March 1, 2020 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War, Northwestern Syria offensive (December 2019–March 2020), Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War
- Turkey launches an operation in Syria's Idlib Governorate codenamed Operation Spring Shield. (Daily Sabah)
- Two Syrian Air Force Su-24 jet aircraft are shot down by Turkish Air Force F-16s using air-to-air missiles over the Syria–Turkey border, while a Turkish drone is shot down by Syrian government forces in Idlib. (Reuters) (SOHR) (SOHR)
- Syrian state media says the Syrian Air Defense Force has downed three Turkish drones used to hit Syrian Army and air bases. (Reuters)
- Turkish drone and artillery strikes target Aleppo International Airport. (SOHR)
- Turkish drone strikes target the Hama Military Airport. (SOHR)
- Turkish drone strikes kill 19 Syrian Government troops in the past 24 hours, raising the total killed by Turkey in the past 3 days to 93 Syrian Government troops and 14 Hezbollah fighters. (SOHR)
- The Syrian Army launches an operation in the southern city of Al-Sanamayn, Daraa Governorate, after "armed militants" attempted to take over the majority-Sunni city. The operation is reportedly still ongoing as gunmen still hold western parts of the city. (Al-Masdar News)
- Afghan peace process
- Afghan president Ashraf Ghani rejects a clause in the U.S.–Taliban deal setting the release of Taliban prisoners ahead of intra-Afghan talks scheduled for March 10. (BBC News)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
- South Korea halts religious services and closes churches as the infected toll surpass 3,700. (BBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Armenia
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
- The Czech Republic confirms its first three cases.
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
- COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
- Scotland confirms its first case of COVID-19. (The Telegraph)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
- COVID-19 pandemic in San Marino
- San Marino reports its first death. (Corriere Romagna)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state)
- A nursing home in Kirkland, Washington locks down due to fears of COVID-19. (The New York Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
- Florida confirms its first two cases, and Governor Ron DeSantis declares a public health emergency. (WESH)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Dominican Republic
- The Dominican Republic confirms its first case. (Dominican Today)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
International relations
- European migrant crisis, Northwestern Syria offensive (December 2019–present)
- Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu says 76,358 migrants have left Turkey from Edirne Province as of this morning towards Europe. (Akşam)
- Greece deploys its military on the border with Turkey to prevent thousands of migrants from entering the European Union, and suspends all asylum applications for a month while also vowing to deport any migrants who enter Greek territory illegally. (The New York Times)
- Foreign relations of Syria
- Syria and Libya's Tobruk-based government led by Aguila Saleh Issa agree to establish diplomatic relations following a high level visit to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem. Both governments agree to counter "Turkish aggression" in the region. (Xinhuanet)
Politics and elections
- 2020 Malaysian political crisis
- Muhyiddin Yassin is sworn in as the Prime Minister of Malaysia, succeeding Mahathir Mohamad. (CNA)
- 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg suspends his presidential campaign. (The New York Times)
- 2020 Tajik parliamentary election
- Parliamentary elections are held in Tajikistan. (The New York Times)
- Luis Lacalle Pou is sworn in as the new President of Uruguay and succeeds leftist Tabaré Vázquez. (Al Jazeera)