بواسطة Syria in a Week Editors | أغسطس 15, 2019 | Syria in a Week, غير مصنف
The following is a selection by our editors of significant weekly developments in Syria. Depending on events, each issue will include anywhere from four to eight briefs. This series is produced in both Arabic and English in partnership between Salon Syria and Jadaliyya. Suggestions and blurbs may be sent to info@salonsyria.com.
Ceasefire Collapses in Idlib
Reuters
8, 10 August 2019
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) and the military media unit for Hezbollah saidthat the Syrian army captured a strategically important town in Idlib in the rebel’s last major enclave. The capture of al-Hobeit represents the most significant advance the army has made in Idlib governorate since the start of its offensive three months ago, the SOHR said. The Hezbollah media unit described the town as the gateway to the southern countryside of Idlib, to the main Damascus-Aleppo highway and to the city of Khan Sheikhoun.
Rebels have not yet commented on the fighting around al-Hobeit but this week acknowledged losing ground nearby as the army ramped up its offensive after a brief ceasefire. Fighting on Saturday killed more than one hundred fighters from both sides as the army and its allies unleashed about two thousand air and artillery strikes against rebels dug into Syria’s northwest, the SOHR said.
The three-month offensive has made slower progress than any by the Syrian government since Russia entered the war on its side in 2015, prompting a run of military victories that have brought most of Syria back under its rule.
Turkish War Drums
Reuters
5 – 8 August 2019
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu saidon Thursday that his country will not let plans for a safe zone in northeast Syria stall over negotiations with the United States. This comes a day after Washington and Ankara announced plans for a joint headquarters but offered few details.
Washington and Ankara have been at odds over plans for northeastern Syria, where US allies on the ground in the battle against ISIS include groups that Turkey considers an enemy. The NATO allies have been discussing a safe zone near the Turkish border that would be kept free of fighters and heavy weapons, but Turkey wants it to extend more than twice as far into Syria as the United States has proposed. Turkey has suggested it will act militarily if the United States fails to agree to a solution that will safeguard the border. Three days of talks between military delegations ended on Wednesday with the announcement that Washington and Ankara would set up a joint operation center in Turkey to coordinate and manage the safe zone. But no agreement has been announced on key details, including the size of the zone and the command structure of joint patrols that would be conducted there.
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Erdogan saidthat talks with the United States had progressed in a “really positive” direction. “What really mattered here was the issue of this step being taken on the east of the Euphrates, and this is now being realized together with the Americans,” he said.
Explosion in al-Qahtanieh
Reuters
7 August 2019
Local police saida car bomb killed three children near a village post office on Wednesday in al-Qahtanieh in northeast Syria, controlled by Kurdish forces who warn they face jihadist sleeper cells. Police spokesman, Ali Hassan, described it as “a terrorist blast” that had sought to target a military vehicle.
In recent weeks, a series of attacks, including car bomb blasts, has hit towns and districts in northeast Syria under the control of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and its allies. Two rigged motorcycles exploded a day before in Hasaka city, killing a fifteen-year-old-boy, police said. Last month, the Islamic State (IS) claimed a car bomb that injured eight people in front of a church in Qamishli city.
Syrian Kurdish leaders have warned of the risk sleeper cells pose after the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which the YPG leads, defeated the last IS enclave in eastern Syria this year.
The Awaited Committee!
Reuters
9 August 2019
Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, saidon Friday Russia hopes that an agreement can be reached soon under UN auspices on forming Syria’s new constitutional committee and that it can convene in Geneva as early as September.
Formation of a constitutional committee is a key to political reforms and new elections meant to unify Syria and end an eight-year-old war which has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced about half of Syria’s pre-war twenty-two million population.
Last month in Damascus after talks, Special Envoy Geir Pedersen said that the United Nations was close to agreement with Syria on setting up the constitutional committee, a long-awaited step in the stalled peace process.
The Russian envoy told a briefing on Friday that he expected Pedersen to announce agreement on its composition soon after the conclusion of negotiations between the Syrian government and the opposition. “It is a significant progress and it opens the way for first of all starting the work of the constitutional committee and in general the way to a political solution of the Syrian crisis,” he said.
Jenifer Fenton, Pedersen’s spokeswoman, said: “The Special Envoy looks forward toward the conclusion of the composition and the rules of procedures for the Constitutional Committee. Russia’s active support of the UN political effort toward ensuring a comprehensive political solution that is Syrian owned and led, and in line with Security Council resolution 2254 – is appreciated.”
In Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday the process of establishing a Constitutional Committee had reached the final stage. “We currently object to one name. Russia is doing what is necessary for this person to be changed,” he said.
Canadian Baxter Released
Reuters
9 August 2019
A Canadian citizen held in Syria has been released, and appeared at a news conference in Beirut on Friday. “I thought I would be there forever,” said Kristian Lee Baxter, who was detained last year, breaking down in tears.
Baxter attended the press conference with the Lebanese General Security Chief, Abbas Ibrahim, who mediated for the release of the US citizen Sam Goodwin from Syria along with the Canadian ambassador, Emmanuelle Lamoureux, last month. Ibrahim said Baxter had been detained for reasons related to breaking Syrian law.
It was not clear what Baxter was doing in Syria when he was detained and Canadian ambassador said she could not give details about the case.
بواسطة Syria in a Week Editors | أغسطس 7, 2019 | Syria in a Week, غير مصنف
The following is a selection by our editors of significant weekly developments in Syria. Depending on events, each issue will include anywhere from four to eight briefs. This series is produced in both Arabic and English in partnership between Salon Syria and Jadaliyya. Suggestions and blurbs may be sent to info@salonsyria.com.
Incursion and a Tour
5 August 2019
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country is planning to launch a military operation in northern Syria, east of the Euphrates River to expel the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara considers a terrorist organization. This comes on the eve of negotiations with the United States on Monday regarding a “safe zone” north of Syria.
“We have entered Afrin, Jarablus, and al-Bab. We will later go east of the Euphrates,” Erdogan said, referring to areas controlled by US-backed Syrian insurgents.
“We said this to Russia and the United States. As long as we are being harassed, we will not be able to remain silent,” the Turkish president added during a televised speech in Bursa, northwest of Turkey.
Erdogan threatened for months last year that he would launch an attack against the YPG east of the Euphrates. However, the Turkish president did not follow through after Washington proposed the establishment of a “buffer zone” to safeguard its Kurdish allies from Turkish threats.
Ankara complained in June about its forces coming under fire from the YPG in northern Syria.
Erdogan’s statement comes on the eve of the arrival of a US military delegation to Ankara to discuss the “buffer zone” with Turkish authorities.
Resignation After Setbacks
4 July 2019
The head of the Syrian Soccer Union and members of the board of directors have all presented their resignation on Sunday, after what the union described as a “series of failures” for the first team, especially after the loss with Lebanon in the current West Asia Championship.
“The head and members of the board of Directors in the Syrian Arab Soccer Union have presented their resignation to the General Director of the Sports Union on Sunday after repeated failures of the first national team and the unsatisfactory results achieved,” the Syrian union said in a statement.
The Syrian team started off their tour in the West Asia Championship in Iraq by losing to Lebanon 2-1 on Friday, and will face Yemen on Monday.
The team was also a disappointment in the FIFA Asia cup that was held early this year in the Emirates, as it left the tournament tailing its group after failing to achieve any win in the three games it played, although it was favored to win the championship.
Syria is getting ready to participate in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in a group that includes China, the Philippines, Guam, and the Maldives in September.
Truce in Idlib is Welcomed
3 August 2019
The United States cautiously welcomed on Sunday the ceasefire in Idlib northwest of Syria, stressing the need to end “attacks on civilians.”
“What really matters is that attacks on civilians and infrastructure need to stop. We would appreciate efforts to achieve this important objective,” State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement on the sidelines of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Australia.
Ortagus added, “we applaud the efforts of Turkey and Russia who worked to re-impose the ceasefire,” reached in September, extending his thanks to the US General Secretary Antonio Guterres for his personal efforts in the Idlib issue.
Washington reiterated that there can be “no military solution for the Syrian conflict and only a political solution can ensure a stable and secure future for all Syrians.”
Al-Golani and Idlib
3 August 2019
The General Commander of Tahrir al-Sham (previously Nusra) Abu Mohammad al-Golani said on Saturday that his faction would not withdraw from the demilitarized zone in northwest of Syria, two days after a truce announced by Damascus on the condition of establishing this area and the withdrawal of jihadists from it.
Golani’s statements came during a press conference organized by Tahrir al-Sham in the Idlib region. Reporters were not allowed to take photographs.
“What the regime could not take militarily and by force, it will not get through peace by negotiations and politics… We will never withdraw from the area,” Golani said.
“We do not deploy according to what our friends or enemies say,” he said, stressing his faction’s refusal for the entry of Russian forces to monitor the buffer zone as stipulated in the agreement.
Golani said that government forces were “worn down” during the military operations.
Tahrir al-Sham cautioned in a statement on Sunday that any bombardment on areas it controls would lead to its non-compliance with the ceasefire.
Asmaa Without Cancer
3 August 2019
First Lady of Syria Asmaa al-Assad said in a TV interview on Saturday that she had recovered from cancer, one year after she was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in the breast.
“My journey has ended… I finished thanks to God. I completely defeated cancer,” al-Assad said in the interview broadcast on Saturday night.
Al-Assad appeared in the interview wearing a white dress and her short hair was stylized and visible for the first time since receiving treatment, as she used to cover her head with a scarf in previous sightings.
In August of 2018, the Syrian presidency said that Asmaa al-Assad began receiving treatment after being diagnosed with a malignant tumor in the breast, which was discovered in its early stages.
“Cancer treatment is filled with fatigue, pain, and exhaustion of the body, but this does not mean that you should not be positive in your life,” said al-Assad, who received the treatment in a military hospital. She praised her family who stood with her.
In regards to her husband, the Syrian president, she said, “He is my lifetime partner. Cancer was a journey in my life. For sure he was with me.”
In the first picture after she was diagnosed with cancer, Mr. al-Assad was seen sitting next to his wife exchanging smiles.
Asmaa al-Assad, 44, is a mother of three children, two boys and a girl. Her father, Fawaz al-Akhras, is a renowned cardiologist in Britain, and her mother, Sahar Otri is a retired Syrian diplomat. Her family is originally from Homs (middle Syria) and she carries a bachelor degree from King’s College in London.
Explosion and Deaths
2 August 2019
The toll of militants allied to the Syrian government who died in an explosion at a weapons depot in a military airport in middle Syria has risen to thirty-one deaths, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which previously put the number at twelve.
The chief of the SOHR Rami Abdul Rahman told the AFP that the toll for the explosions, “the causes of which are not yet clear,” which took place on Saturday in al-Shoairat military airport in the northeastern countryside of Homs, “has risen to thirty-one people from government forces and allied militias.”
The official Syrian news agency SANA said earlier that explosion resulted from “a technical error during the transport of expired ordnance,” adding that a “number of martyrs fell,” without specifying the number.
“The cause of the explosion is still not known. It could have been fabricated, a result from a targeted attack, or a result from a technical error,” said Abdul Rahman.
Al-Shoairat airport is one of the most important airports in Syria. Pro-government Iranian forces used to deploy there.
It was targeted by a US missile strike in April of 2017 in response to an attack with sarine gas on the city of Khan Sheikhon (northwest), which Washington accused Damascus of carrying out and left more than eighty civilians dead.
Aleppo Scenario in Idlib
1 August 2019
The United Nations will investigate airstrikes which targeted a number of facilities supported by the UN and civil positions in the city of Idlib, northwest of Syria, according to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday. This means implementing the “Aleppo scenario,” when the UN investigated the targeting of a UN humanitarian aid convoy if the fall of 2016.
“The investigation will cover destruction of, or damage to facilities on the deconfliction list and UN-supported facilities in the area,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres.
Guterres urges “all parties concerned to cooperate” with the investigators, Dujarric said.
The Deputy Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanski criticized the investigation, denouncing claims regarding the Syrian government and Russia’s responsibility for the destruction and calling these allegations “fake news.”
He said that this investigation “seeks to accuse Syria and Russia of things they did not do.”
Tripartite on Syria
1 August 2019
The three guarantors of the Astana talks on Syria (Russia, Turkey, and Iran) agreed to hold a summit in September, a source close to the negotiations hosted in the Khazakh capital Nur Sultan said on Thursday.
TASS news agency cited the source as saying that delegations from the three countries agreed to hold the summit on 11 September, however, the Kremlin has not announced a date for the summit, yet.
The formation of the “Syrian Constitutional Committee” will be announced in the upcoming summit. “Work is underway to form the committee,” the source told TASS.
Participants in the talks, which started in Nur Sultan and continue until tomorrow, have reached an understanding on the candidates for the constitutional committee, the source added.
New Israeli Bombardment
31 July 2019
Damascus accused Israel on Thursday of launching a missile attack that targeted Qunaitera governorate, south of Syria, and left no casualties, according to the Syrian official news agency SANA.
“Israeli aggression with a missile on Braiqa hill in Rasm al-Sad in the western countryside of Qunaitera. Material damage only,” SANA said in breaking news.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli army refused to comment, “we do not comment of foreign reports,” she told the AFP.
This comes one week after Damascus accused Israel of launching strikes that targeted areas in the governorates of Qunaitera and Daraa in the south.
The strikes killed nine fighters allied to government forces, three Syrians and six Iranians, according to the SOHR.
Bloody July
31 July 2019
The SOHR said that July has been the bloodiest month for civilians in Syria since the beginning of this year.
According to data collected by the SOHR, one thousand and one hundred and twenty-five people were killed in July, including more than five hundred civilians; the highest toll of civilian deaths since the beginning of the year.
The SOHR said that the number of those killed included five hundred and seven civilians, with one hundred and ninety children below the age of nineteen and sixty women.
بواسطة Syria in a Week Editors | يوليو 24, 2019 | Syria in a Week, غير مصنف
The following is a selection by our editors of significant weekly developments in Syria. Depending on events, each issue will include anywhere from four to eight briefs. This series is produced in both Arabic and English in partnership between Salon Syria and Jadaliyya. Suggestions and blurbs may be sent to info@salonsyria.com.
Opposition Attacks
Reuters and Enab Baladi
21, 22 July 2019
The Syrian television said on Sunday that air defenses confronted hostile targets in the city of Misyaf in Hama governorate. Explosions were heard in Misyaf from shells fired by opposition groups in the western countryside of Hama.
The Ansar al-Tawhid faction in northern Syria said that it targeted the Russian base in Misyaf, west of Hama, for the first time since battles erupted in Syria. The faction, which is affiliated to the operation room ‘Harredh al-Moumineen’ said on Monday, 22 July, “the missile battalion targeted the Russian base in northwest Misyaf with Grad missiles.” The jihadist faction added that it also targeted government positions in Misyaf with Grad missiles, adding that there were casualties in both targets hit by missiles.
This comes in response to the aerial and missile bombardment by government and Russian forces, which has affected opposition areas in the countryside of Idlib and Hama, in addition to continued ground incursion attempts on several fronts with aerial support.
Crisis of Deporting Refugees… in Turkey
Enab Baladi
20, 21 July 2019
Yasin Aktay, an advisor to the head of the ruling Justice and Development party in Turkey, said that there were negotiations in Istanbul with “Syrian leadership” to find a solution to the refugee crisis. This came during a speech he delivered in Juzal Yurt in Istanbul on 20 July, which was entitled “the political situation in Turkey and its repercussion on Arabs after the recent municipal elections,” with a number of Arab community attending the event. Aktay stressed the need to stop strict procedures imposed on Syrian refugees, in order to review the issue and find a solution in an objective and realistic manner, and in accordance with the principles of the Turkish state.
The ministry of interior and the directorate of immigration in Istanbul launched a wide campaign on Sunday against foreigners who do not have residency permits in the state of Istanbul, focusing mainly on Syrians. Aktay said that there was negligence in regards to organizing Syrian refugees in Istanbul. “There will be negotiations and consultations with the Syrian leadership in Istanbul to find a solution the refugee crisis,” he said. Aktay added that the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “stressed that he will not give up on the rights of migrants and supporters. This is his original policy in Turkey.”
The refugee issue in Turkey worsened after the municipal elections in June, which ended in the victory of Akram Imam Oglo from the Republican People’s party at the expense of Bin Ali Yaldrim from the Justice and Development party.
“The number of Syrian refugees in Istanbul increased dramatically and they are working arbitrarily. This has become evident to the Turkish people, especially after the increase of unemployment among Turks, which led them to point accusations towards Syrian refugees,” Aktay said.
The European Commission adopted a new set of measures of 1.41 billion euros to ensure EU support for refugees in Turkey, raising the amount of aid for refugees in Turkey to 5.6 billion euros out of six billion agreed upon in the 2016 deal.
Russian Ground Troops
Reuters
18 July 2019
The RIA news agency said on Thursday that Russia denied allegations by Syrian opposition forces that Russian special forces or ground troops were fighting in the campaign for the opposition-held region of Idlib. “Russia has had no and has no ground forces in Syria,” the defense ministry was cited as saying.
Senior Syrian opposition commanders said Russia has sent special forces in recent days to fight alongside Syrian army troops in northwestern Syria where they have been struggling for more than two months to seize the last opposition bastion.
The rebel commanders said Russian officers and troops had been behind front lines directing the operation, using snipers and firing anti-tank missiles. They said this was the first time Russian ground forces had joined in the battle which began at the end of April
“These special Russian forces are now present in the battlefield,” said Captain Naji Mustafa, spokesman for the Turkey-backed National Liberation Front (NLF) coalition. Russian ground forces had joined in the battle to seize the strategic Humaymat hilltops which fell into rebel hands last week.
More than two months of Russian-backed operations in and around Idlib governorate have yielded little or nothing for Russia and the government.
Rebels said supplies of weapons including guided anti-tank missiles by Turkey had not only made it a costly battle for the Russians and their allies but repelled ground assaults.
Government Attacks
Reuters
21 July 2019
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said air strikes killed at least eighteen people, including seven children, in rebel-held Idlib region in northwestern Syria on Sunday.
The SOHR said Syrian government air strikes killed twelve people, including five children, in the village of Urum al-Jawz in western Idlib governorate. Four more people, including two children, were killed in strikes on Kfarouma in the south of the governorate. The SOHR also said that a Russian air strike killed a civil defense volunteer in the town of Khan Sheikhoun.
The Observatory said the deaths increased the number of civilians killed by Syrian government or Russian bombardments in the northwest to six hundred and eighty-two since late April. It said fifty-three civilians had been killed by rebel attacks on state-held areas in the same period. Some one thousand and five hundred combatants on both sides have been killed in the same period, it said.
The SOHR also said that the Russian-Syrian coalition targeted thirty-one civil defense facilities, thirty-seven medical centers, and eighty-one schools during eleven weeks of ongoing bombardment. The United Nations said that at least three hundred and thirty thousand people had to displace to safe areas near the border with Turkey.
Targeting Water Facilities
UNICEF and Enab Baladi
21 July 2019
UNICEF has documented attacks on eight water facilities in Idlib governorate in northern Syria, putting two hundred and fifty thousand people at risk of having no water. On its official website, UNICEF said in a report on Sunday, 21 July that eight water facilities were attacked in Ma’ert al-Nouman in southern Idlib in the last two months, three of which are supported by the UN organization.
“Of these facilities, there is the main water station in Ma’ert al-Nouman, which sustained major damages, forcing families to resort to water transferred by trucks to meet daily needs,” said the UNICEF. Targeting these facilities cuts water off for nearly two hundred and fifty thousand people in the area, the UNICEF said, adding that “water facilities are not a target. They must be protected at all times.” The main water station in Ma’ert al-Nouman was targeted by aerial bombardment from Russian jet on Friday, 7 July, rendering it non-operable. The station provided water supplies for the eighty to ninety thousands of the city’s inhabitants. There is no other alternative now except for water trucks which do not meet health standards.
“In accordance with international humanitarian law, all parties in the conflict and parties which possess influence must commit to ceasing attacks on basic water facilities and infrastructure all over Syria,” the organization’s report said. UNICEF and the United Nations Humanitarian Financing Fund jointly financed the rehabilitation of the station in 2017 and 2018.
According to UN surveys, seventy percent of Syrians are not able to obtain clean water on a permanent basis, due to water rationing and destruction of basic infrastructure, with fifteen and a half million people in need of water resources and sanitation, including 6.2 million in acute need.
Bombing of a Phosphate Train
Enab Baladi
21 July 2019
The transportation ministry in the Syrian government said that a cargo train carrying phosphate in the eastern countryside of Homs was subject to what it called a “terrorist” attack carried by unidentified people. The official news agency SANA said on Sunday, 21 July, that a “terrorist” attack targeted a cargo train carrying phosphate in the eastern countryside of Homs, which “derailed the train locomotive, passenger cart, calibration cart, and two tanks of phosphate.” The incident also led to “fire in the locomotive and various injuries of the train’s crew,” SANA added.
This is the third time railways carrying oil and minerals have come under unidentified attacks in recent months in areas under the control of the Syrian government.
Explosion in Sa’sa’
Enab Baladi
21 July 2019
One person was killedand others were injured after an explosion in a civil car in Sa’sa’ in the countryside of Qunaitera in southern Syria. The official news agency SANA said on Sunday, 21 July, that a missile fell on a civil car in Sa’sa’ in Qunaitera and killed the driver and a child standing near the explosion. The agency said that the incident led to the injury of three women in the area, without specifying the source of the missile.
Qunaitera is under government control and has not witnessed any security issues, except for Israeli bombardment that targets border areas, the most prominent of which was in February, according to SANA.
Opening Bou Kamal Crossing
Enab Baladi
21 July 2019
The Watan newspaper, which is close to the Syrian government, saidthat the Iraqi and Syrian governments are planning to open the Bou Kamal – Qaem border crossing. Work is underway to open the border crossing and has reached the final stages, the newspaper reported an unnamed official in the Iraqi embassy in Damascus on Sunday. Neither government has issued a formal statement in regards to the border crossing.
In a related context, the Turkish Anatolia news agency on 19 July reported that the opening of Sinjar border crossing would be postponed according to an unnamed local Iraqi official because the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) refused to raise the Syrian government flag on the border crossing as requested by the Iraqi government. The crossing was supposed to be opened this week to facilitate the return of Yazidis refugees from al-Hol Camp and other camps in Syria to Iraqi territory, according to the news agency. Khadida Joki, head of al-Shamal district in Ninawa governorate north of Iraq, said that the opening of a new border crossing between Iraq and Syria in Khaneh Sour in al-Shamal district, near Sinjar, was postponed until further notice after the Iraqi government asked for the Syrian flag to be raised on the other side of the crossing, a matter which the SDF refused.
بواسطة Syria in a Week Editors | يونيو 26, 2019 | Syria in a Week, غير مصنف
The following is a selection by our editors of significant weekly developments in Syria. Depending on events, each issue will include anywhere from four to eight briefs. This series is produced in both Arabic and English in partnership between Salon Syria and Jadaliyya. Suggestions and blurbs may be sent to info@salonsyria.com.
Appeal for Calm in Idlib
Reuters
18 June 2019
UN chief Antonio Guterres appealed to Russia and Turkey on Tuesday to stabilize northwest Syria “without delay.” UN aid chief Mark Lowcock said that some hospitals were not sharing their locations with the warring parties because that “paints a target on their back.”
Russia and Turkey co-sponsored a de-escalation pact for the area that has been in place since last year. But the deal has faltered in recent months, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee.
“I am deeply concerned about the escalation of the fighting in Idlib, and the situation is especially dangerous given the involvement of an increased number of actors… even in the war on terrorism, there should be full compliance to international law on human rights and international humanitarian laws,” Guterres told reporters.
Lowcock told the UN Security Council later on Tuesday that since late April the World Health Organization had confirmed twenty-six incidents affecting healthcare facilities in northwest Syria. He said two of the facilities were located in areas controlled by the Syrian government. “Hitting a facility whose coordinates were shared as part of the UN’s deconfliction system is simply intolerable. A number of partners now feel that supplying geographical coordinates to be given to the warring parties effectively paints a target on their backs,” he said.
The UN was reconsidering its deconfliction system and would inform the Security Council next week of its conclusions, Lowcock added.
Avoiding Confrontation with Turkey
Reuters
18 June 2019
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said that Syria does not want to see fighting with Turkey after the latter said one of its observation posts in Idlib was attacked from an area controlled by the Syrian government forces.
“We hope that our military and the Turkish military do not fight. This is our principled stance,” Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem told reporters in Beijing, standing alongside the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. “What we are fighting is terrorists, especially in Idlib, which is a Syrian territory, and part of our country,” al-Moualem said.
The dominant force in the Idlib region is Tahrir al-Sham, which was previously known as Nusra Front that was part of al Qaeda until 2016. Others, including some with Turkish backing, also have a presence.
“The question now is, what is Turkey doing in Syria? Turkey is occupying part of Syrian soil, and has a military presence in certain parts of Syria,” al-Moualem added. “Are they protecting the Nusra Front? Are they protecting certain terrorist forces including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement?” he added, referring to an extremist group China blames for attacks in far western Xinjiang with operations elsewhere.
“This question needs to be asked of Turkey, what are their actual aims? We are fighting those terrorist groups and organizations. The whole world believes those people we are fighting are terrorists,” he added.
Since April, Syrian government forces have stepped up shelling and bombing of the area, killing scores of people. The opposition says the government action is part of a campaign for an assault that would breach the de-escalation pact. The government and its Russian allies say the action is in response to rebel violations, including the presence of fighters in a demilitarized zone.
China has long urged that a diplomatic resolution to the Syrian civil war be found and has hosted Syrian government and opposition figures. Wang said that China will continue to support Syria to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity and fight against terror, and will help with Syria’s economic reconstruction efforts.
Explosions in the Eastern Countryside of Aleppo
Enab Baladi
23 June 2019
Three explosions were reported in the opposition-controlled eastern countryside of Aleppo in the last twenty-four hours, killing and injuring civilians and military personnel. An explosive device went off as it was being dismantled in the city of al-Bab in the eastern countryside of Aleppo last night. The explosive device was planted in an SUV for Failaq al-Sham. The explosion killed two members of the engineering and police teams of the National General Security.
This was preceded by a motorcycle bomb on the Raii road in the northern side of al-Bab on Saturday, which injured fifteen civilians including two children. In the city of Jarablus, which is under the control of the ‘National Army’, a motorcycle bomb exploded in the city center on Saturday, injuring a number of civilians and causing material damage. The cities and towns of the northern and eastern countryside of Aleppo have repeatedly witnessed explosions caused by explosive devices and motorcycle bombs, killing civilians and military personnel, in addition to vast material damage. The majority of the explosions occurred near popular markets and civilian gatherings.
Opposition factions accused the People’s Protection Units (YPG) of carrying out these explosions. Whereas the YPG accused opposition factions of smuggling explosive devices into the areas they control.
Law of Military Conscription in the Self-Administration
Enab Baladi
23 June 2019
The Self-Administration in northeast Syria indorsed a conscription law dubbed the “Self-Defense Law,” which contains thirty-five articles identifying the conditions for service in its military forces. The official website for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the military arm of the Self-Administration, said on Saturday that the general council in the administration “indorsed the law of the Self-Defense duty and the rules of procedure for the defense office.” The new law for military service includes thirty-five provisions that stipulate the terms for the service, postponement, and exemption, in addition to all laws in regard to those subject to conscription in the Self-Administration areas. The council set the period for compulsory service at twelve months. All males between the ages of eighteen and forty are subject to this law.
The Self Defense law obliges individuals in the Self-Administration areas to join the military and security forces to defend areas under its control and the border, just like compulsory service in regular armies. The law stipulates that those subject to compulsory service are the ones who have reached the legal age, resided in that area for more than five years, and hold Syrian citizenship, in addition to foreigners and those who do not possess birth certificates. In regards to women, the new law allowed them to join the duty of self-defense on a voluntary basis, according to the statement.
The new law is part of a series of political and military procedures taken by the Self-Administration in the areas it controls, months after eliminating the influence of the Islamic State in those areas with support from the US-led international coalition.
US-Iranian Escalation
Reuters
22, 24 June 2019
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned on Sunday that it is essential to avoid “any form of escalation” in the Gulf as tensions continue to rise following the shooting down of an unmanned US drone this week by Iran. “The world cannot afford a major confrontation in the Gulf… Everybody must keep nerves of steel,” Guterres said on the sidelines of a world conference.
Iran said on Saturday it would respond firmly to any US threat amid escalating tension between Tehran and Washington over the shooting down of an unmanned US drone by Tehran. An Iranian missile destroyed a US Global Hawk surveillance drone on Thursday. Tehran said that the drone was shot down over its territory, whereas Washington said the incident happened in international airspace.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he called off a military strike to retaliate because it could have killed one hundred and fifty people, and signaled he was open to talks with Tehran.
Speaking in Washington on Saturday before heading to the US presidential retreat at Camp David, Trump said the US government was imposing new sanctions on Tehran. “We are putting additional sanctions on Iran,” Trump told reporters. “In some cases we are going slowly, but in other cases we are moving rapidly.”
Military action was “always on the table,” the president added, but he said he was open to reversing the escalation and could quickly reach a deal with Iran that he said would bolster the country’s flagging economy.
بواسطة Syria in a Week Editors | مايو 8, 2019 | Syria in a Week, غير مصنف
The following is a selection by our editors of significant weekly developments in Syria. Depending on events, each issue will include anywhere from four to eight briefs. This series is produced in both Arabic and English in partnership between Salon Syria and Jadaliyya. Suggestions and blurbs may be sent to info@salonsyria.com.
Destroying our Hospitals
6 May 2019
Three hospitals in north-west Syria were bombed by Russian forces, rendering two of them non-operational.
Eight civilians were killed by Syrian-Russian bombardment in various areas of this region, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which added that one person was killed as a result of Russian airstrikes on the hospitals.
Fighter jets targeted two hospitals on Sunday, one in Kafrnobble and the other an underground hospital in the village of Has. The SOHR attributed the airstrikes to Russian forces. It identifies the party who carried out the attack according to the model of the plane, the place where the strike took place, the flight path, and ammunition used. A third hospital in Kafrzeita north of Hama was also targeted by Russian strikes.
The United Nations said late April that a medical center and two hospitals were rendered non-operational as a result of aerial and artillery bombardment.
Deployment in Tel Rifaat
5 May 2019
Turkish and Russian officials are reviewing deployment of their forces in the Syrian border region of Tel Rifaat, Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Sunday, a day after cross-border fire from the area killed one Turkish soldier.
Two separate attacks on Saturday by Kurdish militants from Tel Rifaat and northern Iraq killed a total of four Turkish soldiers and wounded two others, Turkey’s defense ministry said. The army retaliated in both cases, killing twenty-eight militants, it said.
In an interview with broadcaster Kanal 7, Oktay said Turkey and Russia were discussing developments in the region and that Turkish military operations along the border would continue until all threats had been eliminated.
Tel Rifaat is controlled by Kurdish-led forces and is located some twenty kilometers east of Afrin, which has been under the control of Turkey and its Free Syrian Army allies since an operation last year to drive out the People’s Protection Units (YPG).
Turkey, a major backer of opposition groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has conducted patrols with Russia, one of Assad’s main allies, in northern areas under agreements reached last year.
In March, the defense ministry said Turkish and Russian forces had carried out the first “independent and coordinated” patrols in Tel Rifaat.
Two Turkish Soldiers Wounded
5 May 2019
The Turkish defense ministry said two Turkish soldiers were slightly wounded on Saturday after mortar fire from areas controlled by Syrian authorities targeted an observation post in northwest Syria.
“Two of our comrades were slightly wounded when shells fired, based on our judgement, from areas controlled by the government hit one of our observation posts south of the de-escalation zone in Idlib,” a statement from the ministry said. The two soldiers were evacuated to Turkey for treatment, according to the same statement.
In recent weeks, the governorate of Idlib and surrounding areas have witnessed bloody bombardment by Syrian and Russian forces, according to the SOHR.
Russia and Turkey signed an agreement to establish a de-escalation zone in Idlib in September 2018. The agreement provided for a “de-militarized zone” that separates areas occupied by jihadist militants from areas controlled by Syrian authorities.
Attack on Kurds
4 May 2019
The ‘National Army,’ which is affiliated with the Free Syrian Army, took control of the town of al-Malkieh and the village of Shwargah in the northern countryside of Aleppo after battles with the Kurdish YPG, amidst artillery bombardment by opposition factions and the Turkish army against areas controlled by the YPG.
The ‘National Army’ took control of the town of al-Malkieh and the villages of Shwargagh and al-Araz, and ousted YPG militias and elements from the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK),” A military commander told a German news agency.
The source added that artillery regiments of the ‘National Army’ and Turkish army continued bombing Kurdish units in Tel Rifaat, Minnegh, Harbel, and Ain Diqneh, after the town of Mraimin, which is controlled by the ‘National Army,’ was targeted.
“The military operation is ongoing to oust YPG militants from villages surrounding the Izzaz-Afrin highway in the northern countryside of Aleppo all the way to Tel Rifaat and areas controlled by the YPG,” the military commander added.
Qatari Aerial Return
4 May 2019
Qatar Airways’ return to flying over Syria is part of its efforts to grapple with a nearly two-year Gulf dispute that has blocked it from using the airspace of many of its neighbors, CEO Akbar al-Baker said on Saturday.
Syrian transport minister Ali Hammoud said last month that his country had approved a request by Qatar Airways to begin using the country’s airspace for routes, one of the first airlines to do so. Qatar did not comment at the time.
Qatar’s state-owned carrier has had to re-route many of its flights since Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt cut diplomatic, transport, and trade ties with the Gulf state in 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism, which Doha denies.
Damascus Denounces Tribal Summit
4 May 2019
An official Syrian source denounced a tribal summit organized by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Ain Issa, north of Syria, calling it a meeting of treason, according to the Syrian news agency SANA.
Mazloum Abdi, leader of the SDF which is comprised of Kurdish and Arab factions, said during the conference that he refuses the approach of “reconciliation” proposed by Damascus to decide the fate of areas under Kurdish control in north-eastern Syria, and expressed his will to open a dialogue with the Syrian government.
The official source in the Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement to SANA that the conference, which was held in an area “controlled by armed militias affiliated to the United States and other Western states, …was a failure after most original Arab tribes boycotted it.” The sources described the summit as a “meeting of infiltration, treachery, and subordination.”
“Such meetings undoubtedly represent the betrayal of their organizers, regardless of their political, ethnic, or racial affiliation,” the source added.
Abdi affirmed on Friday willingness “to talk with the Syrian government” in order to reach “a comprehensive solution.” He stressed that no “real solution” can be reached without acknowledging the full constitutional rights of the Kurds … and without recognizing the self-administration,” in addition to accepting the role of the SDF in protecting the area under its control in the future.
Bombardment of Hmeimim
2 May 2019
The Russian military base in Hmeimim was targeted with rocket missiles launched by Syrian opposition factions, amidst aerial and artillery bombardment on opposition-held areas.
“Opposition factions bombarded the Russian military base in Hmeimin in response to Russian air jets targeting areas under the control of Syrian opposition in Idlib and Hama countryside, which left dozens of killed and injured and caused vast destruction,” a source in the National Front for Liberation told a German news agency.
A field commander fighting along with government forces said: “The military base in Hmeimin observed rocket missiles launched by opposition factions from al-Madhiq citadel area in the western countryside of Hama.”
Opposition factions previously declared that a number of Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in the bombing of Hmeimim base with Grad missiles.
140 Thousand Displaced
1 May 2019
Around one hundred and forty thousand people in Idlib governorate and surrounding areas have been displaced since February, as Syrian government forces and their Russian ally stepped up their bombardment in the area, which is mostly controlled by jihadist factions, according to the spokesman of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“Since February, over 138,500 women, children and men have been displaced from northern Hama and southern Idlib,” said David Swanson, adding that between 1 and 28 April, it’s estimated that more than 32,500 individuals have moved to different communities in Aleppo, Idlib, and Hama governorates.
The majority of the al-Qassabiyah village residents displaced to safer areas in southern Idlib after shelling targeted on of its schools.
Damascus is with Maduro
1 May 2019
The Syrian foreign ministry condemned the “failed coup attempt” in Venezuela and accused the United States of undermining stability in the country, according to the state news agency SANA.
“The Syrian Arab Republic strongly condemns the failed coup attempt against the constitutional legitimacy in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” state news agency SANA said, quoting a foreign ministry source.
Venezuela was plunged into chaos after the head of the parliament and self-proclaimed leader Juan Guaido, who has been recognized by fifty countries including the United States, said he had the support of troops to oust President Nicolas Maduro.
Constitutional Committee
30 April 2019
UN Envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen told the UN Security Council that an agreement could be soon reached to form a committee tasked with drafting a new constitution for Syria, paving the way for a political solution in a county suffering from civil war since 2011.
“We’re getting close to (reaching) an agreement on the constitutional committee,” Pedersen said.
According to the United Nations, the constitutional committee, which is supposed to lead the process for revising the constitution and elections, should include one hundred and fifty members, fifty of whom would be chosen by the government, fifty chosen by the opposition, and fifty chosen by the UN special envoy, taking into consideration the views of experts and representatives of the civil society.
No agreement has been reached on the third list, which provoked a dispute between Damascus and the United Nations. However, the latter says only six names on this list need to be changed.
The acting US Ambassador in the UN Jonathan Cohen accused Moscow of obstructing efforts to reach an agreement. “Russia, and those who it supports, are obstructing the political process,” he said.
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said that he is “optimistic a solution can be quickly reached” regarding the constitutional committee.
Ending the Escalation
30 April 2019
The United States on Tuesday called on Russia to abide by its commitments and end the “escalation” in the Idlib region northwest of Syria after airstrikes that killed ten people.
“We call on all parties, including Russia and the Syrian regime, to abide by their commitments to avoid large-scale military offensives, return to a de-escalation of violence in the area,” State Department Spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.
Baghdadi Appearance
29 April 2019
Al Furqan Network, ISIS’s media network, published a video message purporting to come from its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in which he said that the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka were ISIS’s response to losses in its last stronghold in Baghouz in Syria.
The group will seek revenge for jailed and killed members, he said. The man sat of the floor giving an address to members in the group that lasted eighteen minutes. Some aides appeared listening to him but had their faces blurred.
The video would be the first from Baghdadi since he was filmed in the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014. More recent speeches have been released as audio recordings.
