Timeline: Israel, Syria and the Golan Heights
Key moments from the creation of Israel, to the six-day war, and the confirmation of peace talks mediated by Turkey
Israel and Syria today confirmed they are holding indirect peace talks with Turkey as the mediator.
Since the creation of Israel 60 years ago, the two states have fought three wars, two of them over the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau between the countries that was captured by Israel in 1967.
Here are some of the key moments in the Israeli-Syrian conflict.
November 1947: Syria opposes the UN partition plan for Jewish and Arab states that paves the way for the creation of Israel.
May 1948: As the British mandate in the region ends, the state of Israel is declared. Syria joins other Arab countries in invading Israel.
July 1949: Israel and Syria sign an armistice, although some fighting continues.
June 1967: Israel attacks Syria, capturing the Golan Heights, 460 square miles of strategically crucial land that also borders Jordan. The conflict becomes known as the six-day war.
October 1973: Syria attacks and tries to regain the Golan Heights but is repelled.
1974: After a series of other clashes, Syria and Israel agree to withdraw their forces, ending all significant military conflict in the Golan Heights.
1981: Israel announces it has annexed the Golan Heights. This is not recognized internationally. Today, there are an estimated 18,000 Israelis living there.
December 1999: Israel's prime minister, Ehud Barak, and the Syrian foreign minister, Farouk al-Sharaa, meet for the highest-level talks between the two countries.
January 2000: US-brokered discussions over the return of most of the Golan Heights to Syria collapse over disagreements about whether Israel should hand back a tiny parcel of land by the Sea of Galilee, a key water source for Israel.
June 2007: Israel says it is willing to trade land for peace if Syria's president, Bashar Assad, cuts ties with Iran and hostile guerrilla groups.
September 2007: Israeli warplanes drop bombs inside Syrian territory. Israel refuses to discuss the target, but in April 2008 the US releases a video it says shows the bombed facility was a nuclear plant being built with North Korean help.
April 2008: Assad tells a Qatari newspaper that Turkey has been mediating in talks between Israel and Syria for the past year.
May 2008: Israel and Syria confirm there are indirect talks aimed at reaching a "comprehensive peace agreement".
Since the creation of Israel 60 years ago, the two states have fought three wars, two of them over the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau between the countries that was captured by Israel in 1967.
Here are some of the key moments in the Israeli-Syrian conflict.
November 1947: Syria opposes the UN partition plan for Jewish and Arab states that paves the way for the creation of Israel.
May 1948: As the British mandate in the region ends, the state of Israel is declared. Syria joins other Arab countries in invading Israel.
July 1949: Israel and Syria sign an armistice, although some fighting continues.
June 1967: Israel attacks Syria, capturing the Golan Heights, 460 square miles of strategically crucial land that also borders Jordan. The conflict becomes known as the six-day war.
October 1973: Syria attacks and tries to regain the Golan Heights but is repelled.
1974: After a series of other clashes, Syria and Israel agree to withdraw their forces, ending all significant military conflict in the Golan Heights.
1981: Israel announces it has annexed the Golan Heights. This is not recognized internationally. Today, there are an estimated 18,000 Israelis living there.
December 1999: Israel's prime minister, Ehud Barak, and the Syrian foreign minister, Farouk al-Sharaa, meet for the highest-level talks between the two countries.
January 2000: US-brokered discussions over the return of most of the Golan Heights to Syria collapse over disagreements about whether Israel should hand back a tiny parcel of land by the Sea of Galilee, a key water source for Israel.
June 2007: Israel says it is willing to trade land for peace if Syria's president, Bashar Assad, cuts ties with Iran and hostile guerrilla groups.
September 2007: Israeli warplanes drop bombs inside Syrian territory. Israel refuses to discuss the target, but in April 2008 the US releases a video it says shows the bombed facility was a nuclear plant being built with North Korean help.
April 2008: Assad tells a Qatari newspaper that Turkey has been mediating in talks between Israel and Syria for the past year.
May 2008: Israel and Syria confirm there are indirect talks aimed at reaching a "comprehensive peace agreement".
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