqib and its countryside. On 3 March, the Syrian Army captured the strategic city of Saraqib and several surrounding villages after pushing back rebel forces supported by Turkish artillery and air power. The Turkish airstrikes on government targets reduced significantly amidst

2223-520: The downing. Meanwhile a Turkish TAI Anka drone was shot down by Syrian forces. Additionally, Turkish drones bombed the 47th brigade in Hama Military Airport . During the day, 19 Syrian soldiers were killed by Turkish drones attacks in Jabal al-Zawiya and Al-Hamidia, Idlib countryside. On 2 March, a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone was shot down by Syrian Air Defense Force near Saraqib . During

2280-479: The economic situation. The protests were noted as resembling the 2011 revolution that preceded the civil war. The war has resulted in an estimated 470,000–610,000 violent deaths, making it the second-deadliest conflict of the 21st century, after the Second Congo War . International organizations have accused virtually all sides involved—the Assad government, IS, opposition groups, Iran, Russia, Turkey, and

2337-575: The formation of resistance militias across the country, deteriorating into a full-blown civil war by 2012. The war is fought by several factions. The Syrian Arab Armed Forces , alongside its domestic and foreign allies, represent the Syrian Arab Republic and Assad government. Opposed to it is the Syrian Interim Government , a big-tent alliance of pro-democratic , nationalist opposition groups (whose military forces consist of

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2394-458: The government, and members of the Sunni merchant class of Damascus and Aleppo. In 2010, Syria's nominal GDP per capita was only $ 2,834, comparable to Sub-Saharan African countries such as Nigeria and far lower than its neighbors such as Lebanon, with an annual growth rate of 3.39%, below most other developing countries. The country also faced particularly high youth unemployment rates. At the start of

2451-461: The nation and Assad dynasty as inseparable; slogans such as "Assad or we burn the country", "Assad or to hell with the country" and "Hafez Assad, forever" became an integral part of the state and party discourse during the 1980s. Eventually the party organisation itself became a rubber stamp and the power structures became deeply dependent on sectarian affiliation to the Assad family and the central role of armed forces needed to crack down on dissent in

2508-519: The offensive. Additionally, Iranian state media said that Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Kioumars Pourhashemi , a senior Iranian military adviser in Syria, was killed in Aleppo. The following day, rebel forces entered Aleppo, restarting conflict over the city . On 30 November, several more settlements were seized, with the rebels entering Hama . The non-religious Ba'ath Syrian Regional Branch government came to power through

2565-531: The ongoing civil war and it is frequently the target of military action. The human rights situation in Syria has long been the subject of harsh critique from global organizations. The rights of free expression , association and assembly were strictly controlled in Syria even before the uprising. The country was under emergency rule from 1963 until 2011 and public gatherings of more than five people were banned. Security forces had sweeping powers of arrest and detention. Despite hopes for democratic change with

2622-599: The primary objective of Operation Spring Shield was to achieve a ceasefire agreement within the framework of the Astana talks and to establish stability in the Second Northern Syria Buffer Zone . Additionally, the operation sought to prevent the mass migration of people from Idlib to the Turkish border, a pressing humanitarian concern. On 5 March, Turkey and Russia signed a ceasefire agreement in Moscow , marking

2679-524: The rule of Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale protests and pro-democracy rallies across Syria, as part of the wider Arab Spring protests in the region. After months of crackdown by the government's security apparatus, various armed rebel groups such as the Free Syrian Army began forming across the country, marking the beginning of the Syrian insurgency . By mid-2012, the crisis had escalated into

2736-434: The society. Critics of the regime have pointed out that deployment of violence is at the crux of Ba'athist Syria and describe it as "a dictatorship with genocidal tendencies". Hafez ruled Syria for 3 decades with an iron first, using methods ranging from censorship to violent measures of state terror such as mass murders , forced deportations and brutal practices such as torture , which were unleashed collectively upon

2793-698: The war, a number of peace initiatives have been launched, including the March 2017 Geneva peace talks on Syria led by the United Nations , but fighting has continued. In October 2019, Kurdish leaders of Rojava , a region within Syria, announced they had reached a major deal with the government of Syria under Assad. This deal was enacted in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Syria. The Kurdish leaders made this deal in order to obtain Syria's help in stopping hostile Turkish forces who were invading Syria and attacking Kurds. The civil war had largely subsided, settling into

2850-420: The war, discontent against the government was strongest in Syria's poor areas, predominantly among conservative Sunnis. These included cities with high poverty rates, such as Daraa and Homs , and the poorer districts of large cities. The unrest coincided with the most intense drought ever recorded in Syria, which lasted from 2006 to 2011 and resulted in widespread crop failure, an increase in food prices and

2907-568: Was a cross-border military operation carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in the Idlib Governorate of northwestern Syria against the Syrian Armed Forces and allied militias. The operation was launched on 27 February 2020 in direct response to the Balyun airstrikes , aiming to address the escalating situation in the region. According to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar ,

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2964-450: Was completed on the following day, with rebels being allowed to leave along with their family members. Qudsaya has a cold semi-arid climate ( Köppen climate classification : BSk ). Rainfall is higher in winter than in summer. The average annual temperature in Qudsaya is 15.9 °C (60.6 °F). About 258 mm (10.16 in) of precipitation falls annually. This article about

3021-401: Was estimated at 19,454,263 people; ethnic groups—approximately Arab 50%, Alawite 15%, Kurd 10%, Levantine 10%, other 15% (includes Druze , Ismaili , Imami , Assyrian , Turkmen , Armenian ); religions— Muslim 87% (official; includes Sunni 74% and Alawi, Ismaili and Shia 13%), Christian 10% (mainly of Eastern Christian churches —may be smaller as a result of Christians fleeing

3078-408: Was held in 2012. On 31 January 1973, Hafez al-Assad implemented a new constitution, leading to a national crisis. The 1973 Constitution entrusted Arab Socialist Baath party with the distinctive role as the "leader of the state and society", empowering it to mobilise the civilians for party programmes, issue decrees to ascertain their loyalty and supervise all legal trade unions. Ba'athist ideology

3135-534: Was imposed upon children as compulsory part of school curriculum and Syrian Armed Forces were tightly controlled to the Party. The constitution removed Islam from being recognised as the state religion and stripped existing provisions such as the president of Syria being required to be a Muslim . These measures caused widespread furore amongst the public, leading to fierce demonstrations in Hama , Homs and Aleppo organized by

3192-443: Was well aware of the locations of Turkish troops, as the two countries regularly communicated about this matter. Following the air attack in Balyun, Turkey officially launched its military intervention, initiating Operation Spring Shield. The primary objective of this operation was to put a stop to the Syrian government forces' advancement on Syrian rebels in Idlib and push them back to their pre-offensive positions. On 28 February,

3249-528: Was wounded by a drone strike near Saraqib . A Turkish Bayraktar TB2 was shot down by Syrian forces in the Idlib Governorate. During the day, 19 Syrian soldiers and seven non-Syrian fighters were killed by Turkish ground shelling and drones in Idlib countryside. On 5 March 2020, the presidents of Turkey and Russia, Erdoğan and Putin, met in Moscow for high-level talks. According to the statements made by

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