The liberation of Syria

and a history of struggle

In the early hours of the day on Dec. 8, rebel forces in Syria declared the nation free from the tyrannical rule of Bashar al-Assad and his family’s regime after decades of struggle. 

The Assad family has ruled Syria with an iron fist, executing anyone in opposition. With support from Russia and Iran, the Assad regime was able to enact numerous war crimes on the people of Syria. From chemical warfare, frequent bombings of residential areas, and the murder of children, for decades the voices begging for freedom were squandered by forces of tyrannical evil. To ensure an atrocity like this can never happen to any other society, it’s important to understand the history and context behind this conflict between a people who fought for their rights, and a government obsessed with maintaining power. 

Syria’s history is riddled with tyrannical powers, with the most recent being the Assad regime. In 1971, Hafez al-Assad came into power as the 18th president and ruthlessly ruled the country. Following his death in 2000, his son Bashar al-Assad took control and quickly implemented similar authoritarian tactics as his late father. These tactics included but were not limited to violence, censorship, and constant surveillance of suspected opponents. 

The first of many protests emerged in 2011 In Daara, one of the most impoverished areas in Syria. After a group of children were arrested and tortured for writing graffiti critical of the Assad regime, outrage spread like wildfire across the country starting a massive wave of protests demanding Assad to step down. Combined with economic hardships, political instability, and the worst drought in the country’s modern history, these protests sought to reform Syria for the better but were met with mass arrests from the police and even shootings.

It’s important to note many of the protestors were of the Sunni majority whereas the Assad family were of the Alawite minority who dominated government positions and military forces. These militias enacted the worst forms of violence, further dividing the two groups. Assad portrayed the Sunni opposition as Islamic extremists derived from al-Qaeda, which was nothing more than propaganda. The regime spread false narratives that the Sunni majority would attack non-Sunni minorities if they came into power. 

As the protests grew in magnitude, so did the violence from the Syrian government. From tanks, artillery, and helicopters, to even cutting off utilities and communications in certain areas. Assad did whatever he had to, so he could crush the protests. To match the violence of the Assad regime, protestors began to amass weapons. 

In June of 2011, the Syrian military moved to Jisr al-Shughur in the northwest, causing thousands of refugees to flee to Turkey, causing neighbors of Syria to begin taking sides in the conflict. The US and European Union were highly critical of Assad and their tactics. In August 2011, President Obama and other European leaders called for Assad to step down. Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia formed a bloc to combat the Assad regime. The US, EU, and Arab League began placing sanctions on the regime and its senior leaders. However, Iran and Russia declared public support for the tyrannical government. In October 2011, China and Russia cast the first of several vetoes causing a UN resolution condemning Assad to be blocked.

By September 2011, several armed conflicts broke out between the Syrian military and rebel forces. Formed by many different defectors from the Assad militia, the Free Syrian Army was formed. Seeing the writing on the wall of a potential civil war, The Arab League attempted to end the violence in Syria. Sending observers to ensure compliance from Assad, these efforts were quickly cut short in January 2012 due to a lack of funds and progress. In April, months later, the UN and the Arab League once again attempted to negotiate a ceasefire. However, violence quickly erupted at higher levels than before, causing all external influences to withdraw due to security concerns. 

By 2012, the Syrian National Council, which had previously represented the Syrian people, could no longer represent the rebel forces due to infighting. Early on, the opposition forces failed to create a unified force to fight the Syrian military. Months later, leaders within the rebel forces announced a new coalition; the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. This coalition proceeded to receive support from many other countries and donors, who deemed them the true representatives of the Syrian people. This group gave hope to those who dreamed of freedom but still saw struggles with infighting. 

The rebel forces saw some success when they forced government troops to retreat from the north and east of Syria in the summer and fall of 2012. First, rebels attacked the largest city Aleppo in July. Taking control of this region was a key piece for any future success. 

However, by early 2013 it was clear a stalemate was arising between both sides. Rebels controlled and held ground in the North, but could not make any further advances due to their lack of weapons, organization, and resources. At the same time, the government was slowly weakening due to defections. As fighting continued, the civilian death toll continued to rise. 

Allies of the rebel force increased their involvement to put an end to this stalemate. In late 2012 and early 2013 Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia increased funding and made their support more public than before. The US even trained a few vetted rebel groups. However, in the same breath, Iran and Hezbollah continued to send weapons to the Assad regime. Late in 2012, Hezbollah even sent their own fighters to support the Syrian military. 

In 2013, the first of many instances of chemical warfare occurred. In August, chemical weapons were used to kill hundreds in the suburbs of Damascus, the current capital of Syria. This in turn called for increased international involvement. The Assad regime denied accusations of foul play, instead blaming rebel forces for the deaths in Damascus. The US, Britain, and France denounced the act of violence and momentarily considered strikes on the Assad regime. This caused Assad to vow ‘to fight Western aggression.’ 

Any hope of international military involvement was squashed by majority sentiment in the US and UK. Motions in the British parliament to authorize strikes in Syria failed. 

On Sept. 14, an agreement between the Russian-backed Assad regime, and the US was reached to place all chemical weapons Assad had under international control. All chemical weapons were to be removed by June 2014. 

By 2013, Islamist extremists took control of the conflict as non-Islamist groups were exhausted from all the fighting. The Nusrah Front partnered with several other oppositions forces the create the strongest fighting force as an al-Qaeda affiliate. Rebel leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi promised to unite forces from Iraq and Syria to create the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, otherwise known as the terrorist organization ISIS. The Nusra Front was originally involved in this merger, but rejected it causing the two groups to fight. 

ISIS quickly took control of eastern Syria, giving them control of the Iraq-Syria border. They then began making advances in Iraq using force and extremist propaganda, fueling the need for international intervention. Note that ISIS was not necessarily affiliated with the overall Syrian rebellion, as their tactics were not supported. 

On Aug. 8, the US launched several airstrikes in Iraq to prevent ISIS from gaining control in North Iraq. ISIS responded by beheading Western aid workers and journalists, making it clear they were a threat to international security. The US and Arab League responded by expanding their air campaigns in Syria, specifically targeting ISIS. 

2015 marked the start of Russian military involvement, as they began placing troops and equipment in a base in Latakia along the Mediterranean coast. They began a series of airstrikes which they claim targeted ISIS, but it became increasingly clear it was to squander any rebels fighting against Assad. 

After a failed ceasefire, Russia and Assad turned their focus on eastern Aleppo which was held by rebel forces. These airstrikes on the region spared no care for civilian deaths and were some of the most vicious attacks that the region had seen. Warplanes and cluster bombs targeted hospitals and aid workers, inevitably causing rebels in Aleppo to collapse by December.

By 2016, ISIS began facing pressure from Kurdish resistance with American support. On a different front, they saw attacks from Iran-backed Assad forces, as well as rebel forces backed by Turkey. A US air campaign quickly weakened their control on key strongholds. In June 2017, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launched a wide-scale attack backed by US air support on Al-Raqqah, a northern city that was established as the de facto capital for ISIS in Syria. By October, the SDF announced they cleared the city of any ISIS forces. This success was short-lived as rebel forces continued to be forced out of the east by Assad forces. 

Going back on previously negotiated agreements, the Syrian government began to turn to chemical warfare calling for Western governments to continue their involvement. In April 2017, chemical weapons were used in Khan Shaykhun and once again a year later in Douma, leading US, British, and French forces to launch air campaigns targeting chemical weapon manufacturing facilities. 

Israel began their involvement when it targeted Iran forces in Syria, causing Iran to shell the Golan Heights in southwest Syria. Matching their retaliation, Israel launched the heaviest barrage since the start of the civil war, causing all of Iran’s weapons manufacturing in Syria to be destroyed. 

Targeting rebel-held territory in Southwest Daara in June 2018 after solidifying control of Damascus and Homs in western Syria, rebels were placed under much duress. After help from Russia, a deal was made to allow rebels safe passage to north-held rebel territory, granted they surrender the southwest region of Syria. 

With Idlib in northern Syria as their final front, the rebel forces braced for a fight from Assad forces. Given the military’s usage of chemical weapons, Turkish troops were present to ensure any oppression would be met with resistance. Both Turkish and Assad troops began lining up along the border. Turkey reinforced the rebel-held region while Russia and Syria began bombing towns along the border. 

Initially, a buffer zone was agreed upon by Russia and Turkey in an attempt to de-escalate the conflict. The Free Syrian Army agreed, but the compliance of rebel forces with remnants of al-Qaeda influences was unclear. Per the agreement, Turkey had to contain these radical groups in the region. 

In 2019, the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an attack on other rebel groups in Idlib, becoming the dominant force in the region. In April, Assad forces began to cross the buffer zone with Russian air support. They briefly captured the region but a counteroffensive attack forced them to retreat to the government-controlled region. 

In October, Turkey launched an attack on Northeast territories held by Assad with the US promising to not stand in the way. This region was controlled by Kurdish separatists, so Turkey hoped to destabilize their control for the safe passage of Syrian refugees in Turkey to return. Kurdish forces made a deal with Assad, allowing their forces to enter the region for the first time since 2012. 

Turkey rarely fought Syria directly, however in 2020 when several Turkish troops were killed by an air strike, Turkey launched a direct attack on the Syrian government. However, a general ceasefire was issued weeks later. 

By 2023, the conflict seemed to have mostly settled, and the Arab League reinstated Syria’s membership. Turkey continued their support for forces within rebel-held regions, but as a whole, the opposition forces were not in a position to make any advances. 

A glimmer of hope broke through the wall of insurmountable obstacles that stood in the way of rebels, as Russian forces were spread thin due to the Ukraine invasion. Iran was weakened as they were dragged into the Israel-Palestine war, leading to their key strategic assets being bombed by Israel. Hezbollah, an important part of Assad’s fighting force was squandered by Israeli bombardment. In October 2024, Hezbollah pulled their fighters from Syria, causing 500,000 Syrian refugees to find their way back home. 

After a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the HTS quickly made advances throughout the rest of Idlib and Aleppo. By the end of November, HTS forced Assad troops out of Aleppo. Despite Russian air strikes, the HTS were able to make their way to Hama in west-central Syria. Daara and Homs were taken by rebel forces in early December, just weeks ago. The remaining government territory was isolated, preventing Damascus from getting much-needed reinforcements. Taking advantage of this vulnerability, rebel forces took control of Damascus, causing Assad to flee, and putting an end to the regime’s tyrannical rule. 

The people of Syria never gave up throughout this decade-long conflict. Rebels fought not for themselves, but for the preceding generations. They fought for the children of tomorrow to know nothing of Assad’s tyrannical rule. Their story serves as a message to the world; when held against the test of time, the will of the people will prevail above all and any powers who seek to oppress them. As democracy is under attack in all societies across the world, including the US, the liberation of Syria should serve as a call to action to continue their fight against all forms of tyranny. 

Syrian rebels won a war that was once thought to be unwinnable. This moment in history should serve as inspiration. No matter where we come from or what power we have as individuals, together our resolve is unbreakable.