The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from May to August 2011, including the escalation of violence in many Syrian cities.
May 2011
1–2 May Protesters throughout Syria remained defiant despite intensifying arrests and attacks in Daraa and Douma.
The Syrian military continued shelling homes in Daraa with tanks. As the military siege on Daraa continued, Assad's security forces allegedly killed 40 civilians elsewhere in the town of Tel Kalakh. By 2 May, 4,000 people crossed the border into Lebanon.
4 May The deadly military siege on Daraa continued. Arrests intensified in Damascus, with large protests anticipated for Friday after prayers.
5 May – Siege of Homs
Since 15 March 2011, according to the BBC, 500 Syrians have been killed and 2,500 others detained. Dozens of tanks were today sent to the Syrian city of Homs as part of the crackdown. Syrian army tanks raided Saqba and other suburbs of Damascus. In Damascus, the government arrested 300 people, Bangkok Post, 5 May 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
The Syrian Army pulled out of Daraa By the end of the day, the army prepared to seize control of Baniyas.
About 100 tanks and troop transports converged on the town of Al-Rastan, after anti-government protesters toppled a statue of the late Syrian president Hafez al-Assad and pledged to press ahead with their revolution despite sweeping arrests by Bashar al-Assad's government.
6 May – "Friday of Challenge" On 6 May, after Friday noon prayers, demonstrators rose in cities and towns across Syria to protest the government, especially in the suburbs of Damascus, the smaller cities of Homs, Hama, and Baniyas, and in Syrian Kurdistan. Video and audio of security forces responding, in some cases with lethal force, appeared online within an hour of protests beginning. Eleven members of the Syrian army were allegedly killed by an armed group in Homs in an attack on a military checkpoint. At least three dead and 20 injured were reported in Homs alone, with a total of 16 dead between Homs and Hama, and opposition leaders Mouaz al-Khatib and Riad Seif were detained allegedly by secret police. Tens of thousands reportedly marched in Damascus and its suburbs, and about 7,000 protesters wearing funeral shrouds and carrying olive branches and flowers gathered in Baniyas, vowing to "meet the army peacefully", according to Al Jazeera, whose Arabic-language channel broadcast live from the city for some minutes. Several thousand Syrians participated in a protest march to the vicinity of Deraa, but security forces maintaining a siege of the city refused to let them enter with supplies for its inhabitants.
Following this "Day of Defiance", Amnesty International reported that activists Razan Zaitouneh, Wa’el Hammada, Haitham al-Maleh, Hind al-Labwani, Omar al-Labwani, Jwan Yousef Khorshid, Walid al-Bunni and Suheir al-Atassi had been forced to go into hiding.
Many anti-government protests occurred, starting mainly in the Kurdish Northeast and Damascus suburbs. Baniyas, Homs, and Hama were also among the cities which witnessed large demonstrations. 11 members of the Syrian army were killed by an armed group in Homs as a result of an armed attack on a military checkpoint. 16 civilians in Homs and Hama were shot dead by security forces.
7 May – "Siege of Baniyas"
The Syrian army began a siege of Baniyas, with at least 6 civilians dead on 7 May, among them 4 women.
8 May – "Siege of Tafas" On 8 May, a 12-year-old boy was killed during a government crackdown in Homs and a 10-year-old boy was arrested, anti-government activists claimed. The Syrian army began a siege on Tafas, near Daraa, and arrested at least 250 people there.
9 May The Syrian army continued its house to house raid on Baniyas, Tafas, Homs. Arrests were ongoing in Damascus as well, where gunfire was heard.
The European Union institutes arms embargo and other sanctions against Syria, but not against President Assad.
10 May The Syrian army prepared a siege on Hama, as the siege on Baniyas, Tafas, Homs, and Damascus continued. The European Union imposed sanctions on 13 government individuals including Maher al-Assad, Bashar's brother, who commands the security brigades. Kuwait will also replace Syria for bid on membership of the UN Human Rights Council due to Syria's oppression of protesters.
11 May In an escalation of the siege on Homs, tanks were sent in and began shelling buildings, with at least 5 killed. Secretary general of the UN Ban Ki-moon demanded that the UN have access to Daraa.
12 May Mass arrests were carried out in Aleppo against students who protested. The siege of Homs, Tafas, and Baniyas continued. Tanks were sent towards Hama. Dael, Jassem, and Al-Harah were also under siege by tanks and troops.
13 May – "Friday of Free Women" Bashar Al-Assad reportedly ordered the Syrian army "not to shoot" at protesters ahead of expected Friday protests. Security forces began to set up checkpoints and roadblocks all across Syria. Demonstrations first began in Hama and Qamishli and Homs. Towns across the Kurdish northeast protested as Kurds have been intensifying their protests. Thousands rallied in Daraa where security forces fired warning shots. Thousands rallied in Damascus, where police presence was especially large, particularly in the Midan suburb, where thousands of officers were deployed to stop them from entering other parts of Damascus. People tried to protest in Baniyas and Latakia, but were shot at with live ammunition.
Three people were shot and killed by security forces in Homs, two in Damascus, and one in Daraa. Despite the intensified crackdown and massive police and army presence, the strength and the number of protesters in Damascus appeared to have only increased.
14 May – "Siege of Talkalakh"
The government continued to prevent food from being sent to Daraa, in an effort to starve people into stopping their protests. The army launched a siege on Talkalakh, killing four civilians and sending hundreds to seek refugee in Lebanon. Protesting occurred in several cities, including Daraa. Funerals for slain protesters were held in Damascus's suburbs. The Kurds protesting in the north have called on all opposition forces in and out of Syria to unite into one party aiming at transferring Syria from a dictatorship to a democracy.
15 May - "Israeli border demonstrations"
23 Syrian protesters are killed and 350 wounded by live fire from Israeli forces."Israeli Troops Fire as Marchers Breach Borders", Ethan Bronner. New York Times. 15 May 2011. Accessed 5 May 2017
16 May The Syrian army's siege across the country continued, especially in Talkalakh, where 7 civilians were killed by Syrian army snipers when trying to cross the border into Lebanon. By this point 5,000 people had crossed the border into Lebanon. International media reported that mass graves had been found by farmers on the outskirts of Daraa with at least 20 dead people in them, leading security forces to immediately reinstate a curfew in the restive town.
17 May The chief of the Political Security Forces of Homs and four other officers were killed by an armed group in Talkalakh. The civilian death toll from the Syrian army's siege on Talkalakh risen to 27. Thousands attended funerals for slain protesters in Damascus the previous day. University students attempted to protest in Aleppo, but were dispersed by an immense security presence. Activists called for a general strike in Syria starting Wednesday. Sunni refugees told reporters that sectarian violence had broken out in Talkalakh, with Alawite paramilitaries clashing with Sunni residents.
19 May The general strike did not affect Damascus significantly, which is mostly blamed on the fear factor. Other towns saw greater levels of general strike. The USA put up sanctions on six top Syrian government officials, including Bashar al-Assad. As the opposition promised to continue their campaign, shootings and arrests of protesters were ongoing in Syria, as well as the siege and starvation of Talkalakh.
20 May – "Friday of Azady (freedom)" Over 23 people, including 2 boys, were killed by security forces across Syria. Most of the deaths occurred in Homs. For the first time Assyrian Christians joined protests, in which many were arrested. Protesters burned down the Ba'ath Party headquarters in Abu Kamal. Four protesters were killed in the Berze section of Damascus, where security forces surrounded it and shut off its electricity. 9 of the 23 dead protesters were killed in Hama, and another 9 in Kafr Nabl. Qamishli saw large protests by the Kurds. Other cities that saw thousands protest were Hama, Homs, Sanamin, Hassake, Amouda, Ras al-Ain, Tel, Baniyas, and Latakia.
21 May The death toll from Friday through Saturday rose to 76. Security forces in Homs fired on a funeral procession, killing 22 mourners. A video released allegedly shows soldiers gathering dead bodies of Syrian protesters and mocking them.
24 May Human rights groups say the civilian death toll has reached over 1,100. They also confirmed that soldiers who refused to fire on civilians were executed by the Syrian army. A large number of opposition groups are reportedly planning to meet in Turkey at the end of the month; to attempt to elect a transitional council, connect with protesters inside the country, and present the international community with a clear alternative to Assad.
25 May Hamza al-Khateeb's tortured lifeless body was delivered to his family with three gunshot wounds, his genitals cut off & bruises all over. Hamza was a 13 years old Syrian boy, he lived with his parents in a village called Al-Jiza in Daraa Governorate. He joined his family in a rally to break the siege of the city of Daraa. He was detained among hundreds of Syrians during the massacre of Siada, where citizens of Daraa were randomly killed by Syrian security forces. Hamza was detained amongst hundreds. According to his autopsy he was shot down after cutting his genitals. The chief of Syria's medical examiners association Dr. Akram El-Shaar denied that Hamza was tortured, claimed that he supervised the autopsy in Damascus and that the boy did not have any sign of torture. He also claimed that all signs of disfigurement were due to decay.
26 May On 26 May, Haaretz reported that protests had broken out in the eastern city of Abu Kamal, with protesters burning pictures of both Assad and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who had given a speech in support of Assad earlier in the week. Security forces had reportedly withdrawn from the city, situated on the Iraqi border. Additionally, five protesters were injured in the town of Zabadani on the border with Lebanon after security forces fired on protesters. Thirty thousand protesters were rumoured to be in the town of Rastan, chanting anti-Assad slogans. Protesters planned to launch more large demonstrations Friday to protest Syrian forces' reprisals against, rather than defense of, Syrian civilians.
Protesters plan to launch more large demonstrations Friday. This Friday dubbed, "Honor to the Guardians", will focus on asking the Syrian army to defend its people rather than its government.
27 May – "Home Protectors' Friday"
Protests occurred throughout the country on this "Home Protectors' Friday" (Arabic: جمعة حماة الديار). A total of 7 protesters died. Cities where several thousand protested in each included Baniyas, Berze, Qatana, Deir al-Zur, Zabadani, Dael, Daraa, Ablu Kamal, and Homs. Tens of thousands protested in Hama.
28 May – "Siege of Rastan and Talbiseh"
On 28 May, the military pushed into the towns of Rastan and Talbiseh. The opposition claimed that soldiers fired from machine guns and tanks as they spread out through Talbiseh and started breaking into homes and arresting people. The operation started after the authorities cut all telecommunications in the area and all roads leading to the two towns were closed off by security forces and soldiers.