As Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) tries to grow its national military after the takeover of the country in December, it was inevitable that Turkey, a heavy backer of the HTS during its offensives last year, would end up playing a big role. Syria and Turkey have...
Turkey FM Warns He Won’t Tolerate Syrian Kurds Becoming Israeli Pawns
Syria’s Foreign Minister was in Ankara today meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, and Fidan took the opportunity, as Turkish officials so often do, to rail about the Kurds threatening regional stability. This time, the warnings were directed at the...
Jordan-Hosted Talks on Suwayda End With Statement Backing Syrian Sovereignty
Talks were held Tuesday in Amman, Jordan related to the ongoing situation in Syria’s Suwayda Governorate. No Druze were permitted to attend to the talks, which were between the Jordanian FM, the Syrian FM, and US envoy Tom Barrack. The sides discussed the tentative...
Syria, US to Discuss Suwayda Killings in Amman Talks, But Druze Aren’t Invited
The number of people killed in the massacres in Syria’s Suwayda Governorate is still yet from being fully documented, as tensions continue to flare and the whole governorate is effectively on lockdown from the government. Talks aimed at addressing concerns about that...
Syria Spurns Kurdish Integration Talks in Paris as Tensions Mount
Over the weekend, the Kurdish SDF held a unity conference in Paris meant to discuss, among other things, how integration with the Islamist Syrian government will actually work. The unity conference was condemned by the government, which refused to take part, claiming...
Syrian Forces Clash With Kurdish SDF in Aleppo Governorate
Despite the ongoing integration deal between the Kurdish SDF and the Islamist HTS-dominated government, government forces attacked SDF positions in the Aleppo Governorate today, sparking a number of substantial battles. Government-linked forces attacked SDF positions...
Israel Launches Ground Raids in Southwest Syria, Captures Several Locals
Israeli ground troops have carried out multiple ground raids across southwestern Syria over the weekend, including overnight raids in the Quneitra Governorate overnight Saturday, which led to the capture of multiple “suspects” who have not been conclusively identified...
SDF Spurns US Demands: Laying Down Arms ‘Non-Negotiable’
The Kurdish SDF has rejected the US demand to fully disarm and withdraw from key areas and border crossings in northeast Syria, saying that the idea of laying down arms is “non-negotiable.” SDF representative Sihanouk Dibo said that the group’s long-term vision was to...
Violence Continues to Rage in Syria’s Suwayda, 1,448 Confirmed Dead
While the violence in Suwayda is not as severe right now as it was earlier this month, the situation is far from resolved, and truce violations continue to be reported regularly. Some 1,448 people are now confirmed to have been killed in the violence, including 258...
Syria, Israel Hold ‘De-Escalation’ Talks in Paris, Agree To Hold Second Round
With US envoy Tom Barrack in attendance in Paris, Syrian and Israeli government ministers met in what is being called “de-escalation” talks aimed to reduce the growing tensions amid the ongoing Israeli invasion of southwestern Syria and the sectarian violence in the...