UN experts monitoring sanctions against the self-declared Islamic State said in a new report that the group still commands between five and seven thousand fighters across Iraq and Syria, and that the risk of a resurgence remains (AP)
Syria, UN Reach Deal on Aid Delivery
The six-month agreement will allow UN aid to enter opposition-held areas from Turkey; more than four million people live in the opposition-held territories in northern and northwestern Syria (AFP)
Suspected Islamic State Attack Kills Ten Pro-Government Fighters in Syria
Militants from the self-proclaimed Islamic State reportedly attacked a government checkpoint in Raqqa province, a former stronghold of the group (AFP)
Syrian State Media: Israeli Strike Kills Four in Damascus
State media cited military sources as saying they shot down some missiles but lost four soldiers and sustained material damage in an overnight attack; Israel frequently targets suspected Iran-linked military sites in Syria (BBC)
Islamic State Group: Leader Died in Syria Clashes
A spokesperson for the extremist group announced its fifth leader yesterday after saying on the messaging app Telegram that Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi was killed in direct clashes with a jihadist group in northwestern Syria, though they did not say when he died (AFP)
Syrian Foreign Minister Visits Tehran
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad met with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to boost ties and discuss Israeli, Turkish, and U.S. involvement in Syria (Al Arabiya)
Humanitarian Corridor Closure Puts Four Million Syrians at Risk
After the UN Security Council failed to renew a humanitarian aid corridor earlier this month, the head of the International Rescue Committee said the Security Council should “do its job” and reauthorize the border channel, citing the number of residents of northern Syria at risk (AP)
Russian Fighter Jet Damages U.S. Drone in Syria
The incident is the sixth this month and the second in the last twenty-four hours, as Russia increasingly engages in dangerous maneuvers near U.S. aircraft in Syria (AP)
Jordan and Syria Open New Bilateral Forum on Drugs
The two countries held talks in Amman on reducing drug smuggling from Syria through Jordan and onward into Gulf states, Jordan’s foreign ministry said (AFP)
UN Condemns Mass Detention of Children in Northeast Syria
A UN expert said the detention of thousands of women and children violates international law and called on governments to repatriate their citizens who face inhumane conditions in the camps (VOA)
Israel Launches Airstrike on Damascus
Syria said its air defenses shot down most of the missiles, but Israel inflicted material damage and wounded two Syrian soldiers; the strike was Israel’s twentieth on Syria this year (Al Jazeera)
Russian Fighter Jet Flies Dangerously Close to U.S. Surveillance Plane in Syria
In an escalation of recent provocations, a Russian aircraft endangered the American crew and forced them to undertake unsafe maneuvers, according to U.S. military officials (AP)
Turkey’s Erdogan Open to Talks With Syria’s al-Assad
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was willing to meet with the Syrian president as long as a withdrawal of Turkish troops from northern Syria was not a precondition; Turkey has been the Syrian resistance’s top backer throughout the conflict (Al Jazeera)
The Prime Minister of Iraq Visits Syria in Sign of Improving Relations
In the first visit by an Iraqi premier to Damascus in over twelve years, the two sides discussed drugs, refugees, water shortages, and other areas in which they could boost cooperation (AP)
Meanwhile, after Russia blocked the extension of UN aid deliveries to northern Syria, the Syrian government said it would voluntarily allow them to continue if certain preconditions were met; however, the United Nations said the conditions were “unacceptable” and would make it impossible to operate effectively (AP)
Russia Flies Surveillance Craft Over U.S. Base in Syria
A senior defense official said the aircraft flew over the base several times in what appeared to be an information-gathering mission, as Russia acts increasingly unprofessionally toward U.S. forces in Syria (CBS)
Russia Blocks UN Renewal of Cross-Border Aid to Syria
A Russian veto at the UN Security Council yesterday obstructed the renewal of a humanitarian operation that has allowed aid to flow into rebel-controlled Syria for nearly a decade, with thirteen other members voting to renew the aid for another year and China abstaining (Al-Monitor)
Syrian Kurdish Fighters Kill Five Turkish-Backed Troops
The attack occurred south of Afrin in an area controlled by Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces; meanwhile, PKK militants killed two Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq (AP)
U.S. Drone Strike Kills ISIS Leader in Syria
According to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) chief, the drones, which were reportedly harassed for hours by Russian jets earlier in the day, killed Osama al-Muhajer (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Syria withdrew the BBC’s media accreditation, citing “misleading reports” that led to their decision; the revocation comes days after the BBC aired a report linking members of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s family and Syrian officials to illicit drug smuggling (AP)
Syria Cracked Down On Wagner Forces During Mutiny in Russia
During the late June rebellion, Syria reportedly summoned Wagner commanders and forced troops to sign contracts with the Russian defense ministry or depart Syria to prevent the mutiny from spreading (Reuters)
UNSC to Vote on Continuing Aid to Northern Syria
Russia has previously threatened to veto the assistance delivered across the Turkish border, arguing that it violates Syria’s sovereignty (Al-Monitor)
The aid reaches nearly three million people in the last area of resistance to President Assad’s regime, and ceasing it could lead to starvation (Al Jazeera)
Russia Harasses U.S. Drones in Syria
The incident, the second this year, occurred while the drones were conducting an operation against the Islamic State (CBS)
Israel Launches Air Strikes Against Syria
Syria claimed to have intercepted missiles heading for the city of Homs, and a Syrian air defense missile exploded over Israel (AP)
In response, Israel launched more strikes and said it destroyed an anti-aircraft battery (France 24)
UNGA Greenlights Mechanism to Probe Fate of Those Missing in Syria’s War
The UN General Assembly approved a resolution yesterday to establish an independent body to investigate the whereabouts of the over one hundred thousand people who have gone missing during the Syrian civil war and provide support to victims and their families (AFP)
Since Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began his crackdown on protesters in 2011, more than 130,000 people have disappeared, according to UN estimates (Al Jazeera)
Syria objected to the resolution, while human rights activists lauded it, though they cautioned that the new body will need the right tools to be successful (AP)
Eighty-three countries voted to approve the resolution, eleven voted against, and sixty-two abstained; many of those who abstained were Arab countries that in the past supported the Syrian opposition (UN)
Russian Air Strikes in Syria Kill At Least Nine People
Among the spots targeted on Sunday was a large vegetable market in the northwestern Idlib region; at least nine civilians were killed and more than thirty-four wounded in the attacks, the Syria Civil Defence said (Al Jazeera)
Kazakhstan Suggests It Will No Longer Hold Peace Talks
Kazakhstan’s government abruptly proposed ending peace talks it has been hosting since 2017 on Syria’s civil war that include Russia, Turkey, and Iran; Moscow said the talks could continue in another location (Reuters)