2012 in Syria

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Decades:	1990s 2000s 2010s
See also:	Other events of 2012 List of years in Syria

Events from the year 2012 in Syria.

Incumbents

• President: Bashar al-Assad
• Prime Minister:
  • until 23 June: Adel Safar
  • 23 June-6 August: Riyad Farid Hijab
  • 6 August-11 August: Omar Ibrahim Ghalawanji
  • starting 11 August: Wael Nader al-Halqi

Events

January

• January 1 - Syrian Civil War
  • The Arab Inter-parliamentary Union, an advisory body to the Arab League, calls for the removal of its monitors in Syria, saying that they are inadvertently helping the government cover up ongoing violence.
  • Syrian opposition groups say that over 5,800 people were killed in violence in 2011.
• January 2 - The Arab League calls for a ceasefire in Syria, saying that tanks and heavy weaponry have been withdrawn from Syrian cities, but warning that snipers remain a threat.
• January 5 - Syrian Civil War
  • 552 political detainees are released by the government.
  • A senior official from the Defence Ministry defects while in Cairo.
  • Qatar's Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani says the Arab League monitors have made "mistakes" in Syria.
• January 6 - According to Syrian state media, 26 people are killed and 63 wounded when a suicide bomber blows himself up at a police station in Damascus. The Syrian opposition blames the Syrian government for orchestrating the attack, and alleges that they have leaked information from security forces that Aleppo is next.
• January 11 - Syrian Civil War
  • A French journalist is killed, along with eight others, by a mortar in Homs.
  • Israel is bracing for an increase of Syrian refugees into Golan Heights, according to Israel's military chief.
• January 12 - The Arab League delays sending more observers to Syria; one of its observers also quits the mission.
• January 13 - Security forces kill at least 13 protesters, including three children, amid ongoing protests in Syria.
• January 14 - The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, proposes that Arab League troops be sent to Syria to end ongoing violence in the country.
• January 15 - Syrian Civil War
  • United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls on the Syrian government to "stop killing its own people".
  • President Bashar al-Assad offers a general amnesty for crimes committed since the uprising began.
• January 17 - Syrian Civil War
  • Syria rejects calls for Arab troops to intervene in the country's conflict.
  • 25 people are killed by Syrian security forces in the latest violence.
• January 19 - The Arab League observer mission ends, with its report to be reviewed at the weekend.
• January 20 - At least 10 people are killed in violence after Friday prayers.
• January 22 - Arab League ministers meet in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss the extension of its monitoring mission in Syria.
• January 23 - At least 22 civilians are shot dead across Syria by security forces under the Syrian government.
• January 24 - 52 civilians are killed by Syrian security forces, 39 of which were killed in the city of Hama alone.
• January 25 - 18 protesters are shot dead by Syrian security forces.
• January 26 - The Arab League calls on the United Nations Security Council to back its plan to end the violence in Syria.
• January 27 - Syrian Civil War
  • Activists say the Syrian Army has launched new attacks against Homs and Hama, as the United Nations Security Council prepares to discuss the conflict.
  • Syrian security forces kill over 100 civilians across Syria, primarily in the cities of Homs and Daraa.
• January 28 - The Arab League suspends its observer mission, citing increased violence.
• January 29 - Syrian Civil War
  • Syrian Army forces launch an offensive in areas of the capital Damascus, as 60 people are killed across the country in the latest violence.
  • The Free Syrian Army orders a tactical withdrawal from the affected suburbs.

February

• February - February 2012 Idlib Operation

March

• March 10–13 - Battle of Idlib (2012)
• March 17 - March 2012 Damascus bombings

April

• April - April 2012 Idlib Governorate Operation
• April - April 2012 Damascus bombings

May

• May - May 2012 Battle of Rastan
• May 10 - 10 May 2012 Damascus bombings

July

• July 15-August 4 - Battle of Damascus (2012)
• July 18 - 18 July 2012 Damascus bombing

August

• August–October - Rif Dimashq offensive (August–October 2012)

September

• September - September 2012 Aleppo bombing

October

• October - October 2012 Aleppo bombings

Deaths

• January 11 - Gilles Jacquier, French journalist
• February 22 - Rémi Ochlik, French journalist and Marie Colvin, American journalist
• May 28 - Bassel Shehadeh
• July 18 - Dawoud Rajiha, Assef Shawkat and Hasan Turkmani
• July 20 - Hisham Ikhtiyar
• August 20 - Mika Yamamoto
• September 26 - Maya Nasser