Liberation Day in Syria Date in the current year: December 8, 2025

The first 17 years of Syria’s independence were marked by frequent civil unrest, including riots, military uprisings, and coups. On March 8, 1963, the Military Committee of the Ba’ath Party seized power, establishing the Ba’athist regime that controlled all aspects of Syrian political, social, economic, religious, and educational life for the next six decades.

Conflicts within the party led to two more coups: one in 1966 and one in 1970. As a result of the coups, the party itself remained in power, but the government changed. The 1970 coup was organized by the Minister of Defense, Hafez al-Assad, and marked the beginning of the Assad family’s rule over Syria.

To consolidate power, Assad began a process known as “Assadization”. Its ultimate goal was to establish a personal dictatorship in which the Assad family controlled all aspects of Syrian life. This process involved placing loyalists throughout the military, security services, government institutions, education system, and media, developing a personality cult around Hafez al-Assad. and strictly monitoring religion.

Assad originally planned for his younger brother, Rifaat, to succeed him. However, Rifaat attempted to overthrow Hafez in 1984 when he had a health scare. Rifaat’s coup attempt failed, and he was exiled. The new presumed successor was Hafez’s eldest son, Bassel. However, he died in a car crash in 1994, and his younger brother, Bashar, took over his role as heir apparent.

Bashar al-Assad came to power in 2000 after his father’s death. Although he tried to present himself as a modern, progressive reformer, his rule continued his father’s totalitarian practices. By late 2001, he had suppressed the pro-reform movement and opposition.

In March 2011, mass protests against the Assad family’s rule began across Syria as part of the Arab Spring. Despite attempts to quell them, the protests eventually grew into an armed rebellion that escalated into a full-blown civil war by mid-2012.

During the war, numerous rebel groups fought against the Assad regime. They included the Free Syrian Army and other secular rebels, various Islamist and jihadist groups, and Kurdish forces. Meanwhile, foreign states became direct participants or major backers on different sides. Iran and Russia supported the government, while countries such as Turkey, Qatar, the United States, and Saudi Arabia aided different rebel factions at various stages of the conflict.

On November 24, 2024, a coalition of Syrian revolutionary factions launched an offensive that eventually led to their victory in the war. They captured Aleppo on November 29 and advanced toward Hama, then Damascus. The rebels captured Damascus on December 8, overthrowing the Assad regime. Rebel commander Ahmed al-Sharaa became the de facto head of state and was formally appointed president in January 2025.

In October 2025, President al-Sharaa revised the list of public holidays. Four holidays were removed due to their connection to the Assad regime: March 8 Revolution Day, Teachers’ Day, Tishreen Liberation War Day, and Martyr’s Day. Two new public holidays were introduced instead: Syrian Revolution Day, which marks the beginning of the Syrian revolution in 2011, and Liberation Day, which marks the end of the Ba’athist regime and rule of the Assad family.