Syria came under French rule in 1920 and in the summer of 1925, the Druze of Jabal al-Arab initiated the Great Syrian Revolt (1925–1927) against the French. The revolt's first shots occurred at Urman when Sultan Pasha al-Atrash and 250 of his horsemen entered the village and were tracked there by two French reconnaissance planes; al-Atrash's fighters fired at the circling planes, shooting one down. The day after, al-Atrash's troops captured Salkhad, marking the revolt's commencement.