“Evacuation Day”: King Abdullah congratulates Syria President

His Majesty King Abdullah II extended his congratulations Thursday to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of Syria’s Evacuation Day.

​Evacuation Day, known in Arabic as "Eid al-Jalaa", is Syria’s national holiday celebrated annually on April 17. The day commemorates the withdrawal of the last French troops in 1946, marking the end of the French mandate and Syria's full independence.​

Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, Syria came under French control through a League of Nations mandate in 1923. Despite declaring independence in 1941 and being recognized as an independent republic in 1944, French and British forces remained in the country. It wasn't until April 17, 1946, that the final French soldiers departed.