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)
Damascus Hit by Israeli Missile Strike
The attack injured one Syrian soldier, as Syria claims to have intercepted other missiles; in the twelve months from April 2022 to April 2023, Israeli strikes against alleged Iran-linked positions in Syria killed forty-four and injured over fifty (Reuters)
United Nations Cuts Food Aid for 2.5 Million People in Syria Amid Funding Shortfall
The World Food Program said that it had already reduced ration sizes and now has to remove recipients from the program amid an unprecedented funding crisis in order to prioritize aid to the three million Syrians who rely on food assistance (UN News)
Helicopter Accident in Syria Wounds Twenty-Two U.S. Troops
The military said it was investigating the incident in northeastern Syria yesterday, but stated it was a “mishap” and that no enemy fire was reported; around nine hundred U.S. troops remain in northeast Syria to prevent an Islamic State return (NYT)
Iraq and Syria Discuss Cooperation on Cross-Border Drug Trade
At bilateral talks in Baghdad, the two countries’ foreign ministers focused on humanitarian concerns and narcotics, a top priority issue for Arab leaders re-engaging with Syria, where drug production and smuggling have flourished (Reuters)
Furthermore, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein expressed support for Syria’s return to the Arab League as relations continue to thaw (Jerusalem Post)
Syria’s Assad Attends Arab League Summit
Summit attendees are weighing a Saudi Arabia–led campaign that would urge Western countries to ease their sanctions on Syria and encourage Syrian refugees in the region to return home (Reuters)
While some Arab countries back the plan, others are hesitant to accept guarantees that Damascus will protect returnees instead of targeting them as a threat to Assad’s regime, the Financial Times reported (FT)
An unnamed U.S. defense official told the Washington Post that the U.S. military is “no longer confident” that its drone strike killed a senior al-Qaeda leader after the family of the slain man said he was a former bricklayer with no ties to the group (WaPo)
Syria Attends First Arab League Summit Since 2011
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is traveling to Saudi Arabia today to attend his first Arab League summit since the group expelled Syria in 2011 (AP)
UAE Invites Syria’s Assad to Attend COP28 Climate Summit
The invitation by the United Arab Emirates comes as Arab countries mend previously strained ties with Syria; the event would be the first global summit attended by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011 (CNN)
Turkish Foreign Minister Meets Syrian Counterpart in Moscow
Today’s meeting focuses on the potential normalization of Syria-Turkey relations and will mark the first time that foreign ministers from the two countries have met since the war in Syria began twelve years ago; the Iranian and Russian foreign ministers will also attend (AFP)
Fifteen Billion Needed for Earthquake Recovery
According to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, the Syria Earthquake Recovery Needs Assessment (SERNA) estimates that Syria requires about fifteen billion dollars to recover from the earthquake (UN News)
Arab League Ends Syria’s Twelve-Year Suspension
Members of the Arab League voted to readmit Syria yesterday, lifting the suspension they handed President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 over his deadly crackdown on anti-government protests; that unrest escalated into a brutal civil war that has killed more than half a million people (NYT)
In tacit acknowledgement that Assad won the war, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) encouraged countries in the region to officially begin reengaging with Syria (The Guardian)
Some Arab League countries, including Egypt, Jordan, and Kuwait, had previously resisted attempts to normalize relations with Syria and called for Assad to be held accountable for alleged war crimes, but they reportedly voted in favor of readmitting Syria into the organization (FT)
Qatar remains a holdout and did not attend the vote, the Associated Press reported; thirteen of the twenty-two Arab League member states were present (AP)
Raisi Becomes First Iranian President to Visit Syria in Thirteen Years
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is on a two-day state visit to Damascus, making him the first Iranian president to travel to Syria since before the country’s civil war broke out in 2011; Raisi’s trip follows a string of visits to Damascus by Arab leaders in recent weeks and comes amid Iran’s China-mediated rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, which backed Syria’s rebel forces in the war (AP)
Iran is a major military supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has helped him win back control of most of the country (Reuters)
Syrian state media said Raisi’s visit will focus on boosting bilateral economic ties; Assad and Raisi are expected to sign several agreements to that end (Al Jazeera)
Iran’s central bank chief and officials in the country’s oil and infrastructure sectors are traveling alongside Raisi (The Guardian)