A Snapshot of Events Surrounding Syria and Lebanon

10/5/98

Turkish President Suleyman Demirel warns Syria he will send forces across their mutual border to pursue Kurdish dissidents being sheltered there

10/8/98

Turkish Parliament issues ultimatum to Syria to expel Turkish Kurds or "face the consequences"

10/10/98

Iran joins other Middle Eastern countries in attempts to mediate between Syria and Turkey

10/15/98

Syria's President Hafez Assad approves as Gen. Emile Lahoud's elected as President of Lebanon by the Lebanese Parliament. Lebanon's Prime Minister Rafik Hariri also approves.

11/12/98

Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the outlawed separatist PKK, as the Kurdistan Workers Party is known, was arrested in Italy, late Thursday.

11/21/98

Italian court releases Ocalan -- Turkish Kurd leader says he came to Italy seeking asylum.

11/21/98

Indian immigrant workers illegally smuggled to U.S. through Syria - U.S. State Department busts international immigrant-smuggling and money-laundering network.

11/28/98

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contemplating withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon.

12/5/98

Israeli military and pro-military civilians defend occupation of Lebanon

12/13/98

Plummeting oil prices may destabilize middle eastern countries including allies of U.S. as well as push cartels to curtail production.

12/16/98

U.S. and Britain stage several attacks deep into Iraq to eliminate command and control and missile and artillery batteries being used to threaten No Fly Zone aircraft.

12/20/98

U.S. State Department travel warnings posted against any travel in Syria -- cites retaliation on U.S. citizens following U.S. and Britain attacks on Iraq.

12/20/98

Angry Syrian students storm U.S. Embassy protesting U.S. attack on Iraq

1/5/99

Turkish Kurd Leader Ocalon sits under guard in plush Roman villa in Italy.

1/24/99

Growing Risks for Tourists in Yemen,

2/7/99

Son of King Hussein, Abdullah, succeeds as King of Jordan

2/12/99

Hafez Assad reelected as President of Syria

2/15/99

Turkish Kurd PPK (Workers Party) leader Ocalon arrested in Kenya and turned over to Turkish authorities

2/17/99

Diaspora Kurds attempt to seize Israeli Consulate in Berlin results in deaths for three invaders

2/20/99

Unidentified gunmen assassinate Iraq's highest-ranking Shi'I Muslim cleric -- anti-government riots in Baghdad result.

2/22/99

Syria identified as one of the first countries Ocalon was sheltered by in his flight from Turkish justice.

2/23/99

Iraqi unrest continues into third day - protesting the assassination of senior Shi'i Muslim leader.

2/28/99

Israeli attacks guerrilla targets inside Lebanon on after Hezbollah Attack that killed a brigadier general and three other Israelis.

3/7/99

Middle East headlines claim Israel is setting the date for complete Israeli withdrawl from Lebanon.

4/5/99

Lockerbie Pan Am flight 103 bombing suspects handed over to the United Nations by Libya.

4/15/99

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami pledges real and tangible support for Palestinian terrorist opposed to the peace process in Israel.

5/15/99

Ehud Barak elected Prime Minister in Israel

5/21/99

Body part found in trash from Syrian freighter

5/21/99

Newly elected Israeli Prime Minister Barak says he will resume direct talks with Syria

5/25/99

King Abdullah II of Jordan to consult with Yassar Arafat, expected to back Palestinian's role in the middle east

5/27/99

U.S. making strong bid to normalize relations with North Korea

6/23/99

Israel and Syria anxious to restart peace talks despite recent fighter plane attack into Lebanon.

6/25/99

Israel bombs Lebanese Bridges, Power plants

6/27/99

Israel's Barak and Syria's Assad meet to discuss terms.

6/29/99

Turkish Court sentences Ocalon to Death

7/7/99

Iran threatens to execute captured Jews on Spy charges.

7/14/99

Turkey and Israel engaged in talks over imports of water to Turkey

7/20/99

U.S. State Department calls on Syria to discontinue harboring of violent terrorists and terrorist group training in Syria.

7/20/99

U.S. and Israel strengthen military ties eroded during administration of former prime minister Netanyahu.

7/27/99

Arafat insists Israel must totally withdraw from West Bank, putting peace talks at risk

9/4/99

Barak and Arafat sign a new peace agreement for holy grounds.

9/12/99

Barak now looks to peace with Syria

10/15/99

151 political Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel.

12/7/99

Israeli settlement issue threatens to stall peace talks

12/8/99

Syria and Israel to resume their peace talks

12/15/99

Peace Talks between Syria and Israel resume

12/16/99

Pro-Israeli militia attacks school in Lebanon injuring 20 students.

12/18/99

Israeli Parliament split over peace talks with Syria

12/19/99

Pro-Israeli militia, South Lebanon Army (SLA), seeks asylum in Israel

12/26/99

Israel releases five Lebanese prisoners

Israel and Palestinian leaders agree on land transfer deal in west bank.

1/10/00

Sources point to Golan Heights as chief stumbling block in Syria-Israeli peace talks

1/10/00

Thousands of Israeli citizens protest in the streets against loss of Golan Heights.

1/13/00

Israeli draft says Jewish settlers may stay in the Golan Heights, threatening peace process

1/14/00

Lebanon is key issue in Israeli-Syria peace talks

1/15/00

Syrian President Hafez Assad will not meet face to face with Israel's Prime Minister Barak.

1/17/00

Third round of talks between Israel and Syria are called off

1/20/00

Syria continues to demand Israel cede Golan Heights, crushing further peace talks

1/25/00

Guerrilla rocket attack kills Israeli soldier in South Lebanon

Bomb in Lebanon kills No. 2 Officer in Israeli-Allied militia

1/28/00

Barak halts peace talks with Syria citing Shite Muslim terrorist attacks.

2/3/00

Israel-Allied Militia pulls back in Lebanon.

2/10/00

Both Israel and Hezbollah claim victories in battles in Lebanon.

2/15/00

Once hopeful, Israeli-Palestinian relations fray

3/1/00

Israeli Prime Minister Barak's coalition members drafts bill setting nearly unattainable goals for Barak.

3/5/00

Israeli Cabinet Oks Prime Minister Barak's Lebanon withdrawal plan.

3/7/00

Hezbollah attacks and kills 2 Israeli-Allied Militia members

4/7/00

Israel threatens U.S. support by planning military arms deal with China

4/26/00

Lebanon OKs U.N. peacekeeping force once Israel withdraws

5/4/00

Israel retaliates against attacks in Israel by Air Attack against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

5/5/00

Israeli and Hezbollah return to sporadic shelling

5/9/00

More Israeli Air attacks in Lebanon

5/14/00

Israeli's Barak is losing support

5/20/00

Israel strikes targets deep inside Lebanon in an apparent warning to Syria, hitting Palestinian including tanks and other sources of hostility.

5/22/00

Israel's pull out hastened by a rush of Islamic guerrillas move through villages right up to Israeli border.

5/23/00

Last of Israeli Troops out of Lebanon after 22 years of occupation.

5/25/00

Sheik Hassan Nasrallah the leader of Hezbollah claims Israeli citizens living south across the Israeli-Lebanon border are not targets of his guerrilla movement.

5/26/00

U.N. envy delivers rejection of Lebanese claims on small farming area, held by Israelies near Golan Heights

5/31/00

Calls for Syrian troops to pull out of Lebanon

6/3/00

Pundants wonder if Lebanon's government is a puppet of Syria's President Hafez Assad.

6/3/00

Palestinian leader Munir Maqdah calls for increased and possibly violent pressure on Israel to recognize Palestinian rights within Israel

6/10/00

Hafez Assad, a giant figure in the modern Arab nationalist movement, immovable foe of Israel and iron-fisted president of Syria for nearly 30 years, died Saturday at age 69

6/11/00

Dr. Bashar Assad, son of former President Hafez Assad may be tapped as new President

6/12/00

Exiled Uncle challenges for power in Syria - few think he will succeed.

6/18/00

The Baath Party elects Dr. Bashar Assad as the new President of Syria.

6/20/00

Syria's Baath Party appoints 12 new members to help modernize the country and clean up the government.

7/5/00

An attempted hijack aboard a Sryian-bound Jordanian plane ended in an exploding grenade that wounded 15 passengers followed by security guards killing the terrorist.

7/11/00

Dr. Bashar Assad wins referendum election in Syria, replacing his father as head of state, as the Parliament recognizes the July 10 election results.

7/17/00

Arafat pushes the "make-or-break" Palestinian issue at Camp David - Let the Palestinians return. Has UN Resolution 194 behind him.

U.S. authorities charge 18 people in North Carolina for attempts to raise money for Hezbollah, a terrorist group as defined by U.S. law - Funds were supposed to flow directly to leaders in Lebanon.

8/5/00

Turkey looks to export excess water

8/9/00

1948 total of 840,000 Palestinians ejected from what is Israel today, now number around 4 million

10/7/00

Israeli tanks pulled back from Palestinian sectors of the West Bank as Palestinians and Israelis agree to cease-fire.

10/8/00

Israel will declare peace process over if violence persists.

10/14/00

Arafat and Barak OK summit to discuss ways to end violence in disputed areas -- to attend summit in Egypt.

10/21/00

Arab states preach peace but violence still rages

Violence spreads to Israel's northern border as Israeli planes retaliate to the killing of one Israeli soldier and the wounding of two others by Shi'i Muslim members of Hezbollah.

12/1/00

Syrian Parliament okays private banking for the first time in 40 years. Stock market prelims also on the way.

12/28/00

As Israeli and Palestinian leaders grapple with proposals aimed to stop the bloodshed, two Israelis are killed and a dozen others are wounded in bomb blasts.

12/31/00

One Israeli was killed and three injured in a shooting attack in the West Bank a day after Arafat's Fatah faction calls for more violence

1/23/01

Syria has opened an oil pipeline for Iraqi oil says U.S. officials, bringing in $2 million in illicit funds for Iraq, in direct conflict with U.N. sanctions.

2/11/01

Israeli settler in West Bank is killed and gun battles rage

2/17/01

Elementary school books used to teach Palestinian children show extreme anti-Semitic themes and may be clue to generational hatred of Israel says Jewish research group.

3/14/01

Lebanese students take to the streets to protest political influence of Syria on Lebanon's government.

4/16/01

Israeli Jets hit Syrian radar post in Lebanon, 3 die.

4/19/01

Palestinian Mortar attack results in Israeli retaliation

U.S. blocks key air route for arms from Iran into Lebanon

6/15/01

Syria begins moving troops out of Beirut, Lebanon - plans are to complete the move within 2 days

6/22/01

Israel to receive $74 million in compensation from Gulf War Damages fund.

7/4/01

War Crimes Inquiry on Ariel Sharon

7/11/01

Israeli tap water scare puts new focus on water supplies.

7/16/01

Reform in Syria keeps hitting roadblocks

8/3/01

Winds of War - Israel said to be preparing to pull out all the stops and cleanse Golan Heights and West Bank of Palestinians. Hope for peace looks gone.

8/5/01

From the Israeli's Viewpoint: Fix it For Good - Israel may now be ready to start over - go back to the time where they controlled their buffer zones.

8/6/01

Ultra-Nationalist, extremely anti-Semitic party comes out for first public meeting in 50 years, urges more confrontation of the "Zionist scheme".