—  Islamic militants attempted to storm the U.S. Embassy in Damascus on Tuesday using automatic rifles, hand grenades and at least one van rigged with explosives, the government said.

Here is a brief history of U.S. relations with Syria:

• 1835: First U.S. consuls were appointed to Syria

• March, 1847: U.S. Consular Agency was established at Aleppo

• May 11, 1908: Consular Agency at Aleppo was upgraded to a Consulate

• After the United States entered World War I, Turkey severed diplomatic relations and U.S. consular posts in Syria were closed

• December, 1942: U.S. Legation and Consular Office was established in Damascus

• August 27, 1952: U.S. elevates its legation in Syria to embassy status

• June, 1974: U.S.-Syrian relations, severed in 1967, were resumed following the achievement of the Syrian-Israeli disengagement agreement

• 1989: The U.S. and Syria consulted closely on the Taif Accord, ending the civil war in Lebanon

• 1990-91: Syria cooperated with the U.S. as a member of the multinational coalition of forces in the Gulf War

• May, 2004: The Bush administration, pursuant to the provisions of the Syrian Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, imposed sanctions on Syria

• February, 2005: In the wake of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, the U.S. recalls its ambassador to Washington for consultations