ongoing multi-sided civil war in Syria since 2011

syria
ISIL in Syria
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani speaks to the press.
US military vehicles in Syria
The Syrian civil war was an armed conflict that began with the Syrian revolution in March 2011, when popular discontent with the Ba'athist regime ruled by Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale protests and … Wikipedia
Factsheet
Factsheet
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Syrian_civil_war
Syrian civil war - Wikipedia
14 hours ago - The Syrian civil war was an armed conflict that began with the Syrian revolution in March 2011, when popular discontent with the Ba'athist regime ruled by Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale protests and pro-democracy rallies across Syria, as part of the wider Arab Spring.
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Terre des hommes
tdh.org › homepage
10 years of war in Syria - Between pain and hope | Terre des hommes
On 15 March 2011, one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history broke out. The Syrian conflict has since driven millions of families to flee in the hope of finding some security.
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PubMed Central
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC5868561
Syria: Land of history, civilizations and war - PMC
By the end of the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire came increasingly under British and French influence. During World War I a secret Sykes-Picot agreement was signed that divided the Ottoman Empire into two British and French zones of influence and Syria fell under the French mandate.
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PBS
pbs.org › home › articles › world › syria › syria’s war began 14 years ago. explore frontline’s reporting on its origins and consequences
Syria’s War Began 14 Years Ago. Explore FRONTLINE’s Documentaries | FRONTLINE | PBS | Official Site | Documentary Series
May 13, 2025 - People wave independence-era flags in Aleppo, celebrating the fall of President Bashar al-Assad on December 21, 2024. ... In the 14 years since the war in Syria broke out, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions have been displaced from their homes or have lost their livelihoods.
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Imperial War Museums
iwm.org.uk › history › syria-frequently-asked-questions
Syria: Frequently Asked Questions | Imperial War Museums
Christopher Phillips: “ISIS have their origins in the 2003 Iraq war, the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime created a vacuum in parts of Iraq that was filled by radical jihadists, many coming from abroad, keen to attack American troops. When Syria descended into civil war, the jihadists took advantage of the chaos there, moving over the border to set up ISIS.
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Syria
Syria - Wikipedia
3 hours ago - Following the Arab Spring in 2011, Syria became embroiled in a multi-sided civil war with the involvement of several countries, leading to a refugee crisis in which more than 6 million refugees were displaced from the country.
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The Century Foundation
tcf.org › home › publications › the politics of memory: ten years of war in syria
The Politics of Memory: Ten Years of War in Syria
June 30, 2021 - Competition over scarce resources, infighting, and eventually warlordism plagued the rebellion, weakening it and offering inroads to Islamist militants whose superior discipline and sense of purpose allowed them to dominate from 2012–2013 onward. Different strands of Syria’s opposition have settled on different symbols, themes, and historical events as they narrate and debate the events of the past ten years.
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Clingendael
clingendael.org › pub › 2021 › eu-relevance-in-the-syrian-and-iraqi-civil-wars › 2-tracing-the-evolution-of-the-syrian-civil-war-2011-2020
Tracing the evolution of the Syrian civil war (2011-2020) | Band-aids, not bullets
For the purpose of this report, the analysis sketches a benchmark for examining the relevance of the EU’s policies and interventions in relation to the different episodes of the Syrian civil war. These EU policies and interventions are discussed in the next Section. At the core of the Syrian civil war are the multiple transformations of the Syrian people’s initially peaceful uprising in early 2011 against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
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Imperial War Museums
iwm.org.uk › history › why-is-syria-a-complex-conflict
Why is Syria a complex conflict? | Imperial War Museums
What began as a peaceful protest movement challenging an autocratic government has evolved into a complex multi-layered war. Domestically, despite capturing territory from the Government early on, opposition fighters have been divided, allowing Assad to slowly reclaim some lost ground. Over time new groups have emerged to complicate the Government-Opposition contest. Syria’s Kurds have formed militia and joined the fight as has the sinister Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
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International Socialist Review
isreview.org › issue › 96 › explaining-syrian-civil-war › index.html
Explaining the Syrian civil war | International Socialist Review
Out of the cauldron of sectarianism rose the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has conquered large sections of both countries, triggering the United States to launch yet another war to stabilize the region’s existing order. In his new book Inside Syria, veteran left-wing journalist Reese Erlich examines the history of Syria from its origins in the imperialist division of the Ottoman Empire to the rise of the Assad family dictatorship and the Syrian revolution and counterrevolution today.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › world history › wars, battles & armed conflicts
Syrian Civil War | Syrian history | Britannica
November 13, 2025 - Table of Contents Quick Summary Ask the Chatbot a Question ... The Syrian Civil War began in 2011 after pro-democracy protests swept through Syria during the Arab Spring, threatening the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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ShelterBox USA
shelterboxusa.org › home › where we work › syria › syria conflict
The Syrian Conflict Explained
June 21, 2024 - Learn how the war in Syria began, who is involved and how it has affected families. ... The conflict in Syria dates back to 2011. Many people were unhappy about the high levels of unemployment, widespread corruption and lack of political freedom.
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Timeline_of_the_Syrian_civil_war
Timeline of the Syrian civil war - Wikipedia
4 days ago - On 12 June 2012, the UN for the first time officially proclaimed Syria to be in a state of civil war. The conflict began moving into the two largest cities, Damascus and Aleppo. In both cities, peaceful protests – including a general strike by Damascus shopkeepers and a small strike in Aleppo were interpreted as indicating that the historical alliance between the Ba'ath government and the business establishment in the large cities had become weak.
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Hoover Institution
hoover.org › research › syria-long-long-history-war
Syria: A Long, Long History Of War | Hoover Institution Syria: A Long, Long History Of War
The Ottomans conquered Damascus in 1516 and it remained in Ottoman hands until the First World War when the British under T.E. Lawrence, famous as Lawrence of Arabia, and their Arab allies took Damascus.
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HISTORY
history.com › home › articles › why is there a civil war in syria? | history
Why Is There a Civil War in Syria? | HISTORY
May 27, 2025 - The rebels and Assad’s forces have both fought separate battles against ISIS, while also waging war against each other. To further complicate the dynamics, the United States has also led an international bombing campaign against ISIS targets since 2014. In April of 2017 and 2018, the United States launched military attacks against chemical weapons sites in Syria.
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BBC
bbc.com › news › world-middle-east-35806229
Why has the Syrian war lasted 12 years? - BBC News
May 2, 2023 - When the Syrian government used deadly force to crush the dissent, protests demanding the president's resignation erupted nationwide. The unrest spread and the crackdown intensified. Opposition supporters took up arms, first to defend themselves and later to rid their areas of security forces. Mr Assad vowed to crush what he called "foreign-backed terrorism". The violence rapidly escalated and the country descended into civil war.
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ShelterBox
shelterbox.org › home › syria conflict explained
Syria conflict explained - ShelterBox %
May 30, 2025 - The conflict began as a Syrian uprising against the Government of Syria and its then-leader, President Bashar al-Assad. Since then, many groups have joined the fighting, with many fighting each other.
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World Food Program USA
wfpusa.org › home › what’s happening in syria? how the civil war is worsening hunger among civilians
What’s Happening in Syria? How the Civil War Is Worsening Hunger Among Civilians - World Food Program USA
December 15, 2024 - Syria has been engulfed in a civil war for over a decade, seemingly with no end in sight, but a recent escalation in conflict has changed the situation abruptly. So, how did Syria’s civil war affect civilians? Here’s a very simple explanation of a very complex problem.
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Unrefugees
unrefugees.org › home › news › syria refugee crisis explained
Syria Refugee Crisis Explained
December 1, 2025 - More than 14 years after the Syrian ... What started in March 2011 — when peaceful protests in the southern city of Daraa were met with violence — quickly escalated into a nationwide conflict that uprooted millions...