(ex Israeli here) I actually don't think Syria is a good example for the Arab Spring,they were attacked by ISIS and Curds, Iran got involved on the way and then Russia, the US and Israel through some more fire into the mix. It was not an attempt to throw Aasad and start a democracy.
The street protests and the initial armed insurrection most definitely claimed they wanted to bring down Assad.
How much of it was motivated by a a desire for democracy versus the resentment of the Sunni majority against perceived Alawite domination, I don't know.
