Timelines of events

Key events in Syria 1946–2010

• 1946

  • Syria concludes a treaty with France ending French rule in Syria. French troops are withdrawn.
• 1947

  • The Baʿth party, an Arab nationalist party formed by Ṣalaḥ al-Dīn al-Bīṭār and Michel ʿAflaq in the early 1940s, holds its first congress in Damascus.
• 1948

  • Israel proclaims its independence and is attacked by the surrounding Arab states, including Syria. The large and disorganized Arab armies are defeated, shocking the Syrian public, which had expected a quick victory. Discontent with the government of Pres. Shukri al-Quwatli spreads within the Syrian military.
• 1949

  • Husni al-Zaʿim, the army chief of staff, seizes power in a military coup in March. Zaʿim quickly alienates his supporters and is deposed by a second military coup in August orchestrated by Sami al-Hinnawi, who designates a new civilian government. Hinnawi is overthrown by a third coup, led by Adib al-Shishakli, in December.
• 1951

  • Shishakli launches a second coup, deposing Syria’s civilian government and establishing a military dictatorship.
• 1954

  • Shishakli is overthrown by a military coup, and civilian government is restored.
• 1958

  • Syria and Egypt merge politically to form the United Arab Republic, with Cairo as the capital and Gamal Abdel Nasser as president. The union, which leads to the economic and political domination of Syria by Egypt, quickly becomes unpopular in Syria.
• 1961

  • A military coup reestablishes Syria as an independent country, and a new civilian government is formed.
• 1963

  • A coalition of military officers, including Baʿthist and Nasserist officers, seizes power in March. Soon after the coup, the Baʿthist faction takes control, purging Nasserists in government and suppressing uprisings. Within the Baʿth party in Syria, a split begins to develop between the party’s original leadership and younger members with a stronger commitment to socialist policies.
• 1966

  • Salah al-Jadid, a military officer and a member of the ʿAlawite minority sect, seizes power at the head of a coup by the left-wing faction of the Baʿth party. Bīṭār and ʿAflaq are arrested. Ḥafiz al-Assad, another ʿAlawite officer, becomes the minister of defense. The Baʿth party begins to split into a civilian faction headed by Jadid and a military faction headed by Assad.
• 1967

  • Egypt, Jordan, and Syria are defeated in the Six-Day War with Israel. Israel seizes the Golan Heights from Syria.
• 1970

  • Assad takes power in a coup, ousting Jadid.
• 1973

  • Syria and Egypt launch attacks against Israeli forces in the Golan Heights and the Sinai, respectively. Syria fails to retake the Golan Heights. Hostilities end with a cease-fire agreement.
• 1976

  • Syria intervenes in the Lebanese civil war, sending a force of 25,000 soldiers to Lebanon to prevent the defeat of right-wing Christian militias. Syria’s military presence in Lebanon continues for nearly three decades, enabling Syria to exert significant influence on Lebanese politics.
• 1979

  • The U.S. State Department designates Syria a state sponsor of terrorism, citing its alleged support for Palestinian militant groups. The designation carries economic sanctions.
• 1980

  • Islamist resistance to the Assad regime grows. Islamist and secular opposition groups organize demonstrations and riots around the country. A member of the Muslim Brotherhood attempts to assassinate Assad.
• 1982

  • Islamist forces briefly take over the city of Ḥamāh. The Syrian military launches a full-scale assault to put down the rebellion, destroying large areas of the city and killing thousands of civilians.
• 1990

  • Syria joins in the U.S.-led coalition against Iraq following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
• 1994

  • Ḥafiz al-Assad’s eldest son, Basil, considered likely to succeed him as president, is killed in a car accident. Assad’s second son, Bashar, then studying ophthalmology in London, takes Basil’s place as Assad’s heir apparent.
• 2000

  • Ḥafiz al-Assad dies in June. The following day, the People’s Assembly amends the constitution to lower the minimum age of the president to 34, allowing Bashar al-Assad, then 34 years old, to succeed his father in office. He is elected president in a referendum in July. In November, Assad releases 600 political prisoners, a move that is seen by many as a sign of his intention to advance democratic reforms.
• 2001

  • Assad initiates a new crackdown on reformist politicians and activists, disappointing hopes that the new president would lead a transition away from authoritarianism in Syria.
• 2004

  • The United Nations (UN) passes Resolution 1559, calling for the removal of all non-Lebanese military forces from Lebanon. The resolution is aimed at Syria, which still has thousands of troops stationed in Lebanon.
• 2005

  • Rafiq al-Hariri, a former Lebanese prime minister and a prominent critic of the Syrian military presence in Lebanon, is assassinated in Beirut in February. His death increases pressure on Syria, suspected by many of ordering the assassination, to withdraw its troops from Lebanon. Syria withdraws its forces in April.
• 2008

  • Syria and Lebanon agree to formally establish diplomatic relations for the first time since the two countries became independent.
• 2010

  • The Syrian government prohibits teachers from wearing the niqāb, a veil that covers all of the face except the eyes, while teaching.