ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

Timeline of the Syrian Civil War from May to August 2019, including events and regional developments.

May 2019

2 May
Facebook closed 49 accounts linked to smuggling ancient Syrian artifacts onto the black market after BBC investigations revealed that smugglers were using social media for trading looted antiquities. The stolen artifacts included Roman-era Syrian mosaics.

4 May
The Free Syrian Army, supported by Turkey, launched an attack against People's Protection Units in Aleppo countryside and captured the towns of Mar'anez and al-Malikiyah. Leaders of the organization announced that they were preparing to launch a military campaign with Turkish forces against Kurdish forces in Tel Rifaat.

6 May
The Syrian Arab Army launched a ground attack on areas controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the National Front for Liberation in northern Hama province and southern Idlib. The government said the attack was in response to increased attacks by disarmed rebels on government-held areas. Rebel groups in Idlib believed that the goal of the government's attack was to capture the M4 and M5 highways in Idlib.

7 May
The Syrian Arab Army captured villages of Tal Osman, al-Bani, and al-Jinabriya. They also targeted positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, National Front for Liberation, and Jaysh al-Izzah with artillery and rockets. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 69 civilians and 41 rebels had been killed since the escalation began. Russian warplanes intensified airstrikes on rebel groups in response to rocket attacks on Russia's Hamimim airbase. The Syrian Army said it had killed 15 rebels the previous day, while losing 11 soldiers.

17 May
The Syrian Army announced that its air defenses had intercepted Israeli targets near Damascus, citing a military source that the defenses had intercepted "glowing objects" coming from the occupied Golan Heights. SANA reported earlier that an explosion was heard in the vicinity of Damascus, which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights attributed to a rocket attack on Iranian and Lebanese resistance forces' warehouses in al-Kesweh.

29 May
At least 14 civilians were killed in airstrikes by the Syrian government and Russian forces in Idlib.

30 May
Five civilians, including women and children, were killed in Edlib during ongoing airstrikes.

June 2019

8 June
Former Syrian security officer Abdul Basit Sarout died after an altercation with the Syrian Army in Tel Melh during a northwestern Syria attack.

11 June
Syrian air defenses intercepted Israeli rockets targeting al-Harrah near the Golan Heights.

15 June
The state television reported that fires broke out due to an explosion at a munitions depot west of Damascus.

16 June
Rebel attacks killed 12 people in a rural area north of Aleppo.

20 June
In the past 48 hours, it was said that 84 rebels and 41 government forces had been killed in Hama.

26 June
The United Nations questioned the Russian government about 23 hospitals that were attacked since the start of the Idlib attack in April.

July 2019

1 July
Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes from Lebanese airspace against military sites in Damascus and Homs countryside.