Siege of Baniyas
Part of the Syrian revolution
Location	Baniyas, Syria
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 Special forces[1] (35th, 45th, 53rd regiment) 4th Armoured Division[2]
Outcome	Protests suppressed
Casualties	10 protestors killed[3] 400 arrested[4] 1-6 soldiers killed[5]

On 7 May 2011, during the Syrian revolution, the Syrian military launched an operation in the Syrian city of Baniyas. The government said it was targeting terrorist groups, while the Syrian opposition called it a crackdown against pro-democracy protesters. The operation lasted until 14 May 2011.

Prelude

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 a Syrian Army soldier in the city, according to state media.^[7]

The operation

On 7 May, preceded by the successful operation against protestors in Daraa days prior, Syrian Army units entered Baniyas from three directions. They advanced into Sunni 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]