The cause of the revolts was mainly refusal of Syrian peasants to answer conscription and disarmament orders of new Egyptian rulers of the Muhammad Ali dynasty,[3] in line with anti-Egyptian attitudes of local Ottoman loyalists.

[5] The First Egyptian-Ottoman War (1831–1833) was a military conflict brought about by Muhammad Ali Pasha's demand to the Ottoman Empire for control of Greater Syria, as reward for his assistance in Crete against Greece.

As a result, Muhammad Ali's forces temporarily gained control of Syria, and advanced as far north as Adana.

It was a collective reaction to the gradual elimination of the unofficial rights and privileges previously enjoyed by the various societal groups in the region under Ottoman rule.

[8] While the local peasantry constituted the bulk of the rebel forces, urban notables and Bedouin tribes also formed an integral part of the revolt.

The Egyptians had a hard time conquering the Palestinian fellahin rebels , but when Muhammad Ali Pasha arrived with new troops, the revolt ended quickly.

[10] The peace treaty that he signed with the Ottoman sultan was more of a temporary ceasefire, so Muhammad needed troops to protect the border.

[5] The Egyptians were not known to the Mountainous landscape, and the guerilla warfare, which disadvantaged them, but with the help of the Druze they managed to overmaster the Nusayris.