The US had foreknowledge of the offensive led by the al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that ousted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and helped another rebel group join the fight, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday. The report said the US notified the...
Turkey Says US State Dept Claims of Ceasefire With Kurds Untrue, Vows to Continue Offensive
Last week, a four-day ceasefire was reached between Turkey and the US-backed Kurdish SDF to allow the SDF to withdraw from the contested city of Manbij. That ceasefire expired Monday, though the US State Department announced Tuesday that it had reached a deal with...
Turkey, Allies Violate Extended Ceasefire With Syrian Kurds, Dozens Killed
On Tuesday, the US State Department announced the extension of the ceasefire between Syria’s Kurdish SDF and Turkey’s allies. The initial ceasefire expired, but the new one was supposed to continue to the end of the week. It doesn’t seem to have lasted even a whole...
Report: Netanyahu Orders IDF To Occupy Syria’s Mount Hermon Until End of 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli military to occupy territory it captured on Mount Hermon in Syria following the downfall of Bashar al-Assad until at least the end of 2025, Israel's Channel 12 has reported. After Assad fled Syria on...
Israel Passing Messages to Syria’s HTS, But Turkey’s Influence Is a Concern
Both Israel and Turkey were at the forefront of this month’s regime change in Syria. The takeover of Syria by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) alters the landscape of the region, but Turkey and Israel may quickly find themselves at odds over who’s really...
HTS Leader Julani Says Syria Won’t Be Used as a ‘Launchpad’ To Attack Israel
The leader of the al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is leading Syria following the regime change that ousted Bashar al-Assad, has said Syria would not become a "launchpad" to attack Israel. "We do not want any conflict, whether with Israel or anyone else,...
Turkey Masses Troops on Syria Border, Large Scale Invasion May Be Imminent
Though it has reportedly been extended until the end of the week, the failure to make the ceasefire between Turkish-backed forces and the US-backed Kurdish SDF permanent is expected to lead to more fighting. It is starting to look like the fight for northern Syria...
US Effort to Extend SDF Ceasefire With Turkey in Northern Syria Fails
Update from 12/17/24: Though the four-day ceasefire expired, the US State Department is now reporting it has been extended until the end of the week. With the four-day ceasefire in the Syrian city of Manbij coming to a close, US mediators’ efforts to convince Turkey...
US Launches More Airstrikes in Syria, Claims 12 ISIS Fighters Killed
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Monday that its forces launched airstrikes in Syria, claiming the attacks targeted ISIS camps and killed 12 ISIS fighters. CENTCOM said in a press release that the strikes "were conducted as part of the ongoing mission to disrupt,...
Israeli Airstrikes on Western Syria Cause Massive Blast
Israel launched heavy airstrikes against targets in western Syria's Tartus region overnight Sunday into Monday, causing massive explosions, including one so big that it registered as a 3.1 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale. A correspondent for Al Mayadeen...