People in Afrin remember the forest around Maydanki Lake for what it once was: a natural haven, the setting of summer days spent under rustling branches. Now devastated by years of illegal tree cutting by Turkish-backed factions, what hope is there for its future?
Wells that hundreds of Idlib residents rely on for drinking water and irrigation have been contaminated by waste at a nearby quarry-turned-dump, while local Salvation Government officials are slow to respond.
The unlikely fruit of war and displacement, unconventional crops like strawberries, broccoli and Damask roses are taking root in Idlib province, where they were seldom cultivated before the war.
With scant resources available to help 1.2 million displaced people in Lebanon, tensions are rising and Syrians are a low priority. Abandoned to sleep in the street as Israel’s violent escalation deepens, for many it feels like history repeating itself.
Young Syrians returning from Lebanon to AANES-held northeastern Syria, like those heading for regime areas, face the threat of conscription for “self-defense duty.”
While tens of thousands have fled Lebanon for Syria this week, many Syrians are taking their chances with Israeli bombing rather than face the risks of return.