Syrian opposition factions advanced rapidly and entered districts of Aleppo city on Friday in a shock offensive against regime forces, who unexpectedly retreated and lost strategic positions, including large parts of the M5 highway.
Killings fueled by swelling anti-refugee sentiment claim Syrian lives in Turkey, despite limited efforts to stem the tide.
For US policy on Syria, this year’s election is largely a choice between a continued status quo under Vice President Kamala Harris and a return to the unpredictable foreign policy of former President Donald Trump.
The arrest of journalist Bakr al-Qassem last month brought renewed attention to Syrian National Army (SNA) prisons in northwestern Syria—particularly Hawar Kilis—and Turkey’s role in violations inside.
Women are notably absent from efforts by independent political formations to gain a foothold in opposition-held northwestern Syria, an area dominated by armed factions.
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?
Bombardment by Syrian regime forces and affiliated militias has killed and injured dozens of people in SDF-controlled villages and towns in Deir e-Zor since Iran-backed Arab tribal forces launched an attack on the eastern countryside six days ago.
Syrian-Turkish normalization would be a worst-case scenario for the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), which has called rapprochement a “great conspiracy” against the Syrian people.
While Ankara condemns anti-refugee riots and makes arrests in the wake of “the most violent wave of hatred” to date, Syrians in Turkey say the attacks indirectly serve the government’s goal of refugee returns as it signals normalization with Assad.
In April, Turkey tightened conditions for renewing tourist residencies, requiring Syrians to show bank deposits of 1.5 times the minimum wage per family member or obtain work residency instead. The requirements are beyond the reach of many.
