Spillover of the Syrian civil war

The Syrian Civil War began in 2011 after protests during the Arab Spring. These protests turned into a big fight between different groups in Syria. Because of this war, many other countries near Syria got involved too, like Turkey and Iran.

In 2012, a group called the Islamic State of Iraq started sending fighters and supplies into Syria to help in the war. By April 2013, this group changed its name to the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, showing that it now worked in both Iraq and Syria. Over the next year, they fought against other groups in Syria and took control of many small towns and cities.

Later in 2013, the group moved into western Iraq and took over the city of Fallujah in early 2014. In June 2014, they captured large areas in northern Iraq, including the big city of Mosul. At that time, they changed their name again to just the Islamic State and said they were starting a new Caliphate.

Iraq

Main article: War in Iraq (2013–2017)

Iraqi–Syrian border incidents

Main article: Akashat ambush

In March 2013, there was a planned attack on a Syrian Army group that was traveling near the border with Iraq. The group called itself the Islamic State of Iraq and said they were responsible for the attack. This led to more fighting between different groups in the area.

Later, in June 2014, these groups grew strong and took over large parts of Iraq and Syria, making the border between the two countries less clear. This turned into a big war that lasted until 2017. In 2016, a group supported by the United States took control of an important town near the border, but lost it again soon after. The town stayed under the control of these groups, allowing them to move easily between Iraq and Syria.

Lebanon

Further information: Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon and Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian Civil War

The Syrian Civil War caused problems in northern Lebanon. There were fights between people who supported and did not support the Syrian government. Sometimes, battles from Syria spilled over into Lebanon. The Syrian Air Force even dropped bombs on places in Lebanon, and rebels sent rockets into the country too. There were also fights between a Sunni leader who did not like Hezbollah’s support for Syria and the Lebanese army.

At the Lebanon-Syria border, there were many clashes. In 2012, Syrian planes dropped missiles just over the border into Lebanon, chasing rebels. The Lebanese president looked into the incident. Later, armed rebels from Syria attacked a border post but were driven away by the Lebanese Army. Syria kept asking Lebanon to crack down on rebels hiding in border towns.

In August 2014, Syrian forces bombed the Lebanese side of the border. In December 2014, they used large, powerful bombs on places they thought rebels were hiding. In 2015, Hezbollah fought against groups that had crossed into Lebanon from Syria.

Turkey

Main article: Turkish involvement in the Syrian civil war

Turkey shares a long border with Syria and Iraq, and this led to many events involving different groups fighting in the conflicts just south of the border.

Syrian–Turkish border clashes

Main article: Syrian–Turkish border clashes during the Syrian civil war

Turkey openly wanted to remove Bashar al-Assad from power. Because of this, Turkey allowed some rebel groups, including the Islamic State, to move supplies and people across the border. There were several incidents, such as Turkey shooting down a Syrian jet and Syria shooting down a Turkish jet. In February 2015, Turkey also sent soldiers into Syria to rescue a small area that belonged to Turkey.

Turkey and ISIL

Main article: ISIL-related terrorist attacks in Turkey

Turkey was accused of supporting the Islamic State at first, thinking it might be a way to weaken the Syrian government. This changed after some bombings in Turkey in 2013, and Turkey began fighting back. The Islamic State continued to grow, taking over areas near the Turkish border. This caused many people to flee into Turkey, leading to protests and conflicts.

Siege of the Süleyman Shah Tomb

On 22 February 2015, Turkey sent soldiers into Syria to rescue a small area called the Tomb of Suleyman Shah and the soldiers who guarded it. This area was considered Turkish land under an old agreement. Turkey moved the tomb and its guards back to Turkey.

Russian warplane downing

Main article: 2015 Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown

On 24 November 2015, Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the border. Turkey said the plane entered its airspace, but Russia said it stayed over Syria the whole time. This caused tension between the two countries.

Kurdish conflict

Main article: Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present)

In 2015, fighting began again between Turkey and the PKK, a Kurdish group, after peace talks failed. Many Kurdish people fled into Turkey from Syria, and some Kurds accused Turkey of helping the Islamic State. This led to protests and more fighting between the two sides.

Jordan

Main article: Jordanian–Syrian border incidents during the Syrian civil war

The border between Syria and Jordan is very long, and many people from Syria have moved to Jordan to stay safe. Sometimes, fights in Syria have caused problems on the Jordanian side of the border, but usually, it hasn't caused much damage.

In 2014, the Jordanian Air Force stopped some people trying to cross the border illegally. Since then, more people have tried to come into Jordan from Syria. Jordan has worked with other countries to stop harmful groups from doing bad things. There have been a few times when armed men tried to cross the border, and Jordanian forces stopped them.

Syrian–Israeli ceasefire line

Main article: Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line incidents during the Syrian civil war

In September 2012, some shells from Syria landed in the Golan Heights, an area occupied by Israel. Over the next few months, more shells from Syria hit this area, sometimes causing small fires. In November 2012, Syrian tanks entered a zone near the border, and there were a few shootings between Syrian and Israeli forces.

In July 2013, another shell from Syria landed in the Golan Heights. In June 2015, some people in the Golan Heights attacked ambulances carrying injured rebels from Syria. In February 2018, an unmanned aircraft from Iran entered Israeli airspace and was shot down. Israel responded by attacking targets in Syria, and during this, a Syrian defense system shot down an Israeli airplane.

Distant spillover locations

Libya

The city of Derna in Cyrenaica, Libya was taken over by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in late 2014. ISIL held the city until mid-2015 when local fighters and the Libyan National Army pushed them out.

Kuwait

On 26 June 2015, ISIL militants damaged a Shiite mosque in Kuwait City, causing many injuries.

France

Starting in January 2015, several attacks took place in France by individuals or groups inspired by extremist ideas. These attacks continued through 2016, including serious incidents in and around Paris. Some of these actions were described as a reaction to France’s involvement in conflicts overseas.

Bangladesh

Since late 2015, many violent actions in Bangladesh were linked to groups inspired by extremist ideas. These included attacks on people with different beliefs and backgrounds. In July 2016, a group entered a restaurant in Dhaka, taking people inside captive for many hours. The situation ended when the army intervened, and those responsible claimed responsibility for the actions.