Syrian opposition

Political groups and individuals opposing Syria’s government, especially the movement that emerged during the 2011 uprising against Bashar al-Assad.

Syrian revolution: The 2011 uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s government that developed into a civil war. The uprising brought together the early protest movement that became the modern opposition.
Syrian National Council: An opposition coalition founded in 2011 to represent opponents of the Syrian government. It became an early effort to give the uprising a national political leadership.
Syrian government: The state authorities that governed Syria under Bashar al-Assad until December 2024. Its institutions and military were the central targets of the uprising and its armed factions.
Syrian interim government: An opposition-linked administrative body established in 2013 to govern areas outside Syrian government control. It attempted to turn opposition claims into civilian administration in areas it could access.
Arab Spring: A wave of protests and uprisings across the Arab world beginning in 2010. Regional revolts helped shape the political moment in which Syrian protests began.
National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces: A coalition formed in 2012 to coordinate Syrian opposition groups and seek international recognition. It succeeded the Syrian National Council as the main external political coalition.
Islamic State: A jihadist organization that controlled territory in Syria and Iraq and declared a caliphate in 2014. Its territorial ambitions and violence set it apart from the opposition’s varied political aims.
Syrian Salvation Government: A de facto administration established in opposition-held parts of Idlib in 2017. Its authority showed how opposition governance could be divided among rival institutions.
Daraa: A southern Syrian city where protests against the government began in March 2011. The arrest and abuse of students there helped trigger nationwide demonstrations.
Free Syrian Army: An umbrella name for armed groups formed by defectors and other opponents of the Syrian government. It represented an early military strand of the uprising, though command remained decentralized.

Linked from 5 pages