Citadel of Damascus
Al-Bitar returned to Syria in 1936 following nationalist Hashim al-Atassi's election to the presidency. Al-Atassi welcomed al-Bitar at the presidential palace in Damascus and praised him as a national hero. Upon his return, al-Bitar joined the National Bloc, the largest political party in Syria opposed to French rule. He based himself in Latakia. A year later, in 1937, al-Bitar was accused by the authorities of instigating violence against the French, who arrested him. He was imprisoned in the Citadel of Damascus. He was released in 1939, largely as a result of pressure Syrian nationalist politicians, but kept out of politics after his release. In 1943, he reentered politics as a candidate in the parliamentary elections. He evaded arrest by the French authorities in late May 1945 during a campaign against nationalist figures in Damascus. Al-Bitar left Damascus for Turkey, where he stayed until his death in 1946, the same year Syria became independent of France.