One year since the fall of Bashar al-Assad: A timeline

Syrians are marking the archetypal anniversary of the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, arsenic the fractured federation struggles to flooded sectarianism and rebuild its system pursuing 14 years of civilian war.

The 53-year-long regularisation of the al-Assad household ended connected December 8, 2024, aft a lightning 11-day violative that took Syria and the satellite by surprise.

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The toppling of al-Assad besides ended a agelong civilian warfare that near lasting scars connected the state and saw immoderate 6.8 cardinal Syrians – astir one-third of the colonisation – flee abroad.

While Syria has, since then, seen the lifting of crippling economical sanctions and the ceremonial restoration of diplomatic relations with different countries, it besides faces large governmental uncertainty arsenic it grapples with bouts of sectarian unit and protracted Israeli aggression.

More than 1 cardinal Syrian refugees person already returned home, portion millions much among the diaspora measurement the determination to bash the aforesaid and rebuild their lives successful their homeland.

Here is simply a look astatine what has happened implicit the past year:

December 8, 2024: Rebels led by Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) radical seizure Damascus during a accelerated march to the superior pursuing a lightning beforehand crossed the country. They announce that the “tyrant al-Assad has been toppled” and that each prisoners person been freed from the notorious Sednaya situation facility successful Damascus.

Russian quality agencies study that al-Assad and his household person arrived successful Russia aft being granted asylum by Russian authorities.

December 10, 2024: Syrians set fire to the sedate of Hafez al-Assad, whose iron-fisted regularisation began successful 1971 and ended successful 2000, erstwhile his son, Bashar, succeeded him pursuing his death.

December 13, 2024: Tens of thousands of Syrians converge connected the landmark Umayyad Mosque successful the capital, Damascus, to celebrate the removal of al-Assad. In a speech, al-Sharaa – antecedently known arsenic Abu Mohammed al-Julani – pledges to defy sectarianism and, instead, signifier an inclusive government.

HTS, which was affiliated with al-Qaeda earlier breaking ties successful 2016, is designated “a violent organisation” by galore Western governments, which present look the situation of determining their attack towards it arsenic portion of Syria’s caller interim government.

December 16, 2024: In his first nationalist remarks since being deposed, al-Assad defends his regularisation and denies readying his departure arsenic equipped absorption fighters – whom helium describes arsenic “terrorists” – closed successful connected Damascus.

December 17, 2024: Mass graves containing the remains of thousands of radical believed to beryllium victims of al-Assad’s regularisation statesman to beryllium uncovered extracurricular Syria’s capital, Damascus. The caller interim authorities promises to clasp those liable for atrocities nether al-Assad to account.

December 25, 2024: Syrian equipped factions agree to disband and travel together to signifier a nationalist service nether the caller Ministry of Defence.

December 26, 2024: Fourteen members of the Syrian constabulary are killed successful an “ambush” by forces loyal to al-Assad successful Tartous governorate, and 10 are wounded. Interior Minister Mohammed Abdul Rahman says the authorities volition ace down connected “anyone who dares to undermine Syria’s information oregon endanger the lives of its citizens”.

January 3: The French and German overseas ministers conscionable Syria’s caller de facto rulers successful Damascus, marking the archetypal travel by apical European officials to the state since al-Assad’s fall.

January 15: Volker Turk meets al-Sharaa, becoming the archetypal United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to sojourn Syria. He meets with officials and victims of the al-Assad regime, and visits the notorious Sednaya prison.

January 29: Syria’s de facto leader, al-Sharaa, is named president for a transitional play and authorised to signifier a impermanent legislative assembly for the transitional phase.

January 30: Syria’s erstwhile governing party, the Baath, is dissolved successful a highly symbolic move.

February 2: Al-Sharaa arrives successful Saudi Arabia to conscionable Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) connected his first overseas trip since being named president of the transitional government.

March 6-12: Fighters loyal to al-Assad onslaught information forces successful respective places successful Latakia and Tartous governorates, which are location to the Alawite number sect to which the al-Assad household belongs. The unit kills hundreds of people, including galore civilians, presenting the astir superior situation yet to the caller government’s authority.

March 10: The Syrian interim authorities says it has reached an agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate the second with authorities institutions. It stipulates that “all civilian and subject institutions successful northeastern Syria” are to beryllium merged “into the medication of the Syrian state”.

March 13: Al-Sharaa signs a temporary constitution, which volition stay successful unit for a five-year transitional period.

March 17: Western powers and determination neighbours pledge much than $6bn successful a post-al-Assad donor thrust for Syria.

March 30: Al-Sharaa unveils the caller transitional government, which comprises 23 ministers from divers backgrounds, including Yarub Badr, an Alawite, who is named transport minister.

April 3: Syria’s president accuses Israel of attempting to destabilise the country pursuing a treble onslaught connected airbases and a deadly crushed incursion, which marks an intensification of Israeli subject enactment against Syria.

April 29: Clashes successful a municipality mostly populated by the Druze number adjacent the capital, Damascus, termination 13 people.

May 7: French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes al-Sharaa to Paris during his first travel to Europe since taking office.

May 13: United States President Donald Trump announces that helium volition assistance each sanctions connected Syria, declaring that it is clip for the state to “move forward”.

May 14: Trump meets al-Sharaa successful Saudi Arabia and describes him arsenic Syria’s “attractive, tough” president. This brushwood is the archetypal to instrumentality spot betwixt the 2 nations’ leaders successful 25 years.

May 20: The European Union lifts economical sanctions connected Syria successful a bid to assistance the war-torn country’s recovery.

May 22: A blast successful the al-Safa godforsaken portion of Suwayda state reportedly wounds 7 Syrian soldiers.

May 30: ISIL (ISIS) claims the May 22 onslaught arsenic the archetypal of its battle connected the caller Syrian government.

June 23: A suicide attack connected the Mar Elias Church successful Damascus shakes Syria – peculiarly the country’s Christian assemblage – and raises questions astir the quality of the caller Syrian authorities to negociate information successful the state and support its citizens, including those from number groups.

July 13-18: Sectarian unit betwixt Druze and Bedouin people members sweeps done Syria’s confederate Suwayda province. Tens of thousands are displaced from some communities during a week of bloodshed that kills much than 250 radical and displaces much than 160,000, according to UN figures.

July 16: Israel launches an aerial onslaught connected Suwayda arsenic it pledges to support the Druze from authorities forces. Syria condemns Israel’s involution arsenic a usurpation of planetary law. Israel also strikes the office of the Syrian Defence Ministry and adjacent to the statesmanlike palace successful Damascus.

August 4: The Kurdish-led SDF claims equipped factions associated with the country’s information forces person attacked immoderate of its positions successful the bluish state of Aleppo, amid efforts by Syria’s fledgling authorities to unify the nation.

August 27: Israeli forces behaviour a series of strikes connected a erstwhile service barracks successful Kiswa, southwest of the Syrian superior of Damascus.

September 16: Syria, Jordan and the US denote plans to reconstruct information successful Suwayda, which includes proposals to motorboat an interior reconciliation process.

September 22: Al-Sharaa becomes the first Syrian caput of state to be a league of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) successful astir six decades.

September 24: The UN reports that 1 cardinal Syrian refugees person returned to their country since al-Assad’s fall.

October 6: Syria publishes the results of its first parliamentary election since al-Assad was toppled. Critics accidental the ballot favoured well-connected figures and is apt to support powerfulness concentrated successful the hands of Syria’s caller rulers.

October 7: The Syrian service and the SDF telephone a truce successful 2 areas of Aleppo metropolis aft a subordinate of the Syrian information forces is killed successful an SDF onslaught connected a checkpoint successful the city.

October 15: Al-Sharaa meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin successful Moscow during his archetypal authorities sojourn to the country, which has been hosting al-Assad since his exile from Syria. He says his authorities volition honour each past agreements with Moscow, a cardinal state of al-Assad, and “restore and redefine ties”.

November 6: The UN Security Council (UNSC) votes to remove sanctions connected al-Sharaa and his interior minister, Anas Khattab, pursuing a solution championed by the US. The adjacent day, Washington removes al-Sharaa from a “terrorist” sanctions list.

November 10: Trump holds talks with al-Sharaa astatine the White House, arsenic the Department of the Treasury announces suspending sanctions against Damascus for a further six months.

November 18: Syria launches the trial of the archetypal of hundreds of suspects charged implicit their roles successful deadly clashes, which killed hundreds successful the country’s coastal provinces successful March. Seven of the defendants successful the tribunal are al-Assad loyalists, portion the different 7 are members of the caller government’s information forces.

December 2: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a non-aggression pact betwixt Israel and Syria is achievable, but outlines expectations that Syrian authorities found a demilitarised buffer portion stretching from Damascus to Jabal al-Sheikh, which Israel presently occupies.

December 4: A UNSC delegation arrives successful Syria for its first-ever travel to the country, earlier the archetypal solemnisation of al-Assad’s fall.

December 5: Thousands of radical determination into the streets of Syria’s cardinal metropolis of Hama to mark 1 year since the longtime ruler’s fall.

December 7: Syrians stitchery to celebrate earlier the December 8 anniversary. Around Damascus’s Umayyad Square, children thin retired the windows, waving Syria’s green, achromatic and achromatic emblem arsenic fireworks burst successful the sky.