Global Conflict Tracker
← Back to Conflict

Latest News

Conflict in Syria

Continued Protests in Southern Syria Decry Corruption, Poor Living Standards

  • Hundreds of people in the southern Syrian city of Sweida protested corruption and poor living standards for the fifth straight day (Al Jazeera)

One Child Dead, Several Wounded During Clash at Al-Hol Camp in Northeast Syria

  • Guards opened fire in al-Hol camp, killing one child and wounding several women and children; women and children living in al-Hol camp, which houses detained family members of self-declared Islamic State fighters, had attacked the guards with knives and rocks prior to the shootings (New York Times)

Syrian Opposition Groups Meet in Qatar to Relaunch Bid Against Syrian Government

  • Representatives from Syria’s political opposition groups, mainly based abroad, met in Qatar in an effort to unify the opposition against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (Al Jazeera)
  • Separately, Belarus announced plans to deploy up to two hundred troops to Syria to serve alongside Russian forces (Associated Press)

Hundreds of Boys Missing from Syrian Prison

  • Human Rights Watch announced that hundreds of boys are missing from a prison in Hasaka, Syria that housed Islamic State fighters; Kurdish forces backed by the U.S. military recently regained control of the prison after battling with Islamic State militants (Associated Press)

U.S. Forces Conduct Counterterrorism Raid in Syria

  • President Joe Biden announced that a U.S. counterterrorism raid in Syria’s Idlib Governorate killed Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quaryshi, leader of the self-declared Islamic State; aid workers said at least thirteen people were killed, including six children and four women (CNN)

U.S.-Backed Syrian Forces Close In on Prison After Days of Fighting Militants

  • Some 550 detainees inside a prison that the self-declared Islamic State seized last week have surrendered to the Syrian Democratic Forces, a researcher with the Rojava Information Center said; at least 190 people have been killed in the fighting (Al-Monitor)

U.S. Bombs Syrian Prison Amid Fighting Between SDF, Islamic State

  • The American commander of the coalition fighting the Islamic State said a threat had been “contained” after U.S. forces carried out air strikes in support of the rebel Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) (New York Times)

Self-Declared Islamic State Launches Separate Attacks in Syria and Iraq

  • The self-proclaimed Islamic State killed eleven soldiers in an attack on an army base north of Baghdad and killed dozens of people in an attack on the Gweiran Prison in northeast Syria (Associated Press)

Former Syrian Colonel Convicted in Landmark Trial

  • A German court sentenced former Syrian intelligence officer Anwar Raslan to life in prison for crimes against humanity, making him the highest-ranking former official from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government to be found guilty of such crimes (Washington Post)

UN Extends Cross-Border Humanitarian Aid to Northwest Syria

  • The UN Security Council extended permission for cross-border humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria for another six months without voting on the matter (Al Jazeera)

Rockets, Gunfire Target Bases With U.S. Troops in Iraq, Syria

  • The attacks were part of a series that began on Monday, the second anniversary of the U.S. strike that killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani; no casualties have been reported [Associated Press]

Israel Reportedly Strikes Syrian Port for Second Time This Month

  • Syrian state media reported the attack on the port of Latakia, which handles most imports to Syria, early today. No casualties were immediately reported (Associated Press)

UAE Foreign Minister Visits Damascus in Overture to Assad Government

  • The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, is the first Emirati official to visit Damascus since Syria’s 2011 uprising (Al Jazeera)

Israeli Air Raids Wound Two Syrian Soldiers

  • Israel carried out air raids in the central and western provinces of Syria, wounding two Syrian soldiers and causing some material damage (Al Jazeera)

Israeli Missiles Strike Outskirts of Damascus, Syria

  • Israeli missiles struck sites on the outskirts of Damascus, Syrian state media reported; no casualties were immediately reported (Times of Israel)

Syrian State Media Says Israel Fires Missiles at Syria

  • Syrian state media reported that Syria’s air defenses intercepted missiles launched towards the suburbs of the capital, Damascus, injuring two Syrian soldiers (Al Jazeera)

Talks on New Constitution Stall Between Syrian Government and Opposition

  • The first round of talks between the Syrian government and opposition concerning the constitutional drafting process stalled as both delegations failed to reach consensus (Voice of America)

Damascus Suffers Deadly Bomb Attack

  • Syrian state media reported that an attack on an army bus killed fourteen people today (New York Times)
  • No group claimed responsibility for the bombing, but Syrian government forces shelled Idlib shortly after the attack, killing thirteen people and injuring twenty (Guardian)

Meetings to Draft Syrian Constitution Begin

  • The Syrian government and opposition groups will meet in Geneva this week with aims of drafting provisions for a new constitution (Al Jazeera)

One Syrian Soldier and Three Pro-Iranian Fighters Killed in Israeli Airstrike

  • An Israeli air strike targeting Iranian positions in central Syria killed one Syrian soldier and three pro-Iran fighters (AFP)

Denmark, Germany Repatriate Women and Children From Syria

  • The two countries brought back eleven women and thirty-seven children from a camp where suspected members of the self-declared Islamic State were held. The women will now face preliminary criminal charges (Associated Press)

Jordanian, Syrian Leaders Discuss Bilateral Relations

  • Jordan’s King Abdullah resumed communication with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the first time since the start of the conflict in Syria (Reuters)

United States Announces It Has No Plans to Normalize Diplomatic Ties with Syria

  • The U.S. State Department expressed no plans to “upgrade or normalize” relations with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and said that it does not encourage other countries to normalize their ties either (Reuters)

Meeting to Draft Syrian Constitution Set for October 18

  • The UN-facilitated initiative follows five previous meetings between the Syrian government, the opposition, and civil society representatives that failed to produce results (Associated Press)

Russian, Syrian Leaders Meet in Moscow

  • Meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced his support for Assad’s efforts to defeat U.S.- and Turkey-backed rebel forces in Syria’s north (Al Jazeera)