Report Reveals UN Contracted with Sanctioned Syrians
A report published by the Observatory of Political and Economic Networks and the Syrian Legal Development Program found that almost half of the contracts procured by the United Nation between 2019 and 2020 were with individuals associated with human rights abuses while almost a quarter of contracts were with companies owned by individuals sanctioned by the United States, United Kingdom and the European Union (AP)
UN Envoy Warns of Deteriorating Situation in Syria
U.S. special envoy Geir Pederson warned of “acute violence” in Syria as the country experiences its worst economic crisis since the conflict began in 2011 (AP)
Meanwhile, hundreds of Syrian refugees were loaded onto trucks in Arsal as part of Lebanon’s attempt to repatriate refugees to Syria amid its own worsening economic conditions (Reuters)
U.S. Designates Three Syrian Military Officials for Human Rights Violations
The Department of State announced the designation of Brigadier General Adnan Aboud Hilweh, Major General Ghassan Ahmed Ghannam, and Major General Jawdat Saleebi Mawas who were involved in the 2013 chemical weapons attack on Ghouta (U.S. Department of State)
Israel Launches Missile Attack Outside Damascus
Israel conducted a rare daytime attack, targeting areas around Damascus; no casualties were reported (Reuters)
France Repatriates Women and Children From Syrian Camps
France repatriated forty children and fifteen women from Syrian camps populated by family members of suspected fighters in the self-declared Islamic State; the move came after the European Court of Human Rights condemned France for refusing to accept two women who sought to return to the country (Al Jazeera)
Hamas Official Visits Syria
Hamas, the militant organization that governs the Gaza Strip, has sent a senior official to Syria for the first time since 2012 as it looks to mend ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (Axios)
French Company Pleads Guilty to Paying Islamic State
French cement company Lafarge pleaded guilty to paying the self-declared Islamic State for permission to keep a plant operating in Syria (Politico)
Inter-Rebel Clashes Resume in Northwest Syria
Fighting resumed between Haya Tahrir al Sham (HTS) and the Turkey-backed opposition National Army in the last remaining opposition enclave in the northwest; this came one day after a Turkish-brokered truce between the two groups ended five days of heavy clashes (Reuters)
Turkey has responded by deploying troops to the area to re-establish peace (Reuters)
Russian, Syrian Forces Kill Twenty Militants in Southern Syria
Russian Major General Oleg Yegorov claimed joint Russia-Syria operation in the southern Deraa province killed twenty Islamic State fighters, including those responsible for bombing a bus carrying Syrian troops in the week prior (Reuters)
Syrian Rebels Violently Regain Control of Territory in Northern Syria, Kill Twenty-Seven
Hardline Syrian rebels, including members of the former Syrian branch of Al Qaeda Haya Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), wrested control of several villages from Turkish-backed fighters, leaving twenty-seven dead (Reuters)
Kurdish-Syrian Official Claims U.S. Strike Killed IS Militant
A Kurdish-Syrian security official claimed that a U.S.-led coalition drone strike killed an Islamic State (IS) militant in the village of Hamam al-Turkman in northeast Syria; this comes days after the U.S. announced two successful operations that killed three IS leaders (AP)
Meanwhile, a rocket attack targeting a U.S. military compound in northeast Syria failed to cause any injuries or damage, said U.S. Central Command (Reuters)
U.S. Says It Killed Two Islamic State Targets in Syria
The U.S. military said its air strikes in northern Syria killed Abu-Hashum al-Umawi and another senior leader of the self-declared Islamic State (WaPo)
U.S. Carries Out Rare Raid in Syrian Government–Held Area
Unnamed security sources said that U.S. forces killed a leader of the self-declared Islamic State in the northeastern village of Muluk Saray (Reuters)
Kurdish Women Protest Death of Masha Amini in Northern Syria
Hundreds of women demonstrated in Kurdish-controlled northern Syria over the death of Iranian Kurd Masha Amini, with some demonstrators cutting their hair and burning headscarves (Reuters)
Hamas Restores Support for Syrian Government
Hamas has reversed its opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, reflecting its vital relationship with Iran and Hezbollah, while receiving significant condemnation from the Arab world (Al Jazeera)
Syria Suffers Deadly Cholera Outbreak
A deadly cholera outbreak has spread across Syria with thirty-nine dead and hundreds more infected (Associated Press)
In response, the World Health Organization has provided supplies to support health authorities and is working to strengthen surveillance to help identify cases (Associated Press)
The Syrian Defense Forces detained dozens of people over the last two weeks for their suspected involvement with the self-proclaimed Islamic State at Syria’s al-Hol refugee camp, U.S. Central Command said (Washington Post)
Aleppo Airport Forced to Close After Israeli Attacks
Syria’s transportation ministry said Israeli air strikes took the airport out of service for the second time in a week (Times of Israel)
Retaliatory Strike on Town in Northern Syria Backed By Turkish Forces Kills Fifteen
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed Syrian government forces launched a retaliatory rocket attack on the town of al-Bab, held by Turkish-backed opposition fighters, killing fifteen, in retaliation for a Turkish airstrike that killed eleven Syrian troops and U.S.-backed Kurdish forces several days prior (Associated Press)
U.S. Air Force Charges Airman with Explosion on Syrian Base
The U.S. Air Force charged Tech. Sgt. David Dezwaan, Jr. in connection with the April 7 explosion at a base in eastern Syria that left four injured (ABC)
Clashes in Sweida, Syria Kill Thirteen, Injure At Least Thirty
Clashes between state-backed gunmen and anti-government militiamen killed thirteen and injured at least thirty in Sweida, Syria, says a United Kingdom-based war monitor (Middle East Eye)
Russian and Israeli Air Strikes Kill Seven in Idlib, Three Near Damascus
Syria’s defense ministry blamed Israel for an air strike that it said killed three Syrian soldiers and wounded seven others near Damascus, as a Russian strike killed seven civilians–including four children–in opposition-held Idlib (Washington Post)
Australian Teen Feared Dead in Syrian Prison
Australian teen Yusuf Zahab is thought to have died in a Syrian prison after imprisonment without charge since 2019 (BBC)
Zahab’s older brother and parents brought Zahab to Syria at the age of eleven; Zahab’s family members and rights groups have lamented his suspected death after the Australian government rejected their repeated repatriation requests (CBS)
Security Council Extends Cross-Border Aid to Syria by Six Months
The UN Security Council agreed to extend cross-border humanitarian aid deliveries to Syria by six months; Western nations originally sought a yearlong extension, but Russia vetoed it (France 24)
Meanwhile, the White House and U.S. military said a U.S. drone strike in northwestern Syria killed Maher al-Agal, considered one of the top leaders of the self-declared Islamic State (Washington Post)
Russia Votes to Close Last UN Aid Route into Syria
Russia vetoed a measure to keep open Bab al-Hawa, the remaining border opening to non-regime-held Syria; aid groups and Western officials have condemned the veto, saying it will imperil humanitarian efforts (New York Times)