Rif Dimashq clashes (November 2011–March 2012)

Unrest and armed clashes in Syria

For other uses, see Battle of Damascus.

Rif Dimashq clashes (November 2011 – March 2012)

Part of the Early insurgency phase of the Syrian civil war
| Date| 3 November 2011 – 1 April 2012
(3 months, 3 weeks and 6 days)

|

Location|

Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria

Result|

* Damascus centre under Government control
* Protests largely suppressed in the city

Belligerents

* Syrian Opposition
* Free Syrian Army
* Ahrar al-Sham
* Al-Nusra Front

|  Syrian Government
PFLP-GC[1]
Commanders and leaders
Unknown|  Brig. Gen. Maher al-Assad
Brig. Gen. Mohammed al-Awwad X[2]
Brig. Gen. Hassan al-Ibrahim †[3]
Brig. Gen. Rajeh Mahmoud †[4]
Units involved

* Free Syrian Army
* Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah Battalion[5]
* Muawiyah bin Abi-Sufyan Battalion[5]

* Syrian Armed Forces
* Syrian Army
* 1st Army Corps:
* 3rd Armoured Division
* 7th Mechanized Division
* Republican Guard:
* 101 Security Regiment
* 102 Security Regiment
* Damascus Police
* Jihad Jibril Brigades

Strength
Unknown|  50,000 soldiers and policemen
Casualties and losses
At least 1,000 killed|  At least 880 killed
A few hundred protesters and civilians killed[6]

* v
* t
* e

Syrian civil war

Timeline

* Background and causes
* Casualties
* Cities
* map
* Terrorism
* Massacres

* v
* t
* e

Civil uprising in Syria (March–August 2011)

* Daraa
* Baniyas
* Homs (May–August 2011)
* Talkalakh
* Rastan and Talbiseh
* 1st Jisr ash-Shughur
* 1st Jabal al-Zawiya
* Hama
* Latakia

* v
* t
* e

Start of insurgency (Sept. 2011 – April 2012)

* Homs (2011–14)
* 1st Homs offensive
* 1st Idlib Gov.
* Syrian–Turkish border
* Jabal al-Zawiya
* 1st Idlib City
* Saraqib
* 1st Rastan
* Hama Gov.
* Shayrat & Tiyas ambush
* Daraa Gov.
* 1st Rif Dimashq
* 1st Zabadani
* Douma
* Deir ez-Zor (2011–2014)
* Hatla
* Aleppo Gov.
* Azaz
* 2nd Rastan
* 1st al-Qusayr
* 2nd Idlib Gov.
* Taftanaz

* v
* t
* e

UN ceasefire; Rebel advances (May 2012 – Dec. 2013)

* 3rd Rastan
* Houla
* 1st Northern Homs
* Al-Haffah
* Al-Qubeir
* Al-Tremseh
* 3rd Idlib Gov.
* 1st Damascus
* Bombing
* 1st Aleppo city
* Anadan
* Menagh Air Base
* Base 46
* Khan al-Assal
* 1st Aleppo offensive
* 2nd Aleppo offensive
* Syrian Kurdistan and Kurdish–Islamist conflict
* Hasaka campaign
* Ras al-Ayn
* al-Yaarubiyah
* Tell Hamis and Tell Brak
* Tell Abyad
* Nubl & Al-Zahraa
* 2nd Rif Dimashq (1st Darayya)
* Abu al-Duhur Airbase
* Quneitra Gov.
* 3rd Rif Dimashq
* 1st Yarmouk camp
* 2nd Darayya
* Darayya & Muadamiyat
* Aqrab
* 1st Hama offensive
* Halfaya
* 1st Safira
* Shadadeh
* 2nd Damascus
* 1st Raqqa campaign (1st Raqqa)
* 1st Daraa offensive
* 4th Rif Dimashq
* Jdaidet al-Fadl
* Tadamon
* Ghouta
* 2nd al-Qusayr
* 3rd al-Qusayr
* Eastern Ghouta
* 2nd Hama offensive
* Bayda and Baniyas
* 1st Latakia offensive
* Ma'loula
* Sadad
* 5th Rif Dimashq
* 1st Qalamoun
* Adra

* v
* t
* e

Rise of ISIS in 2014

* Inter-rebel conflict
* Northern Aleppo
* Markada
* 1st Deir ez-Zor offensive
* al-Otaiba ambush
* Maan
* Hosn
* Morek
* 2nd Daraa offensive
* 2nd Latakia offensive
* 4th Idlib Gov.
* Al-Malihah
* 2nd Wadi Deif
* 2nd Qalamoun
* Arsal
* Deir ez-Zor (2014–2017)
* 1st Shaer gas field
* 1st Eastern Syria
* Tabqa Airbase
* 3rd Hama offensive
* 6th Rif Dimashq
* 1st Quneitra
* 1st Kobanî

* v
* t
* e

U.S.-led intervention, Rebel and ISIL advances (Sept. 2014 – Sept. 2015)

* U.S.-led intervention
* Homs school bombing
* 3rd Daraa offensive
* 2nd Safira
* 2014 Idlib city raid
* Nusra–FSA conflict
* 2nd Shaer gas field
* 1st Al-Shaykh Maskin
* 2nd Deir ez-Zor offensive
* 3rd Aleppo offensive
* An-26 crash
* 4th Daraa offensive
* Southern Syria
* Eastern al-Hasakah offensive
* 1st Sarrin
* Hama/Homs offensive
* Bosra
* 5th Idlib Gov
* 2nd Idlib city
* Al-Fu'ah-Kafriya
* Nasib
* 2nd Yarmouk camp
* 1st Northwestern Syria
* 3rd Qalamoun
* 1st Palmyra
* Western al-Hasakah offensive
* 1st Al-Hasakah city
* Tell Abyad
* Daraa/As-Suwayda
* 2nd Quneitra
* 2nd Sarrin
* 5th Daraa
* 2nd Al-Hasakah city
* 2nd Kobanî
* 4th Aleppo offensive
* 2nd Zabadani
* 2nd Palmyra
* Al-Ghab
* 1st al-Qaryatayn
* Douma market
* 7th Rif Dimashq
* Kuweires offensive

* v
* t
* e

Russian intervention (Sept. 2015 – March 2016)

* Russian intervention
* 3rd Quneitra
* 2nd Northwestern Syria
* 3rd Latakia offensive
* Su-24 shootdown
* 5th Aleppo offensive
* al-Hawl
* 2nd Homs offensive
* 6th Aleppo offensive
* 4th Hama offensive
* Tell Tamer
* Tishrin Dam
* 2nd Al-Shaykh Maskin
* al-Qamishli bombings
* Orontes River
* 3rd Deir ez-Zor offensive
* 1st Sayyidah Zaynab
* 7th Aleppo offensive
* 1st Ithriyah-Raqqa
* Al-Shaddadi
* Homs bombings
* 2nd Sayyidah Zaynab
* Khanasir
* 2nd Tel Abyad
* Al-Tanf
* 2nd Al-Qaryatayn
* 3rd Palmyra
* 2nd Maarat al-Nu'man

* v
* t
* e

Aleppo escalation and Euphrates Shield (March 2016 – February 2017)

* 8th Aleppo offensive
* 6th Daraa
* 9th–11th Aleppo offensives
* Al-Dumayr
* 1st East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict
* 1st Qamishli
* Aleppo bombings
* 8th Rif Dimashq
* 3rd Shaer gas field
* Northern Raqqa
* Jableh & Tartus
* Manbij
* Tokhar
* 2nd Ithriyah-Raqqa
* 9th Rif Dimashq
* 12th–14th Aleppo offensives
* 12th
* 13th
* 14th
* 4th Latakia offensive
* 1st Abu Kamal
* 3rd Qamishli
* Atmeh
* al-Rai
* 3rd Al-Hasakah City
* Operation Euphrates Shield
* Northern al-Bab
* Dabiq
* al-Bab
* 5th Hama offensive
* 1st Western al-Bab
* 1st Eastern Qalamoun
* September bombings
* 4th Quneitra
* Deir ez-Zor airstrike
* Aleppo aid convoy attack
* 15th Aleppo offensive
* Khan al-Shih
* 1st Idlib inter-rebel conflict
* 2nd Western al-Bab
* 16th Aleppo offensive
* 2nd Raqqa campaign
* 17th Aleppo offensive
* 4th Palmyra
* Wadi Barada
* 1st Syrian Desert
* Azaz bombings
* 5th Palmyra
* 4th Deir ez-Zor offensive
* 18th Aleppo offensive
* 2nd Idlib inter-rebel conflict
* 7th Daraa
* Qaboun
* 8th Daraa

* v
* t
* e

Collapse of the Islamic State in Syria (Feb. – Nov. 2017)

* Eastern Homs offensive
* al-Jina mosque
* 6th Hama offensive
* Tabqa
* Khan Shaykhun
* US Shayrat strike
* Aleppo bus bombing
* April 2017 Turkish airstrikes
* 2nd East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict
* 2nd Syrian Desert
* Maskanah
* East Hama
* 2nd Raqqa
* 9th Daraa
* Southern Raqqa
* Iranian Deir ez-Zor strike
* Ja'din
* Jobar
* 5th Quneitra
* Central Syria
* 3rd Idlib inter-rebel conflict
* 4th Qalamoun
* Deir ez-Zor (2017–2019)
* 2nd Eastern Syria
* Deir ez-Zor city
* Euphrates Crossing
* Mayadin
* 2nd Abu Kamal
* 7th Hama offensive

* v
* t
* e

Rebels in retreat and Operation Olive Branch
(Nov. 2017 – Sep. 2018)

* 3rd Northwestern Syria
* Eastern Syria insurgency
* Atarib
* Harasta
* Beit Jinn
* 3rd Syrian Desert
* 5th Deir ez-Zor offensive
* 1st Southern Damascus
* Olive Branch
* Afrin
* SDF insurgency
* Khasham
* Feb 2018 Israel–Syria incident
* 10th Rif Dimashq (Douma)
* 4th Idlib inter-rebel conflict
* 2nd Southern Damascus
* U.S.-led missile strikes
* 2nd Northern Homs
* 2nd Eastern Qalamoun
* 3rd Southern Damascus
* Deir ez-Zor SAA-SDF clashes
* House of Cards
* 1st As-Suwayda
* 2nd Southern Syria
* 2nd As-Suwayda
* 3rd As-Suwayda
* 2nd Qamishli

* v
* t
* e

Idlib demilitarization
(Sep. 2018 – April 2019)

* Idlib demilitarization
* 5th Idlib inter-rebel conflict
* 1st Israeli missile strikes
* 2nd Iranian strike
* Northern border clashes
* Daraa insurgency
* Manbij bombing
* Baghuz Fawqani
* U.S. airstrike

* v
* t
* e

First Idlib offensive, Operation Peace Spring, & Second Idlib offensive (April 2019 – March 2020)

* 4th Northwestern
* Tell Rifaat
* Raqqa & Azaz
* Hass
* 2nd Israeli missile strikes
* Peace Spring (2nd Ras al-Ayn)
* Kayla Mueller
* Northern bombings
* 3rd Israeli missile strikes
* Qah
* 5th Northwestern
* Balyun
* Spring Shield
* 2nd U.S. missile strikes
* 10th Daraa

* v
* t
* e

Idlib ceasefire (March 2020 – Nov. 2024)

* 6th Idlib inter-rebel conflict
* Ayn Issa
* Qamishli & Al-Hasakah
* 4th Israeli missile strikes
* 3rd Qamishli
* 11th Daraa
* 7th Idlib inter-rebel conflict
* 3rd Al-Hasakah city
* 1st Aleppo inter-rebel conflict
* Jabal al-Bishrī
* 2nd Aleppo inter-rebel conflict
* Claw-Sword
* Northwestern clashes
* 3rd U.S. missile strikes
* 2nd Northern clashes
* Deir ez-Zor clashes
* 3rd Northern clashes
* Homs drone strike
* Israel–Hezbollah conflict (Iranian consulate airstrike)
* February 2024 airstrikes
* Anti-Turkish riots

* v
* t
* e

Opposition offensives and Assad overthrown (Nov. – Dec. 2024)

* Opposition offensives
* 2nd Aleppo city
* Hospital strike
* 8th Hama offensive
* 19th Aleppo offensive
* 6th Deir ez-Zor offensive
* 3rd Homs offensive
* 6th Palmyra
* 2nd Manbij
* Al-Mustariha strike
* 3rd Southern Syria
* 3rd Damascus
* Fall of the Assad regime

* v
* t
* e

Transitional government and SNA–SDF conflict (Dec. 2024 – present)

* Israeli invasion of Syria
* 3rd Kobani
* 20th Aleppo offensive
* Western clashes

* v
* t
* e

Syrian War spillover and international incidents

* Lebanon spillover
* Lebanese–Syrian border
* Sidon
* Iranian embassy bombing
* North Lebanon clashes

* * *

* Syrian–Turkish border incidents
* Turkish F4 shootdown
* Reyhanlı bombings
* Turkish occupation of northern Syria
* Kurdish riots

* * *

* Jordanian–Syrian border incidents

* * *

* Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line
* February 2018 incident
* May 2018 incident

* * *

* Iraqi–Syrian border incidents
* Akashat
* al-Shabah
* Western Nineveh
* Western Iraq

* * *

* Spillover in Iran
* 2017 Tehran attacks
* 2017 Deir ez-Zor missile strike
* 2024 Iranian airstrikes in Syria

* * *

* Spillover in Turkey
* Russian Su-24 shootdown
* Andrei Karlov
* Balyun airstrikes
* Kafr Takharim airstrikes

* * *

* Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict

* * *

* * *

* Spillover in Europe

* v
* t
* e

Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war

Foreign intervention on behalf of Syrian Arab Republic

* Russian involvement
* Iranian intervention
* 2017 missile strike
* 2012 Hezbollah involvement

Foreign intervention in behalf of Syrian rebels

* Foreign rebel fighters
* Turkish involvement
* Turkey–Islamic State conflict
* Tomb of Suleyman Shah relocation
* Euphrates Shield
* 2017 airstrikes
* Idlib Governorate operation
* Afrin operation
* 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria
* Israel's role

U.S.-led intervention against ISIL

* US intervention
* Timeline
* List of attacks
* 2014 rescue operation
* May 2015 raid
* 2017 missile strikes
* Qatari involvement
* Jordanian intervention
* Operation Martyr Muath
* Lebanon's role
* Saudi involvement
* April 2018 missile strikes
* Dutch involvement
* German intervention
* French intervention
* Australian intervention
* UK intervention

* v
* t
* e

Rif Dimashq campaign
(Syrian civil war)

* 1st Rif Dimashq
* 1st Zabadani
* 1st Douma
* 1st Damascus
* MID bombing
* 2nd Rif Dimashq
* 1st Darayya
* 3rd Rif Dimashq
* 2nd Darayya
* Darayya & Muadamiyat
* 1st Yarmouk
* 2nd Damascus
* 4th Rif Dimashq
* Eastern Ghouta
* Jdaidet al-Fadl
* Ghouta
* Ma'loula
* 5th Rif Dimashq
* 1st Qalamoun
* Adra
* Al-Otaiba
* Al-Malihah
* 2nd Qalamoun
* Arsal
* 6th Rif Dimashq
* 2nd Yarmouk
* 3rd Qalamoun
* 2nd Zabadani
* 2nd Douma
* 7th Rif Dimashq
* Sayyidah Zaynab
* Al-Dumayr
* 8th Rif Dimashq
* 1st East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict
* 9th Rif Dimashq
* 1st Eastern Qalamoun
* Khan al-Shih
* Wadi Barada
* 1st Syrian Desert
* Qaboun
* 2nd East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict
* 2nd Syrian Desert
* Jobar
* 4th Qalamoun
* Harasta
* Beit Jinn
* 1st Southern Damascus
* 10th Rif Dimashq
* Douma
* 2nd Southern Damascus
* 2nd Eastern Qalamoun
* 3rd Southern Damascus

The Rif Dimashq clashes were a series of unrests and armed clashes in and around Damascus, the capital of Syria, from November 2011 until a stalemate in March 2012. The violence was part of the wider early insurgency phase of the Syrian civil war. Large pro-government and anti-government protests took place in the suburbs and center of Damascus, with the situation escalating when members of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) started attacking military targets in November.

It is claimed[by whom?] that in January 2012, parts of rural Damascus and the Damascus suburbs started to fall under opposition control. On 27 January 2012, the Syrian Army launched a military operation which retook the Damascus suburbs and the town of Zabadani with the offensive ending on 11 February. However, fighting still continued, when on 15 February FSA fighters were seen on the streets of a district in the Damascus centre, trying to recruit opposition protesters and mingling with them. A few anti-government protests were still ongoing after the army offensive.

On 12 March 2012, major clashes were reported in central Damascus between the FSA and the Syrian Army for the first time. By April 2012 a fragile cease-fire was brokered by the UN peace envoy Kofi Annan. However, following the cease fire collapse, by July 2012, rebels erupted again into most Damascus suburbs and rural areas around the city, launching the Battle of Damascus, also known as Operation Damascus Volcano.

## 2011 unrests and clashes

[edit]

Large anti-government protests were shot at by Shabiha, killing 23 protesters in a single day.[7] More were killed in October and November.[8][9][10][11] Ten more protesters were killed around Damascus, including a 14-year-old boy.[12]

Fourteen were killed in house-to-house raids and in protests in Damascus suburbs, and an activist in the eastern Damascus suburb of Harasta, who gave his name as Assem, said three deserters were killed after they abandoned military units which fired live ammunition at a demonstration of 1,500–2,000 people in the al-Zar neighbourhood. "Security police could not put down the demonstration. The eight soldiers defected when Republican Guards and the Fourth Armoured Division were sent in," he said.[13]

### November 2011

[edit]

On 16 November 2011, according to opposition sources, Syrian army deserters attacked a military intelligence office in Harasta, a suburb of the capital Damascus, killing six soldiers and wounding more than 20. "The Syrian Free Army struck with rockets and RPGs" (rocket-propelled grenades) said Omar Idlibi, the Beirut-based spokesperson for the opposition Syrian Local Co-ordination Committees. It was also said that all the army defectors involved returned after the attack.[14][15] All other attacks targeted military checkpoints in the suburbs of Douma, Qaboun and Arabeen and Saqba, killing three soldiers.[9][16][17] A Russian official said that the outbreak of fighting in Damascus "looks like a civil war."[18]

On 20 November 2011, a loud explosion was reported to have occurred in the heart of Damascus, the Syrian capital, amid reports of a grenade attack on offices of the ruling Baath Party, the boldest attack by army defectors at the time.[19][20] The Free Syrian Army later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they fired two rocket-propelled grenades at the building.[21]

### December 2011

[edit]

In December 2011, Al Jazeera published an article stating that protesters in the suburbs of Damascus gathered every evening to make their support for the Free Syrian Army known.[22] Seeing though that this disinformation did not bring anyone to the streets, the article was later changed into.[clarification needed][23]

On 4 December 2011, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that a funeral procession was held on Sunday[when?] for 13 soldiers who were killed. It claimed that they were killed while in the line of duty in the Damascus countryside.[24]

On 9 December 2011, two children, aged 10 and 12, were among others killed by Syrian security forces on Friday in Homs and on the outskirts of Damascus, rights groups said.[25] On 13 December, another person died.[26]

On 23 December 2011, Syrian state TV claimed that two explosions at security bases in Damascus were caused by suicide bombers; a number of military personnel and civilians were killed.[27] At least 44 people were reported killed and 55 others wounded.[28] State television claimed that "several soldiers and a large number of civilians" had been killed in the bombings although an exact figure was hard to ascertain.[29]

On 29 December 2011, Syrian security forces opened fire on tens of thousands protesting outside a mosque in a Damascus suburb called Douma, close to a municipal building that members of the Arab League monitoring mission were believed to be visiting. At least four protesters died. Rami Abdul-Rahman, head of the one-man British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), said about 20,000 people were protesting outside the Grand Mosque in Douma when troops opened fire. Cars belonging to the Arab League monitors were seen in front of a municipal building close to the mosque, he said. Abdul-Rahman and other activists said the monitors were barred by security officials from entering Douma following the killings, after the situation deteriorated.[30]

## 2012 unrests and clashes

[edit]

### January 2012

[edit]

On 4 January 2012, a journalist, host for state-owned Radio Damascus, and editor for the state-owned daily Al-Thawra, was shot in the head by unidentified gunmen on Friday in his home in the Damascus suburb of Darya. State television reported that the journalist was targeted by "armed terrorist groups."[31][better source needed]

On 6 January 2012, SANA claimed that another suicide bomber killed at least 26 when a police building or intelligence building was attacked. However, the opposition pointed the finger at the government, saying "this is a plot staged by the government to deter thousands of people that were planning to converge on that same spot to call for the international community to step in and enforce a no-fly zone and enforce also a dramatic end to the regime". Later SANA reported the death of General Mohammed Abdul-Hamid al-Awwad, claiming he was assassinated while he was headed for work in the al-Ghouta area of Damascus. His driver, who was injured, said, "as we were heading to the Brigadier General's military unit, we saw a taxi on the right of the road…it overtook us and then blocked our way. Four gunmen started shooting at us. Brigadier al-Awwad was shot in the head and I was also injured."[2]

On 7 January 2012, 14 protesters were said to have died though a roadside bomb blast and anti-government protests on the same day.[32]

On 12 January 2012, state TV reported that an army bus was attacked in the area of the Damascus countryside with another roadside bomb and gunfire, killing four soldiers and wounding eight.[33] Six more soldiers (including a colonel) were killed in battles around the province, according to the Syrian government.[34][35]

On 19 January 2012, a Syrian security officer was killed after the bombing of his car in the al-Tadhamun neighborhood in Damascus.[36]

On 22 January 2012, amidst a battle in the suburb of Douma, two officers, a soldier of the Syrian Army and a deserter were killed in the Talfita area.[37]

Rural Damascus came under rebel control. At the police hospital in Harasta, the staff said most of rural Damascus was not controlled by the government forces and gunmen were kidnapping and killing those affiliated with the government in those areas. "Any car plate that belongs to the government cannot drive inside Harasta, we as doctors cannot go, they hijacked one of our cars a week ago," said a doctor.[38]

According to the Syrian government, Brigadier General Hassan al-Ibrahim and a first lieutenant were killed when their car was fired on in the Damascus countryside.[3]

#### Syrian Army offensive

[edit]

On 27 January 2012, the Syrian army stormed Douma.[39]

On 28 January 2012, seven more soldiers died around Damascus amidst the offensive. They were ambushed.[40] Later SANA reported that the bus was ambushed near Douma, and it was carrying army officers, in which seven of the officers died.[41]

On 29 January 2012, the Syrian army launched an offensive, trying to retake some of the Damascus suburbs from rebel control. Amateur video appeared to show tanks rolling in to Al-Ghouta and Zamalka to the east. Al-Ghouta is historically known for being a hub of dissent against the Assad government, and the crackdown appeared to be an attempt "to avoid any Tahrir Square-style mass movements,".[42] According to activists, 14 civilians and five opposition fighters were killed in shelling of neighbourhoods. 2,000 pro-Assad forces, 50 tanks, and armoured vehicles took part in the offensive.[43] However, they met fierce resistance, and six government soldiers, including two officers, were killed and six wounded in the opposition-controlled suburb of Sahnaya when their bus was blown up by a remote-controlled bomb.[44] Some activists claimed that the fighting in Damascus was not unusual, and there were not any tanks in the city,[45] while others said that it was "the worst fighting around the capital in the 10-month uprising."[46] Clashes were also reported near the Damascus airport, leading to its closure. "It's urban war. There are bodies in the street," one activist, speaking from Kfar Batna told Reuters.[47] Other Damascus suburbs that have come under fire from heavy artillery and mortar rounds from government forces include Douma, Saaba, Arbin and Hamuriyeh, activists said. "The more the regime uses the army, the more soldiers defect," Ahmed al-Khatib, a local rebel council member on the Damascus outskirts, told the AFP news agency. A spokesperson for the rebel FSA, which at the time, had 40,000 men and whose leadership was in Turkey, said that the fighting came a day after "a large wave of defections," with 50 officers and soldiers turning their back on Assad.[48] At least two generals and other "high-ranking officers" reportedly defected to the opposition.[49]

After two days of clashes, oppositions and FSA sources confirmed that the Syrian army regained control of some of the eastern suburbs of Damascus from the rebels and started to make house-to-house checks and arrests. Hamouriyeh was taken by the Syrian government, as was Kfar Batna by the end of the clashes. FSA and government forces still fought in the suburb of Saqba, according to an activist.[50][51][52] However, the Free Syrian army regained control of at least one suburb, Douma, and destroyed one tank and also killing three government snipers.[53] Another 11 soldiers had been killed in the government offensive on the Al-Ghouta suburb, as well as six civilians.[54]

On 30 January 2012, the fighting subsided as the Syrian army extended their control in Ghouta. The military also advanced through Saqba. An activist said that the FSA moved out of the suburbs and that the Syrian army arrested 200 opposition members in Hammourya. The death toll given by activists was 19 civilians and six FSA fighters, while the overall number of those killed in the previous three days, since fighting in the area started, was 100.[50][55] After the fighting, the Free Syrian Army withdrew to unidentified positions within ten kilometers of Damascus.[56]

On 31 January 2012, the Syrian army continued to advance in order to crush the last FSA pockets.[57] The army fired into the air, as they advanced with tanks even beyond the positions from where the FSA withdrew. Activists stated that the suburbs were on unannounced curfew while others were allowed to flee. The army conducted arrests on suspected people in the district of Irbin.[58] In some instances, curfews were defied by some citizens, who put up a large opposition flag in the centre of Damascus.[59]

### February 2012

[edit]

On 1 February 2012, the Syrian army extended their cleaning operations, with more troops moving into the mountainous area of Qalamoun, north of Damascus. Further north, the troops which took control of Rankous started to extend their control into farmland surrounding the city. In the eastern suburbs of Mesraba, activists reported that army snipers were positioned and that tanks were in the streets.[4] During the fighting in Wadi Barada, located north-west of Damascus in the Rif Damashk governorate, the Local Committee of Coordination initially reported that 12 people, including six FSA fighters, were killed.[60] Four of those died during a tank bombardment by the military in an attempt to flush out the Free Syrian Army units operating in the area. A rebel spokesman put the death toll at 15.[61] Later, the death toll of FSA fighters in the area was raised to 14 by the activist group. The opposition activist group also wrongly stated that the government poisoned the water supply of Wadi Barada; however, there was no independent confirmation and no other media reported the claim. One other FSA fighter was reportedly killed in fighting in the suburb of Moadhamieh.[62] The towns of Deir Kanoun and Ein al Fija were also under army assaults according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.[63] Syria's state news agency SANA said a general, Rajeh Mahmoud, was killed along with three other soldiers on the outskirts of Damascus.[4]

Saqba, a working-class eastern suburb city of Damascus, had amidst peaceful anti-government demonstrations shortly fallen into control of a dozen armed and masked fighters from the Free Syrian Army (FSA).[citation needed] FSA also tried to resist against retaking by the Syrian army, but was later purged. The fighting stopped after the soldiers cleared the area street by street. Checkpoints were manned at main intersections and FSA fighters had either fled or been killed or wounded in the fighting. Damage was visible in the streets. Bodies of killed civilians were found severely mutilated, some with their hands bound. A resident told that he saw tanks firing into shops and talked about Iranian and Hezbollah involvement while there was no evidence for it. Others vowed to continue to protest once the soldiers left. Another resident blamed the FSA for provoking a fight they could not win and said that ordinary people were paying the price of the fighting, fearing more fighting in the future.[64]

A Lebanese source close to the Syrian government said that the offensive had the goal of cleansing all the areas near the capital from rebels and setting up a security zone. An opposition activist named Ayman Idlibi stated that the Syrian army was preparing a massive attack on the city of Zabadani, a city located north of Wadi Barada and west of Rankus.[65]

On 2 February 2012, it was confirmed that the Syrian Army had retaken Douma, with its streets mostly deserted, a few days earlier. Army defectors and most families had fled into the Damascus countryside.[66]

On 9 February 2012, seven soldiers were buried after being killed fighting in the Damascus suburbs and other areas.[67]

On 10 February 2012, the FSA in a poor district of Damascus city engaged loyalist forces in a firefight. Members of the Free Syrian Army fought for four hours with armoured backed troops who entered the al-Qaboun neighbourhood in the north of the capital according to witnesses; it was not immediately known how many people were killed but several FSA fighters were wounded.[68]

On 11 February 2012, more fighting was reported when SANA reported that three gunmen shot dead another army general. SANA said that General Issa al-Khouli was shot in the morning as he left his home in the Damascus neighborhood of Rukn-Eddine. He was the director of a military hospital in Damascus.[69] The Revolution Leadership Council, an anti-Assad group in Damascus, alleged that the government had carried out the killing itself.[70] Meanwhile, fighting was reported in the suburb of Douma, while a video was posted online reportedly showing a tank firing its guns in the streets of Douma.[71] More fighting in Douma was reported when soldiers stormed the Grand Mosque and detained a number of people who were inside. In the al-Qaboun clashes the day before, it was said that an activist in the area was shot dead by government forces.[72]

On 12 February 2012, a video was posted on the internet reportedly showing a Syrian military anti-aircraft vehicle being used in the streets of Douma with pictures of Bashar al-Assad pasted on the front next to the guns; the vehicle appears to be firing directly at buildings.[73] On 14 February, the Syrian press agency stated that the security forces discovered an insurgent hiding place and confiscated weapons, bomb-making kits and military suits.[74] Also, an activist group reported the death of three insurgents.[75] On 15 February, elite Syrian troops launched a large operation in the Barzeh suburb to locate the insurgents' hiding place, with around 1,000 troops deployed.[76]

On 15 February 2012, with clashes ongoing, FSA were seen on the streets of Damascus.[77]

On 18 February 2012, a military hideout was discovered in Douma as reported by state media, with the security forces finding six Kalashnikov assault rifles, three sniper rifles, two RPGs, two Turkish guns, and a Turkish shotgun.[78] On the same day at least two protesters were reportedly killed in a bigger protest and funeral march for three recently slain protesters. In the central district of Mezzeh, near the Syrian Presidential Palace, the anti-government demonstration reportedly attracted tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters. Security forces then confronted them with gunfire and tear gas,[79] which was said to have killed and injured protesters.[80] The number of dead rose to three.[81] The number of protesters was estimated up to 30,000.[82]

On 19 February 2012, the area was calm, even though the opposition called for an even bigger "day of defiance" following the protests a day before. As no one turned up, the opposition then claimed that protests could not go on due to security forces being deployed in some districts of central Damascus. The streets of Mezzeh became largely empty, and groups of people on the street were controlled on sight, with some arrests. Student protests at local schools did occur, however.[83][84]

### March 2012

[edit]

On 3 March 2012, the head of the Free Syrian Army, Riad al-Asaad, told al-Jazeera that FSA members had taken control of arms depots in Reef Damascus. He also stated that "the FSA killed more than 100 army troops in Reef Damascus." However, this was not confirmed by any media or the opposition groups responsible for tracking fatalities in the conflict as the sheer number would be counter-productive.[85] Riad al-Asaad's statement was made after a claim by another FSA leader that 100 soldiers were killed or wounded when the FSA seized control of the bases. The FSA leader had said the report was preliminary before it was confirmed by the commander of the FSA.[86] Two rebels and seven people harbouring them were killed by the Syrian Army in Duma, an activist stated to the news agencies.[87] On 10 March, two soldiers and three rebels were killed in a clash in the town of Daryaa, the London activist group reported.[88]

On 11 March 2012, London-based SOHR reported that 19 soldiers were killed in Idlib and the Damascus countryside.[89] Seven of them were reported dead in Idlib, meaning the remaining 12 were killed outside Damascus.[90] The following day, three rebels were killed in the areas.

On 11 March 2012, SANA claimed a colonel was assassinated in the Damascus countryside. He was shot while heading to his military unit, causing his death instantly.[91]

On 12 March 2012, major clashes were reported in central Damascus between the FSA and Loyalist army for the first time. Battles erupted in the Rukn Al-Din area in central Damascus. Gunshots were heard throughout the city, according to witnesses.[92]

On 16 March 2012, heavy fighting was reported in several Damascus suburbs, with the FSA fighting loyalist forces in those areas.[93] Three soldiers were reported killed.[94] This came before a car bombing, the third in Damascus which was claimed to have killed 27 people and wounded another 140. Among the dead were members of the security forces, as the bombs targeted an air force intelligence base and a criminal security centre.[95]

On 18 March 2012, heavy street fighting ensued in Damascus, with the main district of Mezze being the battleground between the FSA and the military. The district is home to many security installations and residents reported hearing heavy machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire through the night. State controlled media claimed two rebels and one member of the security forces were killed in the fighting. "These clashes were the most violent and the closest to the security force headquarters in Damascus since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution," said Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. He said 18 government soldiers were wounded in the shooting.[96] Details of the fighting emerged later. According to the Sunday Times, the fighting ended with a senior Sunni general, who had made it clear that he wished to defect to the FSA, and his family being escorted from their home under the protection of the rebels. The leader of this force said that three units of the FSA had launched an attack on Mezze at zero hour to secure the defecting general. Mezze is said to be home to Syria's wealthy elite and is the capital's most secure neighborhood, with embassies, armed guards and gated compounds. Two units of ten men each were sent to secure the general, while a third larger unit assaulted Mezze Villas west, an area of Mezze where the house of Assef Shawkat, the brother-in-law of President Bashar al-Assad and deputy head of the armed forces, is situated. Witnesses described heavy machine gunfire and RPGs being fired in the pre-dawn assault. A commander of the FSA said, "we wanted to show the regime we are capable of launching operations in the middle of their home, just a few [miles] from the presidential palace. People think nothing is happening in Damascus, but it is boiling." By the end, the army sent in armed helicopters to subdue the clashes, killing seven opposition fighters, according to the FSA.[97] Also, 80 elements of the security forces including pro-government militia members were reportedly killed and 200 wounded during the clashes. The deputy commander of the Free Syrian Army also said that two military tanks were destroyed during the operation.[98][99]

On 20 March 2012, the Free Syria Army in Douma released an army general they had detained in return for several prisoners and the bodies of those killed recently by security forces.[100]

On 21 March 2012, Assad's forces shelled the suburbs of Harasta and Irbin.[101]

On 24 March 2012, after eight protesters were wounded in a protest in Damascus, "very violent" clashes broke out in the Damascus area. Activists reported that explosions and small arms fire could be heard across a large part of Damascus province and in districts of the city itself, as anti-government protests were staged in Douma and Artuz close to the capital. The Observatory for Human Rights reported snipers and heavy armour in Douma.[102]

On 26 March 2012, three soldiers were killed as a military bus was attacked in Harasta.[103]

On 27 March 2012, The chief of the Air Force intelligence branch in Syria was reportedly killed, according to opposition forces in an attack in Damascus. The chief, Col Iyad Mando, was considered to be the head of one of the most powerful bodies of the state.[104][105]

On 30 March 2012, the FSA captured an Air Force general in Damascus.[106] Also, in the suburbs of Harasta and Irbin, opposition fighters were said to have fired RPGs at military buildings, killing at least one soldier.[107]

## Aftermath

[edit]

### April 2012

[edit]

On 6 April 2012, the army invaded Douma and killed a civilian. Serious fighting began after this in Douma.[108]

#### Cease-fire (from 14 April until 1 June 2012)

[edit]

Sporadic incidents occurred in Damascus and in Rif Damascus Governorate during the cease-fire. Following the collapse of the cease-fire due to continued attacks by independent opposition rebel groups, the area became the scene of the Summer 2012 Damascus clashes.

On 18 April 2012, the government claimed that an army officer, a lieutenant colonel, had been shot dead in Douma.[109]

On 21 April 2012, an officer, a first lieutenant, was allegedly shot dead in the Damascus countryside.[110]

On 25 April 2012, three military officers were killed in Damascus, according to the opposition and government in the area.[111]

On 28 April 2012, after a suicide bombing rocked Damascus, state media claimed 11 security forces and civilians had died. SOHR reported that two of the deaths were civilians, meaning nine security forces were killed.[112]

On 28 April 2012, the SOHR claimed that the Syrian Army killed ten rebels in the Damascus region.[113] These deaths were reported after a Syrian opposition group reported that hundreds of soldiers defected from the Syrian armed forces on Sunday in the outskirts of Damascus and Lattakia. This, though, could not be verified.

On 29 April 2012, state media reported that two Syrian border guards of the army had been killed in fighting in the Damascus countryside.[114]

On 30 April 2012, Brigadier General Shaker Tayjon was killed by a bomb blast in the Damascus countryside according to state media. Another officer, a lieutenant colonel was allegedly killed by a separate bomb.[115] The director of a military hospital told Sky News that 10 to 15 dead soldiers were arriving every day and the same number were being treated for injuries sustained in the fighting. These figures only included incidents in the capital and southern Syria. In the hospital, a dead soldier who had been killed in Douma was brought in and a wounded army general who had lost his leg was shown.[116]

### May 2012

[edit]

On 2 May 2012, In Harasta, near Damascus, six members of the security forces were killed during clashes with armed opposition, according to SOHR.[117]

On 3 May 2012, seven soldiers and one rebel were killed.[118]

On 9 May 2012, seven members of a pro-government militia called the Shabiha were killed when their bus was destroyed with rocket-propelled grenades on the edge of Irbin, a Damascus suburb. An activist said that army tanks began to shell the suburb afterwards.[119]

On 13 May 2012, an army colonel and other officers were reported killed.[120]

On 24 May 2012, a lieutenant colonel was shot and killed according to the Syrian government. Five police officers and four workers were also allegedly killed during the course of the day in a battle.[121]

### June 2012

[edit]

#### End of cease-fire on 1 June 2012)

[edit]

On 1 June 2012, following the ongoing killing of Army personnel, the Army restarted their cleansing operations, killing five people during raids in the town of Daraya outside the capital Damascus, the London-based SOHR reported. They stormed the town, a center for the armed opposition, with tanks and fired shells at its western districts, the SOHR said. Local activists said the five killed were civilians, adding that one of them was an activist and "regime forces burnt his body completely after they killed him."[122]

On 2 June 2012, eight soldiers were killed on the outskirts of Damascus by the FSA.[123]

On 9 June 2012, in Damascus, residents spoke about a night of shooting and explosions in the worst violence Syria's capital has seen since the uprising against President Bashar al Assad's government began 15 months ago.[124] The nearly 12 hours of fighting in Damascus suggested a new boldness among armed rebels, who previously kept a low profile in the capital.[124]

On 10 June 2012, three police officers were killed when a bomb exploded, destroying their vehicle.[125] Also, around 600 Syrian Free Army fighters simultaneously attacked government targets and Syrian army targets from five directions around the capital, in the biggest and most organised attack on Damascus at the time. One source reported that several Russians working with the Syrian government were killed and others wounded.[126]

In early June, rebels attacked Shabiha buses brought to quell protests in Qaboun, killing 20 Shabiha men and prompting forces from the nearby Air Force Intelligence compound to fire anti-aircraft guns and heavy mortar rounds into the district, according to opposition campaigners.[citation needed] YouTube footage released by opposition activists also showed army trucks and soldiers in combat gear inside the Abbasid Football Stadium in the city, which has become a base for troops and Shabiha men confronting the opposition neighbourhoods of Jobar, Zamalka and Irbin just to the east.[127]

On 16 June 2012, three opposition fighters were allegedly killed in Douma and a large number of others arrested when authorities raided their hideouts, SANA, state TV media, reported.[128]

On 17 June 2012, the Syrian military once again attacked Damascus suburbs. Seven civilians, including three women, were killed in the shelling of Douma, an opposition stronghold. Five civilian men were killed in Saqaba, the London-based SOHR said, adding some of them had been "slaughtered" with knives. SOHR called for independent investigation as "this kind of killing has become common in recent weeks." In the suburb of Irbin a man and his wife and child were hit by an artillery shell fired by the Syrian army.[129]

The Syrian government claimed they killed a man who had participated in rigging car bombs in Damascus.[130]

Widespread clashes were reported in Douma and Harasta with one general of the Syrian army and a police captain being killed by the FSA.[131] The dead Lieutenant General Ghassan Khalil Abu al-Dhahab was shot and killed in Douma.[132]

On 21 June 2012, according to the toll compiled by the London-based organization, 30 civilians were killed in the opposition bastion of Douma by the Syrian Army.[133]

On 25 June 2012, 11 soldiers were captured by the FSA in Damascus.[134]

On 26 June 2012, rebels reportedly blew up an artillery piece at the entrance to Qudsaya, a Damascus suburb, with clashes taking place in both Qudsaya and al-Hama, about eight kilometers from the center of Damascus. The army also stormed the neighbourhood of Barzeh amid fierce fighting. The SOHR group reported that the government had massacred residents in al-Hama, and at least 14 people were reported killed.[135]

On 27 June 2012, a pro-government media station was attacked, killing seven people, four from the security services and three journalists, while 13 rebels were killed near Douma according to the Syrian government.[136][137]

On 29 June 2012 the latest development came as an activist reported a "massacre" in the Damascus suburb of Douma, about 15 km (9 miles) outside the capital Damascus. Heavy shelling was evident as the military tried to enter the suburb. 51 people were reportedly killed, including ten who tried to flee the suburb but were stopped at a checkpoint by militiamen and executed.[138]

A resident of the city meanwhile stated to the press that the city of Douma, in the suburbs of Damascus, had effectively become a ghost city, with most of its 200,000 population forced to flee as a result of rebels seizing the area with consequent army shelling. He also reported hearing explosions for more than a week from shelling in the suburb of Harasta, which resulted in the collapse of ordinary life in Damascus. Security forces enforced an unofficial curfew after 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. when Shabiha militias arrest anyone wandering around the streets.[139]

On 29 June 2012, the Syrian Army continued its crackdown against the rebels in Douma, killing scores of rebels and arresting a number of others. They claimed that three rebel deaths were confirmed.[140]

On 30 June 2012, it was reported that the military had regained control of Douma after a ten-day military offensive. Loyalists battled to control the ring of suburbs and settlements in the surrounding countryside. The army launched frequent offensives into the suburbs only to see them slip back into rebel control after leaving. Human rights groups said that conditions in Douma are miserable, with dead bodies in the streets. There is a lack of food, electricity and running water.[141] The army was accused of damaging hospitals that treated the wounded in Douma and carrying out waves of mass arrests and also the execution of rebels.[141]

On 30 June 2012, in Douma, the Syrian Army said that they seized three rebels' weapons stores and a rebel explosive factory used for terror attacks, where dozens of rebels were killed while many others were arrested.[142] SANA reported that dozens of rebels were killed while many others were arrested.[143]

Residents also reported that the army, after weeks of intensive shelling, finally managed to push its way into the former rebel-controlled Douma city center and was sweeping streets in search of rebel fighters, who, according to other residents, withdrew from the city the night before, after a ten-day government offensive. Residents also reported decaying dead bodies lying in the streets and the arrest of hundreds of citizens[144] to check on their involvement with the rebels. Most were later released.

An ITV reporter filmed a Syrian military funeral for soldiers killed during the siege of Douma. 42 soldiers were killed in the siege of Douma, most of them in the last day and a half when the Syrian army entered Douma after having shelled the city for days.[145] Over 200 people were killed overall, with at least 25 women being raped by the Syrian Army in front of their families.[146] One particular case that was documented by Women Under Siege was the case of a young woman whose apartment building was entered by the elite republican guard, and all residents taken out. They executed eight male residents and brutally raped the young woman.[147]

### July 2012

[edit]

On 1 July 2012, it was reported that 85 people had been killed by a car bomb in an attack on an anti-government demonstration, which started out as a funeral for a previous protester that had been killed by government soldiers. The car bomb had targeted the funeral march.[148] Video footage appeared on the internet showing the explosions and aftermath.[149][150] An initial false report by the UK-based SOHR said that it was the government that killed at least 30 civilian protesters in this attack.

On 2 July 2012, an ITV News correspondent managed to get to the Irbeen suburb of Damascus with the help of FSA fighters and confirmed that it and several other suburbs, including Zamalka, were completely out of government control with local rebel fighters patrolling the streets openly. It was also falsely reported that fighting in Douma was still ongoing.[145][151]

On 10 July 2012, two soldiers were killed when their military supply vehicle was destroyed in southern Damascus.[152]

On 11 July 2012, there was heavy fighting in the Damascus neighbourhood of Zabdin, where members of the FSA attacked a missile base, prompting the defection of at least 27 soldiers there. Clashes, raids and shelling also continued in Irbeen, Douma, Zamalka and Kafarsoussah.[153]

On 12 July 2012, the Syrian Army shelled areas of Damascus for the first time. Artillery fired several shells towards orchards in the Kfar Souseh district where FSA was reportedly hiding. There were also clashes in New Artouz suburb, some 15 km (9.3 mi) from Damascus.[154]

On 14 July 2012, a major escalation in Damascus reportedly took place from 14 to 15 July, when a coordinated attack by multiple rebel forces was begun in Damascus neighbourhoods.

On 15 July 2012, fierce fighting was reported in some quarters of central Damascus as the army moved in to dislodge rebels. The rebels fighting were the ones who were crushed in Douma and other suburbs and fled to Damascus itself. Fighting also closed the road leading from central Damascus to the airport.[155][156]

On 16 July 2012, for a second day, heavy clashes in the southern Midan and Tadhamon districts of Damascus raged[157] with the military managing to surround the rebel forces in the area and sending tanks and other armored vehicles into the neighborhoods. The rebels called the clashes a raid by them against the capital,[158] while the government called it a 48-hour military operation to clear the area of any opposition forces. There were also indications that the government knew about the planned rebel raid and acted on the information.[citation needed]

On 17 July 2012, shooting was reported in one of the main central streets and machine-gun fire was reported in nearby Sabaa Bahrat Square, site of the Central Bank of Syria, which was the scene of several major pro-government demonstrations.[159] Fighting was ongoing in the southern Midan and Kfar Sousa districts and the northern Barzeh and Qaboun districts.[160] There were contradictions among the rebels themselves on the nature of the conflict.

One FSA commander claimed that the battle for "liberation" of Damascus had begun,[161] with another dubbing it Operation Damascus Volcano.[160]

Tarek, the rebel spokesman in Damascus, dismissed the claims, however, stating the clashes were still only skirmishes. He also said the FSA didn't start the battle, in line with earlier reports that the military made a preemptive strike on the opposition forces after learning of their plan for the attack on the capital.[162]

On 18 July 2012, a bombing targeted the national security headquarters where Assad's most senior generals, known collectively as the "crisis cell", were meeting. Four were killed: Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha, Deputy Head of Armed Forces Assef Shawkat, General Hasan Turkmani and National Security Chief Hisham Ikhtiyar.[163]

Fighting resumed with the Rif Dimashq offensive (August–October 2012).

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## External links

[edit]

* By All Means Necessary!, Human Rights Watch, 16 December 2011

* v
* t
* e

Syrian civil war

Overviews

| Main overviews|

* Syria
* Rojava
* Syrian civil war
* Timeline
* Background and causes
* Syrian peace process
* Syrian government reactions
* Belligerents
* Inter-rebel conflict
* Spillover
* Cities and towns
* Sectarianism and minorities
* Syrian Desert campaign (December 2017–present)

|

Effects and ongoing concerns|

* Casualties of the Syrian civil war
* Refugees of the Syrian civil war
* Humanitarian aid during the Syrian civil war
* Human rights violations during the Syrian civil war

Phases and processes|

* Syrian revolution
* Early insurgency phase
* 2012–2013 escalation
* Ceasefires
* Syrian peace process

World reaction|

* International reactions to the Syrian civil war
* Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war
* Reactions to the fall of the Assad regime

Specific groups and countries|

* Russian involvement
* Russian intervention
* Turkish involvement
* Turkish occupation of northern Syria
* Second Northern Syria Buffer Zone
* Russian-Turkish agreement on Syria
* US intervention in the Syrian civil war
* 2023 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria
* Kurdish Area in Syria
* Syrian Democratic Forces
* Rojava conflict
* U.S. task force

Agreements and dialogues|

* Russian-Turkish agreement on Syria
* Relations between Syrian government and Kurdish groups in Syria

Transitional phase|

* Syrian transitional government

Timeline

| Background|

* 1963 coup
* 1966 coup
* Corrective Movement
* Islamist uprising
* Latakia protests
* Damascus Spring
* Qamishli riots
* Syrian occupation of Lebanon
* Damascus Declaration
* Human rights in Syria
* 2010s in Syria political history
* Arab Spring

|

2011
Jan–Apr
May–Aug
Sep–Dec|

* Syrian revolution
* Death of Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb
* Siege of Daraa
* Siege of Baniyas
* May Talkalakh siege
* Siege of Rastan and Talbiseh
* June Jisr ash-Shughur operation
* Siege of Hama
* Siege of Homs
* Jabal al-Zawiya operation
* Siege of Latakia
* Deir ez-Zor clashes (2011–2014)
* Rif Dimashq clashes (Nov 2011-Mar 2012)
* Battle of Zabadani
* Battle of Douma
* Daraa Governorate clashes
* Battle of Rastan
* Shayrat and Tiyas airbase ambush
* Idlib Governorate clashes
* December Jabal al-Zawiya massacres

2012
Jan–Apr
May–Aug
Sep–Dec|

* January al-Midan bombing
* Battle of Rastan
* First Battle of Idlib
* Battle of al-Qusayr
* Idlib Governorate operation (Apr)
* Battle of Taftanaz
* May Battle of Rastan
* Houla massacre
* Battle of al-Haffah
* Al-Qubeir massacre
* Battle of Tremseh
* Battle of Damascus
* 18 July 2012 Damascus bombing
* Battle of Aleppo
* Battle of Anadan
* Siege of Base 46
* Al-Hasakah Governorate campaign (2012–2013)
* Rif Dimashq offensive (Aug-Oct)
* Darayya massacre
* Battle of Khirbet Al-Joz
* Battle of Maarrat al-Numan
* First siege of Wadi Deif
* Battle of Harem
* Rif Dimashq offensive (Nov 2012–Feb 2013)
* Battle of Darayya
* Aqrab massacre
* Hama offensive
* Halfaya massacre
* Battle of Darayya
* Quneitra Governorate clashes
* Talbiseh bakery massacre

2013
Jan–Apr
May–Dec|

* Battle of Safira
* Battle of Shadadeh
* Damascus offensive
* Raqqa campaign (2012–2013)
* Battle of Raqqa (Mar)
* Daraa offensive
* Rif Dimashq offensive (Mar–Aug)
* Battle of Jdaidet al-Fadl
* Ghouta chemical attack
* Al-Qusayr offensive
* Battle of al-Qusayr
* Bayda and Baniyas massacres
* Hama offensive
* Hatla massacre
* Khan al-Assal chemical attack
* Khan al-Assal massacre
* Adra massacre
* Battle of Ras al-Ayn
* Battle of Tell Abyad
* Rif Dimashq offensive (Sep–Nov)
* Aleppo offensive (Oct–Dec)
* Battle of al-Yaarubiyah
* Battle of Tell Hamis and Tell Brak (Dec–Jan)

2014
Jan–Jul
Aug–Dec|

* First Inter-rebel conflict
* Battle of Markada
* Deir ez-Zor offensive
* Battle of Morek
* Daraa offensive (Feb–May)
* Maan massacre
* Al-Otaiba ambush
* Idlib offensive
* Battle of Hosn
* Latakia Offensive
* Battle of Al-Malihah
* Kafr Zita chemical attack
* Second siege of Wadi Deif
* Qalamoun offensive (Jun–Aug)
* Battle of Arsal
* First Battle of the Shaer gas field
* Eastern Syria offensive
* Battle of Tabqa Airbase
* Northern Aleppo offensive (Feb–Jul)
* Hama Offensive
* Quneitra offensive
* Rif Dimashq offensive (Aug–Nov)
* Siege of Kobanî
* Homs school bombing
* Daraa offensive (Oct)
* Al-Safira offensive
* Idlib Raid
* Second Inter-Rebel Conflict
* Second Battle of the Shaer gas field
* Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin
* Deir ez-Zor offensive (Dec)

2015
Jan–Jul
Aug–Dec|

* Air Force An-26 crash
* Daraa Offensive (Jan)
* Southern Syria Offensive
* Eastern al-Hasakah offensive
* Battle of Sarrin (Mar–Apr)
* Battle of Sarrin (Jun–Jul)
* Battle of Bosra
* Idlib Offensive
* Second Battle of Idlib
* Battle of Nasib Border Crossing
* Battle of Yarmouk Camp
* Western al-Hasakah offensive
* Palmyra offensive (May)
* Qamishli bombings
* Tell Abyad offensive
* Kobanî massacre
* Quneitra offensive (Jun)
* Palmyra offensive (Jul–Aug)
* Rif Dimashq offensive (Sep)
* Northwestern Syria offensive (Oct–Nov)
* Aleppo offensive (Oct–Dec)
* Al-Hawl offensive
* Homs offensive (Nov-Dec)
* East Aleppo offensive (2015–2016)
* 2015–2016 Latakia offensive
* Tishrin Dam offensive
* Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown

2016
Jan–Apr
May–Aug
Sep–Dec|

* Second Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin
* Deir ez-Zor offensive (Jan)
* January Sayyidah Zaynab bombings
* Northern Aleppo offensive (Feb)
* Ithriyah-Raqqa offensive (Feb–Mar)
* Al-Shaddadi offensive
* February Homs bombings
* February Sayyidah Zaynab bombings
* Khanasir offensive
* Battle of Tel Abyad
* Battle of Maarrat al-Numan
* Battle of Qamishli (Apr)
* Northern Aleppo offensive (Mar–Jun)
* Palmyra offensive (Mar)
* East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict (Apr–May)
* Rif Dimashq offensive (Apr–May)
* Northern Raqqa offensive (May)
* May Jableh & Tartous bombings
* Ithriyah-Raqqa offensive (Jun)
* Rif Dimashq offensive (Jun–Oct)
* Manbij offensive
* Tokhar massacre
* Southern Aleppo campaign
* Battle of al-Rai (Aug)
* Operation Euphrates Shield
* Aleppo summer campaign
* Western al-Bab offensive (Sep)
* 5 September bombings
* September Deir ez-Zor air raid
* September Urum al-Kubra aid convoy attack
* Aleppo offensive (Sep–Oct)
* Dabiq offensive
* Western al-Bab offensive (Oct–Nov)
* Khan al-Shih offensive (Oct–Nov)
* Raqqa campaign
* Battle of al-Bab
* Aleppo offensive (Nov-Dec)
* Palmyra offensive (Dec)

2017
Jan–Apr
May–Aug
Sep–Dec|

* Wadi Barada offensive (2016–2017)
* January Azaz bombing
* Desert campaign (Dec 16–Apr 17)
* Idlib clashes (Jan–Mar)
* Deir ez-Zor offensive (Jan–Feb)
* Daraa offensive (Feb–Jun)
* Southwestern Daraa offensive (Feb)
* Qaboun offensive
* Palmyra offensive
* East Aleppo offensive (Jan–Apr)
* March Damascus bombings
* Al-Jinah airstrike
* Hama offensive (Mar–Apr)
* Battle of Tabqa
* Khan Shaykhun chemical attack
* Shayrat missile strike
* Aleppo bombing
* April Turkish airstrikes
* East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict (Apr–May)
* Desert campaign (May–Jul)
* Maskanah Plains offensive
* East Hama offensive
* Battle of Raqqa
* Daraa offensive (Jun)
* Southern Raqqa offensive (Jun)
* Jobar offensive (Jun–Aug)
* Quneitra offensive (Jun)
* Idlib clashes (Jul)
* Central campaign
* Qalamoun (Jul–Aug)
* Deir ez-Zor offensive (Sep 17–Mar 18)
* Hama offensive (Sep)
* Northwestern campaign (Oct 17–Feb 18)
* Turkish military operation in Idlib Governorate
* Battle of Harasta
* Eastern campaign (Sep–Dec)
* Euphrates Crossing offensive
* Mayadin offensive
* Battle of Deir ez-Zor (Sep–Nov)
* Abu Kamal offensive
* Beit Jinn offensive

2018
Jan–Apr
May–Aug
Sep–Dec|

* Operation Olive Branch
* Battle of Khasham
* Rif Dimashq offensive (Feb–Apr)
* Southern Damascus offensive (Jan–Feb)
* Syrian Liberation Front–Tahrir al-Sham conflict
* Southern Damascus offensive (Mar)
* Douma chemical attack
* Missile strikes (Apr)
* Northern Homs offensive (Apr–May)
* Eastern Qalamoun offensive (Apr)
* Southern Damascus offensive (Apr–May)
* Deir ez-Zor clashes (Apr)
* Deir ez-Zor offensive (May–Jun)
* As-Suwayda offensive (Jun)
* Southern offensive
* As-Suwayda attacks
* As-Suwayda (Aug-Nov)
* Qamishli clashes (Sep)
* Missile strikes (Sep)
* Northern border clashes

2019
Jan–Apr
May–Aug
Sep–Dec|

* Idlib inter-rebel conflict
* Manbij bombing
* Battle of Baghuz Fawqani
* ISIL insurgency in Deir-ez-Zor
* Dêrik prison escape attempt
* Tell Rifaat clashes
* Northwestern offensive (Apr–Aug)
* June bombings
* Hass refugee camp bombing
* Missile strikes (Aug)
* Turkish offensive into northeast
* Barisha raid
* November bombings
* Israeli missile strikes (Nov)
* Qah missile strike
* Northwestern offensive (Dec 19–Mar 20)
* US airstrikes

2020
Jan–Dec|

* COVID-19 pandemic
* Afrin bombing
* Idlib Governorate clashes
* Kafr-Takharim airstrike
* Ayn Issa clashes
* Deir ez-Zor ambush

2021
Jan–Dec|

* Siege of Qamishli and Al-Hasakah
* Missile strikes (Jan)
* US airstrike (Feb)
* Battle of Qamishli (Apr)
* US airstrike (Jun)
* Daraa clashes
* Tahrir al-Sham–Junud al-Sham conflict

2022
Jan–Dec|

* Battle of al-Hasakah
* Ahrar al-Sham–Levant Front clashes
* Jabal al-Bishrī clashes
* Jarqli airstrikes
* Northern Aleppo clashes (Oct)
* Operation Claw-Sword
* Northwest clashes (Dec)

2023
Jan-Dec|

* Al-Sukhnah attack
* Damascus airstrike
* Hama attack
* Northern border clashes

2024
Jan–Oct
Nov–present|

* Opposition offensives
* Deir ez-Zor offensive
* Battle of Aleppo
* Aleppo University Hospital airstrike
* Southern offensive
* Operation Dawn of Freedom
* Manbij offensive
* Al-Mustariha strike
* Kobani clashes
* Hama offensive
* Homs offensive
* Palmyra offensive
* Fall of Damascus
* Fall of the Assad regime
* Western Syria clashes
* Israeli invasion

Spillover|

| Israel and Golan Heights:|

* March 2017 incident
* February 2018 incident
* May 2018 Israel–Iran incidents

|

Iraq:|

* Akashat ambush
* Operation al-Shabah
* April 2014 Iraqi border airstrike

Jordanian border incidents|

* April 2014 Jordanian border airstrike

Lebanon:|

* Lebanese border clashes
* Battle of Sidon
* Iranian embassy bombing in Beirut
* North Lebanon clashes
* Qalamoun (Jul–Aug 2017)

Turkey:|

* December 2011 Turkish border clash
* 2012 Turkish F-4 Phantom shootdown
* 2012 Turkish border clashes
* 2013 Reyhanlı car bombings
* January 2014 Turkish attack in Syria
* Assassination of Andrei Karlov
* Russian Air Force Al-Bab incident
* 2020 Balyun airstrikes
* Operation Spring Shield

Elsewhere:|

* Deir ez-Zor missile strike (Iran)

Belligerents

| Ba'athist regime|

| Politics of Ba'athist Syria|

* Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region
* Ba'ath Brigades
* Syrian Social Nationalist Party
* Arab Socialist Movement
* Syrian Communist Party
* Syrian Communist Party (Unified)

|

Military and militias|

* Lions of Hussein
* Guardians of the Dawn
* Arab Nationalist Guard
* Jaysh al-Muwahhidin
* Sootoro
* Ba'ath Brigades
* National Defence Forces
* Popular Committees
* Golan Regiment
* Syrian Armed Forces
* Eagles of the Whirlwind
* The Islamic Resistance Front in Syria
* Syrian Popular Resistance
* Syrian Resistance
* Popular Resistance of the Eastern Region
* PFLP-GC
* Jihad Jibril Brigades
* Galilee Forces
* Free Palestine Movement
* Palestinian People's Party
* Liwa Fatemiyoun
* As-Sa'iqa
* al-Quds Brigade
* Palestine Liberation Army

Foreign support|

* Hezbollah involvement
* Iranian involvement
* Liwa Fatemiyoun
* Russian involvement
* medical facility targeting
* military intervention
* Wagner Group
* Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq coalition
* Popular Mobilization Forces

Opposition|

| Interim government|

* National Coalition
* Local Coordination Committees
* Syrian National Council
* Supreme Council of the Syrian Revolution
* National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change
* Syrian Revolution General Commission
* Syrian Support Group
* Adopt a Revolution
* Syrian Patriotic Group

|

Opposition militias|

* Syrian National Army
* Free Syrian Army
* National Front for Liberation
* Army of Glory
* Authenticity and Development Front
* Army of Free Tribes
* Revolutionary Commando Army
* Muslim Brotherhood in Syria
* Grey Wolves

Foreign support|

* US intervention
* Jordanian intervention
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Turkey

Autonomous Administration
of North and East Syria|

| DFNS Government|

* Democratic Union Party
* Kurdish National Council
* Smaller political parties

|

SDF militias|

* People's Protection Units
* Women's Protection Units
* Anti-Terror Units
* Al-Sanadid Forces
* Army of Revolutionaries
* SDF military councils
* Syriac Military Council
* Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa
* Northern Democratic Brigade

Support|

* Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
* Kurdistan Workers' Party
* International Freedom Battalion
* Sinjar Resistance Units
* Êzîdxan Women's Units

Islamists|

| Islamic State|

* Military activity of ISIL
* Dokumacılar
* Al-Barakah
* Khalid ibn al-Walid Army
* Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade
* Islamic Muthanna Movement
* Jaysh al-Jihad
* Jund al-Aqsa
* Group of the One and Only
* Liwa Dawud
* Liwa Aqab al-Islami
* Katibah Nusantara
* Katiba al-Bittar al-Libi
* Al-Khansaa Brigade

|

al-Qaeda and allies|

* Al-Nusra Front (Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (Khorasan group, Suqour al-Ezz) Jaysh Muhammad in Bilad al-Sham
* Tahrir al-Sham
* Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria
* Caucasus Emirate
* Ajnad al-Kavkaz
* Junud al-Makhdi
* Rouse the Believers Operations Room (Ansar al-Tawhid (Firqat al-Ghuraba), Hurras al-Din, Ansar al-Din Front (Harakat Sham al-Islam), Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan)
* Jaish al-Haramoun
* Jaysh al-Sunna
* Liwa al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (Green Battalion)
* Mujahideen Shura Council
* Malhama Tactical
* Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad
* Katibat Jabal al-Islam
* Jama'at Ansar al-Furqan in Bilad al Sham
* Ghuraba al-Sham
* Taliban (Pakistani Taliban, Imam Bukhari Jamaat)
* Fatah al-Islam
* Muhajirin wa-Ansar Alliance (Liwaa al-Umma)

People

* Ammar Abdulhamid
* Ali al-Abdallah
* Adnan al-Aroor
* al-Assad family
* Bashar
* Maher
* Rifaat
* Rami Makhlouf
* Hafez Makhlouf
* Riad al-Asaad
* Anwar al-Bunni
* Fahd Jassem al-Freij
* Suheil al-Hassan
* Haitham al-Maleh
* Moaz al-Khatib
* Kamal al-Labwani
* Hamza al-Khateeb
* Tal al-Mallohi
* Fida al-Sayed
* Riad al-Turk
* Khaled Khoja
* Ammar al-Qurabi
* Suheir Atassi
* Ali Sadreddine Al-Bayanouni
* Aref Dalila
* Farid Ghadry
* Burhan Ghalioun
* Razan Ghazzawi
* Ghassan Hitto
* Salim Idris
* Randa Kassis
* Abdul Halim Khaddam
* Michel Kilo
* Bassma Kodmani
* Ali Habib Mahmud
* Ali Mahmoud Othman
* Ibrahim Qashoush
* Dawoud Rajiha
* Yassin al-Haj Saleh
* Bouthaina Shaaban
* Abdulbaset Sieda
* Riad Seif
* Fadwa Souleimane
* Mohamad Anas Haitham Soueid
* Yaser Tabbara
* Razan Zaitouneh
* Rami Jarrah
* Abdurrahman Mustafa
* Fadlallah al-Haji

Related

| Elections|

* 2011 local elections
* 2012 parliamentary election
* 2014 presidential election
* 2015 Northern local elections
* 2016 parliamentary election
* 2017 Northern local elections
* 2017 Northern regional elections
* 2018 local elections
* 2020 parliamentary election
* 2021 presidential election

|

Issues|

* Casualties
* Cities and towns
* Chemical weapons
* Damaged heritage sites
* Foreign involvement
* Human rights violations
* Humanitarian aid
* International demonstrations and protests
* International reactions
* Massacres
* Mass graves
* Refugees
* Sectarianism and minorities
* Status of the Golan Heights
* Spillover in Lebanon
* Syrian government reactions

Peace process|

* Arab League monitors
* Friends of Syria Group
* Kofi Annan peace plan
* UN supervision mission
* Lakhdar Brahimi peace plan
* U.S.–Russia peace proposals
* 39th G8 summit
* UN Security Council Resolution 2118
* Geneva II conference
* 2015 Zabadani cease-fire agreement
* Vienna talks
* 2016 Geneva talks
* Idlib demilitarization (2018–present)
* First Northern Syria Demilitarization Deal
* Second Northern Syria Demilitarization Deal
* Syrian Constitutional Committee

Investigations/legal cases|

* Investigations
* International Commission
* Chemical weapons
* War crimes cases
* Germany
* Canada + Netherlands vs Syria

Related topics|

* Exclusive mandate
* Fourth Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference
* Syria Files
* Syrian detainee report
* Syrian media coverage
* 2015 European migrant crisis
* Syrian civil war in popular culture

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Rif Dimashq Governorate

Markaz Rif Dimashq District

| Kiswah
Subdistrict|

* Al-Kiswah
* Al-Adiliyah
* Arkis
* Deir Ali
* Deir Khabiyah
* Ayn al-Bayda
* Ayn al-Souda
* Al-Horjelah
* Jeb as-Safa
* Khan Dannun
* Khirbet al-Shiyab
* Khiyarat Dannun
* Marana
* Matahriyeh
* Morjana
* Muqaylibah
* Qara
* Saada
* Shaqhab
* al-Taybah
* Um al-Awamid
* Zakiyah
* Zureiqiya

|

Babbila
Subdistrict|

* Babbila
* Aqraba
* al-Bahdaliyah
* Beit Sahem
* Buwayda
* Hujayrah
* Hawsh Sahiya
* Khirbet al-Ward
* Maalaqa
* Najha
* Al-Sitt
* Al-Sabinah
* Yalda

Jaramana
Subdistrict|

* Jaramana

Malihah
Subdistrict|

* Al-Malihah
* Ahdaf
* Deir al-Asafir
* Hawsh al-Sultan
* Hutaytet al-Turkman
* Shabaa
* Zabdin
* Sahba

Kafr Batna
Subdistrict|

* Kafr Batna
* Beit Sawa
* Aftris
* Hamouriyah
* Hizzah
* Jisrin
* Saqba

Arbin
Subdistrict|

* Arbin
* Ein Tarma
* Zamalka

Douma District

| Douma
Subdistrict|

* Douma
* Adra
* Batihat al-Wafidin
* Hawsh al-Dawahira
* Hawsh al-Farah
* Hawsh Nasri
* Hufayr al-Tahta
* Maydaa
* al-Rihan
* al-Shafuniyah
* Tal al-Swan

|

Harasta
Subdistrict|

* Harasta
* Dahiyat Harasta
* Mesraba
* Madira

Sabe Biyar
Subdistrict|

* Sabaa Biyar

Dumayr
Subdistrict|

* Al-Dumayr

Nashabiyeh
Subdistrict|

* Al-Nashabiyah
* Al-Ahmadiyah
* Al-Bahariyah
* Al-Bilaliyah
* Beit Nayim
* Bzeineh
* Deir Salman
* Al-Damen
* Harasta al-Qantarah
* Al-Jarba
* Al-Khamisiyah
* Al-Mansoura
* Marj al-Sultan
* Nawla
* Al-Abadah
* Autaya
* Otaybah
* Al-Qasimiyah
* Al-Qisa
* Al-Salihiyah
* Wadyan al-Rabi
* Al-Zamaniyah

Ghazlaniyeh
Subdistrict|

* Al-Ghizlaniyah
* Bayad
* Al-Bitariyah
* Deir al-Hajar
* Dalbeh
* Ghasulah
* Al-Haijaneh
* Qarahta
* Qarmashiyeh
* Sakka
* Tall Maskan

Harran al-Awamid
Subdistrict|

* Harran al-Awamid
* Judaydat al-Khas
* Al-Kafrayn
* Mabarkah

Al-Qutayfah District

| Qutayfah
Subdistrict|

* Al-Qutayfah
* Helleh
* Muadamiyat al-Qalamoun

|

Jayrud
Subdistrict|

* Jayrud
* Al-Atnah
* Al-Mansoura
* Al-Naseriyah

Maloula
Subdistrict|

* Maaloula
* Ain al-Tinah
* Jubb'adin
* al-Tawani

Raheiba
Subdistrict|

* Al-Ruhaybah

Al-Tall District

| Al-Tall
Subdistrict|

* Al-Tall
* al-Dreij
* Halboun
* Maarounah
* Maaraba
* Manin
* Talfita

|

Sednaya
Subdistrict|

* Saidnaya
* Badda
* Maarat Saidnaya
* Akoubar
* Hafeir al-Fouqa

Rankous
Subdistrict|

* Rankous
* al-Fayadiyah
* Hosh Arab
* al-Jarniyah
* al-Mahabah
* Ayn Dara
* al-Nour
* Sabnah

Yabroud District

| Yabroud
Subdistrict|

* Yabroud
* Ras al-Ayn
* Ras al-Maara
* Rima
* Al-Sarkha (Bakhah)

|

Assal al-Ward
Subdistrict|

* Assal al-Ward
* al-Jebbah

An-Nabek District

| An-Nabek
Subdistrict|

* Al-Nabek
* Mashrafet Flita
* Qaldoun al-Marah
* Al-Qastal
* al-Sahel

|

Deir Atiyeh
Subdistrict|

* Deir Atiyah
* Al-Humayra
* al-Jarajir

Qara
Subdistrict|

* Qara

Al-Zabadani District

| Al-Zabadani
Subdistrict|

* Al-Zabadani
* Barheliya
* Bloudan
* Hosh Bajed
* Kafr al-Awamid
* Al-Rawdah (al-Batrounah)
* Souq Wadi Barada

|

Madaya
Subdistrict|

* Madaya
* Baqin
* Hurayra

Serghaya
Subdistrict|

* Serghaya
* Ain Hawr

Qatana District

| Qatana
Subdistrict|

* Qatana
* Ambiya
* al-Aamrat
* Arnah
* Artouz
* al-Bejaa
* Beqaasem
* Drousha
* Jdeidat Artouz
* Kafr Qouq
* Kawkab
* Khan al-Shih
* Manshiyat Khan al-Shih
* Mazraat Deir al-Ashayer
* Qalaat al-Jandal
* Rakhlah
* Ras al-Ayn
* Rima
* al-Sabboura
* Yaafour

|

Beit Jann
Subdistrict|

* Beit Jinn
* Darbal
* Ain al-Shaara
* Harfa
* Hinah
* Khirbet al-Sawda
* Maghar al-Mir
* al-Maqrousa
* Mazraat Beit Jinn

Sa'sa
Subdistrict|

* Sa'sa'
* Abou Qawouq
* al-Adnaniyah
* Beit Saber
* Beitima
* Deir Maker
* Denaji
* Dourin
* Hamrit
* al-Hubariyah
* Hosh al-Nufour
* Jisr al-Safra
* Kafr Hawr
* Kanaker
* Maas
* al-Nufour
* al-Qleiaah
* Rasem al-Tahin
* al-Shawkatliyah

Darayya District

| Darayya
Subdistrict|

* Darayya
* Muadamiyat al-Sham

|

Sahnaya
Subdistrict|

* Sahnaya
* Ashrafiyat Sahnaya

Hajar al-Aswad
Subdistrict|

* al-Hajar al-Aswad

Qudsaya District

| Qudsaya
Subdistrict|

* Qudsaya
* Ashrafiyat al-Wadi
* Basimah
* al-Hamah
* Jamraya
* Jdeidat al-Wadi
* Dahiyat Qudsaya

|

ad-Dimas
Subdistrict|

* al-Dimas
* Jdeidat Yabous
* Kfeir Yabous
* Maadar
* Qura al-Sham
* Yabous

Ein al-Fijeh
Subdistrict|

* Ain al-Fijah
* Efra
* Deir Muqaran
* Deir Qanun
* al-Husseiniyah
* Kfeir al-Zayt

* v
* t
* e

Damascus

Historic and
other landmarks|

* Al-Azem Palace
* Khan As'ad Pasha
* Straight Street
* Mausoleum of Saladin
* Umayyad Mosque
* Citadel of Damascus
* Grand Serail of Damascus
* Khadra Palace
* Nur al-Din Bimaristan
* Maktab Anbar
* Muhajreen Palace
* Hejaz Train Station
* Statue of Saladin
* Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
* Temple of Jupiter
* Tishreen Palace
* Al-Shaab Palace
* October War Panorama

Madrasas and takiyyas|

* Al-Adiliyah Madrasa
* Al-Shamiyah al-Kubra Madrasa
* Al-Fathiyah Madrasa
* Al-Mujahidiyah Madrasa
* Al-Qilijiyah Madrasa
* Al-Rukniyah Madrasa
* Al-Sahiba Madrasa
* Salimiyya Madrasa
* Al-Sibaiyah Madrasa
* Al-Zahiriyah Library
* Nur al-Din Madrasa
* Salimiyya Takiyya
* Sulaymaniyya Takiyya

Mosques|

* Aqsab
* Darwish Pasha
* Hanabila
* Ibn 'Arabi Mosque (Salimiyya Mosque)
* Murad Pasha
* Nabi Habeel
* Sayyidah Ruqayyah
* Sinan Pasha
* Sulaymaniyya Takiyya Mosque
* Umayyad
* Yalbugha

Churches|

| Catholic|

* Chapel of Saint Ananias
* Chapel of Saint Paul
* Cathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition
* Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Saint Paul

|

Eastern Orthodox|

* Mariamite Cathedral

Oriental Orthodox|

* Syriac Cathedral of Saint George

Synagogues|

* Elfrange Synagogue
* Jobar Synagogue
* Menarsha Synagogue
* Racqy Synagogue

Historic gates|

* Bab al-Faradis
* Bab al-Jabiyah
* Bab al-Saghir
* Bab al-Salam
* Bab Kisan
* Bab Sharqi
* Bab Tuma

Souqs and caravanserais|

* Jaqmaq Caravansarai
* As'ad Pasha Caravansarai
* Sulayman Pasha Caravansarai
* Al-Harir Caravansarai
* Midhat Pasha Souq
* Al-Hamidiyah Souq
* Al-Buzuriyah Souq

Culture and
education|

* National Museum of Damascus
* Al-Assad National Library
* Damascus Opera House
* Damascus University
* National University Hospital
* Syrian Virtual University
* International University for Science and Technology
* Syrian Private University
* Arab International University
* Higher Institute for Applied Science and Technology
* Higher Institute of Music in Damascus
* Higher Institute for Dramatic Arts
* National Institute of Administration
* Damascus Community School
* Lycée Charles de Gaulle
* Shami Hospital

Entertainment|

* Bakdash (ice cream parlor)
* Bawabet Dimashq
* Havana Cafe
* Beit al-Mamlouka Hotel
* Blue Tower Hotel
* Four Seasons Hotel Damascus

Streets and squares|

* Baghdad Street
* Marjeh Square
* Rawda Square
* Sabaa Bahrat Square
* Umayyad Square
* Yusuf al-Azma Square

Nature|

* Barada River
* Pharpar River
* Mount Qasioun
* Salera Hill
* Ghouta

Sport|

| Venues|

* Abbasiyyin Stadium
* Al-Fayhaa Sports Complex
* Al-Fayhaa Stadium
* Al-Jalaa Stadium
* Tishreen Stadium
* Al-Muhafaza Stadium
* Al-Fayhaa Sports Arena

|

Clubs|

* Al-Jaish SC
* Al-Majd SC
* Al-Muhafaza SC
* Al-Nidal SC
* Al-Shorta SC
* Al-Wahda SC
* Barada SC

Municipal districts|

* Old Damascus
* Sarouja
* Qanawat
* Jobar
* Al-Midan
* Al-Shaghour
* Qadam
* Kafr Sousa
* Mezzeh
* Dummar
* Barzeh
* Qaboun
* Rukn al-Din
* Al-Salihiyah
* Muhajreen
* Yarmouk

Timeline
(List of rulers)|

* Aram
* Siege (634)
* Jund Dimashq
* Burid dynasty
* Siege (1148)
* Eyalet
* Affair
* Protocol
* State
* Battle (1941)
* International Airport
* 1976 Pan Arab Games
* World Military Cup 1977
* International Film Festival
* 1981 Azbakiyah bombing
* 1986 bombings
* 1992 Pan Arab Games
* Spring
* 2002 West Asian Football Federation Championship
* 2004 WABA Champions Cup
* Declaration
* 2008 Arab Capital of Culture
* 2008 Arab League summit
* 2008 car bombing
* 2011 bombings
* 2011–2012 clashes
* January 2012 al-Midan bombing
* March 2012 bombings
* April 2012 bombings
* May 2012 bombings
* Battle (2012)
* July 2012 bombing
* 2017 bombings
* 2024 Fall

* Category

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