The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from January to April 2018. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

January 2018 2 January

The Syrian Army and allies made advances on the Beit Jinn area, capturing 3 villages and hilltops, in western Ghouta.Syrian Army restores control over entire West Ghouta after six years of war , Al-Masdar

4 January Russian Air Force airstrikes killed 25 civilians in Eastern Ghouta.

5 January

Jaysh al-Islam fighters attempted to infiltrate ISIL positions in the orchards between Yalda and Hajjar As-Aswad, to the immediate south of Damascus city.

7 January The Syrian Army lifts the siege of Harasta vehicle base, which had been besieged by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Ahrar al-Sham and Al-Rahman Legion since 29 December 2017.

11 January

The Syrian army captures 34 villages, including Um-Miyal after advancing south of Aleppo towards the Abu al-Duhur Airbase, reaching a distance of about 6 km from its forces in the eastern countryside of Idlib.

17 January

Several international newspapers (e.g. the Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat, the French Le Monde and the Italian La Repubblica) report on the publication of a civil peace initiative, the Code of Conduct for Syrian Coexistence as a result of years-long secret negotiations between Syrian tribal leaders, representatives of Alawites, Sunnis and various clans and Syrian communities.

20 January

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the beginning of a military operation to capture Afrin and subsequently Manbij from Kurdish forces (Rojava). It is the first major military operation by Turkey in Syria since Operation Euphrates Shield. Syrian Army forces capture the Abu al-Duhur airbase in Idlib governorate. The civilian death toll of the Rif Dimashq offensive rose to 200 over the first 48 hours, and the number of hospitals struck rose to seven - the highest 48 hour death toll since the 2013 Ghouta chemical attack.It's not a war. It's a massacre': scores killed in Syrian enclave, Guardian, 20 February 2018More bombs hit Syria's Ghouta, death toll highest since 2013, Reuters, 20 February 2018

22 January Afrin offensive: Turkish forces - TAF/TSK and their Syrian National Army (SNA) allies - announce the capture of seven villages, although the Kurdish YPG recaptured two of them.

27 January Afrin offensive: As Turkey's Afrin intervention entered its second week, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu urged the US to 'immediately withdraw' its military personnel from Manbij in northern Syria that's held by the Kurds.

February 2018 3 February A Russian Su-25 fighter jet is shot down by a MANPAD while on a patrolling mission over the ″de-escalation zone″ in the Idlib governorate. The pilot, Roman Filipov, safely ejected via parachute but died on the ground in a brief exchange of fire with militants on the outskirts of Saraqib. HTS claimed responsibility for the downing. In response, the Russian Ministry of Defence released alleged footage of airstrikes on HTS territory in the area of the crash site. In response to the SAA offensive on the East Idlib front, 11 rebel groups announced the formation of a unified operations room, Dahar al-Ghaza ("Defeat the Invaders"), to counter the Syrian Army and allies' recent advances. The new operations room included Ahrar al-Sham, the Free Idlib Army, Faylaq al-Sham, Nour al-Din al-Zenki, Jaysh al-Izza, Jaysh al-Nukhba, and Jaysh al-Nasr, among others.

5 February SAA forces reported the capture of Buyud al-Saffaf, Abu al-Kheir, Abu Khanadiq, Rasm al-Kibar, Tell al-Shur, Malihah Saghirah, Rasm al-Mafkar, and Khirbat Umm Rujum from ISIL in northeastern Hama.

6 February Airstrikes on residential areas of Douma reportedly killed at least 31 civilians, according to the UN.

7 February Syrian Army forces have recently seized a total of 76 towns and locations from ISIL forces in Idlib Governorate, closing out an ISIL pocket of resistance. According to American military sources, Syrian pro-government forces initiated an offensive against US-backed SDF territory east of the Deir ez-Zor deconfliction line, near a Conoco gas field. The US-led coalition conducted strikes against the pro-government forces in support of the SDF. According to one US official, more than 100 pro-government fighters were killed, while about 500 troops participated in the attack; no Americans were injured or killed during the engagement. At a news briefing, Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White claimed the US is "not looking for a conflict with the regime." According to a source close to the Syrian Army, approximately 25-30 Al-Baraka tribesmen were killed in the airstrikes. The Al-Baraka tribesmen are also from the Euphrates River Valley and considered locals.Details from the US bombing of pro-government forces in Deir Ezzor , Al-Masdar The Russian government later admitted several dozen of its citizens died or were injured during the engagement.Marc Bennets, Russia admits ‘several dozen’ of its citizens killed in Syria fighting, Guardian, Tue 20 Feb 2018 16.02 GMT Last modified on Tue 20 Feb 2018

10 February UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein called for international action after "one of the bloodiest periods of the entire conflict", mainly in Eastern Ghouta and Idlib. The UN Human Rights Office received reports indicating that at least 277 civilians were killed between 4 and 9 February – 230 in pro-government airstrikes – with a further 812 civilians injured.UN rights chief urges international action as violence soars in Syria, OHCHR, 10 February 2018 An Israeli Air Force F-16I fighter jet was shot down in northern Israel when it was hit by Syrian Air Defense. Both pilots were wounded but ejected and landed in Israeli territory. A Turkish Helicopter was shot down by the SDF/YPG south of Omeran village during the Afrin offensive.

12 February The Kurdish YPG claimed to have had shot down a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 UCAV reconnaissance drone over Qodeh village in Afrin. An Israeli army assessment claimed that half of Syria's aerial defense systems were destroyed in the retaliatory air force sortie during the 10 February airstrikes.

13 February The "Defeat the Invaders" Idlib rebel alliance announced the ISIL pocket in the region had been dissolved after some 400 people (ISIL fighters, their families and wounded) gave themselves up in the village of Khwein al-Kabir.

15 February Afrin offensive: The Syrian National Army and Turkish forces announced the capturing of five villages from the YPG.

16 February

Afrin offensive: Turkey allegedly launches a chemical attack against Kurdish forces in Afrin, which leaves 6 people wounded.

18 February

In preparation for a new ground offensive into Eastern Ghouta, the SAA launch air raids and artillery strikes into the rebel-held enclave. In Idlib, Ahrar al-Sham and Nour al-Din al-Zenki merge and form the Jabhat Tahrir Suriya (Syria's Liberation Front/SLF) rebel group.

19 February

Heavy clashes erupt in the Aleppo and Idlib Governorates between the Syrian Liberation Front and Tahrir al-Sham. In East Ghouta, monitors and activists reported 72 airstrikes, 97 civilian mortalities and 500 injuries in the first 24 hours of the Rif Dimashq offensive. Five hospital were reportedly struck and put out of service.New Bombing Campaign Hits 5 Hospitals, Among Worst Days in Syrian History, ReliefWeb, 19 February 2018

20 February Afrin offensive: A convoy of a pro-Syrian government militia called "Popular Forces" entered Afrin to support the YPG but was hit by Turkish artillery "warning shots", forcing the convoy to retreat.

22 February By the fifth day of the Rif Dimashq offensive (February 2018), monitors reported 38 deaths, making a total of over 300 killed in pro-government air strikes in East Ghouta.Bombs continue to pound eastern Ghouta as UN pleads for ceasefire, Guardian, 22 February 2018Syria's Ghouta residents 'wait to die' as more bombs fall, Reuters, 22 February 2018 Doctors Without Borders said at least 13 hospitals and clinics were damaged or destroyed over the previous days. The Syrian government assumes control of Sheikh Maqsood, Ashrafiya, Haidariya, Baaeydin and Holluk neighborhoods in North Aleppo after the YPG/YPJ garrison there deploy to Afrin.

23 February Airstrikes and artillery attacks on the Eastern Ghouta suburbs of Damascus killed at least 46 people on Thursday, according to Agence France-Presse, bringing the six day death toll to over 400.Five-day assault on Syria enclave kills more than 400, Hasan Mohamed, AFP•February 23, 2018 The UN was unable to reach an agreement on a ceasefire resolution, due to Russian blocking.U.N. Security Council to vote on Friday on demand for Syria truce, Reuters, 23 February 2018World leaders urge Syria cease-fire as fighting escalates, AP, 23 February 2018 The Kurdish YPG called on the Syrian army to intervene in Afrin, to supplement pro-government militia already there.Kurdish YPG militia urges Syrian army to help it stop Turkey, Reuters, 23 February 2018 Ahrar al-Sham and Suqour al-Sham rebels attack positions of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) alliance in Idlib, according to SOHR.Rebel Infighting Rocks Syria’s Northwest, Syria Deeply, 23 February 2018

25 February Turkish President Erdogan claims a total of 2,021 YPG militants have been "neutralized" since the launch of the Afrin intervention. The Turkish government uses the term "neutralized" to refer to enemies both captured and killed. In turn, according to the Turkish Army, 32 Turkish soldiers have been killed and 183 others wounded since the beginning of the Afrin operation. The SAA begins its ground assault on East Ghouta on multiple fronts.

March 2018 3 March The Syrian National Army and Turkish Armed Forces (SNA/TSK) captured the town of Rajo from the YPG along with capturing Ramadiyah and Hamelika villages in the Jinderes district during the ongoing Afrin offensive.

8 March SNA/TSK forces captured the town of Jindires from the YPG, giving them control of one of the largest settlements in Syria's northwest Afrin region. They also captured the villages of Shawaghat al-Juz, Maarsat al-Khatib, Hallubi Kabir and Hallubi Saghir, and the "Mafraq al Jatt" crossroads, cutting off the Nubl-Kafrjana-Afrin highway.

9 March SNA/TSK forces seized control of the Maydanki dam and its western bank in Afrin. The dam serves as a water supply to Afrin city.

11 March The Syrian army captures 59% of the rebel-held eastern Ghouta enclave and divides it into three separate pockets

15 March Tens of thousands of civilians evacuated the eastern Ghouta suburbs in one of the largest single-day exoduses of civilians since the start of the Syrian war.Thousands flee violence in mass exodus from Syrian towns, AFP A similar scale of displacement occurred in Afrin.Syrian Kurdish YPG says 10,000 people in Afrin displaced in two days, ReutersHundreds of families flee Syrian town of Afrin: Observatory, Reuters There was renewed government bombing of Daraa, a "de-escalation zone".Airstrikes on the third day on a row in areas in the eastern part of Daraa countryside, SOHRU.N. adviser Egeland says 'tremendous battles' still loom in Syria, Reuters

18 March On the 58th day of the Turkish-led Afrin offensive, Afrin city is captured by SNA/TSK forces - punctuated by Turkish and Free Syrian Army flags and banners raised above the city. De-mining operations begin as there were reports of the city being pillaged as military sites and civilian homes and businesses were looted by militants.

28 March The Syrian Arab Army prepares to attack Douma in eastern Ghouta unless the Jaysh al-Islam insurgent group agrees to hand over the area.

29 March President Donald Trump announced that the United States will be leaving Syria "very soon".