Bio
Walid Al Nofal
Walid Al Nofal is a journalist with Syria Direct originally from Daraa province in southern Syria. He worked as a field reporter shortly after the Syrian revolution began in 2011 until he moved to Jordan in 2013. Today, Walid’s work focuses on documenting humanitarian violations committed by various actors in the Syrian conflict.
Latest Articles
‘We lost everything’: How Israeli herbicides destroyed Quneitra crops and pastures
Israeli aircraft sprayed large areas of Syria’s southern Quneitra province with herbicides at least three times in late January, killing crops, devastating farmers and damaging trees.
Hasakah at a crossroads: Real integration, or recreating ‘security squares’?
As Damascus and the SDF inch towards integration, is northeastern Syria heading for unified state institutions, “complementary integration,” or a revival of divided influence?
Caught between Damascus and Qandil, SDF integration hangs in the balance
A new integration agreement between Damascus and the SDF is underway in northeastern Syria, but major obstacles remain—from diverging interpretations of the deal to the deep influence of the PKK-linked “Qandil current.”
Agreement under fire: Can the latest SDF-Damascus ceasefire hold?
A four-day ceasefire marks the latest effort to integrate SDF and Syrian government forces and avoid a dangerous military showdown, but its success hinges on each side’s willingness and ability to commit to the political process.
Sanctioned Syrian tycoon Hamsho eyes a ‘new chapter’ after financial settlement
A financial settlement between sanctioned Syrian business tycoon Muhammad Hamsho and the country’s new government has sparked controversy given his deep ties to the Assad regime and role in profiting from the country’s destruction.
From negotiation to escalation: Aleppo tests the limits of Damascus-SDF relations
This week’s escalation in Aleppo city comes amid a deepening political crisis between Damascus and the SDF, particularly after the latest round of negotiations to implement the March 2025 agreement stalled.
Suwayda stands at a crossroads, one year after Assad’s fall
A year of false starts, bloodshed, shifting balances of power and foreign intervention has produced a complicated landscape in Druze-majority Suwayda, one in which the voices calling for secession and self-rule are growing louder.
How has Syria’s economy changed in a year without Assad?
The first year of the “new Syria” brought relative economic stability and a marked improvement in the exchange rate of the pound, but economic burdens still weigh on Syrians. Has the cost of living crisis improved, or is it deepening?
Devastated by drought, Daraa’s olive harvest hits a new low
Olive yields fell across Syria this year amid the worst drought in 60 years. In southern Daraa province, the harvest was 68 percent lower than in 2024, and 86 percent lower than in 2011.
What would Syria joining the US-led coalition mean for the fight against IS?
Amid signs of deepening security and intelligence cooperation between Syria and the US, talk is mounting of Syria joining the international anti-IS coalition. What could such a move mean?