Rif Dimashq offensive (March–August 2013)

Military operation

Rif Dimashq offensive (March–August 2013)

Part of the Syrian Civil War (Rif Dimashq Governorate campaign)

Frontlines in Rif Dimashq from March to August 2013

Syrian Government control

Opposition control

Contested

For a war map of the current situation in Rif Dimashq, see here.
| Date| 26 March – 22 August 2013
(4 months, 3 weeks and 6 days)

|

Location|

Rif Dimashq, Syria

Result|

Syrian government victory

* Syrian Army captures the towns of Jdaidet al-Fadl, Jdeidit Artouz, Otaiba, Qaysa, Jarba, Harran Al-Awamid and Abadeh cutting the main rebel supply line into Damascus
* Syrian Army surrounds the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area[7]
* Syrian Army surrounds and partially advances into the rebel-held Qaboun, Barzeh and Jobar suburbs[8][9][10]
* Ghouta gas attacks leave 281–1,729 people dead
* Syrian Army launches a new offensive less than a month later

Belligerents

Free Syrian Army
Syrian Islamic Liberation Front

* Liwa al-Islam

Al-Nusra Front[1]
Syrian Islamic Front[2]

* Ahrar ash-Sham
* Battalions of Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant[3]|

Syrian Arab Republic

* Syrian Armed Forces
* National Defense Force

Hezbollah[4]
Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas[5]

LAAG[6]
Commanders and leaders
Khaled al-Haboush
(Damascus Military Council commander)
Abu Mohammad al-Julani
(al-Nusra Front commander) (WIA)
Abu Hamza al-Midani
(Abd Allah ibn Abbas Brigade commander)|  Bashar Al-Assad
Issam Zahreddine[11]
(Republican Guard Brigade 104 commander)
Units involved
Unknown|  3rd Armoured Division
4th Armoured Division
10th Mechanised Division
11th Armoured Division
Republican Guard
Strength

20,000 fighters[12]

* 750–1,000 al-Nusra fighters[13]

|  70,000 soldiers,[14] 500 tanks
Casualties and losses
2,125+ fighters killed[15]|  1,150+ soldiers killed[15]

* 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
* 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 ISIS in Syria (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
* February 2024 airstrikes

* v
* t
* e

Opposition offensives and government collapse (Nov. – Dec. 2024)

* 6th Deir ez-Zor offensive
* 3rd Southern Syria
* 2nd Aleppo city
* Hospital strike
* 19th Aleppo offensive
* 2nd Manbij offensive
* Al-Mustariha strike
* 1st Ayn al-Arab offensive
* 8th Hama offensive
* 3rd Homs offensive
* 6th Palmyra
* 3rd Damascus
* Fall of the Assad regime
* Israeli invasion of Syria

* 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 offensive (March–August 2013) was a Syrian government forces and allies offensive in the Rif Dimashq Governorate that was launched in late March 2013, as part of the Syrian Civil War.

## Offensive

[edit]

### Push into Eastern Ghouta

[edit]

Main article: Siege of eastern Ghouta

During late March 2013, government forces opened a new front in the town of Otaiba, in an effort to divert rebel war-efforts and to attack rebel forces in the eastern Ghouta from the rear.[16]

On 7 April, government force launched an offensive east of Damascus, with the state news agency SANA claiming the military imposed a siege on the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area.[17] Rebels stated that intensified Army attacks on the area had been going on since mid-March. A rebel commander confirmed that the northern entrance to Ghouta was under siege and an opposition activist stated that a government tank-led assault on Eastern Ghouta had been launched towards the south from the direction of the Damascus international airport.[18]

On 15 April, at least 20 people were killed in air strikes and rocket barrages in the north and east of Damascus. Rebel fighters were reportedly increasing their strength in the Qaboun and Barzeh neighbourhoods to minimise the risk of chemical weapons being used on them, as they would likely inflict casualties on the Syrian Army fighting rebels at close quarters.[19]

On 18 April, "gunmen" assassinated Ali Ballan, head of public relations at the Ministry of Social Affairs and a member of Syria's relief agency, in a restaurant at Mazzeh district.[20]

On 20 April, the Syrian army was pressing to take full control of the town of Jdaidet al-Fadl, southwest of Damascus. Sixty-nine people were killed in the four-day battle, most of them rebels.[21] The fighting also affected the nearby town of Jdeidit Artouz, which is predominantly Christian.[22]

### Fall of Jdaidet al-Fadl and Otaiba

[edit]

See also: Battle of Jdaidet al-Fadl

On 21 April, the Syrian Army captured Jdaidet al-Fadl, with the opposition making claims of a massacre being committed. SOHR stated 250 people were killed since the start of the battle for Jdaidet al-Fadl, five days prior, with them being able to document, by name, 127 of the dead, including 27 rebels. Another opposition claim put the death toll at 450.[23][24][25] One activist claimed he counted 98 bodies in the town's streets and 86 in makeshift clinics who were summarily executed. Another activist stated they documented 85 people who were executed, including 28 who were killed in a makeshift hospital.[26] The opposition activist group LCC reported 483 people were killed in the battle for the town,[24] around 300 of them civilians and 150 rebels.[27] The Syrian army claimed 190 rebels were killed during the battle and they discovered a mass grave in the town, where they claimed rebels used it to bury their dead and government soldiers and civilian supporters they had killed.[28]

On 24 April, the military captured the town of Otaiba, after a 37-day battle. The Army victory was a major setback for the rebels, as Otaiba was the gateway to Eastern Ghouta and the main, if not the only, weapons supply route for the Damascus area. A rebel fighter predicted other villages in the Eastern Ghouta will fall one after another and the fighting will become a war of attrition. During the fighting, rebels from Otaiba called for reinforcements from Islamist brigades in the area, with whom they were in competition for influence and weapons, but their calls went unanswered. Rebels said they planned to retake the town at all costs.[29]

### Attack on Jobar and Barzeh

[edit]

On 26 April, government forces continued with their offensive by pushing into the Damascus districts of Jobar and Barzeh, which have a high rebel presence. Troops were encountering heavy rebel resistance as they advanced with air and artillery support. Rebel positions in the nearby Qaboun district were also bombarded with mortars and multiple rocket launchers.[30] An Army siege of the town of Moadamiyet, a rebel stronghold close to Darayya, was also tightening with daily bombardment and a shortage of food.[31]

On 27 April, rebels launched a counter-attack in Otaiba, using both infantry and vehicles. Airstrikes were reported on the town, though most of the battle was taking place on its outskirts and at the Saiqa camp, a Syrian army base.[32]

On April 28, and for the third consecutive day, the Army continued its offensive with heavy fighting in the area of Barzeh.[33]

On 29 April, heavy fighting took place on the outskirts of Damascus International Airport. According to a security source, the fighting took place on the highway leading to the airport and had to be closed for one hour. In the district of Mazzeh, Prime Minister Wael Nader Al-Halqi survived a suicide car bomb targeting his convoy.[34]

### Continuing Army offensive

[edit]

On 1 May, according to SOHR, fighting took place in the towns of al-Ebada, al-Maliha and Qaysa in the Rif Dimashq.

On 2 May, the Syrian Army captured the town of Qaysa in the eastern Ghouta. A call issued by several activists in the area warned the disparate rebel forces to pull together or face defeat. "If you do not unite under one flag the regime is going to hunt you down, one brigade after another," it said.[35]

Between 4 and 6 May, fighting raged all around Damascus and its countryside with clashes and bombing being reported in the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, the town of Drosha and the Khan al-Sheikh camp, where the Army was trying to take control of the area, and towns of Beit Sahm, Thiyabiya and Sayyeda Zeinab and Huseiniya camp. Fighting also raged in Derkhabiya al-Buweida and the Barzeh neighbourhood. Although fighting was still ongoing in the outskirts of Drosha after two days of clashes, according to SORH, there were reports of a partial retreat of regular forces from the area. The Syrian military claimed that their troops captured the towns of al-Abbada and Ghraika in Eastern Ghouta, but there was no independent confirmation.[36]

On 8 May, the leader of the Al-Nusra Front rebel group, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, was wounded during an artillery bombardment south of Damascus.

On 9 May, the Syrian Army captured the town of Jarba. Meanwhile, mortars were being fired into Jaramana, a government-controlled town.

In the following days fighting continued in the Barzeh and Jobar neighbourhoods of Damascus, where a rebel commander was killed in clashes with the local pro-government militia. Fighting was also once again reported in Qaysa.

### Rebel counter-attack

[edit]

On 14 May, several rebel brigades, including the Islamist Al Nusra Front, united temporarily under the same command and launched operation Al Furqaan. The stated aim of the operation is an attempt to recapture Otaiba and to try and reopen the rebel supply line into Damascus and the Ghouta area. In the case they recapture Otaiba, they planned to press on towards the Damascus international airport.[37] SOHR said that Islamic units, including Jabhat al-Nusra, and Syrian opposition fighters were battling around Otaiba. However, by the next day, there was little evidence of the renewed fighting around Otaiba available on the usual opposition YouTube channels, so it was impossible to independently confirm the extent of the fighting.[38]

On 15 May, rebels claimed to had recaptured the town of Qaysa.[39] However, in early June, the town was still reported to be government-held. The Army capture of Harran Al-Awamid and Abadeh was also reported.[40]

### Renewed Army push

[edit]

On 27 May, Hezbollah forces reportedly engaged in combat operations against the rebels in the Eastern Ghouta area. Hezbollah fighters had captured nine towns in the Al-Murj area neighboring Ghouta and opposition activists claimed thousands of members of the Lebanese group were training in an air force intelligence center near Damascus International Airport.[41]

On 28 May, the Army launched a major operation against the Barzeh neighborhood in Damascus. Government troops advanced 400 meters in the district, after attacking from the north, east and south-east. The aim of the operation was to isolate the rebel area near Qaboun.[42] It was also reported that the military reached the town of Adra, east of Damascus, completing a sweep through rebel-held territory and cutting more rebel supply lines. The Army was planning to continue their push to the west, squeezing the rebels between the advancing forces and the government-held areas in Damascus.[43]

By 30 May, rebel forces in Eastern Ghouta were surrounded and pleading for reinforcements and aid to be sent as they feared government troops were "preparing to commit more massacres".[7] The next day, Hisham Jaber, a retired Lebanese army general who heads the Middle East Center for Studies and Political Research in Beirut, said that government troops cleared up to 80 percent of the areas around the capital during the offensive.[44]

On 2 June, during intense clashes between rebels and government forces in the Jobar district of Damascus,[45] a car bomb exploded near a police station, killing nine policemen.[46] Also, near the Lebanese town of Ain el-Jaouze, which is close to the border area between Lebanon and Syria, and Damascus itself, Hezbollah fighters attacked a rebel rocket team which was reportedly preparing to fire rockets into Shi'ite areas of the Lebanese Beqaa Valley. 14–17 rebels and one Hezbollah fighter were killed.[47][48]

On 4 June, state TV claimed that government troops had pushed out rebels from the Jobar district. Opposition sources were not available for comment on the claim.[49] Government troops, reinforced by hundreds of Hezbollah fighters, attempted to infiltrate Madhamiya. Opposition activists claimed that during the attempt, two Hezbollah members, including a field commander, were killed. More government forces were also being deployed at Darayya.[50]

On 11 June, rebel forces suffered heavy casualties when 27 of their fighters were killed in an Army ambush in the al-Marj area of Eastern Ghouta, while they were attempting to break through the military blockade to bring in supplies.[51] Another seven fighters were missing.[52]

On 15 June, state TV reported that government troops had captured the Ahmadiyeh suburb of Damascus, which is part of Eastern Ghouta. A rebel commander confirmed there was fighting in the area a day earlier.[53] An Army source also claimed that troops captured parts of the nearby town of Khamissiyeh.[54]

On 16 June, a large car-bomb was detonated at an Army checkpoint outside the Mazzeh Military Airport, killing 10 soldiers and wounding 10 others. According to SOHR, the car-bomb was followed by smaller explosions from rockets fired by rebels.[55]

### Battle for the suburbs

[edit]

On 18 June, the Army launched operations in an attempt to storm rebel-held parts of the Damascus Qaboun district. As of 22 June, the rebels were still managing to hold the military forces back.[56] The Army was also making attempts to storm the Barzeh district,[57] where rebels were defending against the military's push.[58]

On 19 June, Army and Hezbollah forces clashed with rebels near the Khomeini hospital in the village of Zayabiyeh, close to the Shiite Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque. Government forces were attempting to capture villages near Zayabiyeh and Babila, which were both shelled by the Army. The Army was reportedly advancing towards Zayabiyeh, which is just south of the Damascus suburb in which the shrine was located.[59] State TV claimed that government troops managed to capture the neighborhood of al-Bahdaliya, outside Sayyidah Zaynab, while the rebels claimed of being able to capture the hospital.[60]

On 20 June, Army forces were slowly but steadily advancing in the Al-Murj area of Eastern Ghouta, where they had captured several towns, and were also advancing in the Sayyidah Zaynab area. Rebels confirmed they were still surrounded in Eastern Ghouta, with no way of escape.[61]

In the coming weeks, Hezbollah and Iraqi Shi'ite militia forces captured the areas of Bahdaliyeh and Hay al Shamalneh on the south-eastern approaches to the capital.[62]

On 25 June, the attack on Qaboun had entered its sixth day. Army forces also launched a large offensive on other districts across Damascus and its outskirts. According to SOHR, "The army is trying to take over Qaboon, Barzeh, Jobar, Al-Hajar Al-Aswad and Yarmouk". They also added that "The army doesn't have the capacity to take over these neighborhoods, and the rebels are fighting back. But the humanitarian situation there is catastrophic."[63] Still, rebels stated that the Army was making a "grinding advance" against them and they were in fear of losing arms supply routes into the capital, which would be a severe blow to their attempts to capture Damascus.[64] By 27 June, according to SOHR, the Syrian Army took control of parts of Barzeh.[9]

On 6 July,[65] government forces overran the industrial area of Qaboun. With the capture of the industrial area Qaboun was besieged and rebel lines towards the town of Harasta were cut. T-72 tanks surrounded the district while artillery on high ground in the center of the capital heavily shelled Qaboun for a week.[8]

On 13 July, the Army captured the al-A'mri mosque in Qaboun.

On 14 July, a government official stated that Army troops had recaptured 60 percent of the Jobar district. Reporters were led on a military tour of the recaptured areas which suffered massive destruction. Fighting was also continuing around the al-A'mri mosque in Qaboun after the military captured it along with 200 people who were inside at the time.[66]

On 15 July, government troops backed by tanks and artillery moved into Qaboun after breaching rebel defenses. Opposition activists claimed Republican Guards troops detained hundreds of people in public places to prevent rebel fighters from hitting their forces.[8] The next day, rebels sent reinforcements to the district.[67]

### Continued fighting

[edit]

On 21 July, government forces ambushed a rebel force near the town of Adra, northeast of Damascus. 49 rebels were killed.[68] An elite Republican Guard officer who led the ambush was also killed.[69]

On 26 July, pro-government Palestinian officers claimed to had captured a third of the rebel-held Yarmouk camp in fighting in which government Palestinian militias were also involved.[70] Two days later, rebels claimed to had captured the Jobar-Qaboun highway, however it was not independently confirmed.[71]

On 6 August, a possible mutiny occurred in the ranks of the government forces, after hundreds of Druze militiamen belonging to the "popular committees" militias handed their weapons back in and abandoned their posts in Jarmana district, choosing to return home. The desertions were either due to the arrest of a Druze militia leader, the militiamen not receiving their salaries or the militia's unwillingness to let their area be used as a platform to shell East Ghouta.[72]

On the next day, 62 rebels were killed and eight went missing after another Army ambush near Adra.[73]

On 10 August, the Syrian army stormed the town of al-Ghazlaniya and several houses were raided.

Territories held by government forces, by rebels or under continuous clashes as of September 2013.

On 16 August, mortar fire by the Syrian Army on the Mleha district, southeast of Damascus, killed at least 14 civilians, four of them children. The evening's bombardment came as troops pressed a months-old offensive in the suburbs of Damascus in a bid to clear the region of rebel rear bases, according to SOHR.[74][75]

### Ghouta gas attacks

[edit]

See also: 2013 Ghouta attacks

On 21 August, a chemical attack on the Ghouta region claimed lives of hundreds of people, both civilians and rebels. Estimates of dead varied from 355 up to 1,429.[76]

On 22 August, according to the Syrian opposition, the Syrian Army launched a new offensive against rebel positions in Rif Dimashq. The Army entered Erbine, Harasta, Jobar, Zamalka and Ain Tarma, but without taking full control. They did however capture strategic points.[77]

## Aftermath - Renewed Army Offensive

[edit]

See also: Rif Dimashq offensive (September–November 2013)

Threatened by a Western intervention after the 2013 Ghouta attacks, the Syrian Army had repositioned in early-September.[78]

On 1 September, 46 rebel fighters were killed after they attacked Army positions in Rouhaiba, northeast of Damascus. The fighting began at dawn and lasted throughout the day, including air raids on Rouhaiba and clashes outside the town.[79] The next day, for a third time in just over a month, government forces ambushed rebels in the industrial area of Adra killing 29 rebel fighters.[80]

On 3 September, rebels of the Free Syrian Army stormed a government position in the mountainous area of Al Qalamoun.[81]

On 6 September, the Army launched an operation with the apparent intention to retake the town of Mouadamiyat al-Sham.[82] On 8 September, according to SOHR, fighting continued in the north of Mouadamiyat al-Sham.

Once the threat of western air-strikes had passed, the Army launched a new offensive against rebel positions on 10 September, primarily in the southern suburbs of Damascus.

## References

[edit]

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69. ^ Activists: Kurds Free Al-Qaida-Linked Commander Archived July 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
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* 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

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

|

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 offensive
* Hama offensive
* Homs offensive
* Palmyra offensive
* Fall of Damascus
* Fall of the Assad regime
* 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

| Syria|

| Politics of Syria|

* Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region
* Syrian Social Nationalist Party
* Arab Socialist Movement
* Syrian Communist Party

|

Military and militias|

* Syrian Armed Forces
* Syrian Resistance
* PFLP-GC
* 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 (Al-Barakah
* Dokumacılar
* Khalid ibn al-Walid Army (Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, Islamic Muthanna Movement, Jaysh al-Jihad)
* Liwa 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
* 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
* 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
* International recognition of the Syrian National Council
* Syria Files
* Syrian detainee report
* Syrian media coverage
* 2015 European migrant crisis
* Syrian civil war in popular culture

* Category

*[WIA]: Wounded in action
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