Timeline Syria
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Sunni Muslims comprised two thirds of Syria’s
people. The Alawites, a religious group that broke away from Shiite
Islam in the 9th century, comprised about 6% of Syria’s population.
Pres. Hafez Assad was a member of the sect.
(SSFC, 5/4/03, p.A11)(Econ, 3/26/11, p.53)(Econ,
4/2/11, p.22)
100,000BC Hunters stalked giant
camels in the Syrian desert about this time. Bones of the “Syrian
Camel,” as tall as some modern-day elephants, were discovered 150
miles north of Damascus in 2005.
(AP, 10/11/06)
9000BC In 2007 French archaeologists discovered an
11,000-year-old wall painting underground in northern Syria which
they believe is the oldest in the world. The 2 square-meter
painting, in red, black and white, was found at the Neolithic
settlement of Djade al-Mughara on the Euphrates, northeast of the
city of Aleppo.
(Reuters, 10/11/07)
3600BC-1000BC The Mesopotamian settlement of Nagar
(in northeastern Syria) grew to become one of the first large cities
of the Middle East. It began before 6,000BC and continued to about
1000BC.
(MT, summer 2003, p.11)
3000BC-2000BC Ebla was a commercial capital of
this era. In 1975 tens of thousands of cuneiform tablets were found
that supported Ebla's role.
(WSJ, 9/30/99, p.A26)
2400BC The Mesopotamian city of Nagar (in
northeastern Syria) became the powerful state of Nagar about this
time.
(MT, summer 2003, p.11)
2300BC Akkadian armies conquered Nagar about this
time.
(MT, summer 2003, p.13)
2291BC-2254BC Naram-Sin ruled Akkad. He defeated a
rebel coalition in Sumer and re-established Akkadian power. He
re-conquered Syria, Lebanon, and the Taurus mountains, destroying
Aleppo and Mari in the process. During his reign the Gutians
sacked the city of Agade and eventually destroyed all of Sumer
(southern Iraq). During his reign Naram-Sin campaigned against the
region of Magan (Oman).
(http://tinyurl.com/ctv5f)
2100BCE Amorites came from the Arabian peninsula
and were the first important Semitic settlers in the area of
Damascus. They established many small states.
(SFEC, 11/21/99, p.A26)
c2000BCE A palace was built at Qatanah, 12 miles
south of Damascus, that was discovered in 1999.
(SFEC, 11/21/99, p.A6)
1500-1200BCE The Amorites in the time of Moses
came from northeast Syria.
(MT, Spg. ‘97, p.11)
1468BCE In Egypt Hatshepsut died and Tuthmosis
III, in his early thirties, declared war on the Prince of the Syrian
city of Kadesh, who had organized a confederacy in Palestine and
Syria. Tuthmosis defeated the Syrians following an 8 month siege of
Megiddo.
(ON, 3/01, p.11)
1294BC-1279BC Sethi I (Seti I), son of Rammeses I
and the father of Rammeses II, ruled during Egypt’s 19th Dynasty. He
restored the ancient gods of Egypt, such as Amun-Re, Ptah, Seth, and
Osiris. At Abydos he built a splendid temple to Osiris. Sethi claims
to have inflicted a victory against the Hittite king, Mursillis II,
the successor to Suppililiumas, at the towns of Yenoam and
Bethshael. Seti overran Palestine, made peace with the Hittites in
Syria, opened mines and quarries, and enlarged the Temple of Amun-Re
at Karnak. His tomb was discovered in 1817.
(NG, 9/98, p.17,19)(AM, 7/01,
p.56)(www.crystalinks.com/dynasty18e.html)
c1182BC Ramessu III beat back a formidable attack
by northern countries. An inscription describing this war was
engraved on the second pylon of the temple of Medinet Habu. The
inscription describes how the northerners were disturbed, and
proceeded to move eastward and southward, swamping in turn the land
of the Hittites, Carchemish, Arvad, Cyprus, Syria, and other places
of the same region. The Hittites and North Syrians had been so
crippled by them that Ramessu took the opportunity to extend the
frontier of Egyptian territory northward... the twofold ravaging of
Syria left it weakened and opened the door for the colonization of
its coast-lands by the beaten remnant of the invading army.
(R.M.-P.H.C.p.23)
738BC Mittinti, king of
Ashkelon revolted, trusting to the support of Rezon of Syria. But
the death of Rezon so terrified the king that he fell sick and died.
His son Rukipti, who reigned in his stead, hastened to make
submission.
(R.M.-P.H.C.p.63)
734BC Rezon of Syria, and Pekah
of Samaria were in league, whereas Ahaz of Jerusalem had become a
vassal of the king of Assyria. The Philistines had attached
themselves to the Syrian league, so that Tiglath-Pileser came up
with the special purpose of sacking Gaza. Hanunu, the king of Gaza,
fled to Sebako, king of Egypt; but he afterwards returned and,
having made submission, was received with favor.
(R.M.-P.H.C.p.63)
732BC Tiglath-pileser III, an
Assyrian, took Damascus and killed Rezin. He then captured many
cities of northern Israel and took the people to Assyria. The
Egyptian troops had at one time joined forces with Damascus, Israel
and some other states to resist Shalmaneser III at Qarqar.
(www.crystalinks.com/dynasty21.html)
300BC Dura-Europos, a Greek
colony was built on the Euphrates in eastern Syria.
(SSFC, 6/28/09, p.A8)
300-64BCE Antioch served as the capital of the
kingdom of Syria.
(WUD, 1994 p.66)
175-164BCE King Antiochus IV, Seleucid tyrant,
ruled Syria.
(MH, 12/96)(SFC, 12/6/04, p.B2)
170BCE The rebel Maccabees were able to gain
victory in Jerusalem occupied by Antiochus IV During the
re-dedication of the temple they stretched a days worth of oil out
to 8 days for which the holiday of Hanukkah is celebrated.
(SFC, 11/27/96, zz1 p.F1)
168BCE Syria’s Seleucid king Antiochus IV
Epiphanes ruled over Israel and tried to outlaw Judaism. He tried to
Hellenize the Jews by erecting idols. The Jews resisted and began
the Maccabean revolt. The Maccabees were successful until internal
dissension tore them apart.
(eawc, p.15)(PC, 1992 ed, p.27)
167BCE Antiochus IV, the Hellenistic tyrant of the
what later became called the Middle East, began to increase
religious persecution against the Jews in Palestine and outlawed
observance of the Torah. This included the circumcision of males,
dietary restrictions and observance of the Sabbath. He installed a
cult of Zeus in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Jewish priest
Mattathias of Modin defied Antiochus, escaped outside Lydda with his
5 sons and began a revolt.
(WSJ, 12/11/98, p.W15)(PC, 1992 ed, p.27)
165BCE Jerusalem and sacred temple of Judah were
recaptured by the Maccabees. They used guerrilla tactics and
elephants as tanks to throw off the tyranny of the Greco-Syrian
oppressors. During the cleanup they found one container of the
sacred oil used to light the temple's candelabra known as a menorah.
They gathered to light the oil which was expected to last only a
day, but lasted eight nights. The event was memorialized in the
celebration of Hanukkah (rededication), the Feast of Lights. [see
164BCE]
(SFC,12/10/97, Z1 p.4)(SFC,12/23/97, p.A13)(WSJ,
11/27/98, p.W8)
6-4BCE Publius Quinctilius Varus served as Roman
governor of Syria.
(http://www.rovenet.com/tno/tacitus%20named%20officials/varus.html)
4BCE Publius Sulpicius Quirinus
served as Roman governor of Cilicia, which was annexed to Syria.
(www.botcw.com/bible/kjv/easton/east0953.htm)
6CE Sulpicius Quirinius
(Cyrenius), Roman governor of Syria, ordered a 2nd census of Judea.
(Econ, 1/1/05,
p.38)(www.biblehistory.net/volume2/Quirinius.htm)
9CE Sep 15, Publius Quinctilius
Varus, Roman viceroy of Syria, died of suicide at 59.
(MC, 9/15/01)
19CE Oct 10, Germanicus, the
best loved of Roman princes, died of poisoning. On his deathbed he
accused Piso, the governor of Syria, of poisoning him.
(HN, 10/10/98)
c40CE Saul of Tarsus, while on
the road to Damascus, experienced a profound conversion to
Christianity. He became known as St. Paul. In 1997 A.N. Wilson wrote
"Paul: The Mind of the Apostle." Wilson argued that Paul was the
real founder of the Church of Jesus. Paul was a student of the
Jewish scholar Raban Gamliel.
(CU, 6/87)(SFC, 3/28/97, p.C11)(Internet)
117 Aug 11, The Roman army of
Syria hailed its legate, Hadrian, as emperor, which made the
senate's formal acceptance an almost meaningless event. One of his
first acts was to withdraw Rome’s army from Mesopotamia (modern
Iraq).
(www.roman-emperors.org/hadrian.htm)(Econ,
7/19/08, p.94)
222 Mar 11, Varius A. Bassianus
(18), Syrian emperor of Rome (218-22), was murdered.
(MC, 3/12/02)
235 Mar 18, Marcus Aurelius
Alexander, Syrian emperor of Rome (222-235), was murdered.
(MC, 3/18/02)
266CE King Odenathus of
Palmyra, ruler of the Roman province of Syria, was murdered. Zenobia
Septimia, his wife, took control in the name of her teenage son,
Vaballathus.
(ON, 7/00, p.1)
270 Zenobia of Syria proclaimed
herself “Queen of the East” and attacked Roman colonies adjoining
her and conquered Egypt.
(ON, 7/00, p.1)
272 Roman emperor Aurelian sent
an army to attack Zenobia’s troops in Egypt and was repulsed.
(ON, 7/00, p.1)
272CE Queen Zenobia led a
failed uprising against the Romans, which left the city of Palmyra
partly destroyed. Forces of Emperor Aurelian laid siege on Palmyra,
from which Zenobia and a few retainers escaped. They were soon
captured by Roman scouts. In 1967 Agnes Carr Vaughn authored
“Zenobia of Palmyra.” In 1994 Richard Stoneman authored “Palmyra and
Its Empire: Zenobia’s Revolt Against Rome.”
(AMNHDT, 11/99)(ON, 7/00, p.3)
359CE Christians allegedly
established a camp in Skythopolis, Syria, to torture and execute
pagans from around Europe. This can only be a reference to the Arian
Bishop of Scythopolis, Patrophilus, who cruelly abused Christian
bishops exiled to his see under Constantius. These included Eusebius
of Vercelli. It was not a death-camp, nor did it last 30 years, nor
were pagans the victims.
(Arch, 1/05,
p.70)(www.tektonics.org/af/crimeline.htm)
362CE Jun 17, Emperor Julian
issued an edict banning Christians from teaching in Syria.
(HN, 6/17/98)
526 May 20, An earthquake
killed 250,000 in Antioch, Turkey. This was the capital of Syria
from 300-64BCE. [see May 29]
(MC, 5/20/02)
526 May 29, A devastating
earthquake destroyed the city of Antioch. [see May 20]
(AM, 11/00, p.69)
600-700CE Calinicus, an engineer from Heliopolis,
Syria, is thought to have brought “Greek fire,” (flammable
petrochemicals) to Constantinople.
(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.57)
628 Apr 3, In Persia, Kavadh
sued for peace with the Byzantines. He handed back Armenia,
Byzantine Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine and Egypt.
(HN, 4/3/99)
632-661 The Rashidun Caliphate, also known as the
Rightly Guided Caliphate, comprising the first four caliphs in
Islam's history, was founded after Muhammad's death. At its height,
the Caliphate extended from the Arabian Peninsula, to the Levant,
Caucasus and North Africa in the west, to the Iranian highlands and
Central Asia in the east. It was the one of the largest empires in
history up until that time.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashidun_Caliphate)
636 Aug 15, At the Battle at
Yarmuk, east of the Sea of Galilee, Islamic forces beat a Byzantine
army and gained control of Syria.
(PC, 1992, p.61)
686 Aug 2, John V, 1st
Greek-Syrian Pope (685-86), died.
(MC, 8/2/02)
697 The first Arab Islamic
currency was struck in Damascus by the Umayyad ruler Abd al-Malik
ibn Marwan (697-698 A.D.)
(http://tinyurl.com/6c6dlco)
701 Sep 8, Sergius I, Syrian
and Italian Pope (687-701), died.
(MC, 9/8/01)
c800-900 The Alawi faith was founded by a 9th
century Muslim, who declared himself the “gateway” to the divine
truth and abandoned Islam.
(WSJ, 6/12/00, p.A30)
1098 Dec 12, The 1st Crusaders
captured and plundered Mara, Syria.
(MC, 12/12/01)
1099 Jan 13, Crusaders set fire
to Mara, Syria.
(MC, 1/13/02)
1110 Dec 4, Syria harbor city
of Saida (Sidon) surrendered to the Crusaders.
(MC, 12/4/01)
1124 May 6, Balak, Emir of
Aleppo (Syria), was murdered.
(MC, 5/6/02)
1126 Nov 26, Al-Borsoki, emir
of Aleppo-Mosoel (Syria), was assassinated.
(MC, 11/26/01)
1133-1193 Rashid Al-Din Sinan, also known as "The
Old Man of the Mountain," was a leader of the Assassins. He used the
Syrian Masyaf castle as a base for spreading the beliefs of the
Nizari Ismaili sect of Islam to which he and his followers belonged.
(www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=104843)(Reuters, 7/13/07)
1144 In Syria the Knights
Hospitallers began expanding a fortress 90 miles northwest of
Damascus. It became known as The Crac des Chevaliers. The Mamelukes
captured it in 1271 and converted the chapel into a mosque.
(WSJ, 1/31/09, p.W12)
1148 Jul 23, Crusaders of the
2nd Crusade attacked Damascus.
(MC, 7/23/02)(V.D.-H.K.p.109)
1174 Nureddin, the ruler of
Syria died. Saladin, the vizier of Egypt, married Nureddin’s widow
and assumed control of both state. The Ayyubids under Saladin spent
the next decade launching conquests throughout the region and by
1183, the territories under their control included Egypt, Syria,
northern Mesopotamia, Hejaz, Yemen, and the North African coast up
to the borders of modern-day Tunisia.
(ON, 6/07,
p.5)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayyubid_dynasty)
1176 May 22, There was a murder
attempt by "Assassins" (hashish-smoking mountain killers) on Saladin
near Aleppo.
(MC, 5/22/02)
1187 Jul 4, In the Battle of
Hittin (Tiberias) Saladin defeated Reynaud of Chatillon. Salah al
Din, who ruled from his imperial seat in ancient Syria, defeated
Christian armies of the Crusaders and forced their retreat from the
Holy Land. The battle was depicted in a mosaic that was found and
restored for the palace of Pres, Hafez Assad of Syria. Saladin
personally executed Crusader Reynaud of Chatillon (b.1124/5).
Reynaud of Chatillon, Lord of Kerak, Jordan, had violated twice
violated a tenuous truce and earlier this year attacked a caravan of
pilgrims returning from Mecca.
(WSJ, 9/30/96, p.A1)(Econ, 5/30/09,
p.24)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynald_of_Chatillon)
1193 Mar 3, Saladin [Salah
ed-Din]) Yusuf ibn Ayyub (52), sultan of Egypt and Syria
(1175-1193), died.
(WUD, 1994 p.1261)(SC, 3/3/02)
1201 Jul 5, An earthquake in
Syria and upper Egypt killed some 1.1 million people.
(www.geohaz.org/member/news/signif.htm)
1218 Aug 31, Al-Malik ab-Adil,
Saphadin, Saif al-Din, brother of Saladin, died.
(MC, 8/31/01)
1260 Mar 1, Hulagu Khan,
grandson of Genghis, conquered Damascus.
(SC, 3/1/02)
1271 The Mamelukes under Sultan
Baibars captured The Crac des Chevaliers in Syria and converted the
chapel into a mosque. It had been held by the Knights Hospitallers
since 1144.
(WSJ, 1/31/09, p.W12)(SSFC, 11/1/09, p.M5)
c1400-1500 A Damascus cookbook titled “Kitab
al-Tibakha” included a recipe that said “brown noodles in the oven
and cook them with rice.” The SF treat Rice-A-Roni began using the
same basic recipe in 1958.
(SFC, 11/25/98, Z1 p.5)
1492 Jews began arriving in
Morocco, Syria and elsewhere in the Arab world after their expulsion
from Spain.
(SFEC, 7/25/99, p.T11)(SSFC, 6/28/09, p.A8)
1496 Mar 12, Jews were expelled
from Syria.
(HN, 3/12/98)
1497 Jan 6, Jews were expelled
from Graz, Syria. [see Mar 12, 1496]
(MC, 1/6/02)
1516 Aug 24, At the Battle of
Marj Dabik, north of Aleppo, the Turks beat Syria. Suliman I (Selim
the Grim), the Ottoman Sultan, routed the Mamelukes (Egypt) with the
support of artillery capturing Aleppo and Damascus. This opened the
way to 400 years of Ottoman Turkish rule over most of the Arab
world.
(PC, 1992, p.169)(Econ, 11/14/09, p.101)
1799 Feb 10, Napoleon Bonaparte
left Cairo, Egypt, for Syria, at the head of 13,000 men.
(AP, 2/10/99)
1837 Jan 22, An earthquake in
southern Syria killed thousands.
(MC, 1/22/02)
1840 Feb 5, In Damascus, Syria,
Father Thomas, originally from Sardinia, and the superior of a
Franciscan convent at Damascus, disappeared with his servant. 13
prominent Jews were falsely accused of the ritual murder of the
Franciscan monk and his servant. The “Damascus Affair” inspired
international protests. In 2004 Ronald Florence authored “Blood
Libel: The Damascus Affair of 1840.”
(SSFC, 6/28/09,
p.A8)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_affair)
1860 Jul, Fighting in Lebanon
spilled over into Damascus. With the connivance of the military
authorities and Turkish soldiers, Muslim fanatics organized pogroms
which lasted three days (July 9-11). 25,000 Christians were killed
including the American and Dutch consuls. Churches and missionary
schools were set on fire. Many Christians were saved through the
intervention of the Muslim Algerian exile Abd al-Qadir and his
soldiers.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1860_Lebanon_conflict)
1860 France sent 5,000 troops
to Syria to stop the massacre of Maronite Christians at the hands of
the Druze, which the Ottoman authorities were neither willing nor
able to stop.
(SFC, 9/7/08, Books p.5)
1876 Aug 19, George Smith
(b.1840), British Assyriologist, died of dysentery in Syria. He was
on his way home from a 3rd trip to Mesopotamia. Smith had completed
the translation of the complete Epic of Gilgamesh in 1874.
(ON, 11/07,
p.6)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Smith_(assyriologist))
1883 May 20, Faisal ibn Husayn
(d.1933), the 3rd son of the grand sherif of Mecca, was born in
Mecca. He later became 1st king of Syria (1920) and Iraq (1921).
(www.wordiq.com/definition/Faisal_I_of_Iraq)
1916 May 19, The
Sykes-Picot Agreement was a secret understanding between the
governments of Britain and France defining their respective spheres
of post-World War I influence and control in the Middle East. The
boundaries of this agreement still remains in much of the common
border between Syria and Iraq. Britain and France carved up the
Levant into an assortment of monarchies, mandates and emirates. The
agreement enshrined Anglo-French imperialist ambitions at the end of
WW II. Syria and Lebanon were put into the French orbit, while
Britain claimed Jordan, Iraq, the Gulf states and the Palestinian
Mandate. Sir Mark Sykes (d.1919 at age 39) and Francois Picot made
the deal.
(WSJ, 2/27/00,
p.A17)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sykes-Picot_Agreement)
1918 Oct 1, Damascus (Syria)
fell to Arab forces as Turkish Ottoman officials surrendered the
city.
(ON, 10/05, p.9)(AP, 10/1/08)
1918 Arab Prince Feisal took
control of Syria.
(ON, 10/05, p.9)
1920 Mar, Faisal I ibn Hussein
ibn Ali became the 1st king Syria.
(www.wordiq.com/definition/Faisal)
1920 Jul 23, King Faisal's Arab
Army was defeated at Maysaloun and Syria fell effectively under
French.
(AP, 7/23/97)
1920 The French carved Lebanon
out of Syria to create a predominantly Christian country. A
constitution was drawn up that required the president to be a
Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the
speaker of parliament a Shiite.
(SFC, 9/28/98, p.A10)
1920-1946 Syria was a French-mandated territory.
(SFC, 7/18/98, p.A11)
1921 At the Cairo Conference,
convened by Winston Churchill, Britain and France carved up Arabia
and created Jordan under Emir Abdullah; his brother Faisal (Feisal)
became King of Iraq. France was given influence over Syria and
Jewish immigration was allowed into Palestine. Faisal I died
one year after independence and his son, Ghazi I succeeded him. In
2004 Christopher Catherwood authored “Churchill’s Folly,” and
account of the founding of Iraq.
(HNQ, 6/20/99)(SSFC, 10/14/01, p.D3)(WSJ,
7/22/04, p.D10)
1923 Jul 24, The Treaty of
Lausanne, which settled the boundaries of modern Greece and Turkey,
was concluded in Switzerland. It replaced the Treaty of Sevres and
divided the lands inhabited by the Kurds between Turkey, Iraq and
Syria. Article 39 allowed Turkish nationals to use any language they
wished in commerce, public and private meetings, and publications.
The treaty specifically protected the rights of the Armenian, Greek
and Jewish communities. The former provinces of Baghdad, Basra and
Mosul were lumped together to form Iraq. Both countries agreed to a
massive exchange of religious minorities. Christians were deported
from Turkey to Greece and Muslims from Greece to Turkey. A Muslim
community of at least 100,000 was allowed in northern Greece. In
2006 Bruce Clark authored “Twice a Stranger: The Mass Expulsions
that Forged Modern Greece and Turkey.”
(WSJ, 3/20/97, p.A17)(AP, 7/24/97)(SSFC,
12/22/02, p.A14)(Econ, 3/19/05, Survey p.9)(Econ, 10/14/06,
p.50)(Econ, 12/9/06, p.92)(Econ, 10/16/10, p.72)
1924 Mar 3, Kemal Ataturk
forced the abolition of the Muslim caliphate through the protesting
assembly and banned all Kurdish schools, publications and
associations. This ended the Ottoman Empire and created the modern
Middle East, though Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia were still
colonies of Britain and France.
(WSJ, 2/11/99, p.A24)(SSFC, 10/14/01, p.A3)
1926 May 19, French air force
bombed Damascus, Syria. The French launched a major military
campaign in Syria to suppress a revolt by the Druze, which began in
1925 under the leadership of Sultan al-Atrash. A large French force
sent against them was defeated and the revolt spread into the Druze
portions of Lebanon. When the insurgents gained a foothold in
Damascus, the French bombarded the city.
(HNQ, 5/25/99)(MC, 5/19/02)
1930 Oct 6, Hafez Assad,
president from 1970-2000, was born. This was the official date but
research indicated that he was born several years earlier. The
family’s official name had been changed from Wahsh (wild beast or
monster) to Assad (lion).
(WSJ, 6/12/00, p.A30)
1930 Ali Ahmed Said, poet later
known as Adonis, was born in Syria. He became a naturalized Lebanese
citizen in 1960. His work included the 1970’s poem “The Funeral of
New York,” and the book “Transformations of the Lover” (1984).
(SSFC, 9/30/01, DB p.63)
1941 Nov 26, Free French
General Georges Catroux was placed in control of Syria and Lebanon.
Shortly after taking up this post, Catroux recognized the
independence of Syria and Lebanon in the name of the Free French
movement.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria-Lebanon_campaign)
1945 Feb 26, Syria declared war
on Germany and Japan. [see Mar 26]
(HN, 2/26/98)
1945 Mar 26, Syria declared war
on Germany. [see Feb 26]
(HN, 3/25/98)
1945 Oct 20, Egypt, Syria, Iraq
and Lebanon formed the Arab League to present a unified front
against the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine.
(HN, 10/20/98)
1946 Apr 12, Syria gained
independence from France.
(MC, 4/12/02)
1946 Apr 17, The last French
troops left Syria.
(HN, 4/17/98)
1946 The Muslim Brotherhood,
founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hasan al-Banna (d.1949), opened a branch
in Syria. Branches soon began spreading across the globe.
(WSJ, 12/8/95, p.A-8)(WSJ, 9/21/01, p.A16)(WSJ,
9/7/04, p.A20)(Econ, 6/4/05, p.44)
1947 Dec 2, A Syrian mob burned
a synagogue where the Aleppo Codex was hidden. This followed a UN
resolution calling for the creation of Arab and Jewish states in
Palestine Nearly two-thirds of the pages were retrieved by
congregant, Mourad Faham. But 196 pages vanished, including books of
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations,
Esther, Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah, as well as pages from other
books.
(AP, 9/27/08)(SSFC, 6/28/09, p.A8)
1947 The Syrian Baath Party was
created and Hafez Assad became a member.
(WSJ, 6/12/00, p.A30)
1948 May 15, Hours after
declaring its independence, the new state of Israel was attacked by
Transjordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. The first president of
the State of Israel, Chaim Weizmann, took office with the founding
of the nation. David Ben-Gurion was Israel’s first prime minister.
Weizmann, born in Russia in 1874, taught chemistry in England and as
a leading Zionist influenced Britain’s Balfour Declaration of 1917
favoring a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Weizmann settled in
Palestine in 1934 and served as president of Israel from 1948 until
his death in 1952.
(AP, 5/15/97)(HNQ, 6/19/99)
1948 May 20, Israel made the
1st use of its Air Force and claimed its 1st war victory with the
defeat of the Syrian army.
(MC, 5/20/02)
1949 Jul 20, Israel's 19 month
war of independence ended with a ceasefire agreement with Syria.
(www.wikipedia.org)
1949 Aug 5, A bomb exploded at
a synagogue in Damascus, Syria, killing 12 people.
(SSFC, 6/28/09, p.A8)(http://tinyurl.com/loxc6n)
1954 A French military court
sentenced Alois Brunner to death in absentia for war crimes. He had
sent 23,000 French Jews to death camps. Brunner fled from Germany to
Syria.
(SFC, 3/3/01, p.A10)
1955 Dec 11, Israel launched an
attack on Syrian positions along the Sea of Galilee.
(EWH, 1968, p.1241)(HN, 12/11/98)
1958 Feb 1, Syria and Egypt
formed the United Arab Republic. Most Syrians resented the merger,
which was led by the radical Baath (Arab Socialist Resurrection)
party. The union of Syria and Egypt was dissolved in 1961 following
a coup in Syria. Egypt kept the name United Arab Republic until
1971.
(WUD, 1994, p.1555)(HNQ, 6/5/98)(AP, 2/1/08)
1958 Feb 5, Gamel Abdel Nasser
was formally nominated to become the first president of the new
United Arab Republic. Egypt used the UAR name from 1961-1971.
(AP, 2/5/97)(WUD, 1994, p.1555)
1958 Feb 21, Egypt-Syria as UAR
elected Gamel Nasser president with a 99.9% vote.
(MC, 2/21/02)
1961 Syria withdrew from the
UAR following a coup.
(WUD, 1994, p.1555)(HNQ, 6/5/98)
1961 Syria revoked the
citizenship of its native Kurds.
(Econ, 4/23/05, p.46)(http://tinyurl.com/7zamn)
1962 Jun 23, The Syrian
government conducted a special population census only for the
province of Jazira which was predominantly Kurdish. As a result,
around 120,000 Kurds in Jazira were arbitrarily categorized as
aliens.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurds_in_Syria)
1963 Mar, In Syria the pan-Arab
Baath party staged a coup. Hafez Assad played an important role.
Amin Hafez 1920-2009) was brought to power by the military coup only
to be overthrown three years later.
(WSJ, 6/12/00, p.A30)(SSFC, 5/4/03, p.A11)(AP,
12/18/09)
1964 Dec 31, Syrian-based
al-Fatah guerrillas of Yasser Arafat launched their 1st raid on
Israel with the aim of provoking a retaliation and sparking an Arab
war against Israel. Fatah, a Palestinian movement for independence,
made the first terror attack on Israel and initiated the armed
struggle for a state.
(WSJ, 1/22/98, p.A1)(SFEC, 1/2/00, p.A24)(WSJ,
6/5/02, p.D7)
1965 May 18, Eli Cohen, who
arrived in Syria in 1962, was hanged in a public square in Damascus
for spying for Israel until his capture. As businessman Kamal Amin
Thabit he worked his way into the upper echelons of Syrian
government and society, feeding Israel with valuable political and
military intelligence.
(AP, 5/30/10)
1966 Feb, The Alawis took power
and presented themselves as standard Muslims. Hafez Assad, a member
of the Alawite clan, was rewarded for his role and appointment as
Defense Minister. Nearly 80% of Syrians are Sunnis.
(WSJ, 1/9/96, p.A-1)(WSJ, 6/12/00, p.A30)
1966 Mar 1, The Baath-party
took power in Syria. Among the fighters who had a part in toppling
Amin Hafez was Hafez Assad, who became president four years later
and ruled Syria with an iron fist for three decades.
(SC, 3/1/02)(AP, 12/18/09)
1967 Apr 7, A, Israeli-Syrian
minor border incident escalated into a full-scale aerial battle over
the Golan Heights, resulting in the loss of six Syrian MiG-21s to
Israeli Air Force (IAF) Dassault Mirage IIIs, and the latter's
flight over Damascus.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War)
1967 Jun 5, The Six Day War
erupted in the Middle East as Israel, convinced an Arab attack was
imminent, raided Egyptian military targets. Syria, Jordan and Iraq
entered the conflict. Jordan lost the West Bank, an area of 2,270
sq. miles. War broke out as Israel reacted to the removal of UN
peace-keeping troops, Arab troop movements and the barring of
Israeli ships in the Gulf of Aqaba.
(AP, 6/5/97)(HN, 6/5/98)(NG, 5/93, p.58)(HNQ,
5/22/00)
1967 Jun 5-1967 Jun 10, Israel
fought the Six-Day War against Syria and captured the Golan Heights,
the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Allegations that
Israeli soldiers killed hundreds of Egyptian prisoners with the
knowledge of national leaders were made by Israeli historians in
1995. Israel occupied Syrian territory. The Gaza Strip and the West
Bank were captured by Israel. Israel annexed the largely Arab East
Jerusalem, which included the Old City, and has since ringed it with
Jewish neighborhoods.
(WSJ, 8/17/95, p.A-1)(WSJ,11/24/95, p.A-1)(WSJ,
5/6/96, p.A-13)(SFC, 6/25/96, p.A10)(SFC, 1/22/98, p.B12)(SFC,
4/24/98, p.A17)
1967 Jun 10, Israel completed
its final offensive in the Golan Heights in the 6-Day Middle East
War. The next day Israel and Syria agreed to observe a United
Nations-mediated cease-fire. Israel took Gaza and the Sinai from
Egypt, Old Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan, and the Golan
Heights from Syria. In 2002 Michael B. Oren authored "Six Days of
War: June 1967 and the making of the Modern Middle East." Israeli
military historian Arieh Yitzhaki later said that his research
showed Israeli troops killed 300 Egyptian prisoners of war. Israel
said soldiers on both sides committed atrocities. In 2007 Tom Segev
authored “1967: Israel, the War and the Year that Transformed the
Middle East.”
(AP, 6/10/97)(WSJ, 6/5/02, p.D7)(AP,
3/6/07)(Econ, 5/26/07, p.97)
1967 Jun 11, Israel and Syria
accepted a UN cease-fire. The UN brokered a cease-fire between
Israel and the defeated Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, ending the Six-Day
War with Israel occupying the Sinai, West Bank, East Jerusalem and
the Golan Heights. Israel annexed the largely Arab East Jerusalem,
which included the Old City, and has since ringed it with Jewish
neighborhoods.
(HN, 6/11/98)(AP, 6/11/03)(SFC, 6/25/96, p.A10)
1968 Hafez Assad was appointed
as Field Marshal.
(WSJ, 6/12/00, p.A30)
1969 Feb, Gen. Hafez al-Assad
became head of Syria.
(http://i-cias.com/e.o/assad_hafiz.htm)
1970 Nov 12, Hafez al-Assad
(1930-2000), Syrian defense minister, had his opponents arrested and
took full control of Syria.
(http://lexicorient.com/e.o/assad_hafiz.htm)
1970 Nov 27, Syria joined the
pact linking Libya, Egypt and Sudan.
(HN, 11/27/98)
1971 Jul 13-1971 Jul 19,
Jordanian troops proceeded to wipe out Palestinian guerrillas; some
1,500 prisoners were brought to Amman; Iraq and Syria soon broke off
relations with Jordan.
(WUD, 1994, p.
1688)(www.onwar.com/aced/data/bravo/blacksept1970.htm)
1971 Aug 12, Syrian Pres Assad
dropped diplomatic relations with Jordan.
(www.answers.com/topic/1971)
1973 Sep 13, Israel shot down
12 Syrian aircraft to1 Israeli loss when IAF jets were attacked
during a reconnaissance mission over Syrian territory.
(www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/intel73.html)
1973 Oct 6, The fourth
Arab-Israeli war in 25 years was fought. Israel was taken by
surprise when Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Jordan attacked on the Jewish
holy day of Yom Kippur, beginning the Yom Kippur War. The Yom Kippur
War in which Syria tried to regain the Golan Heights with a massive
attack with 1,500 tanks. The assault was repulsed by air power.
(WSJ, 5/6/96, p.A-13)(TL-MB, p.21) (TMC, 1994,
p.1973)(AP, 10/6/97)(HN, 10/6/98)
1973 Oct 16, OPEC, the Arab
oil-producing nations, announced they would begin cutting back on
oil exports to Western nations and Japan. The next day, the five
Arab members of the OPEC committee were joined in Kuwait by the oil
ministers of Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, and Syria. The result
was a total embargo that lasted until March 1974 and caused oil
prices to quadruple.
(www.harvardir.org/articles/1659/)(AP,
10/17/97)(WSJ, 7/28/03, p.A8)
1973 Oct 22, Israeli troops
reconquered Mount Hermon from Syria. The UN Security Council
Resolution 338 called for a cease fire to the Yom Kippur War. The UN
Security Council issued Resolution 338 calling for a ceasefire and
the start of negotiations aimed at implementation of
Resolution 242.
(http://tinyurl.com/5m3oom)(http://tinyurl.com/4s8kua)
1973 Oct 23, In the Yom Kippur
War Syria announced it had accepted a UN sanctioned cease-fire, and
the Iraqi government ordered its forces home.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War)
1973 Oct 24, The UNSC passed
Resolution 339, serving as a renewed call for all parties to adhere
to the cease fire terms established in Resolution 338. Organized
fighting on all fronts ended by October 26.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War)
1973 Dec 21, Israel, Egypt,
Syria, Jordan, US and USSR leaders met in Geneva. The Geneva
Conference of 1973 was an attempt to negotiate a solution to the
Arab-Israeli conflict as called for in UN Security Council
Resolution 338 which was passed after the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conference_(1973))
1973 Syria acquired chemical
weapons from Egypt just before war with Israel.
(SSFC, 5/4/03, p.A11)
1973 Canadian Judy Feld Carr
established a network to help Syrian Jews, barred from traveling, to
leave the country clandestinely. Over the next 28 years she helped
over 3,000 Jews leave Syria.
(SSFC, 6/28/09, p.A8)
1974 May 31, Israel and Syria
signed an agreement on the Golan Heights.
(HN, 5/31/98)
1974 Quneitra, a city in the
Golan Heights destroyed by Israel, was returned to Syria. It was
preserved by Syria as an example of Israeli brutality.
(SSFC, 5/6/01, p.A14)
1974 Haitham Naal, a communist
dissident, was convicted for his affiliation with the Arab Communist
Organization. 5 members were sentenced to death and executed. Naal
was freed in 2002 due to deteriorating health.
(SFC, 8/12/02, p.A8)
1976 Aug 12, Syrian backed
Christian militias completed their siege of the Tell al-Za'tar
Palestinian camp in Lebanon leaving some 2000 people killed.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_al-Zaatar_massacre)
1976 Nov 15, A Syrian peace
force took control of Beirut, Lebanon. The Arab League gave Syria a
peacekeeping mandate.
(HN, 11/15/98)(SFC, 4/27/05, p.A8)
1976 Nov 21, Syrian army
completed its final phase of occupation of Lebanon.
(AP, 11/21/02)
1976 The film “The Message” by
Syrian-American producer Moustapha Akkad (d.2005) told the story the
Prophet Mohammad and the emergence of Islam.
(SFC, 11/24/05, p.E2)
1977 Mar 16, In Lebanon Kamal
Jumblatt (60) was killed. He was the leader of Lebanon’s Druze
community, a member of the Lebanese Parliament and a
Socialist-nationalist supporter of Palestinians. Jumblatt was
assassinated by the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, which he had
legalized as interior minister some years earlier.
(Econ, 11/28/09,
p.49)(http://tinyurl.com/yzgycku)
1977 Nov 19, The Libyan flag
was adopted, after Libya left the Federation of Arabs Republic,
which consisted of Libya, Egypt and Syria.
(www.worldflags101.com/l/libya-flag.aspx)
1978 Oct 2, Syrian troops
pounded Christian districts of Beirut with heavy artillery and
rocket fire early today, and right-wing officials said Lebanese
militias were fighting back with every weapon they had.
(http://archive.gulfnews.com/indepth/30thyear/onthisday/10157571.html)
1979 Jun 16, In Aleppo, Syria,
Captain Ibrahim el-Yousuf, the officer on duty (in charge of
moral and political steering and head of Ba’ath Party Unit) at the
Military Artillery school, committed a massacre, killing 32 cadets
and wounding 54 others. The culprits targeted cadets from the
Alawite sect, however the then minister of information Mr. Ahmad
Iskander Ahmad stated that they included Christians and Sunni
Muslims. Immediately after the massacre, a country-wide campaign was
started to uproot the Muslim Brotherhood organization.
(www.shrc.org.uk/data/aspx/d5/315.aspx)
1980 Feb 4, Syria withdrew its
peacekeeping force in Beirut.
(HN, 2/4/99)
1980 Jun 26, In Syria there was
an assassination attempt on Pres. Assad. Syrian security forces
retaliated by killing hundreds of Islamist inmates at a prison. The
Syrian public did not find out about this until January 1981.
(http://tinyurl.com/5u5jw7)
1980 Aug, Iraq and Syria broke
diplomatic ties after Damascus sided with Iran just before the
Iran-Iraq war.
(SFC, 2/28/00, p.C2)
1980 Abdullah Ocalan (b.1948),
leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) crossed the border to
Syria just before the September 12 Turkish military coup.
(WSJ, 3/7/97, p.A10)(SFC, 1/6/99, p.A7)
1981 Apr 2, Heavy battle took
place between Christian militia and Syrian army in East Lebanon.
Casualties and injuries were in the hundreds.
(www.2la.org/lebanon/ee/terrorlb.htm)
1981 The film “Lion in the
Desert” by Syrian-American producer Moustapha Akkad (d.2005) told
the story of Omar Mukhtar, hero of the Libyan resistance to Italian
colonization during the Mussolini era.
(SFC, 11/24/05, p.E2)
1982 Feb 2, Pres. Hafez Assad
ordered the Syrian army under his brother, Rifaat Assad, to crush a
fundamentalist Muslim revolt in Hama. At least 10,000 residents were
massacred.
(WSJ, 6/13/00,
p.A26)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hama_Massacre)(Econ, 10/27/07,
p.33)
1982 Jun 9, Israel wiped out
Syrian SAM missiles in Bekaa Valley.
(www.adl.org/ISRAEL/Record/lebanon.asp)
1983 Nov 25, Syria and Saudi
Arabia announced a cease-fire in PLO civil war in Tripoli.
(www.defense-update.com/2005/02/arafats-dissidents-challenge-to-abu.html)
1983 Nov, Hafez Assad,
president of Syria, suffered a heart attack and his brother Rifat
(b.1937) tried to take power by moving tanks against other Alawite
chieftains. Hafez Assad recovered and stripped Rifat of power.
(SFC, 6/13/00,
p.A10)(www.meib.org/articles/0006_sd.htm)
1983 Dec 4, US jet fighters
struck Syrian anti-aircraft positions in Lebanon in retaliation for
Syrian-backed attacks on the US peacekeeping force. The Syrian
anti-air defense shut down two American airplanes and a pilot was
captured. The positions of the Marines at the Beirut International
Airport were bombarded. Eight Marines were killed.
(http://tinyurl.com/35ek6z)(SFC, 4/27/05, p.A8)
1984 Mar, Hafez Assad,
president of Syria, appointed his brother Rifaat as one of Syria's
three Vice-presidents (a relatively powerless position) and issued a
decree transferring his command of the Defense Companies to another
military officer.
(www.meib.org/articles/0006_sd.htm)
1984 May, Hafez Assad,
president of Syria, sent his brother Rifaat on a working visit to
the USSR and ousted Rifaat’s associates at home. Rifaat moved to
Geneva and began conspiring against the regime, reportedly meeting
with Yasser Arafat, his brother's arch enemy at the time. Rifaat
spent most of his time in France, Switzerland and Spain, though he
retained the nominal position of vice-president until February 1998.
He returned to Syria in 1992 following the death of his mother and
stayed there off and on until 1998, when he again went into exile.
(www.meib.org/articles/0006_sd.htm)
1984 Syria began the production
of nerve gas.
(SSFC, 5/4/03, p.A11)
1985 Dec 28, A Syrian sponsored
peace agreement was signed in Damascus between warring Lebanese
Moslem and Christian leaders.
(www.lebanese-forces.org/lebanon/agreements/damascus85.htm)
1985 Syria began manufacturing
chemical warheads for missiles.
(SSFC, 5/4/03, p.A11)
1987 Syria sent troops into
West Beirut to enforce a cease-fire.
(SFC, 4/27/05, p.A8)
1989 Nov, Turkey’s Pres. Turgut
Ozal (1927-1993) alarmed Syria and Iraq when he announced that the
flow of the Euphrates River would be held back for a month to fill
the Ataturk dam. Flow was increased for 2 months before the cutback
to offset the loss.
(NG, 5/93, p.49)(http://tinyurl.com/2mmycb)
1989 Rafik Hariri financed a
gathering of Lebanese politicians at the Saudi city of Taif to
hammer out a deal to disband militias and distribute power more
equitably. The Taif Agreement maintained sectarian divisions in
government and led to the end of the civil war. It stipulated that
Syria withdraw its troops to the border and leave within 2 years.
(SFC, 9/28/98, p.A10)(SFC, 4/4/02, p.A13)(Econ,
2/19/05, p.43)
1989 In Lebanon PM Michel Aoun
waged a “war of liberation” against Syrian forces. Pro-Syrian
legislator Elias Hrawi was elected president.
(SFC, 4/27/05, p.A8)
1990 Oct 13, In Lebanon, rebel
Christian General Michel Aoun ended his mutiny against the
government. Syrian forces defeated the army under Aoun.
(AP, 10/13/00)(SFC, 4/27/05, p.A8)
1991 May 12, Syrian President
Hafez Assad, meeting with US Secretary of State James A. Baker the
Third, refused to yield on key demands for joining a Middle East
peace conference.
(AP, 5/12/01)
1991 Jul 20, Lebanon joined
Syria in agreeing to participate in Mideast peace talks with Israel.
(AP, 7/20/01)
1991 Nov 3, Syria opened its
first one-on-one meeting with Israel in 43 years.
(AP, 11/3/01)
1991 In Lebanon Pres. Hrawi
signed the “Treaty of Brotherhood, Cooperation and Coordination”
with Syrian Pres. Hafez Assad. It formalized the intervention of
Syria.
(SFC, 6/2/00, p.A16)(SFC, 4/27/05, p.A8)
1991 The government passed
legislation known as Law No. 10 to facilitate private investment.
(WSJ, 6/19/00, p.A25)
1991 Akram Ojjeh, Syrian-born
financier and art collector, died at age 68. He made his fortune as
an arms dealer and investments in oil, hotels, and real estate.
(WSJ, 9/3/99, p.W10)
1992 Syria’s Pres. Assad
allowed many Syrian Jews to travel abroad freely after nearly 45
years of official prohibition from leaving the country.
(SSFC, 6/28/09, p.A8)
1993 The president's son,
Basel, died in a car crash.
(WSJ, 1/9/96, p.A-1)
1994 Jan 16, President Clinton
held marathon talks in Geneva with Syrian President Hafez Assad, who
offered Israel "normal, peaceful relations" in exchange for land.
(AP, 1/16/99)
1994 Jan 21, Basil Assad
(b.1961), the son of Syria’s Pres. Hafez Assad, was killed in a car
accident.
(SFEC, 6/11/00,
p.A12)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_al-Assad)
1994 Oct 27, In the first trip
to Syria by an American president in 20 years, Pres. Clinton met
with Syrian President Hafez Assad before heading to Jerusalem to
meet with Israeli officials.
(AP, 10/27/99)
1996 May 27, The latest of a
series of explosions left a small crater outside the walls of the
Old City of Damascus.
(SFC, 6/10/96, C3)
1996 Dec 31, A New Year’s Eve
bomb on a bus killed 9 and injured 44.
(SFC, 1/3/97, p.A17)
1996 Dec 31, the number of
political prisoners rose to 2,800, a hundred more than the previous
year.
(SFC, 2/26/97, p.A8)
1996 The Zeyzoun Dam was built
to collect water from the Orontes River. It burst in 2002.
(SFC, 6/8/02, p.A26)
1996 Syria acquired new
chemical weapons technology from Russia.
(SSFC, 5/4/03, p.A11)
1997 May 6, It was reported
that Syrian missiles were tipped with VX, a lethal chemical that
kills on contact with the skin. The Syrian chemical weapons program
was assisted by Anatoly Kuntsevich, former head of the Russian
Army’s Chemical Troops. The existing stockpile of Sarin, the nerve
gas used by the terrorists in Tokyo, was hoped to be upgraded to VX.
(WSJ, 5/6/97, p.A22)
1997 May 15, Saadallah Wannous,
playwright, died at 56 in Damascus. His plays included “A Night
Party for July 5,” “Rituals of Signs and Changes,” “The King Is the
King,” and “The Rape,” an adoption of a Spanish play that was
banned.
(SFC, 5/19/97, p.A24)
1998 Jan 25, The population was
reported to have reached 16 million with half under the age of 16.
(SFEC, 1/25/98, p.A18)
1998 Mar 30, A Syrian-Iraqi
Health week started. Health Minister Iyad Shatti arrived in Iraq
from Syria with 12 trucks of food and medicine.
(SFC, 3/30/98, p.A9)
1998 Jun 24, The Clinton
administration claimed that Syria has an active chemical weapons
program and has armed missiles with the nerve gas sarin.
(SFC, 6/25/98, p.A9)
1998 Oct 6, Syria anointed army
chief Emile Lahoud, a Maronite Christian, as Lebanon’s president.
(WSJ, 10/7/98, p.A1)(SFC, 10/16/98, p.D2)
1998 Oct 21, Turkey and Syria
signed an accord whereby Syria agreed to brand the Kurdish Workers
Party (PKK) as a terrorist group.
(SFC, 10/22/98, p.C5)
1999 Feb 10, Pres. Hafez Assad
(68) was elected to a 5th 7-year term.
(SFC, 2/11/99, p.C2)
1999 Nov 29, A bus collided
with a train in northern Syria and 11 people were killed.
(SFC, 11/30/99, p.A17)
1999 Nov, In Damascus Pres.
Assad's son, Maher, shot Assef Chawkat, a son-in-law of Pres. Assad
and the head of military intelligence. Chawkat was treated in Paris.
(SFC, 12/1/99, p.C3)
1999 Dec 8, Israel and Syria
agreed to resume peace negotiations following a visit by Madeleine
Albright to Damascus.
(SFC, 12/9/99, p.A1)
1999 Dec 15, With President
Clinton’s close mediation, Syria reopened peace talks with Israel in
Washington.
(AP, 12/15/00)
1999 Dec 16, Israel and Syria
ended a first round of peace talks and scheduled a resumption for
Jan 3.
(SFC, 12/17/99, p.A12)
2000 Jan 17, The Clinton
administration announced that talks between Israel and Syria had
been postponed indefinitely.
(SFC, 1/18/00, p.A1)
2000 Feb 28, It was reported
that Iraq and Syria had established diplomatic ties that were
cut in Aug 1980 when Damascus sided with Iran just before the
Iran-Iraq war.
(SFC, 2/28/00, p.C2)
2000 Mar 26, Pres. Clinton met
with Pres. Assad of Syria in Geneva but failed to get an agreement
to revive peace talks with Israel.
(WSJ, 3/27/00, p.A1)
2000 Mar, Prime Minister
Mahmoud el-Zoubi resigned after serving 13 years.
(SFC, 6/15/00, p.A16)
2000 Mar, A new prime minister
and several other ministers were appointed. The new government cut
taxes on new joint stock companies from 56% to 25%.
(WSJ, 6/19/00, p.A25)
2000 May 21, Syria’s former PM
Mahmoud el-Zoubi (al-Zubi) committed suicide rather than answer
questions on corruption.
(SFC, 6/15/00, p.A16)(Econ, 10/15/05, p.50)
2000 Jun 10, In Syria Pres.
Hafez Assad (69), the “Lion of Damascus,” died. His son Bashar Assad
(34) was expected to be named his successor. Assad had given
Alawites powerful positions in the army and Baath party while the
Sunnis were given a free rein in trade and industry.
(SFEC, 6/11/00, p.A1)(SFC, 6/15/00, p.A16)
2000 Jun 11, A day after the
death of Syrian President Hafez Assad, his son, Bashar, was
unanimously nominated by Syria’s ruling Baath Party to succeed his
father.
(AP, 6/11/01)
2000 Jun 12, Rifaat Assad, the
brother of Hafez Assad, claimed himself the rightful heir of power
in Syria. Syrian security forces were ordered to arrest Rifaat if he
entered the country.
(SFC, 6/13/00, p.A10)
2000 Jun 18, Bashar Assad was
elected as sec. gen. of the ruling Baath Party.
(SFC, 6/19/00, p.A9)
2000 Jun, Gen. Hikmat
Al-Shihabi, chief of staff for 20 years until 1998, fled to the US.
He was alleged to have illegally earned millions from arms deals.
(SFC, 6/15/00, p.A16)
2000 Jul 17, Bashar Assad, son
of Hafez Assad, began a seven-year term as Syria’s 16th head of
state.
(AP, 7/17/01)
2000 Sep 27, 99 intellectuals
published a demand for more democracy and freedom of expression.
(SFC, 9/29/00, p.D5)
2000 Nov 16, Pres. Bashar Assad
announced an amnesty for some 600 political prisoners.
(SFC, 11/17/00, p.A20)
2000 Nov 21, Pres. Assad
ordered the Mezze political prison to be turned into a hospital.
(WSJ, 11/22/00, p.A1)
2000 Nov, In southern Syria at
least 17 people were killed in clashes between urban residents and
nomadic shepherds over grazing rights.
(WSJ, 11/13/00, p.A1)
2000 Nov, Syria opened a
pipeline to Iraq’s oil that generated at least $2 per day for Saddam
Hussein’s regime.
(SFC, 1/23/01, p.A11)
2000 Dec 11, Syria freed some
50 Lebanese political prisoners to placate an anti-Syria movement in
Lebanon.
(SFC, 12/12/00, p.B2)
2000 Syrian writer authored
“Banquet for Seaweed.” Publication in Egypt caused protests for what
students claimed as insults to Islam.
(SFC, 5/9/00, p.A14)
2000 Syria began the 1st of 5
redeployments in Lebanon.
(SFC, 4/27/05, p.A8)
2001 Jan 21, Syria approved
private banking and ended artificial exchange rates.
(WSJ, 1/22/01, p.A1)
2001 Apr 16, Israeli warplanes
struck deep in Lebanon and attacked a Syrian radar site. 3 Syrians
were killed.
(SFC, 4/16/01, p.A9)(WSJ, 4/16/01, p.A1)
2001 May 5, Pres. Bashar Assad
greeted Pope John Paul II with a speech against Israel.
(SSFC, 5/6/01, p.A14)
2001 May 6, In Syria Pope John
Paul II prayed in the Great Umayyad Mosque, the 1st time a pontiff
ever visited and prayed in a Muslim house of worship.
(SFC, 5/7/01, p.A1)
2001 May 15, Fidel Castro
arrived in Syria from Qatar for a 2-day visit.
(SFC, 5/16/01, p.D14)
2001 Jun 19, Syria completed a
pullout of its forces from Beirut.
(WSJ, 6/20/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 9, Najwa bin laden
left her husband, Osama bin Laden, in Afghanistan and returned to
her native Syria, taking with her a son and her two youngest
daughters. Eman, Omar's sister, was left behind with her father and
siblings. Omar bin Laden (20) had left the family and Afghanistan
earlier in the year.
(AP, 1/6/10)
2001 Sep 18, The US asked
Lebanon and Syria to extradite Palestinian and Lebanese Shiites
suspected of terrorism in the past 20 years.
(WSJ, 9/19/01, p.A12)
2001 Oct 2, Farouk al-Sharaa,
the foreign minister, said Syria is determined to help the int’l.
effort to combat terrorism. He added that to achieve that goal,
terrorism’s roots and causes would have to be addressed.
(WSJ, 10/3/01, p.A17)
2001 Oct 8, Syria won a seat on
the UN Security Council and was opposed only by Israel.
(SFC, 10/9/01, p.B1)
2001 Nov 19, Egypt and Syria
confirmed the extradition of Rifai Ahmed Taha, a former aide to
Osama bin Laden, from Syria to Egypt.
(SFC, 11/20/01, p.A12)
2001-2003 Canadian citizens Abdullah Almalki,
Muayyed Nureddin and Ahmad El Maati were labeled as terrorists and
arrested on separate visits to Syria where they were imprisoned and
tortured and then released without charge. In 2008 a federal inquiry
said Canadian officials indirectly contributed to their torture by
wrongly sharing intelligence information with Syria. The men later
sued the Canadian government demanding apologies, compensation and
the removal of their names from any watch lists.
(SFC, 10/22/08, p.A2)
2002 Mar 3, Syria’s Pres. Assad
officially visited Lebanon for the 1st time in 27 years and met with
Lebanon’s Pres. Emile Lahoud.
(SFC, 3/4/02, p.A5)
2002 Apr 3, Israeli tanks
entered the Wet Bank cities of Jenin, Salfeet and Nablus. At least 1
Israeli soldier and 12 Palestinians were killed. Gunners from
Lebanon’s Hezbollah exchanged artillery and mortar fire with Israeli
troops. Scores of Palestinian gunmen were holed up in the Church of
the Nativity in Bethlehem. The Egyptian government announced a
cutoff of official contacts with Israel. Syria shifted 20,000 troops
in Lebanon toward the Lebanese-Syrian border reportedly in accord
with the 1989 Taif agreement.
(SFC, 4/3/02, p.A1)(SFC, 4/4/02, p.A1,13)(WSJ,
4/4/02, p.A1)
2002 Jun 4, In Syria the
Zayzoun Dam (b.1996) near Idlib burst and at least 20 people were
killed. A 24 square-mile area was flooded and 3 villages submerged.
(SFC, 6/7/02, p.A13)
2002 Sep 14, In Syria 2 buses
collided in the northeast, killing 13 people and injuring four
others.
(AP, 9/15/02)
2002 Sep 26, US immigration
officials seized Maher Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian, after his name
popped up on a watch list at JFK. US officials refused to allow
legal council or a phone call. The CIA questioned him and then
handed him over to Syrian intelligence where he was held and
tortured for 10 months before being released. The case came to be
called an instance of "torture by proxy." In 2006 a Canadian
government report said the US "very likely" sent the software
engineer to Syria, where he was tortured, based on the false
accusation by Canadian authorities that he was suspected of links to
al-Qaida.
(SSFC, 1/4/04, p.D1)(AP, 9/19/06)
2002 Oct 2, In northern Syria
mountain homes collapsed after caves beneath them gave way in the
Sawad Hill district. 31 people were killed and 22 injured.
(AP, 10/2/02)(SFC, 10/3/02, p.A9)
2003 Feb 16, A Syrian
military truck carrying diesel fuel overturned and caught fire at a
Lebanese-Syrian border crossing, killing at least 17 people.
(AP, 2/16/03)
2003 Mar 2, Syria
reportedly finished pulling 4,000 troops out of Lebanon in an effort
to reduce tensions and keep radical Sunni groups from attacking
Israel.
(SSFC, 3/2/03, A6)
2003 Mar 23, A US bomb struck a
bus at a service area in al-Rutba, Iraq, enroute from Baghdad to
Syria. 5 people were killed.
(SFC, 3/25/03, p.W7)
2003 cApr 15, US forces cut off
oil flow from Iraq to Syria. Oil flow had reached 130,000 barrels a
day providing both countries over $10 million a month in profits.
(SFC, 4/11/03, p.A18)
2003 Apr 17, Rafiq Jwaijatti
(81), a former Syrian ambassador to the US and a renowned Syrian
literary figure, died in Paris.
(AP, 4/19/03)
2003 Jul 15, Officials reported
that Syrian troops had begun dismantling bases in Lebanon.
(SFC, 7/16/03, p.A3)
2003 Sep 18, Syria's new prime
minister formed a 31-member Cabinet, touted as a new effort to carry
out economic and bureaucratic reforms.
(AP, 9/18/03)
2003 Oct 5, Israeli warplanes
bombed the Ein Saheb base northwest of Damascus, Syria, in
retaliation for a suicide bombing at a Haifa restaurant. Israeli
military called it an Islamic Jihad training base. Residents later
told the Associated Press the camp was abandoned years ago.
(AP, 10/5/03)(AP, 10/6/03)
2003 Oct 20, Bush
administration officials said some $3 billion of Saddam Hussein's
former government was being held in Syria and Lebanon.
(AP, 10/21/03)
2003 Nov 30, Syria handed over
22 suspects to Turkey in connection with the Nov 16 suicide bombings
in Istanbul.
(SFC, 12/1/03, p.A16)
2003 Nov, In Syria NewBoy
Design Studio introduced the Fulla doll, a modest looking doll in
Arab dress designed to reflect Arab values. The doll was
manufactured at the same factory in Hong Kong that makes the Barbie
doll.
(SFC, 11/24/05,
p.A31)(www.un-instraw.org/revista/hypermail/alltickers/en/0111.html)
2003 Dec 3, It was reported
that Syria's president had agreed to a proposal to halt violence
along Israel's northern border if Israel promises to end flights
over Lebanon and not attack its territory.
(AP, 12/4/03)
2003 Dec 5, Syria continued to
reject US pressure to hand over an estimated $250 million that
Saddam Hussein's regime had deposited there.
(WSJ, 12/5/03, p.A1)
2003 Dec 12, Pres. Bush signed
legislation calling for economic penalties against Syria for not
doing enough to fight terrorism.
(SFC, 12/13/03, p.A3)
2004 Jan 6, President Bashar
Assad began the first-ever visit to Turkey by a Syrian head of
state, hoping to further improve ties forge a joint position on
growing Kurdish autonomy.
(AP, 1/6/04)(WSJ, 1/7/04, p.A1)
2004 Mar 8, Syrian authorities
broke up a rare protest by human rights activists demanding
political and civil reforms on the 41st anniversary of the ruling
party's accession to power.
(AP, 3/8/04)
2004 Mar 12, In Qamishli,
Syria, spectators inside the stadium were crushed in a stampede to
escape an attack by rival fans and at least 5 people were killed. A
riot broke out the next day during funeral services for 3 of the
dead. The soccer riots spread to 3 other towns over the next few
days and left 25 people dead and more than 100 injured in Kurdish
areas of northern Syria.
(AP, 3/13/04)(AP, 3/19/04)
2004 Apr 11, Syrian Kurdish
parties issued a statement saying the Assad regime had arrested
hundreds and tortured some to death following the unrest in March.
(WSJ, 4/12/04, p.A1)
2004 Apr 27, In Damascus 4
gunmen detonated a bomb placed under a car before firing bullets and
grenades at Syrian security forces. Hours later police found weapons
including rocket propelled grenades and guns during the raid in the
nearby town of Khan al-Sheih.
(AP, 4/28/04)
2004 May 11, The Bush
administration ordered economic sanctions against Syria for
supporting terrorism. Food and medicine were excepted.
(SFC, 5/12/04, p.A3)
2004 Sep 15, The Egyptian and
Syrian presidents linked calls by the UN and fellow Arab leaders for
Syrian troops to leave Lebanon to past UN resolutions demanding that
Israeli pull out of the West Bank and Golan Heights.
(AP, 9/15/04)
2004 Sep 21, Hundreds of Syrian
soldiers stationed in the hills near Lebanon's capital began
dismantling their bases in an effort to appease a U.N. Security
Council demand that all 20,000 Syrian troops leave the country.
(AP, 9/21/04)
2004 Sep 26, Ezzedin Sheikh
Khalil, a senior Hamas operative, was killed in a car bombing
outside his house in Damascus, the first such killing of a leader of
the Islamic militant group in Syria. The hit was claimed by Israeli
security officials.
(AP, 9/27/04)(Econ, 10/2/04, p.47)
2004 Oct 4, Syrian President
Bashar Assad replaced about one-third of his Cabinet, bringing new
faces to the key interior and information ministries.
(AP, 10/4/04)
2004 Dec 22, Turkey and Syria
signed a free-trade accord.
(WSJ, 12/23/04, p.A1)
2004 Dec, Syrian-born Mustafa
Setmarian Nasar (b.1958), a.k.a. Abu Musab, Nouradin, Blond Blond,
Abu al-Abed, Omar Abdelhakin, Abu Musab al Siri, Umar Abd
al-Hakim, authored "The International Islamic Resistance
Call." His book named enemies as "Jews, Americans, British, Russian
and any and all of the NATO countries, as well as any country that
takes the position of oppressing Islam and Muslims."
(AP, 8/4/05)
2004 Israel rejected a Syrian
attempt to create a channel of communications. In response Alon
Liel, a former Israeli ambassador, began talks with Ibrahim
Suleiman, a Syrian in Washington with close ties to Pres. Assad,
under the mediation of a Swiss diplomat.
(Econ, 1/20/07, p.55)
2004 Israel’s PM Sharon agreed
to allow Druze apple growers in the Golan Heights to trade with
Syria. In 2009 the authorized consignment rose to 8,000 tons.
(Econ, 2/21/09, p.49)
2005 Jan 8, Former Democratic
presidential candidate John Kerry met with Syria's president and
said he was hopeful that strained U.S.-Syrian relations could be
improved.
(AP, 1/8/05)
2005 Jan 13, Israel's foreign
minister said the planned sale of advanced Russian missiles to Syria
will disrupt regional stability and Moscow should call off the deal.
(AP, 1/13/05)
2005 Feb 3, Iran and Syria
rejected President Bush's charges that they sponsored terrorism. An
Iranian official called the claims groundless. The Syrian
information minister said the democracy America seeks for the Middle
East could not come through force.
(AP, 2/3/05)
2005 Feb 12, Syrian authorities
released 55 members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood who had spent
up to 20 years in jail.
(AP, 2/12/05)
2005 Feb 16, Syria and Iran
announced a united front amid perceived US threats.
(WSJ, 2/17/05, p.A1)
2005 Feb 21, The Arab League
chief said that Syria will "soon" take steps to withdraw its army
from Lebanese areas in accordance with a 1989 agreement. Tens of
thousands of opposition supporters shouted insults at Syria and
demanded the resignation of their pro-Syrian government in a Beirut
demonstration.
(AP, 2/21/05)
2005 Feb 23, Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak said that he expects further Syrian troop
redeployments in Lebanon, and he dispatched his intelligence chief
to Damascus to meet with President Bashar Assad to discuss
increasing American and European pressure on Syria.
(AP, 2/23/05)
2005 Feb 24, Lebanon's defense
minister said Syria will withdraw troops from mountain and coastal
areas in Lebanon in line with a 1989 agreement.
(AP, 2/24/05)
2005 Feb 27, Iraqi security
forces reported the capture of Saddam Hussein's half-brother and
former adviser. Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan, the 6 of diamonds, was No.
36 on the list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis. Syria captured al-Hassan
and 29 other fugitives and handed them over to Iraqi security. 2
American soldiers were killed in an ambush in the capital.
(AP, 2/27/05)(SFC, 2/28/05, p.A1)
2005 Mar 2, In a new book
entitled "Mari, the Metropolis of the Euphrates," Jean-Claude
Margueron said the third millennium BC city, in modern day Syria,
was "one of the first modern cities of humanity.
(AP, 3/2/05)
2005 Mar 2, President Bush
demanded in blunt terms that Syria get out of Lebanon.
(AP, 3/2/05)
2005 Mar 3, An Arab League
meeting opened in Cairo. An Arab diplomat said Syria has told Arab
countries it needs to keep 3,000 troops and early-warning stations
inside Lebanon to maintain its security despite international
pressure for a full withdrawal. Saudi Arabia told Syria to withdraw
its troops.
(AP, 3/3/05)(SFC, 3/4/05, p.A3)
2005 Mar 5, Syria’s Pres. Assad
outlined a two-step pullback: 1st to Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, nearer
to the Syrian border; 2nd, a redeployment from there all the way to
the Syrian frontier. He failed to address broad international
demands that he completely withdraw Syria's 15,000 troops after
nearly 30 years in Lebanon.
(AP, 3/5/05)
2005 Mar 7, The presidents of
Syria and Lebanon announced that Syrian forces will pull back to
Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley by March 31, but a complete troop
withdrawal will be deferred until after later negotiations.
(AP, 3/7/05)
2005 Mar 9, Syrian soldiers
flashed victory signs and waved automatic rifles as they drove east
through Lebanon's mountains in the first phase of a pullback.
Government lawmakers advised the president to bring back his
pro-Damascus prime minister who was forced by opposition protests to
resign.
(AP, 3/9/05)
2005 Mar 11, The last Syrian
troops left northern Lebanon but left behind intelligence officers
in nine offices. The UN Mideast envoy said Syria needs to produce a
timetable for a full withdrawal from the rest of Lebanon. Since 1976
some 15,000 Syrian troops were killed in the Lebanese civil war.
Lebanese protests following the Feb 14 assassination of Rafik
Hariri, later dubbed the “cedar revolution,” forced Pres. Assad to
withdraw his army after a 30-year stay.
(AP, 3/11/05)(Econ, 4/2/05, p.41)(Econ, 7/25/09,
SR p.11)
2005 Mar 29, Syria promised the
UN that it will withdraw all troops from Lebanon before
parliamentary elections but didn't mention a pullout of its
intelligence operatives as demanded by the Security Council.
(AP, 3/29/05)
2005 Apr 23, It was noted that
Rami Makhlouf, a younger first cousin of Pres. Bashar Assad, is
arguably the most powerful economic figure in Syria.
(Econ, 4/23/05,
p.45)(www.neal-us.org/who's_who.htm)
2005 Apr 24, Syrian troops
burned documents and dismantled military posts in their final hours
in Lebanon, before deploying toward the border and effectively
ending 29 years of military presence in the country.
(AP, 4/24/05)
2005 Apr 26, Syria ended its
29-year military domination of Lebanon as soldiers flashing victory
signs completed a withdrawal.
(AP, 4/26/05)
2005 May 8, In Syria a
prominent Kurdish Islamic scholar was murdered in Damascus.
(WSJ, 6/6/05, p.A1)
2005 May 20, Syrian Ambassador
Imad Moustapha said Syria has cut off military and intelligence
cooperation with the US over the last 10 days amid strains in
relations between the two countries over the insurgency in Iraq.
(AP, 5/24/05)
2005 May 26, Syria's UN
ambassador said Syria has arrested more than 1,200 people trying to
cross the border into Iraq in recent weeks and sent many back to
their home countries because of suspicions they were trying to join
the insurgency.
(AP, 5/26/05)
2005 May 27, According to
Israeli sources Syria test fired 3 Scud missiles, one of which broke
up over two Turkish villages causing no injuries, in an act of
defiance to the US and the UN. Syria denied the charges.
(AFP, 6/3/05)(AP, 6/4/05)
2005 May, US forces fired
across the Iraqi frontier and killed a Syrian soldier during an
American military operation. The event was reported by a Syrian
general 5 months later.
(AP, 10/28/05)
2005 Jun 9, Syria's ruling
Baath Party endorsed reforms that include allowing some independent
political parties, relaxing a state of emergency and granting more
press freedom.
(AP, 6/9/05)
2005 Jun 9, Syrian forces
raided a suspected terrorist hideout near the capital, killing 2
men, arresting a third and foiling alleged bombing plots that
targeted the nation's Justice Palace.
(AP, 6/11/05)
2005 Jun 21, In Lebanon a bomb
killed a politician who was a harsh critic of Syria's power, the
second slaying of an anti-Syrian figure this month.
(AP, 6/21/05)
2005 Aug 1, Trucks loaded with
produce and other merchandise began crossing into Syria from Lebanon
on their way to Gulf countries after Syria eased restrictions that
left them stranded for nearly four weeks in the border area.
(AP, 8/1/05)
2005 Sep 2, Syrian troops
clashed with members of the Jund al-Sham Islamic militant
organization in the northern city of Hama. Five militants were
killed.
(AP, 9/3/05)
2005 Sep 8, In northeastern
Syria security forces clashed with Islamic militants, killing one
and arresting three others in the country's latest move against a
group accused of planning bomb attacks.
(AP, 9/8/05)
2005 Sep 10, Syrian President
Bashar Assad met with leaders of 10 militant Palestinian groups
based in Syria, defying U.S. pressure to crack down on these groups.
Syria's official news agency SANA reported Assad urged the radical
Palestinian leaders, including Khaled Mashaal, the political leader
of the militant Hamas group, to close ranks and continue the
struggle in order to achieve their goal of an independent
Palestinian state.
(AP, 9/10/05)
2005 Sep 12, Syria consented to
a UN investigator's request to question top officials about the
assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a
probe that increases the pressure on an increasingly isolated
Damascus.
(AP, 9/12/05)
2005 Oct 4, A new Syrian TV
series began broadcasting around the Middle East. It tells the story
of Arabs living in residential compounds in Saudi Arabia and the
militant Islamists who want to blow them up so they can collect
their rewards in heaven, 72 beautiful virgins.
(AP, 10/10/05)
2005 Oct 12, Ghazi Kanaan,
Syria's interior minister, died. He was one of several top officials
caught up in the UN investigation into the slaying of Lebanon's
former prime minister. The country's official news agency said he
committed suicide in his office.
(AP, 10/12/05)(Econ, 10/15/05, p.50)
2005 Oct 16, In Syria a
pro-democracy group issued the Damascus Declaration for Democratic
National Change. The group came to be called the Damascus
Declaration.
(AP, 10/29/08)(http://tinyurl.com/5jc9vh)
2005 Oct 20, A UN report
implicated the brother-in-law of Syria's president in the Feb 14
assassination of former Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri, and Lebanese
intelligence officials helped organize it. The UN inquiry officially
linked Damascus to the slaying for the first time. Syria rejected
the report. The names of top Syrians were edited out in the final
version of the report.
(AP, 10/21/05)
2005 Oct 28, A top military
officer said Syria has increased military posts and patrols along
its border with Iraq and stopped thousands of infiltrators from
entering into the war-torn country.
(AP, 10/28/05)
2005 Oct 28, Egyptian Pres.
Hosni Mubarak held unexpected talks with his beleaguered Syrian
counterpart Bashar Assad to discuss Damascus' crisis with the West
over the killing of a former Lebanese leader.
(AP, 10/28/05)
2005 Oct 28, The US joined with
the UN, Russia and the EU in demanding Syria immediately close the
offices of Islamic Jihad in Damascus and prevent use of its
territory for terror actions.
(AP, 10/28/05)
2005 Oct 29, Syrian President
Bashar Assad issued an order for a special committee to investigate
any Syrian involvement in the assassination of former PM Hariri in
neighboring Lebanon.
(AP, 10/29/05)
2005 Oct 31, A UN resolution
sponsored by the US, France and Britain demanded that Syria assist
fully with a probe into the February killing of former Lebanese
leader Hariri. The P-5 ambassadors (the five permanent council
nations) from the US, Russia, China, Britain and France, conducted
intense negotiations to try to reach agreement on the resolution.
(WSJ, 11/1/05, p.A1)(AP, 11/3/05)
2005 Nov 2, Syrian President
Bashar Assad gave amnesty to 190 political prisoners to mark the
Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr.
(AP, 11/2/05)
2005 Nov 17, It was reported
that Syria had detained 4 Australian-Iraqi women at the Damascus
airport for allegedly trying to take gun parts hidden in a child's
toy onto a plane bound for Australia.
(AFP, 11/17/05)
2005 Dec 3, Troops exhumed the
remains of 25 bodies from a mass grave near a former Syrian military
base in eastern Lebanon. About 17,000 Lebanese who disappeared
during 1975-90 civil war are still missing, including 61 Lebanese
soldiers.
(AP, 12/03/05)
2005 Dec 4, Syrian security
forces clashed with militants planning to launch terror attacks in
the northern city of Aleppo. Five people were wounded, including two
militants.
(AP, 12/04/05)
2005 Dec 8, In northern Syria 8
Muslim militants died in a battle with security forces at a
farmhouse.
(AP, 12/08/05)
2005 Dec 17, The chief UN
investigator into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri said in published remarks that he believed
Syrian authorities were behind the killing.
(AP, 12/17/05)
2005 Dec 19, Lebanon closed a
military route that crossed its border into Syria, ending nearly 3
decades of unmonitored flow of high-ranking officials and goods
between the two countries.
(AP, 12/19/05)
2005 Dec 27, Official Syrian
news reported that Syria has signed a $2.7 billion memorandum of
understanding with a Russian company for construction of a refinery
and petrochemical plant in northeast Syria.
(AP, 12/27/05)
2005 Dec 27, Abdel-Qadar Abdel
Qader, a Syrian, was arrested in Lebanon on suspicion of involvement
in the assassination of Gibran Tueni, the anti-Syrian general
manager and columnist of Lebanon's leading newspaper.
(AP, 12/27/05)
2005 Dec 29, Syria’s former
Vice President Abdul-Halim Khaddam said in a television interview
from Paris that Syrian President Bashar Assad threatened former
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri months before Hariri was
assassinated in a truck bombing.
(AP, 1/1/06)
2005 Dec 31, Syria's ruling
Baath Party stripped former Vice President Abdul-Halim Khaddam of
membership and joined parliament in demanding his trial on a charge
of high treason. The French Foreign Ministry confirmed Khaddam has
been in France for several months but declined to give any details
on his whereabouts.
(AP, 1/1/06)
2005 Flynt Leverett authored
“Inheriting Syria: Bashar’s Trial by Fire.”
(Econ, 4/23/05, p.79)
2005 Syria’s population at this
time was about 18 million with 90.3% Arabs.
(Econ, 10/1/05, p.41)
2006 Jan 18, Syrian authorities
released five pro-democracy activists, including two prominent
former legislators, after they had served nearly four years of their
five-year prison sentences.
(AP, 1/19/06)
2006 Jan 18, Pres. Bush ordered
assets of Asef Shawkat, head of Syria’s military intelligence, to be
frozen and barred trade with him because of violent meddling in
Lebanon.
(WSJ, 1/19/06,
p.A1)(www.iht.com/getina/files/303997.html)
2006 Jan 19, Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began a visit to Syria to consolidate an old
alliance made increasingly crucial as both countries face mounting
US pressure and the threat of international sanctions.
(AP, 1/19/06)
2006 Jan 19, Syria asserted
that Iran had a right to atomic technology and said Western
objections to Tehran's nuclear ambitions were not persuasive.
(AP, 1/19/06)
2006 Feb 4, Rage against
caricatures of Islam's revered prophet poured out across the Muslim
world. Aggrieved believers in Syria called for executions, stormed,
European buildings and torched the Danish and Norwegian embassies in
Damascus. In Gaza Palestinians marched through the streets, storming
European buildings and burning German and Danish flags.
(AP, 2/4/06)(AP, 2/4/07)
2006 Feb 10, In Turkey a Syrian
was charged with masterminding suicide bombings that killed 58
people in Istanbul, and Turkish prosecutors claimed that Osama bin
Laden personally ordered him to carry out terror attacks in this
pro-Western country. Loa'i Mohammad Haj Bakr al-Saqa (32) was
accused of serving as a point man between al-Qaida and homegrown
militants behind the series of suicide bombings in Istanbul in 2003,
said the indictment. It said al-Saqa gave the Turkish militants
about $170,000. He was captured in Turkey in August after an alleged
failed plot to attack Israeli cruise ships in the Mediterranean.
(AP, 2/10/06)
2006 Feb 14, The UN asked
Lebanon to explain reports of arms shipments crossing the Syrian
border destined for the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah.
(AP, 2/14/06)
2006 Feb 24, French legal
authorities refused to extradite to Lebanon Zouheir Mohammad
Assediq, an ex-Syrian intelligence officer, to answer questions
about the murder of former Lebanese PM Rafiq el-Hariri.
(AFP, 2/26/06)
2006 Mar 17, Exiled Syrian
opposition figures in Belgium formed a united front, calling for a
transitional government to prepare for the overthrow of President
Bashar Assad's regime.
(AP, 3/17/06)
2006 Apr 3, Mohammed al-Maghout
(72), a Syrian poet and playwright known for his satirical
depictions of authoritarian Arab regimes, died of a stroke at his
home in Damascus.
(AP, 4/3/06)
2006 May 14, Syria detained
Michel Kilo (66), a prominent writer and democracy campaigner,
who has long been one of the government's most outspoken critics.
(AP, 5/15/06)
2006 Jun 2, Clashes between
Syrian security forces and Islamic militants in an area of Damascus
filled with government buildings left five dead and four wounded.
(AP, 6/2/06)
2006 Jun 5, Key Syrian
opposition figures urged Syrians to work to oust President Bashar
Assad by using acts of civil disobedience reminiscent to the
upheaval that freed nations behind the Iron Curtain.
(AP, 6/5/06)
2006 Jun 7, In Syria Mohammad
Ghanem, a journalist who edits a Web site and advocates greater
rights for Kurds in Syria, was sentenced to a year in prison, but
the military court commuted his sentence to six months. Ghanem was
convicted on charges of "insulting the Syrian president,
discrediting the Syrian government and fomenting sectarian unrest."
(AP, 6/7/06)
2006 Jun 26, Syrian President
Bashar Assad said in a published interview that Lebanon is becoming
a shelter for al-Qaida-linked militants fleeing across the Syrian
border after a crackdown by authorities there.
(AP, 6/26/06)
2006 Jul 23, Syria, one of
Hezbollah's main backers, said it will press for a cease-fire to end
the fighting between Israel and the Islamic militant group but only
in the framework of a broader Middle East peace initiative.
(AP, 7/23/06)
2006 Aug 23, Syria opposed
deployment of an international force along its border to prevent
arms shipments to Hezbollah, and Israel called the situation in
Lebanon "explosive." In southern Lebanon 3 Lebanese soldiers were
killed while they dismantled an unexploded missile. An Israeli
soldier was killed and three others wounded in southern Lebanon when
their tank drove over a land mine.
(AP, 8/23/06)(AP, 8/24/06)
2006 Aug 30, Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez said in Damascus that he and Syrian President
Bashar Assad shared a "decisive and firm" stance against American
"imperialism" and "domination."
(AP, 8/30/06)
2006 Sep 1, UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that Syria had pledged to step up
border patrols and work with the Lebanese army to stop the flow of
weapons to Hezbollah.
(AP, 9/1/06)
2006 Sep 7, Cyprus impounded a
Panama-flagged vessel on arms smuggling suspicion. It carried 18
North Korean mobile radar units and 3 command vehicles due for
delivery to Syria.
(WSJ, 9/8/06, p.A1)(Reuters, 9/11/06)
2006 Sep 9, Italy's PM Romano
Prodi said Syria has agreed "in principle" to a European Union
presence on its border to help stem the flow of weapons into
Lebanon.
(AP, 9/9/06)
2006 Sep 12, In Syria armed
Islamic militants attempted to storm the US Embassy in Damascus.
Four people were killed, including three of the assailants. One of
Syria's anti-terrorism forces was killed and 11 other people were
wounded. The only Islamic militant arrested in the attack died from
his wounds, and authorities were unable to question him.
(AP, 9/12/06)(AP, 9/13/06)
2006 Sep 23, The TV series “The
Renegades,” directed by Najdat Anzour of Syria, began showing in
Lebanon and the rest of the Arab world. It fictionalized the
devastating effects of terrorism on Muslim families.
(SFC, 10/4/06, p.A7)
2006 Oct 19, Syrian authorities
ordered prominent writer and pro-democracy activist Michel Kilo
released on bail after more than four months in detention.
(AP, 10/19/06)
2006 Nov 6, Syria's foreign
minister said his country was ready to resume peace talks with
Israel and he urged the Jewish state's government to heed calls from
within the country for renewed negotiations.
(AP, 11/7/06)
2006 Nov 20, Iran invited Iraq
and Syria to talks in Tehran aimed at curbing violence in Iraq.
(SFC, 11/21/06, p.A1)
2006 Nov 21, Iraq restored
diplomatic relations with Syria as part of a wider regional effort
to clamp off violence in Iraq. Iraqi and US forces raided Baghdad's
Sadr City and detained seven militia members, including one believed
to have information about an American soldier kidnapped last month.
A young boy and two other people were killed in the early morning
raid.
(AP, 11/21/06)
2006 Nov 25, Israel and the
Palestinians agreed to a cease-fire to end a five-month Israeli
military offensive in the Gaza Strip and the firing of rockets by
Palestinian militants into the Jewish state. Hamas' leader,
Damascus-based supreme leader Khaled Mashaal, said his group was
willing to give peace negotiations with Israel six months to reach
an agreement for a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank, but
threatened a new uprising if the talks fail.
(AP, 11/25/06) (AP, 11/25/07)
2006 Nov 28, A Syrian leader of
an Islamic militant group blew himself up at a border post with
Lebanon after a gunbattle with Syrian security forces.
(AP, 11/28/06)
2006 Dec 7, Ali Reza Asgari, a
retired general who served in Iran's Revolutionary Guard, arrived in
Turkey on a private visit from Damascus, Syria. He had become
involved in the olive business after retirement. Iranian officials
later said that he disappeared on Dec 9. In March, 2009, a former
German Defense Ministry official said Asgari had defected and was
providing information to the West on Iran's nuclear program. Asgari
allegedly told the West that Iran was financing North Korean steps
to transform Syria into a nuclear weapons power, leading to an
Israeli airstrike that targeted a site in Syria on Sept. 6, 2007. In
November Iranian news Web sites reported that Asgari had been
abducted by Israeli agents and is now being held in Israel.
(AP, 11/16/09)
2006 Dec 13, Syria said it has
admitted more than 800,000 Iraqis who have fled the violence in
their country.
(AP, 12/13/06)
2006 Dec 18, Syria’s official
SUNA news agency said Syria and Iraq had signed on to a plan to
cooperate in combating terrorism and crime.
(AP, 12/18/06)
2006 Dec 19, Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad said he was ready for dialogue with the United
States but warned Washington against giving Damascus orders.
(AP, 12/19/06)
2007 Feb 5, Syria’s President
Bashar Assad said cooperation, and negotiations, between Syria and
the US could be the "last chance" to avoid full-scale civil war in
Iraq.
(AP, 2/5/07)
2007 Feb 11, A Syrian court
sentenced Mohammed Haydar Zammar, a man believed to have known the
Sept. 11 hijackers, to 12 years in prison for membership in the
banned Muslim Brotherhood organization.
(AP, 2/11/07)
2007 Feb 17, Syrian President
Bashar Assad arrived in Iran to discuss Iraq and other Middle East
issues with President Mahmoud Ahmadinajed.
(AP, 2/17/07)
2007 Feb 22, The Israeli daily
Haaretz reported that Syria has embarked on an "unprecedented"
effort to bolster its armed forces with Iranian and Russian help.
(AP, 2/22/07)
2007 Feb 28, Syria said it
would participate in a Baghdad-organized conference of Iraq's
neighbors that the US plans to attend. Iran said it was considering
whether to take part.
(AP, 2/28/07)
2007 Mar 8, Syria’s Pres.
Bashar Assad inaugurated the first stage of a joint Syrian-Iranian
auto factory, test-driving one of the new cars and declaring that
the project will boost cooperation between the allies.
(AP, 3/9/07)
2007 Apr 1, In Syria US House
members meeting with President Bashar Assad said they believed there
was an opportunity for dialogue.
(AP, 4/1/07)
2007 Apr 4, In Damascus US
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi held talks with Syria's leader despite
White House objections, saying she pressed President Bashar Assad
over his country's support for militant groups and passed him a
peace message from Israel.
(AP, 4/4/07)
2007 Apr 4, Iran’s President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad freed the 15 detained British sailors and
marines as an Easter holiday "gift" to the British people. Syria
said it played a key role in resolving the standoff over the 15
British sailors and marines held by Iran. Turkey brokered the
release of the British sailors.
(AP, 4/4/07)(Econ, 8/21/10, p.42)
2007 Apr 12, A Syrian-American
businessman with ties to the Damascus government made an
unprecedented appearance before an Israeli parliamentary panel,
telling lawmakers that Syrian President Bashar Assad is ready to
make peace with the Jewish state.
(AP, 4/13/07)
2007 Apr 14, Syria distanced
itself from comments by a Syrian-American businessman who recently
told Israeli lawmakers that President Bashar Assad was ready to make
peace with the Jewish state.
(AP, 4/14/07)
2007 Apr 18, The UN Security
Council expressed "serious concern" at mounting reports of weapons
being smuggled from Syria to Lebanon and authorized an independent
mission to evaluate monitoring of the border between the two
countries.
(AP, 4/18/07)
2007 Apr 23, Syrians voted for
a second day in a tightly controlled election to pick a new
legislature, a vote President Bashar Assad hopes can consolidate his
rule, soften his regime's authoritarian image and ease its
international isolation.
(AP, 4/23/07)
2007 Apr 24, A Syrian court
convicted prominent human rights activist Anwar al-Bunni of
disseminating hostile information and sentenced him to five years in
jail.
(AP, 4/24/07)
2007 Apr 26, Syria’s government
said that the ruling coalition took an overwhelming majority of
seats in parliamentary elections that were boycotted by the
opposition as a farce.
(AP, 4/26/07)
2007 May 3, In Egypt a
conference of nearly 50 nations opened at Sharm el-Sheik to rally
international support, particularly from Arab nations, for an
ambitious plan to stabilize Iraq. US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice met Syria's foreign minister in the first high-level talks
between the two countries in years. Hours after the chief military
spokesman in Iraq said Syria had moved to reduce "the flow of
foreign fighters" across its border.
(AP, 5/3/07)
2007 May 8, A newspaper owned
by Saudi Arabia's royal family said one of seven recently exposed
Saudi terrorist cells used Syria as a base for coordinating with
al-Qaida in Iraq and held training camps in the desert of
neighboring Yemen.
(AP, 5/8/07)
2007 May 9, In northern Syria 7
people were killed and 7 were wounded when a 5-story building
collapsed.
(AP, 5/10/07)
2007 May 10, Kamal Labwani, a
Syrian dissident who was arrested after meeting with White House
officials two years ago, was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in
prison for contacting a foreign country and inciting attack against
his country. His sentencing follows another in recent days against
Anwar al-Bunni, a human rights lawyer, who received a five-year
prison sentence, signaling a continuing of a crackdown by
authorities against dissent.
(AP, 5/10/07)
2007 May 13, A Syrian court
sentenced four pro-democracy campaigners, including one of Syria's
most respected writers, to prison terms as part of President's
Bashar Assad's latest crack down on dissent.
(AP, 5/14/07)
2007 May 23, In northern Syria
14 people were killed and 20 injured when an Iraqi bus overturned on
the Raqqa-Aleppo highway about 250 miles north of Damascus.
(AP, 5/24/07)
2007 May 24, Hundreds of
thousands of Syrians thronged Damascus to support a second
seven-year term for President Bashar Assad.
(AP, 5/24/07)
2007 May 26, In Washington, DC,
some 100 supporters of Syria’s largest exile opposition group, the
National Salvation Front, gathered outside the Damascus embassy to
protest against the government of Pres. Assad.
(WSJ, 1/25/07, p.A1)
2007 May 27, Syrian President
Bashar Assad cast his vote at a polling station as part of a one-day
public referendum to endorse him for a second term and bolster his
autocratic rule. Assad won another seven years in office, getting
97% of the vote in a nationwide referendum in which he was the only
candidate.
(AP, 5/27/07)(AP, 5/29/07)
2007 Jun 17, A Syrian court
found 7 pro-Democracy advocates guilty of endangering the state and
sentenced them 5 to 7 years in prison.
(SFC, 6/19/07, p.A7)
2007 Jun, The World Monuments
Fund added the Jordan River Valley to its list of 100 most
endangered sites. Israel, Jordan and Syria diverted over 90% of the
Jordan River water annually for drinking and irrigation, reducing
flow to the Dead Sea.
(SSFC, 8/12/07, p.A15)
2007 Jul 17, Syria’s Pres.
Bashar Assad was sworn in for a 2nd, seven-year term in office.
(AP, 7/17/07)
2007 Jul 21, In northern Syria
2 buses collided head-on, killing 20 people and wounding 50.
(AP, 7/21/07)
2007 Jul 26, In northern Syria
an explosion at an ordnance depot that was blamed on summer heat
killed at least 15 soldiers and wounded 50 others.
(AP, 7/26/07)
2007 Aug 20, Iraq's embattled
PM Nouri al-Maliki came to Syria on his first visit here as prime
minister amid efforts to garner neighbors' support for curbing
violence at home. Syria said Iraq should set a timetable for the
withdrawal of foreign troops. A roadside bomb killed Mohammed Ali
al-Hassani (52), the governor of the predominantly Shiite Muthanna
province, along with his driver and guard. Two bombings struck the
Shiite district of Sadr City and a busy market district elsewhere in
Baghdad, killing at least 7 people and wounding more than 20.
Thousands rallied against the US in Sadr City, waving Iraqi flags
and shouting "No, no to America."
(AP, 8/20/07)
2007 Aug 27, Israel’s Haaretz
newspaper reported that security officials fear Hamas' exiled
leadership in Syria is working to renew suicide attacks against
Israel in an effort to derail peace efforts by Israel and
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli intelligence assessed
that Islamic Hamas militants have smuggled 40 tons of weapons into
the Gaza Strip since the group wrested control of the territory in
June.
(AP, 8/27/07)
2007 Sep 6, Israeli troops
backed by tanks and bulldozers crossed into southern Gaza to strike
at Palestinian militants and 10 militants were killed. Palestinian
militants said fighters in a pickup truck and jeep crashed through a
fence on the Gaza-Israel border and attacked an Israeli army post.
An Israeli airstrike hit in Syria where it was believed weapons,
being sent from Iran to the militant Islamic group in Lebanon, were
stored. It was later reported that the airstrike was aimed at a
partly constructed nuclear reactor.
(AP, 9/6/07)(AP, 9/12/07)(SSFC, 10/14/07, p.A19)
2007 Sep 11, Syria complained
to the UN about Israeli "aggression and violation of sovereignty"
after what a US official said was Sep 6 airstrike deep in Syria.
(AP, 9/11/07)(AP, 9/12/07)
2007 Sep 21, North Korea and
Syria held high-level talks in Pyongyang, amid suspicions that the
two countries might be cooperating on a nuclear weapons program.
(AP, 9/21/07)
2007 Sep 22, North Korea's No.
2 leader met with a Syrian delegation in Pyongyang, amid suspicions
of a secret nuclear connection between the two countries.
(AP, 9/22/07)
2007 Oct 1, Syria began
requiring visas for Iraqis entering the country, hoping to stem the
flow of refugees fleeing violence in their homeland.
(AP, 10/1/07)
2007 Oct 4, Iranian state
television reported that Iran and Syria have signed an agreement for
Tehran to export a billion dollars worth of gas every year to its
chief regional ally.
(AP, 10/4/07)
2007 Oct 17,
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on a visit to Turkey, said
that Damascus would back a possible Turkish incursion into northern
Iraq to crack down "against terrorist activities" there.
(AP, 10/17/07)
2007 Oct 18, The UN said action
would be taken against the interpreter responsible for an erroneous
report that Syria has a nuclear facility and expressed regret at the
incident.
(AP, 10/18/07)
2007 Oct 21, In Syria a
high-level North Korean official held talks with PM Naji Otari on
ways to improve cooperation between the two countries.
(AP, 10/21/07)
2007 Oct 25,
In northern Syria authorities hanged five men for murders they
committed during attempted robberies.
(AP, 10/25/07)
2007 Dec 18, A human rights
group said that Syrian authorities have arrested two activists,
raising to at least seven the number detained following a recent
meeting of opposition groups in Damascus. The two had attended the
National Council of the Damascus Declaration for Democratic Change,
a Dec. 1 gathering of numerous opposition groups and activists
calling for democratic reforms in Syria.
(AP, 12/18/07)
2007 Dec 30, President Nicolas
Sarkozy said France will have no more contact with Syria until
Damascus shows its willingness to let Lebanon end its current crisis
and appoint a new president.
(AP, 12/30/07)
2007 Dec 31, Syria’s state-run
media called on the US to begin a direct dialogue, a day after an
influential US senator said Washington could "bridge the gap"
between Israel and Syria.
(AP, 12/31/07)
2007 Syria’s oil exports were
expected to almost cease by this time.
(SFEC, 1/25/98, p.A18)
2007 Syria’s population
numbered about 19 million.
(Econ, 11/17/07, p.55)
2008 Jan 5, Syria joined other
Arab nations in endorsing the head of Lebanon's army as that
country's next president, putting pressure on the Lebanese
opposition to drop demands that have blocked a compromise over the
post.
(AP, 1/5/08)
2008 Jan 9, The US imposed
sanctions on Mishan Jaburi, owner of Al Zawra television in Syria,
and Brig. Gen. Ahmed Foruzandeh, leader of the Iranian Quds Force,
for broadcasting attacks on American troops and calls to violence.
Jaburi, a former parliamentarian in Iraq, had fled to Syria in 2006
amid charges that he had embezzled millions from Iraq’s treasury.
The BBC said the station was last seen July 27.
(SFC, 1/10/08, p.A13)
2008 Feb 12, In Syria Imad
Mughniyeh (45), the suspected mastermind of dramatic attacks on the
US Embassy and US Marine barracks that killed hundreds of Americans
in Lebanon in the 1980s, died in a car bombing. Hezbollah and its
Iranian backers blamed Israel for the killing. Israel denied
involvement and said it was looking into the death.
(AP, 2/13/08)
2008 Feb 14, The chief of
Hezbollah vowed to retaliate against Israeli targets anywhere in the
world after accusing the Jewish state of killing the militant Imad
Mughniyeh in Syria.
(AP, 2/14/08)
2008 Mar 3, Tens of thousands
of Syrians filled the central square of the capital to protest an
Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip that has left scores of
Palestinians dead.
(AP, 3/3/08)
2008 Mar 8, North Korea’s
official news agency reported that leader Kim Jong Il hopes for
stronger friendship with Syria, amid lingering suspicions of a
secret nuclear connection between the two countries.
(AP, 3/8/08)
2008 Mar 11, At least 42 people
were killed across Iraq. A roadside bomb hit a bus traveling in
southern Iraq, killing at least 16 civilians, while gunmen opened
fire on another bus in the capital, leaving one person dead. The
Pentagon said up to 90% of the foreign fighters in Iraq cross from
Syria.
(AFP, 3/11/08)(AP, 3/12/08)(WSJ, 3/12/08, p.A1)
2008 Mar 14, In northern Syria
a bus carrying high school students rammed into a house and flipped
over, killing at least 24 people and injuring 34.
(AP, 3/14/08)
2008 Mar 24, Saudi Arabia said
its king would send a lower level diplomat to the March 29 Arab
League summit in Syria, which hoped to help solve the stalemate in
Lebanon.
(WSJ, 3/25/08, p.A1)
2008 Mar 25, It was reported
that Syria is cracking down more on Internet use, imposing tighter
monitoring of citizens who link to the Web, as well as jailing
bloggers who criticize the government and blocking YouTube and other
Web sites deemed harmful to state security.
(AP, 3/25/08)
2008 Mar 28, Jordan, Iraq and
Yemen announced at the last minute that their top leaders will not
attend this weekend's Arab summit in Damascus.
(AP, 3/28/08)
2008 Mar 29, An Arab League
summit in Damascus, where Syrian President Bashar Assad questioned
how long Arab nations can keep offering Israel a land-for-peace
proposal. Islamic and Arab leaders denounced a Dutch film that
portrays Islam as a ticking time bomb aimed at the West, demanding
international laws to prevent insults to religions.
(AP, 3/29/08)(AP, 3/30/08)
2008 Mar 30, In Syria Iraq
refused to endorse the final declaration of the Arab summit because
it did not condemn terrorism in the country, a divisive end to a
gathering marred by disputes and boycotts.
(AP, 3/30/08)
2008 Apr 18,
Former US Pres. Jimmy Carter arrived in Syria where he met
Pres. Bashar Assad, the political leader of the militant Palestinian
Hamas group and Syrian businessmen.
(AP, 4/18/08)
2008 Apr 19, In Syria defying
US and Israeli warnings, former President Jimmy Carter met again on
with Khaled Mashaal, the exiled leader of the militant Hamas group,
and his deputy, Moussa Abu Marzouk.
(AP, 4/19/08)
2008 Apr 23, Syria handed over
a trove of some 700 looted artifacts to Iraq after seizing the items
from traffickers since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam
Hussein.
(AP, 4/24/08)
2008 Apr 24, Syria dismissed US
accusations that North Korea was helping it build a nuclear reactor
that could produce plutonium. Israeli warplanes bombed a site in
Syria on Sept. 6, 2007, that private analysts said appeared to have
been the site of a reactor, based on commercial satellite imagery
taken after the raid. Syria later razed the site.
(AP, 4/24/08)
2008 Apr 26, Turkey's PM
Erdogan was in Syria in a bid to restart peace negotiations between
Damascus and its Mideast foe, Israel.
(AP, 4/26/08)
2008 May 21, Israel and Syria
said they were holding indirect peace talks through Turkish
mediators on a dispute that centers on the Golan Heights.
(AP, 5/21/08)
2008 Jun 2, The chief of the
International Atomic Energy Agency says Syria has agreed to let
inspectors into the country this month to probe allegations of
illegal nuclear activity.
(AP, 6/2/08)
2008 Jun 5, Diplomats said
Syria has told a 35-nation meeting that it will limit what UN
nuclear inspectors can see when they go to check on allegations that
Damascus is hiding atomic facilities.
(AP, 6/5/08)
2008 Jun 15, Israeli officials
said that indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria have
resumed, with Turkish mediation.
(AP, 6/15/08)
2008 Jun 16, Officials said 2
days of peace talks in Turkey involving Israel and Syria had
concluded and more talks were planned.
(AP, 6/16/08)
2008 Jun 23, UN experts began
probing allegations that Syria has a hidden nuclear program, as
Damascus imposed strict secrecy on the visit, warning the UN not to
drag it into a drawn-out investigation like the standoff with Iran.
(AP, 6/24/08)
2008 Jun 25, A senior UN atomic
inspector said an initial probe of US allegations that a Syrian site
hit by Israeli warplanes was a secretly built nuclear reactor is
inconclusive and further checks are necessary.
(AP, 6/25/08)
2008 Jul 5, In Syria military
police officers killed at least 9 inmates during a riot at the
Saydnaya Prison. The prisoners took 9 officials and guards hostage.
(SSFC, 7/6/08, p.A7)
2008 Jul 12, French President
Nicolas Sarkozy met his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak, kicking
off a round of diplomacy with Middle East leaders ahead of an
EU-Mediterranean summit. Sarkozy said that Syria and Lebanon will
open embassies in each other's countries for the first time. Syria's
leader cautioned there was still work to be done before that could
happen.
(AP, 7/12/08)(AP, 7/13/08)
2008 Aug 1, A sniper
assassinated Brig. Gen. Mohammed Suleiman, a senior Syrian general
close to President Bashar Assad, at a beach resort in the northern
port city of Tartous.
(AP, 8/4/08)
2008 Aug 9, Syria said it would
bar UN nuclear investigators from revisiting a site bombed by
Israeli jets on suspicion it was a secretly built atomic reactor.
(AP, 8/9/08)
2008 Aug 14, Syria agreed to a
longtime Lebanese demand to negotiate the demarcation of their
border a day after the countries said they would establish full
diplomatic relations for the first time.
(AP, 8/14/08)
2008 Sep 3, French President
Nicolas Sarkozy encouraged Syria to pursue face-to-face peace talks
with Israel during his first trip to the Arab nation, a visit also
aimed at undercutting Iranian influence in Damascus.
(AP, 9/4/08)
2008 Sep 4, Syrian President
Bashar Assad announced that his country has handed over proposals
for peace with Israel to Turkish mediators and would wait for
Israel's response before holding any face-to-face negotiations.
(AP, 9/4/08)
2008 Sep 12, Russia’s Itar-Tass
news reported that Syria’s Tartous port is being renovated to
provide a permanent facility for the Russian navy.
(SFC, 10/3/08, p.A14)
2008 Sep 27, In Damascus,
Syria, a car packed with explosives detonated on a crowded
residential street, killing 17 people and wounding more than a dozen
others.
(AP, 9/27/08)
2008 Oct 9, Two American
journalists, Holli Chmela (27) and Taylor Luck (23), who went
missing during a vacation in Lebanon eight days ago were released in
Syria and returned to Jordan. The next day they said they had been
"kidnapped" by their taxi driver and taken into Syria, where they
were held in custody for a week before being released.
(AP, 10/9/08)(AP, 10/10/08)
2008 Oct 14, Syria established
diplomatic relations with Lebanon, ending six decades of
non-recognition of its neighbor's sovereignty in an apparent bid to
curry favor with the West as it pursues indirect peace talks with
Israel.
(AP, 10/14/08)
2008 Oct 15, The foreign
ministers of Syria and Lebanon signed an agreement formalizing
diplomatic ties between the two countries for the first time in
their turbulent history.
(AP, 10/15/08)
2008 Oct 26, Four US military
helicopters attacked a civilian building under construction shortly
before sundown in Sukkariyeh about five miles inside the Syrian
border. A government statement said eight people were killed,
including a man and his four children and a woman. An Associated
Press journalist at the funerals in the village's cemetery saw the
bodies of seven men, none of them minors. The area targeted is near
the Iraqi border city of Qaim, which had been a major crossing point
for fighters, weapons and money coming into Iraq.
(AP, 10/27/08)
2008 Oct 28, The Syrian
government ordered that an American school and a US cultural center
in Damascus be closed in response to a deadly raid by US helicopters
near the Syrian border with Iraq.
(AP, 10/28/08)
2008 Oct 29, A Syrian criminal
court convicted 12 dissidents of fomenting sectarian strife and
sentenced them to two and a half years in prison. The defendants,
members of a pro-democracy group known as the Damascus Declaration,
were arrested last December. The Damascus Declaration, formed in
2005, is the broadest coalition of opposition figures in Syria.
(AP, 10/29/08)
2008 Oct 30, Scientists
reported that 1 in 17 men living on the coasts of North Africa and
southern Europe may have a Phoenician direct male line ancestor.
Evidence was based on Y-chromosomes collected in Cyprus, Malta,
Morocco, the West Bank, Syria and Tunisia.
(SFC, 10/31/08, p.A14)
2008 Dec 14, In Syria former US
President Jimmy Carter met with Khaled Mashaal, the exiled leader of
the Palestinian militant group Hamas, for the second time this year.
(AP, 12/14/08)
2008 Syrian authorities blocked
225 internet sites this year, up from 159 in 2007.
(Econ, 7/25/09, SR p.13)
2009 Jan 11, An estimated 2,500
Lebanese and Palestinians protested peacefully in downtown Beirut
against Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip, as hundreds of
demonstrators in neighboring Syria shouted insults at the both the
Jewish state and Arab leaders.
(AP, 1/11/09)
2009 Feb 19, The International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said samples taken from a Syrian site
suspected of being a secretly built reactor have revealed new traces
of processed uranium.
(AP, 2/19/09)
2009 Feb 24, Syria's nuclear
chief told the UN's nuclear agency that his nation has built a new
missile facility on the site of what the US says was a nearly
finished nuclear reactor bombed by Israel in Sep 2007.
(AP, 2/25/09)
2009 Mar 10, Syria opened its
first stock exchange, closed since the 1960s, as it shifted from
socialist policies toward a more market oriented system.
(SFC, 3/11/09, p.A2)(Econ, 11/28/09, p.50)
2009 Mar 11, Saudi Arabia
hosted the leaders of Egypt and Syria in an effort to persuade
Damascus to move away from Iran and join with US-allied Arab
countries in working to blunt Tehran's influence.
(AP, 3/11/09)
2009 Mar 16, Lebanon opened its
first-ever embassy in Syria in another sign of improving ties
between the long-feuding neighbors.
(AP, 3/16/09)
2009 Mar 31, The US Government
Accountability Office released a report saying 4 countries
designated a terrorism sponsors received $55 million from a US
supported program promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy under
the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation program. Between 1997 and 2007 Iran
received over $15 million, $14 million went to Syria, while Sudan
and Cuba received over $11 million each.
(WSJ, 3/31/09, p.A3)
2009 Apr 17, Mohammed Zuhair
Siddiq, purported Syrian intelligence officer and one of the
suspects in the 2005 assassination of a former Lebanese prime
minister, was arrested in Dubai. He was arrested in France in
October 2005 as a suspect in the murder, but disappeared from house
arrest in France in March, 2008.
(AP, 4/20/09)
2009 Apr 26, Chinese Foreign
Minister Yang Jiechi wrapped up a regional Middle East visit in
Damascus saying Israel should return the Golan Heights to Syria.
(AFP, 4/26/09)
2009 May 1, In northern Iraq
Ammar Afif Hamada (19), a would-be Syrian suicide bomber linked to
al-Qaida in Iraq, was tackled by guards on the doorstep of a mosque
in Kirkuk.
(AP, 5/2/09)
2009 May 5, The leaders of Iran
and Syria reaffirmed their support for Palestinian resistance, a
defiant message to the US and its Mideast allies who are uneasy over
Washington's efforts to forge closer ties with the hard-line
government in Tehran.
(AP, 5/5/09)
2009 May 10, Syria rejected the
Obama administration's decision to renew economic and diplomatic
sanctions against Damascus and urged Washington to abandon "foolish
polices."
(AP, 5/10/09)
2009 May 17, Israel's President
Shimon Peres urged Syria to open direct peace talks and said
indirect negotiations mediated by Turkey had not resumed.
(AP, 5/17/09)
2009 Jul 2, The BBC reported
that Syria’s Pres. Assad has issued a presidential decree ordering
honor killers to face at least 2 years in prison.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8130639.stm)
2009 Aug 7, Portugal said it
has agreed to take two Syrian detainees from Guantanamo prison.
(AP, 8/7/09)
2009 Aug 19, Syrian President
Bashar Assad opened talks with Iranian officials in a visit expected
to include an appeal to free a French academic accused of plotting
to overthrow the Islamic regime.
(AP, 8/19/09)
2009 Aug 25, Iraq recalled its
ambassador from Syria and demanded that Damascus hand over two
suspected Saddam Hussein loyalists it has linked to the Aug 19
suicide attacks.
(AP, 8/25/09)
2009 Aug 29, Portugal’s
government said 2 Syrians previously held at Guantanamo Bay have
arrived in Portugal as free men.
(AP, 8/29/09)
2009 Sep 3, A water rights
battle over the historic Tigris and Euphrates rivers simmered, as
Iraq and Syria appealed for increased water flows to cope with
severe drought but Turkey said it was already too overstretched.
(AP, 9/3/09)
2009 Sep 15, In Turkey security
talks failed over Syria's refusal to extradite some suspects accused
of deadly bombings in Baghdad. Senior Iraqi and Syrian diplomats
attended the talks.
(AP, 9/16/09)
2009 Sep 16, Syrian President
Bashar Assad met with Turkey's PM Erdogan in Istanbul to discuss
ways to revive the stalled peace process between Syria and Israel, a
day after security talks with Iraq collapsed.
(AP, 9/16/09)
2009 Sep 27, It was reported
that some 300,000 Syrian farmers, herders and their families have
been forced by drought to abandon their homes for makeshift urban
camps.
(SSFC, 9/27/09, p.A18)
2009 Oct 6, Syria held its
first ever fashion design competition, meant to encourage young
Syrian talents and local products.
(AP, 10/7/09)
2009 Oct 7, Saudi Arabia's King
Abdullah made his first visit to Syria since becoming monarch, the
strongest indication yet of thawing relations between the two rival
nations following years of tension. The 2-day talks between Abdullah
and Assad focused on the need for Arab solidarity in view of the
numerous challenges facing the Arab world.
(AP, 10/7/09)(AP, 10/9/09)
2009 Oct 12, Syria's Pres.
Bashar Assad issued a decree banning smoking in public places,
joining an anti-smoking trend already under way in other Arab
countries. The decree will go into effect in six months and ban
smoking in restaurants, cafes, cinemas, theaters, schools, official
functions and on public transport. Offenders will be fined 2,000
Syrian pounds, about $45.
(AP, 10/12/09)
2009 Oct 15, The Syrian-based
leadership of the militant Palestinian Hamas said it has rejected an
Egyptian-mediated proposal to reconcile with the rival Fatah group.
Hamas and seven other Damascus-based Palestinian factions issued a
joint statement saying the reconciliation plan must be revised to
include a reference to the Palestinian right to resist Israeli
occupation.
(AP, 10/15/09)
2009 Oct, Turkish ministers
traveled to Baghdad and Damascus to sign a package of 48
co-operation deals with Iraq and 40 with Syria, covering everything
from tourism to counter-terrorism and joint military exercises.
(Econ, 10/31/09, p.57)
2009 Dec 17, Former Syrian
President Amin Hafez (b.1920) died. He was brought to power by a
military coup only to be overthrown three years later. Hafez became
president in a 1963 coup, but Baath Party radicals drove him from
power three years later.
(AP, 12/17/09)
2009 Dec 19, Lebanon's PM Saad
Hariri, who has blamed neighboring Syria for the assassination of
his father, visited Damascus for the first time since the 2005
killing, a trip that a close associate said was extremely difficult
for him to make.
(AP, 12/19/09)
2009 Dec 27, Syrian security
agents detained Tal al-Mallohi (19), a high school student blogger,
after summoning her for questioning. Authorities have not allowed
al-Mallohi's family to communicate with her since she was picked up.
On Sep 20, 2010, The New York-based Human Rights Watch called for
her immediate release. On Feb 14, 2011, she was sentenced to 5 years
in prison on charges of spying for a foreign country.
(AP, 9/20/10)(SFC, 2/15/11, p.A2)
2009 Syria’s population
numbered about 22 million people, including about 1.5 million Kurds.
(Econ, 11/28/09, p.50)
2010 Feb 25, Syria and Iran
defended their strong ties and dismissed US efforts to break up the
30-year-alliance, saying America should not dictate relationships in
the Middle East.
(AP, 2/25/10)
2010 Mar 4, A Syrian
archaeologist said more than 250 silver coins dating back to the
time of Alexander the Great have been unearthed. The coins were
discovered two weeks ago in a bronze box in northern Syria when a
local man was digging the foundations of his new home.
(AP, 3/4/10)
2010 Mar 21, Syrian police
opened fire at a group of Kurds celebrating the new year, killing at
least one person despite signs that tensions were easing between the
government and its restive Kurdish minority.
(AP, 3/29/10)
2010 Mar 26, Tens of thousands
of Syrians and Palestinians gathered in a Damascus square in a
government-orchestrated "march of anger" against Israeli settlements
in east Jerusalem.
(AP, 3/26/10)
2010 Apr 21, In Syria a smoking
ban that few are expected to abide by went into effect. The law,
which also forbids the sale of cigarettes to minors, was approved
six months ago by President Bashar Assad, a British-trained eye
doctor. A 1996 decree issued by Assad's late father, President Hafez
Assad, had banned smoking in government offices, hospitals and the
airport. A 2004 law banned smoking in internet cafes and another law
in 2006 made buses, railway stations, movie theaters, parks and
cultural centers smoke-free, with violators facing a fine of about
$10 and three months in jail. But the bans were often flouted and
not strictly enforced.
(AP, 4/21/10)
2010 Apr 29, Iraq's election
commission said recounting all the ballots from the key Baghdad
province will take around 2 to 3 weeks, further delaying the
formation of a long awaited new government. 8 people were killed and
20 injured in car bomb outside a Baghdad liquor store. Iraq's banned
Baath party, booted out of power in the 2003 US-led invasion, held
its first public meeting in the Syrian capital.
(AP, 4/29/10)(AFP, 4/30/10)
2010 May 3, The US renewed
sanctions against Damascus, saying Syria has made some progress
containing terror networks that use the country to infiltrate Iraq
but that Damascus continues to support terrorists and pursue weapons
of mass destruction.
(AP, 5/5/10)
2010 May 11, Israeli Foreign
Minister Avigdor Lieberman accused nuclear power North Korea of
supplying Syria with weapons of mass destruction.
(AP, 5/11/10)
2010 May 11, Russia's Pres.
Medvedev said that Israeli-Arab tensions threaten to draw the Middle
East into a new catastrophe, as he added Moscow's weight to a
diplomatic push to ease antagonism between Israel and Syria. While
in Syria, Medvedev unnerved Israel by paying a visit to Khaled
Meshaal, the exiled leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
(AP, 5/11/10)(AP, 5/14/10)
2010 May 14, Russia’s Itar-Tass
news agency quoted a senior Russian arms trader as saying Russia has
signed deals with Syria under which it will sell it warplanes,
anti-tank weapons and air defense systems. Federal Service for
Military-Technical Cooperation chief Mikhail Dmitriyev said Russia
will sell MiG-29 fighter jets, Pantsyr short-range air defense
systems and armored vehicles. He didn't give any numbers or provide
any further details.
(Reuters, 5/14/10)(AP, 5/15/10)
2010 Jun 22, In Syria a severe
4-year drought was reported to be devastating rural communities,
forcing them to abandon the country's traditional breadbasket in the
northeast for cities in search of employment.
(AFP, 6/22/10)
2010 Jun 23, In Syria a court
in Damascus convicted Muhannad al-Hassani (44), a leading
Syrian lawyer and rights activist, of spreading false information
and sentenced him to three years in prison. He was also charged with
"weakening national sentiments," a term often used in Syria against
those who challenge the regime.
(AP, 6/23/10)
2010 Jun 26, Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez met with Syrian President Bashar Assad and
called on Latin America and the Arab world to fight what he called
America's imperialist and capitalist interests abroad.
(AP, 6/26/10)
2010 Jun 28, In Cuba President
Bashar Assad of Syria sat down with Raul Castro as part of his first
tour of Latin America, a trip that is taking him to meetings with
many of the region's left-leaning governments.
(AP, 6/28/10)
2010 Jul 3, In Syria Mohammed
Oudeh (b.1937), the key planner of the 1972 Munich Olympics attack
that killed 11 Israeli athletes, died.
(AP, 7/3/10)(SSFC, 7/4/10, p.C9)
2010 Jul 18, Syria announced a
ban on the niqab, the face-covering Islamic veil, from the country's
universities.
(AP, 7/19/10)
2010 Jul 30, The leaders of
Syria and Saudi Arabia, once bitter rivals, made an unprecedented
show of cooperation, traveling together to Lebanon in hopes of
preventing any violence if members of a militant group are indicted
in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri. Saudi
Arabia, which was close to the slain premier, holds sway with
Lebanon's ruling alliance led by his son Saad, while Syria and Iran
support a rival camp led by Hezbollah.
(AP, 7/30/10)
2010 Sep 25, In Syria leaders
of the two rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas held
reconciliation talks in Damascus and said they wanted the
discussions to continue.
(AFP, 9/25/10)
2010 Oct 2, Visiting Iran
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad assured Pres. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
that their ties were solid, a view unlikely to please Washington
which is working to isolate the Islamic state.
(Reuters, 10/2/10)
2010 Oct 4, An official said
Syria has accused a 19-year-old blogger who is in prison of being a
spy in the first comment from authorities on a case that sparked
calls by a leading rights group for the young woman's release. Tal
al-Mallohi was taken into custody in December. Her blog, known for
poetry and social commentary, focused mostly on the suffering of
Palestinians.
(AP, 10/4/10)
2010 Oct 4, It was reported
that Syria has ordered the arrest of 33 people over false testimony
given in the UN-backed probe into the assassination of Lebanese
ex-premier Rafiq Hariri. Observers said the warrants carried no
legal weight in Lebanon as the crime in question took place on
Lebanese soil and the complainant as well as most of the defendants
are Lebanese.
(AFP, 10/4/10)
2010 Oct 13, Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad told visiting Iraqi premier Nuri al-Maliki that
better ties between the two nations will be strengthened by the
formation of a new Iraqi government.
(AP, 10/13/10)
2010 Oct 21, In Syria
Venezuelan Pres. Chavez met with his Pres. Bashar Assad on the
Mideast leg of an international tour partly intended to counter what
he calls US "imperialism."
(AP, 10/21/10)
2010 Nov 9, Representatives of
Hamas and the Fatah party of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas
started a meeting in Damascus for reconciliation talks.
(AFP, 11/10/10)
2010 Nov 9, A UN report
suggesting North Korea may have supplied Syria, Iran and Myanmar
with banned nuclear technology headed to the Security Council. The
latest report by the so-called Panel of Experts on Pyongyang's
compliance with UN sanctions was delivered to the Security Council's
North Korea sanctions committee in May, but did not move for nearly
six months due to Chinese objections.
(Reuters, 11/9/10)
2010 Dec 29, President Barack
Obama bypassed Congress to name the first US ambassador to Syria in
nearly six years. Obama took the controversial step of forcing
through the appointments of Ambassador Robert Ford and five other
officials while the Senate, which normally needs to confirm
nominations, was out of session.
(AF, 12/30/10)
2011 Jan 15, The prime
ministers of Iraq and Syria agreed to boost cooperation in security
and economic affairs during talks aimed at improving relations
strained by Baghdad's allegations that the Syrians were harboring
Iraqi insurgents.
(AP, 1/15/11)
2011 Jan 16, Syria’s first
American ambassador since 2005 arrived in Damascus at a time of
regional turmoil and with Syrian-US relations still mired in mutual
distrust.
(AP, 1/16/11)
2011 Jan 31, Syria's president
Assad, who has resisted calls for political freedoms and jailed
critics of his regime, said in an interview published today that his
nation is immune from the kind of unrest roiling Tunisia and Egypt.
(AP, 1/31/11)
2011 Feb 1, Syrians were
reported organizing campaigns on Facebook and Twitter calling for a
"day of rage" in Damascus on Feb 4-5, taking inspiration from Egypt
and Tunisia in using social networking sites to rally their
followers for sweeping political reforms.
(AP, 2/1/11)
2011 Mar 7, Syrian authorities
released Haitham al-Maleh (80), a leading lawyer and human rights
activist, just hours after President Bashar Assad issued an amnesty
for older prisoners and others convicted of minor crimes.
(AP, 3/8/11)
2011 Mar 15, The Israeli navy
intercepted an Egyptian-bound ship carrying a large delivery of
weapons off the Mediterranean coast, saying the arms had been sent
by Syria to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. PM Netanyahu
said the source of the weaponry was Iran.
(AP, 3/15/11)
2011 Mar 18, In Syria human
rights activists said plainclothes security officers forcefully
broken up about a dozen protesters in central Damascus. Syrian
security forces launched a harsh crackdown on protesters calling for
political freedoms. Accounts from activists and social media say at
least five people died in Daraa.
(AP, 3/18/11)(AP, 3/19/11)
2011 Mar 20, In Syria more than
100 people were wounded as security forces fired live bullets and
tear gas at thousands of demonstrators in the town of Daraa.
(AFP, 3/20/11)
2011 Mar 21, Syrian riot police
armed with batons chased the crowd off without incident. The
gathering was meant to mourn those who died after security troops
fired at protesters in Deraa on March 18 killing five people.
(AP, 3/21/11)
2011 Mar 22, In Syria Gov.
Faisal Kalthoum was fired from his position in Daraa. A deadly
government crackdown in the southern city of has Daraa left 7 people
dead in 3 days of unrest.
(AP, 3/22/11)
2011 Mar 23, Syrian security
forces shot live ammunition and tear gas near the Omari mosque in
Daraa where protesters have been camped out. At least 15 people were
killed in an operation that began before dawn.
(AP, 3/23/11)(SFC, 3/24/11, p.A4)(Econ, 3/26/11,
p.53)
2011 Mar 24, In Syria thousands
called for liberty in the southern city of Daraa, defying a deadly
government crackdown as they took to the streets in funeral marches
for protesters killed by police gunfire. The Syrian government
pledged to consider lifting some of the Mideast's most repressive
laws in an attempt to stop the weeklong uprising from spreading and
threatening its nearly 50-year rule.
(AP, 3/24/11)(AP, 3/25/11)
2011 Mar 25, In Syria
demonstrations took place in Daraa and throughout the country in
what organizers called a "Day of Dignity." Thousands took to the
streets demanding reforms and mourning dozens of protesters who were
killed during a violent, weeklong crackdown that has brought
extraordinary pressure on the country's autocratic regime.
Presidential adviser Buthaina Shaaban said 34 people have been
killed in the weeklong crackdown. 4 people were reported killed when
armed forces fired on protesters in Latakia. Troops and soldiers
opened fire in at least six places, killing some 15 protesters.
(AP, 3/25/11)(AP, 3/26/11)
2011 Mar 26, Syrian government
forces and protesters clashed in the coastal city of Latakia, where
demonstrators set fire to the offices of President Bashar Assad's
ruling Baath party.
(AP, 3/26/11)
2011 Mar 27, Syria's government
said that unknown gunmen firing from rooftops and prowling the
streets of Latakia are to blame for two days of violence that killed
12 people. A human rights activist said authorities have released 17
political detainees in another apparent attempt to appease the
protesters.
(AP, 3/27/11)
2011 Mar 28, Syrian security
forces fired tear gas and live ammunition on hundreds of protesters
in Daraa as President Bashar Assad faced down the most serious
unrest of his 11 years in power with a bloody, weeklong crackdown.
Reuters’ photographer Khaled al-Hariri, a Syrian based in Damascus,
lost with colleagues.
(AP, 3/28/11)(SFC, 3/29/11, p.A3)(AP, 3/31/11)
2011 Mar 29, Syrian President
Bashar Assad fired his 32-member Cabinet to help quell a wave of
popular fury that erupted more than a week ago, threatening Assad’s
11-year rule in one of the most authoritarian nations in the Middle
East. Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Syria's regime poured
into the streets as the government tried to show it has mass
support. Human Rights Watch said more than 60 people have died since
March 18 as security forces cracked down on protesters. Reuters’
correspondent Suleiman al-Khalidi was detained by Syrian authorities
in Damascus.
(AP, 3/29/11)(AP, 3/31/11)
2011 Mar 30, Syrian President
Bashar Assad blamed "conspirators" for a wave of dissent against his
authoritarian rule, but he failed to lift the country's despised
emergency law or offer any concessions in his first speech since the
protests began nearly two weeks ago.
(AP, 3/30/11)
2011 Mar 31, Syria's Pres.
Bashar Assad, facing a massive protest movement demanding reform,
set up committees to look into the deaths of civilians during nearly
two weeks of unrest and replacing decades-old emergency laws.
(AP, 3/31/11)
2011 Apr 1, Thousands of
Syrians shouting "We want freedom!" marched in Daraa city, which has
become the epicenter of an extraordinary protest movement as
security forces deployed across the country. At least 10 people were
killed as security forces cracked down on demonstrations in Douma.
(AP, 4/1/11)(AP, 4/2/11)(SFC, 4/4/11, p.A3)
2011 Apr 2, Syrian security
forces made dawn arrests as mourners prepared to bury the first of
at least nine people killed in anti-government protests on the
Muslim day of rest.
(AFP, 4/2/11)
2011 Apr 3, Syrian President
Bashar Assad appointed Adel Safar (58), a former agriculture
minister, to form a new government. This was part of a series of
overtures toward reform as the country faced a wave of
anti-government protests.
(AP, 4/3/11)
2011 Apr 5, The southern Syrian
town of Daraa, the center of pro-democracy protests, was hit by a
general strike and braced for fresh rallies after midday prayers.
(AFP, 4/5/11)
2011 Apr 6, Syria closed the
country's only casino and reversed a decision that bans teachers
from wearing the Islamic veil, moves seen an attempt to reach out to
conservative Muslims ahead of calls for pro-democracy
demonstrations.
(AP, 4/6/11)
2011 Apr 7, Syria’s Pres.
Bashar Assad granted citizenship to thousands of Kurds living in a
northeastern province. Kurds, the largest ethnic minority in Syria,
made up 15 percent of the country's 23 million population and have
long complained of neglect and discrimination. Assad also sacked
Governor Mohammad Iyad Ghaza of central Homs province, the scene of
clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in
the past three weeks.
(AP, 4/7/11)
2011 Apr 8, Syrian security
forces fired tear gas and live ammunition as thousands of protesters
gathered in Daraa. 25 people were killed in Daraa. State-run TV said
19 policemen and security forces were killed. 37 protesters were
killed nationwide.
(AP, 4/8/11)(SFC, 4/9/11, p.A3)(AP, 4/13/11)
2011 Apr 9, Syrian security
forces fired on a funeral for protesters in Daraa. Some 37 people
were killed around the country with most of the deaths in Daraa as
the death toll in 3 weeks of protests climbed to over 170.
(SSFC, 4/10/11, p.A7)
2011 Apr 10, Syrian security
forces and pro-government gunmen killed four protesters in the port
city of Banias after the army sealed off the city as hundreds of
protesters gathered. State TV reported that nine soldiers were
killed in an ambush near the city.
(AP, 4/10/11)
2011 Apr 11, Syrian troops
encircled the flashpoint coastal town of Banias, where weekend
shootings left 13 dead and scores wounded. An activist in Damascus
said security forces have beat up and arrested several at the
university's science faculty. Hundreds of students had been shouting
for freedoms and unity among Syrians. Activists said security forces
killed a student during the protest at Damascus University.
(AFP, 4/11/11)(AP, 4/11/11)(AP, 4/12/11)
2011 Apr 12, Syrian
pro-government gunmen launched an attack on two villages, Bayda and
Beit Jnad, in the northeast.
(AP, 4/12/11)
2011 Apr 13, In Syria thousands
of women and children holding white flags and olive branches blocked
a main coastal highway, demanding authorities release detainees
picked up during a crackdown on opponents of President Assad's
authoritarian regime. Authorities released about 100 of the
detainees and brought them to the area where the protesters had
gathered. Protesters turned out at Damascus University in the
capital and in Aleppo University in the country's north.
(AP, 4/13/11)
2011 Apr 15, Syrian security
forces fired tear gas at thousands of protesters who were marching
toward Damascus.
(AP, 4/15/11)
2011 Apr 16, Thousands of
Syrians took to the streets for the funeral of a slain protester,
shouting for freedom just hours before President Bashar Assad was
expected to appear in a televised speech. Assad spoke to government
insiders acknowledging economic woes.
(AP, 4/16/11)(Econ, 4/23/11, p.49)
2011 Apr 17, In southern Syria
thousands of people waving flags and shouting "We Want Freedom!"
took to the streets, a day after President Bashar Assad promised to
end nearly 50 years of emergency rule in an attempt to quell the
growing uprising. Security forces opened fire on crowds challenging
authoritarian rule. 20 people were killed in Homs and 2 in Latakia.
(AP, 4/17/11)(AP, 4/18/11)(SFC, 4/19/11, p.A3)
2011 Apr 18, In Syria at least
seven people were killed when security forces fired into a crowd in
the flashpoint town of Homs, as nationwide protests showed no sign
of abating.
(AFP, 4/18/11)
2011 Apr 19, Syria's government
approved lifting the country's nearly 50-year-old state of emergency
to meet a key demand of anti-government protesters. Syria imposed a
total ban on all demonstrations after warning of a crackdown on an
"armed revolt" by Islamist radicals. Security forces fired on
protesters in the city of Homs, killing at least 15.
(AP, 4/19/11)(AFP, 4/19/11)(Econ, 4/23/11, p.49)
2011 Apr 20, In Syria thousands
of students held demonstrations against the authoritarian regime,
brushing off President Assad's sweeping declarations of reform as
the country's growing protest movement vowed to stage the biggest
rallies to date on April 22.
(AP, 4/20/11)
2011 Apr 21, Syria's President
Bashar Assad ratified an end to the country's 50-year-old state of
emergency. The move was a formality after the government abolished
the emergency laws two days ago.
(AP, 4/21/11)
2011 Apr 22, Syrian security
forces fired live bullets and tear gas at tens of thousands of
people shouting for freedom and democracy in several areas across
the country. At least 109 people were killed in the clashes.
(Reuters, 4/22/11)(AP, 4/23/11)(Reuters,
4/24/11)(SFC, 4/25/11, p.A3)
2011 Apr 23, Syrian security
forces fired on tens of thousands of mourners during funeral
processions killing at least 12 people including 4 in Nawa. Two
members of parliament from Deraa resigned in protest against the
killing of protesters. The death toll from two days of violence
reached 120. Rights campaigners said the death toll rose to around
350, with scores of missing since the demonstrations broke out on
March 18.
(AP, 4/23/11)(AFP, 4/23/11)(Reuters,
4/24/11)(SFC, 4/25/11, p.A3)
2011 Apr 24, Thousands of
Syrians called for the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad at a
funeral for protesters killed by security forces in the southern
town of Nawa. Syrian security forces detained dozens of opposition
activists and others in raids. In Jableh (Jabla) army troops and
police reportedly opened fire from rooftop positions even though no
protest was in progress, killing one person and wounding several
others.
(Reuters, 4/24/11)(AP, 4/24/11)
2011 Apr 25, Syria sharply
escalated its already deadly campaign to crush a five-week uprising,
sending troops backed by tanks, snipers and knife-wielding security
forces into Daraa where the rebellion began, killing at least 25
people. Syria sealed off its border with Jordan.
(AP, 4/25/11)(AFP, 4/25/11)(Reuters,
4/26/11)(AFP, 4/27/11)
2011 Apr 26, In Syria gunfire
reverberated in the southern city of Daraa where the dead still lay
unclaimed in the streets a day after a brutal government crackdown
on the popular revolt against President Bashar Assad. European
governments urged Syria to end violence against demonstrators.
Security forces shot dead at least 6 people.
(AP, 4/26/11)(Reuters, 4/26/11)
2011 Apr 27, Syrian troops
tightened control over flashpoints of protest against President
Bashar al-Assad, who faced growing international calls to end
violence that a rights group said had killed over 450 people. The
Syrian army sent more tanks and reinforcements into Daraa as part of
a widening crackdown.
(AP, 4/27/11)
2011 Apr 28, Syrian tanks
rolled into the northern port of Latakia, a key city in the
heartland of Syria's ruling elite, and security forces opened fire
on anti government demonstrators, while heavy shooting rang out
again in the southern protest hotbed of Daraa.
(AP, 4/28/11)
2011 Apr 28, The UN nuclear
agency said for the first time that a target destroyed by Israeli
warplanes in the Syrian desert five years ago was a covertly built
nuclear reactor, countering assertions by Syria that it had no
atomic secrets to hide.
(AP, 4/28/11)
2011 Apr 29, Thousands of
Syrians called for the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad and
pledged support for the city of Deraa where tanks and troops have
tried to crush resistance to his authoritarian rule. At least 65
people were killed with 36 of the deaths in the Daraa province, 27
in the central Homs region, one in Latakia and another in the
Damascus countryside. Tamer Mohammed al-Sharei (15) disappeared in
Daraa. Activists on June 9 released video of his dead body and said
he was tortured by security forces.
(AP, 4/29/11)(AP, 4/30/11)(SFC, 6/10/11, p.A2)
2011 Apr 30, Syrian army troops
backed by tanks and helicopters took a prominent mosque that had
been controlled by residents in a besieged southern city, killing
four people. Another six people were killed in separate incidents.
138 members of Assad's ruling Baath Party resigned to protest the
crackdown. Troops and snipers killed six civilians as Syrians
prepared to bury scores of people killed in a "day of rage", while
the United States and EU imposed sanctions on Damascus.
(AP, 4/30/11)(AFP, 4/30/11)(AP, 5/1/11)
2011 May 1, Syrian army tanks
shelled the old quarter of Daraa and rolled in more reinforcements
to the area, which has been under siege for nearly a week. Syrian
forces arrested more dissidents in Daraa and in a Damascus suburb
under siege for a week. The death toll soared to 545 nationwide from
government forces firing on demonstrators.
(AP, 5/1/11)(AFP, 5/1/11)
2011 May 2, Syrian troops
conducted door-to-door raids in cities and towns across the nation,
arresting scores of people in a campaign of intimidation aimed at
crushing the six-week uprising against President Bashar Assad's
authoritarian regime.
(AP, 5/2/11)
2011 May 3, Syrian security
forces fired tear gas in the northern city of Aleppo to disperse
hundreds of students rallying and calling for an end to Daraa's
siege. Rights groups said at least 545 Syrians have been killed
since the uprising began in Daraa.
(AP, 5/4/11)
2011 May 5, The Syrian army
said it has begun withdrawing from Daraa, a city at the heart of the
country's uprising, but the regime expanded its crackdown elsewhere
by deploying soldiers and arresting hundreds ahead of a fresh wave
of anti-government protests. Syrian troops arrested 300 people in a
Damascus suburb.
(AP, 5/5/11)(AFP, 5/5/11)
2011 May 6, Thousands of
Syrians rallied on a "Day of Defiance" even as the regime of
President Bashar al-Assad deployed tanks in at least three centers
of an uprising against his autocratic rule. Security forces opened
fire on protesters, killing at least 30 people, as thousands joined
demonstrations across the country calling for an end to Assad's
regime.
(AFP, 5/6/11)(AP, 5/6/11)(AP, 5/7/11)
2011 May 6, The EU agreed to
place sanctions on Syrian officials next week as it tries to halt a
government crackdown against protesters.
(AP, 5/6/11)
2011 May 7, Syrian tanks rolled
into the Mediterranean coastal town of Banias in an escalating
crackdown by President Bashar Assad. Rights groups said more than
580 civilians and 100 soldiers have been killed since the revolt
began.
(AP, 5/7/11)
2011 May 8, In Syria a
12-year-old boy was killed as gunfire and shelling erupted in the
central city of Homs. An activist said the two-day death toll in
Banias had risen to six. State-run SANA said authorities have seized
sophisticated weapons and that the army is still hunting down "armed
terrorist groups" across the country, including in Banias.
(AP, 5/8/11)
2011 May 9, Syrian security
forces arrested hundreds of activists and anti-government protesters
in house-to-house raids across the country, part of an escalating
government crackdown aimed at stamping out the nationwide revolt
engulfing the country.
(AP, 5/9/11)
2011 May 10, Syrian forces
tightened the noose on key protest hubs, including flashpoint
Banias, sealing off neighborhoods and arresting leaders of the
anti-regime dissent movement. Syria’s National Organization for
Human Rights said over 750 civilians have been killed in Syria since
an uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime began in
mid-March. Activists said three protesters were killed when
government forces fired on demonstrations in Jassem. In Banias at
least 7 civilians, including 4 women, were killed during military
operations.
(AFP, 5/10/11)(AP, 5/10/11)(AP, 5/11/11)
2011 May 11, The Syrian army
shelled residential areas in Homs, the country's third-largest city,
leaving at least 10 dead as part of an offensive to crush
demonstrations against President Bashar Assad's rule. An official,
who was not identified, said two soldiers were killed and five
wounded during confrontations. Al-Jazeera said that Dorothy Parvaz,
one of the network's journalists with extensive connections in the
US and Canada, has been sent to Iran following her detention last
month in Damascus.
(AP, 5/11/11)(SFC, 5/12/11, p.A3)
2011 May 12, Syrian soldiers
and tanks executing a nationwide crackdown on regime opponents
surrounded the city of Hama.
(AP, 5/12/11)
2011 May 13, Syrian security
forces and snipers opened fire on thousands of protesters, killing
at least 6 people as soldiers tried to head off demonstrations by
occupying mosques and blocking public squares.
(AP, 5/13/11)(SFC, 5/14/11, p.A2)
2011 May 14, Syrian troops
killed three people and wounded several others in the border town of
Tall Kalakh. Hundreds of Syrians, including four wounded people,
crossed into Lebanon fleeing violence in their country as an
uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime entered its eighth
week.
(AFP, 5/14/11)(AP, 5/14/11)
2011 May 15, In Syria at least
8 people were killed in Talkalakh, the most recent casualties from a
government crackdown that already has killed 850 people nationwide
since mid-March.
(AP, 5/16/11)
2011 May 15, Israeli troops
clashed with Arab protesters along three hostile borders, leaving at
least 12 people dead and dozens wounded in an unprecedented wave of
violence marking the anniversary of the mass displacement of
Palestinians surrounding Israel's establishment in 1948. Israeli
gunfire killed two protesters and wounded dozens as civilians
crossed from Syria onto the annexed Golan Heights, raising tensions
between Damascus and the Jewish state. 10 of the dead were
Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon.
(AP, 5/15/11)(AFP, 5/15/11)(AP, 5/16/11)
2011 May 15, A Lebanese soldier
was wounded from gunfire coming from the Syrian side of the border.
(AP, 5/15/11)
2011 May 16, Syrians fleeing
their homeland described a "catastrophic" scene in the besieged
border town of Talkalakh that has been largely sealed off as the
army strove to crush a two-month uprising. Talkalakh is a Sunni
city, surrounded by 12 Alawite villages.
(AP, 5/16/11)
2011 May 17, Syria's opposition
called for a general strike on May 18 in defiance of a government
campaign to crush pro-democracy protests, as the army presses its
siege of the restive town of Tall Kalakh, the latest target of its
brutal crackdown. Syrian government agents chased students who were
protesting against President Bashar Assad's regime at campus in
Aleppo, beating them with batons and injuring dozens.
(AFP, 5/17/11)(AP, 5/17/11)
2011 May 18, The Swiss
government passed a measure restricting arms sales to Syria and
freezing the assets and banning the travel to Switzerland of 13
senior Syrian officials.
(AP, 5/18/11)
2011 May 18, The US slapped
sanctions on Syrian Pres. Bashar Assad and six of his senior
officials for human rights abuses.
(SFC, 5/19/11, p.A4)
2011 May 19, The Syrian army
shelled the border town of Talkalakh overnight and early today,
sparking gunbattles that killed at least 8 people. The government
condemned US sanctions targeting President Bashar Assad.
(AP, 5/19/11)
2011 May 20, Syrian security
forces opened fire on protests around the country in the latest sign
the conflict could be moving toward a long and bloody stalemate. The
crackdown on protesters in different parts of the country left at
least 44 people dead, making it one of the deadliest days since an
uprising against Pres. Assad's regime began two months ago.
(AP, 5/20/11)(AP, 5/21/11)
2011 May 21, In Syria at least
five people were killed while marching during the funeral procession
of several people among 44 killed during protests a day earlier.
(AFP, 5/22/11)
2011 May 23, The EU imposed
sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad because of his
government's continuing crackdown on anti-government protesters,
condemning the violence in which more than 900 people have
reportedly been killed.
(AP, 5/23/11)
2011 May 24, Ammar Qarabi of
the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria said his group
has documented the names of 1,062 people who have died since the
uprising erupted in mid-March.
(AP, 5/24/11)
2011 May 25, In Syria the body
of Hamza al-Khatib (13) was returned to his family, following his
disappearance after a demonstration in Daraa on April 29. The body
bore multiple marks of abuse including bullet holes and castration.
(AFP, 5/28/11)(Econ, 6/4/11, p.56)
2011 May 27, Syrian security
forces opened fire on anti-government demonstrations, killing at
least 12 people as thousands took to the streets despite the
near-certainty they will face gunfire, tear gas and stun guns.
(AP, 5/27/11)(AFP, 5/28/11)
2011 May 28, Syrian activists
called for renewed protests in honor of Hamza al-Khatib, a
13-year-old boy who allegedly was tortured and killed by security
forces.
(AP, 5/28/11)
2011 May 29, Syrian government
troops backed by tanks attacked the towns of Rastan and Talbiseh in
the central province of Homs in an attempt to stop round-the-clock
protests there against Pres. Assad's regime. The toll of those shot
dead rose to 11 from a previously reported seven in Rastan and
Talbisa. Security forces reportedly opened fire in the early hours
at about 8,000 protesters in the northeastern town of Deir el-Zour,
wounding several people.
(AP, 5/29/11)(AFP, 5/30/11)
2011 May 30, Syrian troops
shelled the central town of Tabliseh, and for the first time in the
two-month-old revolt against the president, residents armed with
automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades put up fierce
resistance. State media said four soldiers were killed. Two bodies
were found in the area of Bab Amro cemetery, raising the death toll
from the two-day crackdown in the country's turbulent heartland to
11.
(AP, 5/30/11)
2011 May 31, The Syrian
military used heavy machine guns and artillery in renewed attacks on
Rastan, a town in the country's turbulent heartland. Opponents of
the Syrian regime gathered on Turkey's Mediterranean coast for a
conference aimed at overcoming their differences and bolstering
protesters who have endured a bloody crackdown under President
Bashar Assad. 20 people were reported shot dead in Rastan.
(AP, 6/1/11)(AP, 6/1/11)
2011 Jun 1, The Syrian
government freed hundreds of political prisoners in an amnesty and
the president set up a committee for national dialogue in an effort
to end the 10-week uprising. Syrian military forces killed 42 people
in raids around Homs. Over 300 Syrian exiles gathered in Antalya,
Turkey, to discuss alternatives to Bashar Assad’s rule.
(AP, 6/1/11)(AP, 6/2/11)(SFC, 6/2/11, p.A2)(Econ,
6/4/11, p.57)
2011 Jun 2, Syrian government
troops pounded a central town with artillery and gunfire, renewing
attacks in a restive area that has been largely cut off from outside
contact for six days. At least 15 people died, bringing the total
killed there to 72 since the onslaught began.
(AP, 6/2/11)
2011 Jun 3, Syrian security
forces opened fire in Hama during one of the largest anti-government
protests so far in the 10-week revolt, killing at least 70 people.
(AP, 6/3/11)(AP, 6/4/11)(SFC, 6/5/11, p.A4)(Econ,
6/11/11, p.53)
2011 Jun 4, In Syria more than
100,000 mourners turned out for the funerals of protesters killed by
security forces in Hama. Authorities released Ali Abdullah, a
leading opposition figure of the Damascus Declaration Group. He had
been jailed since 2007.
(AP, 6/4/11)
2011 Jun 5, Israeli troops
opened fire across the Syrian frontier to disperse hundreds of
pro-Palestinian protesters who stormed the border of the
Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Syrian state television said 20
people were killed by the Israeli Defense Forces. Israelis said only
10 demonstrators were killed near Kuneitra when their own Molotov
cocktails triggered border anti-tank mines.
(AP, 6/5/11)(Reuters, 6/5/11)(AFP, 6/5/11)(SFC,
6/6/11, p.A2)(Econ, 6/11/11, p.54)
2011 Jun 6, Syrian American
lesbian blogger Amina Arraf was allegedly last seen in Damascus
after being bundled into a car by 3 men in civilian clothes. On June
13 this story was revealed as a hoax and a 40-year old American man
living in Scotland apologized for posing as Arraf.
(SFC, 6/8/11, p.A2)(SFC, 6/14/11, p.A2)
2011 Jun 7, Syria’s government
said 120 of its forces were killed in Jisr al-Shughour as people
fled the area for the nearby Turkish border.
(SFC, 6/8/11, p.A4)
2011 Jun 8, Civil strife
continued in Syria, as elite troops, led by President Bashar Assad’s
brother Maher, were sent to the northern region of the country to
crack down on anti-government rebels, who are fighting to overthrow
the Assad regime.
(AP, 6/8/11)
2011 Jun
9, In Syria government troops surrounded Jisr al-Shughour in a crack
down on rebels. Over 2,400 people fled the area escaping over the
border into Turkey, where they were settled in a temporary refugee
camp. Policemen turned their guns on each other and soldiers shed
their uniforms rather than obey orders to fire on protesters. 3
young men from Latakia were beheaded by forces loyal to
Assad.
(Reuters, 6/9/11)(SFC, 6/10/11, p.A5)
2011 Jun 10, Syrian government
forces killed at least 32 protesters. The military fired live
ammunition at a group of demonstrators in the Hauran Plain region.
Government troops fanned out to quell similar protests in a number
of other regions as demonstrators rose up in no fewer than 138
places calling for the overthrow of the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
(Reuters, 6/10/11)(SFC, 6/11/11, p.A4)(Econ, 6/18/11, p.16)
2011
Jun 12, Syrian troops, led by President Assad’s brother and assisted
by tanks and helicopters, successful regained control of Jisr
al-Shughour, one of the first regions where anti-government protests
had shown strength.
(AP, 6/12/11)
2011 Jun 15, Terrified Syrians
ran for their lives as elite army units swept through a restive
northern province.
(SFC, 6/16/11, p.A2)
2011
Jun 15, Turkey’s president Tayyip Erdogan held talks with an envoy
of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad as a growing number of Syrians
fled their country seeking safety in refugee camps. Relations
between Turkey and Syria strained, as Turkey wants Syria to stop its
brutal crackdown on protesters.
(Reuters, 6/15/11)
2011 Jun 16, Syrian security
forces made sweeping arrests, randomly detaining males above the age
of 16 in a northwestern province that has been under military siege
for a week.
(AP, 6/16/11)
2011 Jun 17, Syrian security
forces killed 19 people, including a 16-year-old boy, during
anti-government protests. Thousands of people poured into the
streets throughout Syria after prayers calling for the downfall of
President Bashar Assad's regime. Security forces opened fire on
protesters in the western coastal city of Banias.
(AP, 6/17/11)(AFP, 6/17/11)(AP, 6/18/11)
2011 Jun 18, Syrian troops
backed by tanks and firing heavy machine guns swept into a village
near the Turkish border, the latest in a series of intensified army
operations in the northwest where there have been heavy clashes
between loyalist troops and defectors. The number of Syrians who
have taken refuge in Turkey to escape bloody unrest in their country
increased to about 10,100. At least 19 unarmed people were killed in
the day’s violence.
(AP, 6/18/11)(AFP, 6/18/11)(SFC, 6/18/11, p.A3)
2011 Jun 19, Syrian troops
tightened their grip on a restive area near the Turkish border,
setting fire to homes and a bakery that was supplying bread to
thousands of displaced people. The Turkish government began
providing food for the first time to Syrians across the border who
had fled the army campaign.
(AP, 6/19/11)
2011 Jun 20, Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad pledged political reforms within months to address a
wave of protests against his rule, but blamed saboteurs for the
unrest and warned that no deal could be reached with gunmen. Assad
called on the 10,000 who have already crossed the frontier to come
home. Demonstrations erupted overnight in the cities of Hama, Homs,
Latakia, Deir al-Zor, the town of Madaya near the Lebanese border,
several suburbs of the capital Damascus and in Albu Kamal on the
border with Iraq.
(Reuters, 6/20/11)
2011 Jun 21, Syria’s President
Bashar al-Assad ordered a new general amnesty, a day after an offer
of "national dialogue" to end Syria's deadly unrest and as a huge
crowd rallied in Damascus in his support. Government
supporters and opponents clashed in at least two cities, leaving
three people dead in Homs and Deir el Zour. Assad's authoritarian
regime mobilized tens of thousands of people to wave flags and
pictures of Assad in several major cities.
(AP, 6/21/11)(AFP, 6/21/11)
2011 Jun 23, Syrian troops
massed near the Turkish border, raising tensions with Ankara as
protests against President Bashar al-Assad's rule hit the 100 day
mark. Syrian forces stormed the border town of Khirbet al-Jouz.
Rights groups said Syrian security forces have killed more than 130
civilians and arrested 2,000 in the military campaign southwest of
Aleppo. Some 1,300 civilians have been killed across Syria since
mid-March.
(Reuters, 6/23/11)(SFC, 6/24/11, p.A3)
2011 Jun 24, In Syria at least
18 people were killed when security forces opened fire to disperse
demonstrations in Damascus, the town of Kiswah, Qusair and the
central city of Homs. Demonstrations rocked many Syrian cities,
including the eastern oil hub of Deir Ezzor where 30,000 protesters
filled the streets. The EU this week issued fresh sanctions against
Syria, which expanded a blacklist targeting 23 top leaders including
the embattled president Assad.
(AFP, 6/24/11)(AFP, 6/25/11)
2011 Jun 25, Syrian tanks
rolled into a village on the border with Turkey where workers are
scrambling to erect a huge tent city for fear of a new exodus of
refugees from the crackdown. Government forces opened fire at
funerals for slain political protesters leaving two dead in
al-Kaswa, a suburb of the Syrian Damascus. Two other people were
killed in the village of al-Quseir. One person was killed in the
Barzeh neighborhood of Damascus.
(AFP, 6/25/11)(AP, 6/26/11)
2011 Jun 26, Syrian troops
pushed towards the Lebanese border as they pressed on with a deadly
crackdown on dissent in central towns, where gunfire rattled
overnight.
(AFP, 6/26/11)
2011 Jun 27, In Syria nearly
200 critics of President Bashar Assad met in Damascus for the first
time during the three-month uprising against his rule, in a
government-sanctioned gathering some activists complained would be
exploited to give legitimacy to the regime.
(AP, 6/27/11)
2011 Jun 28, In Syria some
50,000 to 60,000 protesters marched through the eastern town of Deir
Ezzor, where demonstrations have become a daily event. Author and
activist Munzer Khaddam, who a day earlier presided over a public
meeting of opposition figures in Damascus, was taken to task by
pro-regime supporters.
(AP, 6/29/11)
2011 Jun 29, Syrian army tanks
rolled into more northwestern villages. 10 people were shot dead
when soldiers backed by tanks and armored personnel carriers swept
into in the district of Jabal al-Zawiyah, including Mar-Ayan,
Al-Rami, Sarja and Kafr Haya. Some 300 hundred lawyers staged a
sit-in protest in the second city of Aleppo. The US Treasury issued
a new list of asset freezes, targeting Syria's Political Security
Directorate and air force intelligence chief Major General Jamil
Hassan.
(AP, 6/29/11)(AP, 6/30/11)
2011 Jun 30, Syria's second
city Aleppo braced for a mass rally, after a call for anti-regime
protesters to "light the spark of the revolution," as pro-democracy
dissidents joined ranks at home and abroad. Only five Syrians made
it across the border today as the death toll from a two-day military
siege rose to 11 people.
(AFP, 6/30/11)(AP, 6/30/11)
2011 Jul 1, In Syria hundreds
of thousands of protesters flooded cities in one of the largest
outpourings against the regime of President Bashar Assad since the
uprisings. Security forces in Hama shot dead over 20 protesters.
(AP, 7/1/11)(AP, 7/2/11)(Econ, 7/16/11, p.55)
2011 Jul 2, Syrian Pres Assad
dismissed Ahmed Abdul-Aziz, the governor of the key central city of
Hama, after one of the largest protest gatherings to demand an end
to Assad's authoritarian regime.
(AP, 7/2/11)
2011 Jul 3, In Syria security
police reportedly shot dead two protesters in a Damascus suburb that
has seen expanding protests against Pres. Assad. Armed troops
returned to Hama. At least 24 people were killed in widespread
demonstrations over the next 2 days.
(Reuters, 7/4/11)(Econ, 7/9/11, p.45)
2011 Jul 4, Syrian troops
stormed houses in Hama as thousands of people took to the streets
shouting "God is greatest," in the city which saw huge protests last
week against President Bashar al-Assad. Two adults and 12-year-old
Omar Khalouf were killed in Hama.
(Reuters, 7/4/11)(SFC, 7/6/11, p.A3)
2011 Jul 5, Syrian troops fired
on residents who set up makeshift roadblocks to prevent the advance
of tanks ringing the city of Hama. The London-based Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said 14 people were killed in Hama.
Another group, the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria
said, as many as 22 people were shot dead and more than 80 wounded.
(AP, 7/5/11)(AP, 7/6/11)
2011 Jul 6, In Syria security
forces detained dozens of men in the town of Dumair near Damascus.
Amnesty International said that Syrian security forces may have
committed war crimes during a deadly siege of an opposition town in
May, citing witness accounts of deaths in custody, torture and
arbitrary detention.
(AP, 7/6/11)
2011 Jul 7, Syrian protesters
hurled stones and set roadblocks of burning tires against government
forces trying to enter Hama, a key opposition city, where Syrian
troops had killed 23 civilians since July 5. Around a hundred
families fled Hama fearing a military crackdown.
(AP, 7/7/11)(AFP, 7/7/11)
2011 Jul 8, Tens of thousands
of Syrians carrying olive branches and shouting for the downfall of
President Bashar Assad's regime streamed into the flashpoint city of
Hama. US and French ambassadors traveled to Hama a day earlier and
left today before the protests began. Security forces killed three
protesters in Maaret al-Numan, a town on the highway linking
Damascus, the capital, with Syria's largest city, Aleppo. Two other
people were killed in Damascus' central neighborhood of Midan and in
the nearby town of Dumari. Activists said the crackdown killed at
least 13 people.
(AP, 7/8/11)(AP, 7/9/11)
2011 Jul 9, Human Rights Watch,
in a report citing defectors from President Bashar Assad's regime,
said Syrian commanders have told security forces they were fighting
terrorists and ordered them to open fire on anti-regime
demonstrations even after they found unarmed protesters instead.
(AP, 7/9/11)
2011 Jul 10, Syria's vice
president Farouk al-Sharaa called for a transition to democracy and
credited protesters with forcing the regime to consider reforms.
Syria's Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the American and
French ambassadors to protest their visits to the restive city of
Hama. Security forces in Homs killed the son of an anti-regime
tribal leader.
(AP, 7/10/11)(AP, 7/11/11)
2011 Jul 11, Syrian troops
stormed into Homs, the country's third-largest city with armored
personnel carriers and heavy machine guns. At least 2 people were
killed as a dialogue over possible government reforms moved into a
second day in Damascus. The talks were boycotted by the main
opposition factions. Pro-government mobs broke windows at the French
and US embassies to protest a visit last week by the American and
French ambassadors to the opposition stronghold of Hama.
(AP, 7/11/11)(AP, 7/12/11)
2011 Jul 12, In northeastern
Syria an explosion hit a gas pipeline in the first attack on the
country's energy infrastructure since protests erupted in March.
(AFP, 7/13/11)
2011 Jul 13, In Syria at least
7 people were killed during army raids in the Jabal al-Zawiya region
in northern Idlib province. Security forces broke up a peaceful
anti-government protest in Damascus, beating some protesters and
arresting Syrian intellectuals, actors and artists.
(AP, 7/14/11)
2011 Jul 14, In Syria a
45-year-old man was shot dead in Deir el-Zour province, near the
border with Iraq, when security forces fired at protesters.
(AP, 7/14/11)
2011 Jul 15, Syrian security
forces killed at least 28 protesters as hundreds of thousands
flooded the streets nationwide in the largest anti-government
demonstrations since the uprising began more than four months ago.
Casualties included 14 people in a suburb of Damascus, three in the
northwestern city of Idlib, three in the central city of Homs and
one in Daraa.
(AP, 7/15/11)(AP, 7/16/11)(SFC, 7/16/11, p.A3)
2011 Jul 16, In Syria security
forces continued a weekslong operation in the restive Idlib
province, near the Turkish border. Authorities raided homes in the
village Kfar Nabl and made scores of arrests. A civilian was killed
in Al-Bukamal when security forces opened fire to break up a
demonstration against the regime of President Assad. 3 security
personnel were killed and two kidnapped in an attack on a government
building. An opposition conference in Turkey, called the National
Salvation Conference, was attended by some 400 dissidents looking to
form a unified opposition to Pres. Assad, whose family has ruled
Syria for more than 40 years. The corpses of 3 Alawite government
supporters were dumped in Homs with their eyes gouged out.
(AP, 7/16/11)(AP, 7/17/11)(SFC, 7/19/11, p.A5)
2011 Jul 17, Syrian troops
backed by tanks stormed the town of Zabadani near the border with
Lebanon. Security forces reportedly have rounded up more than 500
people, including a leading dissident, across the country over the
past two days. 6 bodies from various sects were found dumped in
Homs, apparently in revenge attacks. Pro-government thugs called
shabiha then went on a rampage, opening fire in predominantly Sunni
neighborhoods in Homs.
(AP, 7/17/11)(AP, 7/18/11)
2011 Jul 18, In Syria the
Qatari embassy in Damascus suspended operations due to recent
protests outside the embassy against Al-Jazeera's coverage of the
Syrian uprising. Al-Jazeera is based in Qatar. Security forces in
Homs killed 10 people in raids.
(AP, 7/18/11)(AP, 7/18/11)
2011 Jul 19, Syrian activists
said security forces have fired on a funeral procession in Homs,
killing at least 10 people.
(AP, 7/18/11)
2011 Jul 20, Syrian security
forces swept through restive neighborhoods, detaining dozens of
people, including George Sabra, a key opposition figure. Authorities
released prominent political activist Ali Abdullah of the Damascus
Declaration opposition group, three days after he was taken from his
home near Damascus.
(AP, 7/20/11)
2011 Jul 21, Syrian security
forces swept through neighborhoods in Homs, firing machine guns and
pulling people from their homes in a series of arrests. Activists
said up to 50 people have been killed in Homs since the latest
crackdown and sectarian violence began on July 16. 3-4 more people
were reportedly killed in Homs.
(AP, 7/21/11)(AP, 7/21/11)
2011 Jul 22, Tens of thousands
of Syrians defied a massive security crackdown and flooded the
streets of Damascus and other cities, insisting their protest
movement was united and demanding the downfall of President Bashar
Assad's regime. At least five people were reported killed, as
security forces used batons, bullets and tear gas to disperse
protesters.
(AP, 7/22/11)(AP, 7/23/11)
2011 Jul 23, A Syrian passenger
train derailed and caught fire near Homs, killing the driver and
injuring 14 passengers, after "saboteurs" tore out part of the
tracks.
(AP, 7/23/11)
2011 Jul 24, Syria's government
endorsed a draft law that it says will allow the formation of
political parties alongside President Assad's ruling Baath Party,
part of a series of promised reforms that the opposition has
dismissed as largely symbolic. The bill still needed to be endorsed
by parliament and will likely be presented for debate at the next
session on August 7. Troops stormed a northwestern village and made
sweeping arrests in the region and in the capital Damascus.
(AP, 7/25/11)
2011 Jul 25, Syrian security
forces tightened their siege of neighborhoods in the city of Homs,
sending military reinforcements and cutting mobile and land lines in
the Khaldieh and Bayada districts. Troops shot dead three civilians
in central and northern Syria.
(AP, 7/25/11)(AP, 7/26/11)
2011 Jul 26, Syria’s Cabinet
endorsed draft legislation that would enable newly formed political
parties to run for parliament and local councils.
(AP, 7/27/11)
2011 Jul 27, Syrian troops
opened fire on scores of people in a Damascus suburb, killing at
least 8 people trying to halt the soldiers' advance by throwing
stones and burning tires.
(AP, 7/27/11)
2011 Jul 28, A global
campaigning organization, Avaaz.org, said that one person disappears
in Syria every hour and that almost 3,000 people have gone missing
since the start of the uprising against President Bashar Assad more
than four months ago.
(AP, 7/28/11)
2011 Jul 29, Syrian troops
fired live ammunition and tear gas on tens of thousands of
protesters calling for the regime's ouster in several cities around
the country, killing at least one demonstrator in Latakia. A bomb
blast struck a major oil pipeline in western Syria, causing oil to
spill into a nearby lake. State television said the explosion was a
"terrorist" attack by a group of "saboteurs." 4 people were killed
during a raid on the Damascus suburb of Kiswah. One person was
killed when troops entered the eastern border town of al-Boukamal
near Iraq's border.
(AP, 7/29/11)(AP, 7/30/11)
2011 Jul 30, Syrian troops
stormed the eastern city of Deir el-Zour and barraged neighborhoods
with heavy machine gun fire. One person was shot dead in a nearby
village.
(AP, 7/30/11)
2011 Jul 31, Syrian security
forces reportedly killed at least 74 people, including 55 in Hama,
in an escalation of the crackdown on protests ahead of the Muslim
holy month of Ramadan. State-run news agency SANA said that gunmen
in Hama and Deir el-Zour had erected barricades and sand barriers in
the streets, and that extremists in Hama torched police stations and
that 2 policemen, an officer and 2 soldiers were killed.
(AP, 7/31/11)(AP, 8/1/11)
2011 Aug 1, Syrian troops kept
up attacks on the restive city of Hama on the start of the Muslim
holy month of Ramadan. The EU expanded its sanctions against Syria,
imposing asset freezes and travel bans against five more military
and government officials. Some 24 people were reported killed in
Hama.
(AP, 8/1/11)(AP, 8/2/11)
2011 Aug 2, Syrian troops
tightened their siege on the city of Hama by taking up positions
near homes and sending residents fleeing for their lives.
(AP, 8/2/11)
2011 Aug 2, Italy recalled its
ambassador to Syria to protest the repression of anti-government
protests and urged other European nations to do the same.
(AP, 8/2/11)
2011 Aug 3, Syrian tanks took
over a main square in the besieged city of Hama and electricity and
telephone phone lines were cut off. Security forces shot dead at
least 7 people who took part in anti-regime protests that erupted
after nighttime Ramadan prayers across the country. A rights group
that tracks death tallies reported up to 30 people were killed in
Hama.
(AP, 8/3/11)(AP, 8/4/11)(AP, 8/4/11)
2011 Aug 4, Syria’s Pres. Assad
issued two legislative decrees that will allow the formation of
political parties alongside the Baath Party and enable newly formed
parties to run for parliament and local councils. Telephone and
communication lines remained cut with the restive city of Hama,
where a deadly military operation has been under way since July 31.
Military operations were also under way in the central city of Homs,
where heavy machine guns and automatic gunfire was heard throughout
the night in the Bab Sbaa and Qalaa districts.
(AP, 8/4/11)
2011 Aug 5, Syrian security
forces opened fire on protesters, killing at least four in the
Damascus suburb of Arbeen, as tens of thousands poured into streets
across the country, chanting for the fall of President Bashar Assad.
The six-day-old assault on Hama has killed at least 100 people. At
least 24 civilians were reported killed, most of them in Damascus
suburbs when security forces opened fire during daytime protests and
late night demonstrations following evening Ramadan prayers. 5
people were reported killed in Hama and its surrounding countryside.
(AP, 8/5/11)(AP, 8/6/11)
2011 Aug 6, The Syrian military
tightened its suffocating siege on the city of Hama in its drive to
crush the main center of the anti-regime uprising in the country.
Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem pledged to press ahead with
reforms and said the new parliament "will represent the aspirations
of the Syrian people."
(AP, 8/6/11)
2011 Aug 7, Syrian government
forces killed at least 59 people including 42 in the eastern city of
Deir el-Zour. 10 people were reported shot dead in Idlib while
taking part in a funeral. The 22-member Arab League, which had been
silent since the uprising began, said it is "alarmed" by the
situation in Syria and called for the immediate halt of all
violence. Saudi Arabia said it is recalling its ambassador to Syria
for consultations.
(AP, 8/7/11)(AP, 8/8/11)
2011 Aug 7, Saudi Arabia’s King
Abdullah demanded a stop to Syria’s “killing machine.”
(Econ, 8/13/11, p.43)
2011 Aug 8, Syria’s eastern
city of Deir el-Zour came under fresh artillery fire as a deadly
military assault left President Bashar Assad's regime increasingly
isolated, with Arab nations forcefully joining the international
chorus of condemnation for the first time.
(AP, 8/8/11)
2011 Aug 9, The Syrian army
launched raids on restive areas, defying growing international
reproach over the regime's deadly crackdown on a 5-month-old
uprising. There was heavy machine-gun fire in the eastern city of
Deir el-Zour. Human rights groups said at least 22 people were
killed across the country including 8 children.
(AP, 8/9/11)
2011 Aug 9, More than 2,000
Kuwaitis rallied outside the Syrian embassy in the Gulf state
demanding the expulsion of the Syrian envoy and the "freezing" of
relations with Damascus.
(AFP, 8/10/11)
2011 Aug 10, Syrian troops
launched operations in three suburbs of the capital Damascus as well
as the northwestern village of Sarmin, near the Turkish border,
where a woman was killed and three people wounded. Security forces
also killed an activist in the northwestern town of Taftanaz, where
the army is conducting a military operation. Hama appeared to be
under full government control. Security forces shot dead at least 15
people in Homs. The Obama administration announced new sanctions.
(AP, 8/10/11)(AP, 8/11/11)
2011 Aug 11, The Syrian army
stormed Saraqeb, a northwestern town near Turkey's border, and shot
dead 11 people in Qusair, a western town near the Lebanese border.
(AP, 8/11/11)
2011 Aug 12, Syrian activists
said troops and tanks stormed the town of Khan Sheikhon in the
northern province of Idlib amid heavy gunfire. Syrian soldiers
opened fire on tens of thousands of protesters who flooded the
streets shouting "We will not kneel!" Security forces killed at
least 15 protesters. The US stepped up calls for a global trade
embargo on oil and gas from Syria. Four people were killed in Aleppo
as security forces attacked protesters.
(AP, 8/12/11)(AP, 8/13/11)(SFC, 8/13/11,
p.A3)(AP, 8/15/11)
2011 Aug 13, Syrian tanks
fanned out across a neighborhood in the coastal city of Latakia amid
intense shooting that sent many resident fleeing to safer areas.
Scores of security agents and pro-government gunmen, known as
Shabiha, entered the town of Qusair near the border with Lebanon and
several nearby villages, arresting scores of residents. At least two
people were killed after 20 tanks and armored personnel carriers
rolled into Latakia’s al-Ramel district.
(AP, 8/13/11)(AP, 8/14/11)
2011 Aug 14, Syrian gunboats
firing heavy machine guns pounded impoverished districts of Latakia,
killing at least 19 people in a renewed assault on the Mediterranean
coastal city. A health official said two law enforcement officials
were killed in Latakia and 41 wounded in addition to a number of
gunmen whose identities were not known.
(AP, 8/14/11)
2011 Aug 15, Syrian troops
besieged residential areas of Latakia and Homs, firing on residents
as they fled for safety and killing at least two people during broad
military assaults to root out dissent against President Bashar
Assad's autocratic regime. At least 17 people were reported killed,
six of them in Latakia. The other deaths were in Homs and Houla.
(AP, 8/15/11)(AP, 8/16/11)
2011 Aug 16, In Syria heavy
machine-gun fire erupted across the besieged city of Latakia as the
death toll rose to 35 from a military assault now in its fourth day.
Army units began withdrawing from Deir el-Zour after clearing the
city of "armed terrorist gangs" in an operation that lasted several
days.
(AP, 8/16/11)
2011 Aug 17, Syrian troops
detained dozens of people in a Damascus neighborhood and the coastal
city of Latakia in overnight raids as President Bashar Assad's
regime tried to forcefully end a five-month uprising. A woman died
of her wounds two days after she was injured in Latakia. In the
northwestern Idlib province, a bullet killed a man as he stood on
his balcony. , Activists said security forces killed 18 people
across the country including 9 in Homs.
(AP, 8/17/11)(AP, 8/18/11)
2011 Aug 18, Syrian President
Bashar Assad told the UN chief that military operations in his
country have ended. The EU urged Syria's President Assad to resign
amid a mounting crackdown on an anti-government revolt. Activists
reported intense shooting around noon in the flashpoint city of
Latakia.
(AP, 8/18/11)
2011 Aug 18, The chief of
Russia's state arms trader Rosoboronexport, Anatoly Isaikin, said
Moscow will keep supplying combat jets and other military gear to
Syria under contracts totaling about $3.5 billion (euro2.43
billion).
(AP, 8/19/11)
2011 Aug 19, Syrian security
forces fired at thousands of protesters who poured into the streets
throughout the country, killing at least 29 people one day after the
United States and its European allies demanded that President Bashar
Assad step down.
(AP, 8/19/11)(AP, 8/20/11)
2011 Aug 19, Russia's Foreign
Ministry cautioned the West against encouraging the Syrian
opposition, and said it doesn't support Western calls for President
Bashar Assad to resign.
(AP, 8/19/11)
2011 Aug 19, The UN released
the full text of its report on the Syrian crackdown. It said Syrian
government forces may have committed crimes against humanity by
conducting summary executions, torturing prisoners and targeting
children. The release included rebuttals from the Syrian Foreign
Ministry, offering a rare firsthand look into the regime's
justifications for the crackdown.
(AP, 8/20/11)
2011 Aug 20, Syrian security
forces dead two people in the town of Rastan, near the provincial
capital of Homs. Troops also wounded at least 8 people in Homs,
where a general strike was under way to protest the crackdown and
most of the city's markets were closed. A Syrian military official
said an "armed, terrorist group" ambushed a military bus in Homs,
killing two officers and wounding three others.
(AP, 8/21/11)
2011 Aug 21, Syria’s Pres.
Assad promised imminent reforms, including parliamentary elections
by February. The opposition rejected his remarks. Pro-regime gunmen
fired their guns in celebration after Assad's appearance, killing
two people overnight.
(AP, 8/22/11)
2011 Aug 22, Syria's state-run
news agency said Assad formed a committee to pave the way for the
formation of political groups other than his Baath party, which has
held a monopoly in Syria for decades. Thousands of anti-government
protesters took to the streets across the country after a televised
appearance by President Bashar Assad, shouting for him to step down
and chanting "Gadhafi is gone, now it's your turn Bashar!" Syrian
security forces killed at least 7 people in Homs soon after a UN
humanitarian assessment team left the area because the security
situation was deteriorating.
(AP, 8/22/11)(AP, 8/23/11)
2011 Aug 22, A UN human rights
expert said Arab nations have agreed to demand that Syria allow an
international probe within its borders to see whether crimes against
humanity have been committed. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
criticized Assad for failing to halt a military crackdown.
(AP, 8/22/11)(AP, 8/23/11)
2011 Aug 23, The UN's top human
rights body voted overwhelmingly to demand that Syria end its
crackdown and cooperate with an international probe into possible
crimes against humanity. The opposition took steps toward forming a
national council, but serious divisions and mistrust among the
members have prevented them from presenting a unified front against
Assad's regime.
(AP, 8/23/11)(AP, 8/24/11)
2011 Aug 24, Syrian activists
said tanks stormed Deir el-Zour and made sweeping arrests there as
the regime faced international threats of an arms embargo and new
sanctions.
(AP, 8/24/11)
2011 Aug 24, The EU announced
that it was leveling sanctions against Iran’s Al Quds military
force, saying it had given technical and material aid to Pres. Assad
of Syria in his efforts to quell a 5-month old uprising against his
rule.
(SFC, 8/25/11, p.A2)
2011 Aug 25, Masked gunmen
dragged Ali Ferzat (60), Syria's best-known political cartoonist,
from his car before dawn, beat him severely and broke both his hands
as a warning to stop drawing just days after he compared Syria's
president to Moammar Gadhafi.
(AP, 8/25/11)
2011 Aug 26, Syrian security
forces fired on tens of thousands of anti-government protesters,
killing at least two people in Deir el-Zour more than five months
into the country's uprising. Another person was killed when
protesters emerged from a mosque in Daraa province.
(AP, 8/26/11)(AFP, 8/26/11)
2011 Aug 27, Iran warned that a
power vacuum in Damascus could spark an unprecedented regional
crisis, as thousands of protesters insisted they will defy tanks and
bullets until President Bashar Assad is toppled.
(AP, 8/27/11)
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