War in Syria

The latest breaking news updates on the Syrian civil war today, in a live news feed aggregated from mainstream, alternative and independent sources, by NewsNow.

The Syrian civil war is an ongoing multi-sided civil war in Syria fought between the Syrian Arab Republic led by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad (supported by domestic and foreign allies) and various domestic and foreign forces that oppose both the Syrian government and each other, in varying combinations.

Unrest in Syria began on 15 March 2011 as part of the wider 2011 Arab Spring protests out of discontent with the Syrian government, eventually escalating to an armed conflict after protests calling for Assad's removal were violently suppressed.

The war is currently being fought by several factions. The peak of the war was during 2012–2017; violence in the country has since diminished, but the situation remains a crisis.

A number of foreign countries, such as Iran, Russia, Turkey, and the United States, have either directly involved themselves in the conflict or provided support to one or another faction.

The war has resulted in an estimated 470,000–610,000 deaths, making the Syrian civil war the second deadliest conflict of the 21st century after the Second Congo War. International organisations have accused virtually all sides involved, the Assad regime, ISIL, opposition groups, Iran, Russia, Turkey, and the U.S.-led coalition of severe human rights violations and massacres.

The conflict has caused a major refugee crisis, with millions fleeing mainly to neighbouring countries Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Over the course of the war, a number of peace initiatives have been launched, including the March 2017 Geneva peace talks on Syria led by the United Nations, but fighting has continued.