Written by Staff Writer.
Here is a timeline of developments in the ongoing conflict in Syria:
21 March 2011
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad makes a surprise speech, saying he will not step down following popular unrest.
6 April 2011
Syria unleashes deadly raids against pro-democracy protests, killing at least 35 people.
8 April 2011
Forty people are killed when a bomb hits a Shia funeral in Homs, Syria’s third largest city, as mourners are preparing to bury a person killed earlier that day.
17 March 2012
Syrian forces shell Aleppo city, leaving many dead.
4 April 2012
The UN General Assembly votes to condemn the conduct of Syrian authorities during the year, days after the Security Council fails to censure Syria for sending troops into the country.
23 April 2012
Violence erupts when Syrian security forces launch an operation against demonstrators in the city of Hama.
9 June 2012
At least 100,000 people mourn the death of Sheik Badreddine al-Bunni, a senior member of Syria’s security forces killed in Hama.
5 September 2012
Fighting breaks out in Libya when rebels take control of Tripoli.
12 November 2012
NATO announces it will not intervene in Syria, two days after the conflict hits a plateau.
9 November 2012
Syrian government forces launch airstrikes, causing serious casualties in the town of Al Haffa.
24 November 2012
A large-scale suicide bombing at a rebel checkpoint in Damascus kills at least 50 people and injures more than 100 others.
20 December 2012
A bomb explodes near the Khobar Towers in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, killing 23 people and wounding 155 others.
2 January 2013
The UN Security Council condemns the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and condemns the Syrian government.
13 January 2013
Nearly 30 people are killed in fighting in the rebel-held eastern city of Deir el-Zour.
20 January 2013
Pro-government forces launch an offensive to retake the battle-scarred city of Homs.
15 January 2013
Syria’s state-run television channels air an anti-Semitic song for the first time since 1979, in a move criticized as a stunt by Jewish groups.
14 March 2013
A bomb kills 25 people at the Syrian Council headquarters in Damascus.
1 April 2013
At least a dozen people are killed in the city of Homs when regime forces fire rockets at rebel strongholds.
11 April 2013
Rebels attack a powerful military police compound in Aleppo, causing more than 20 casualties.
13 April 2013
A bomb kills four people at a pro-Assad rally in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor.
29 April 2013
The UN Security Council votes to send unarmed observers to Syria.
1 May 2013
At least 70 people are killed in rebel raids on army outposts in Aleppo, according to a Syrian monitoring group.
1 May 2013
At least 60 people are killed in a rebel assault on regime military outposts in Homs.
21 May 2013
Russian President Vladimir Putin announces his intention to withdraw his troops from Syria, to no avail.
29 May 2013
An airstrike on the town of Douma in Damascus kills at least 28 people, according to activists.
29 May 2013
At least 23 people are killed in Homs after rebels launch a mortar attack on a government military barracks.
8 June 2013
A Syrian rebel fighter on an Israeli-imposed no-fly zone passes through Quneitra crossing, which was closed to Palestinians in 1948.
9 June 2013
Anti-government rebels raid an Arab Air Defense unit in the coastal city of Latakia, killing 17 soldiers.
12 June 2013
The UN Security Council announces it will suspend sanctions against the Syrian regime.
19 June 2013
A double-tap missile attack kills at least 65 people in the rebellious northern city of Aleppo.
28 June 2013
Troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launch an offensive to regain control of the northern city of Idlib.
19 June 2013
An airstrike kills at least 12 people in the town of Rastan, in Homs province.
26 June 2013
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s cousin and brother-in-law are killed in a drone strike in the country’s north-west.
28 June 2013
A bomb blast at the regional security headquarters in Damascus kills dozens.
14 July 2013
More than 100 people are killed in violence in the northern city of Aleppo.
15 July 2013
The Syrian National Council (SNC) – seen as a rival to the main opposition Syrian National Coalition – elects Ghassan Hitto as its new president and chief executive.
22 July 2013
A bomb blast at a bus station in