Syria Direct

With evacuations of Turkish-backed rebels ongoing, hardline coalition HTS cements control over majority of Syria’s northwest

Ongoing evacuations of Turkish-backed rebels from frontline positions in northwestern Syria saw at least 1,700 troops from the National Liberation Front rebel coalition exit northern Hama province by Thursday, according to a local Ahrar a-Sham commander.

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In first ‘organized’ refugee returns from Jordan, dozens of Syrians head back to Damascus suburb

Dozens of Syrian refugees returned to their homes in the southwestern suburbs of Damascus late last month, in the first returns from Jordan seemingly organized with the tacit coordination of authorities in Damascus, two of the organizers of the operation told Syria Direct.

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Alleged IS suicide attack on Manbij restaurant kills four US soldiers, injures more than a dozen civilians

An Islamic State fighter detonated a suicide vest beside a restaurant in downtown Manbij, Aleppo province, on Wednesday afternoon, killing at least 15 people—including several American military personnel—and injuring more than 20 others, a Kurdish military source told Syria Direct.

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Free Syrian Police in northwestern Syria to ‘dissolve’ amid HTS takeover

The Free Syrian Police, an opposition-affiliated law enforcement apparatus operating in areas of Syria’s rebel-held northwest, will “dissolve” in the wake of a military takeover by hardline Islamist coalition Hay’at Tahrir a-Sham, sources inside the organization told Syria Direct Thursday.

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Intra-rebel ceasefire agreement brings HTS offensive to a halt, but expands hardline control in northwest

Hay’at Tahrir a-Sham and rival opposition factions reached a ceasefire agreement covering areas of Syria’s northwest early Thursday, halting a breakneck offensive by the hardline Islamist coalition and laying the ground for its complete administrative takeover of the rebel-held region.

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Featured Stories

In first ‘organized’ refugee returns from Jordan, dozens of Syrians head back to Damascus suburb

Jan. 16, 2019

The border wall demarcating the end of Jordanian territory (right) and the beginning of the Free Zone that lies along the Syrian-Jordanian border (left). Photo by Waleed a-Noufal....

A refuge little more than temporary: Syrian refugees in Denmark ‘living day by day’ amid threat of tougher refugee policies

Dec. 19, 2018

Embed from Getty Images // People protest against proposed new refugee policies in Copenhagen in December. Photo courtesy of Anadolu Agency/Getty Images. AMMAN: When Ahmad...

Property seizures by hardline rebels stoke fears among Idlib province’s fading Christian community

Dec. 13, 2018

A rebel fighter stands beside an Idlib church in 2012. Photo by Javier Manzano/AFP. AMMAN: The thief was probably just a teenager—around 14 years old, Abu Elias* es...

‘Like a big prison’: Months into reconciliation, invisible borders still divide Syria’s southwest

Dec. 12, 2018

A child rides his bike past a mural of Bashar and Hafez al-Assad in Daraa city in August. Photo by Andrei Borodulin/AFP. Some nights, it’s the sound of military trucks pass...