| Siege of Baniyas | |
|---|---|
| Part of theSyrian revolution and theSyrian civil war | |
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| Location | |
| Planned by | Gen. Fo’ad Hamoudeh Gen. Ramadan Ramadan Gen. Ghassan Afif[1] |
| Objective | Suppress protests |
| Date | 7–14 May 2011 (1 week) |
| Executed by |  Syrian Army
|
| Outcome | Protests suppressed |
| Casualties | 10 protestors killed[3] 400 arrested[4] 1-6 soldiers killed[5] |
On 7 May 2011, during theSyrian revolution, theSyrian military launched an operation in the Syrian city ofBaniyas. The government said it was targeting terrorist groups, while theSyrian opposition called it a crackdown against pro-democracy protesters. The operation lasted until 14 May 2011.
On 9 April 2011, unknown gunmen shot at a military bus traveling through Baniyas, killing nine soldiers.[citation needed]
On 10 April, protests were held in Baniyas in which violent clashes erupted between security forces and protesters. Between three and six people were reportedly shot dead, while one police officer was reportedly killed by unknown gunmen.[6]
On 14 April, snipers killed aSyrian Army soldier in the city, according to state media.[7]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(February 2012) |
On 7 May, preceded by thesuccessful operation against protestors in Daraa days prior, Syrian Army units entered Baniyas from three directions. They advanced intoSunni districts of the multi-ethnic town. Heavy gunfire was reported as the operation began.[8] The next day, 8 May, around 30 tanks were seen patrolling the city, with some of them positioned in the city center.Syrian Navy boats were also reportedly holding positions near the city's coastline. Special forces units allegedly entered the northern part of the city, from where heavy gunfire was heard.[9]
On 14 May, the military began to withdraw from the city, effectively ending the siege.[10]
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