French Mandate of Syria

The French Mandate of Syria was a League of Nations Mandate created after the First World War when the Ottoman Empire was split by the Treaty of Sèvres. Four mandate territories were created, with the rest of the territory placed under monarchies. The British controlled the Mandates of Palestine and Iraq, while the French controlled the Mandates of Lebanon and Syria. France and Syria signed a Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence in 1936, but the Mandate continued because France failed to ratify the document. Syria was granted its independence in 1943, after Free French and British forces regained it from Vichy France in 1941 during the Syria-Lebanon campaign. The French forces finally left the country on April 17, 1946: this day is celebrated by Syrians as "Independence Day" (Arabic: عيد الاستقلال), it is also referred to as "Evacuation Day" (Arabic: عيد الجلاء).
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