Israeli Missiles Hit Targets in Northern and Eastern Syria
Israeli forces reportedly attacked a research center and Syrian military base in Aleppo province in northern Syria, as well as Iranian forces and Iran-aligned militias in eastern Syria. State media reported that Syrian air defenses had “confronted the hostile missiles” (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Islamic State Uprising Quelled in Syrian Prison
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces negotiated an end to an hours-long uprising of inmates from the Islamic State in a northeastern Syrian prison. A two-day riot at the same prison in March led to the escape of four prisoners, who were later recaptured (Associated Press)
Separately, Syria’s richest man, Rami Makhlouf, released a social media video accusing President Bashar al-Assad, his cousin, of attempting to take over his business. Makhlouf has bankrolled Assad’s regime and much of its efforts in Syria’s war (Guardian)
Syria Reports String of Israeli attacks
A missile attack in southern Syria and an explosion near the city of Homs are suspected to have been carried out by Israel, according to Syrian state media and a war monitor (Haaretz)
Israel’s defense minister said this week that Israel “moved from blocking Iran’s entrenchment in Syria to forcing it out of there” (Newsweek)
Bomb in Northern Syrian Market Kills Dozens
A truck bomb in a northern Syrian city controlled by Turkey-backed rebel forces killed at least forty-six people and wounded fifty at a crowded marketplace, according to a human rights monitor (Agence France-Presse)
Turkey blamed the People’s Protection Units (YPG) Kurdish militia group for the attack, one of the largest to occur in the city of Afrin since Turkish and allied Syrian opposition forces seized the surrounding region from the YPG in 2018; the YPG did not immediately comment (BBC)
Israeli Airstrikes Hit Areas Around Syrian Capital
Israeli warplanes struck targets around the Syrian capital of Damascus yesterday, killing four Iran-aligned fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Syrian state media claimed that the Israeli aircraft killed three civilians and that local air defenses intercepted some of the Israeli missiles (Associated Press)
Landmark Trial of Syrian Officers Begins
Germany formally initiated legal proceedings against two former Syrian army officers on charges of crimes against humanity committed in the early days of Syria’s civil war. The trial is the world’s first of a high-ranking official from Bashar al-Assad’s government and sets a precedent for a universal jurisdiction approach to war crimes (New York Times)
Separately, Syrian state media reported that a U.S. military convoy s turned back from its patrol in northeastern Syria yesterday after villagers and pro-government fighters confronted the vehicles (Associated Press)
Syria Claims Successful Defense Against Israeli Airstrikes
Syrian state media reported yesterday that the country’s air defenses thwarted Israeli air attacks against the city of Palmyra in Homs province and destroyed several “hostile targets” (Reuters)
Russia and Turkey Carry Out Additional Joint Patrol in Syria
Russian and Turkish troops conducted their fourth joint patrol along Syria’s M4 highway yesterday as part of a ceasefire agreement that took effect in Idlib province in March 2020, according to the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria (Reuters)
Syria Denies Report of Chemical Weapons Usage
Damascus denied a report from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons that found the government used chemical weapons on the rebel-held town of Latamneh in 2017 (Associated Press)
Observers Highlight Multiple Syrian Chemical Attacks in One Week
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons concluded yesterday in a recent report that the Syrian government deployed chemical weapons three times in the village of Latamneh in March 2017 (New York Times)
UN: Syrian Government Likely Behind Attacks in Northwest
A UN report sent to the security council yesterday alleged that Syria and its allies attacked health facilities, a school, and a shelter for children last year (Reuters)
Turkey to Reduce Troop Movement in Syria
The Turkish defense ministry announced it will minimize the nonessential movement of troops in Syria, with entry and exit now requiring approval from the head of the army (Reuters)
Syria Shoots Down Israeli Missiles
Syrian air defense systems intercepted missiles fired by Israeli forces at targets in the country’s center, state media reported (Al Jazeera)
Islamic State Militants Escape Syrian Prison
Several members of the Islamic State seized control of part of a prison in northeastern Syria and escaped. The prison is administered by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (Guardian)
Two Turkish Soldiers Killed in Rocket Attack in Syria
A rocket attack in Syria’s Idlib province yesterday killed two Turkish soldiers and wounded another, according to Turkey’s defense ministry. Turkey blamed “radical groups” for the attack and retaliated militarily, but did not disclose additional details (Associated Press)
WHO Details Attacks on Medical Facilities in Syria
More than five hundred military attacks on medical facilities have occurred in the country since 2016, killing at least 480 health workers and patients, the WHO said (Reuters)
First Trial of Syrian Crimes Against Humanity to Begin
A German court set an April start date for the trial of Syrian regime officials accused of crimes against humanity, including torture and executions. The case is being pursued under universal jurisdiction laws that allow crimes against humanity to be tried anywhere (Reuters)
Russia, Turkey Announce Truce in Syria
Ankara and Moscow agreed to a cease-fire in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, effective today, after a six-hour meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Moscow yesterday (Hurriyet)
The truce follows previous attempts to establish de-escalation zones around the rebel bastion of Idlib in 2017 and 2018 (CNN)
The new agreement does not mandate that Russia-backed Syrian government forces withdraw from newly recaptured areas, but does provide for a jointly patrolled security corridor along a highway that connects the cities of Aleppo and Latakia (BBC)
Satellite Images Show Destruction in Syria’s Idlib
Nearly one-third of buildings in two towns in Syria’s Idlib province were destroyed in a recent escalation in fighting and refugee camps have expanded, according to satellite images analyzed by Harvard University, Save the Children, and World Vision (BBC)
United States Announces New Aid to Syria
Washington announced it will provide $108 million in new humanitarian aid to Syria (State Department)
UN Accuses Russia of War Crimes in Syria Bombings
A UN investigator’s report on Syria’s civil war found that Russian military forces at least twice committed the war crime of indiscriminately attacking a civilian area (OHCHR)
Turkey Begins New Military Offensive Against Syrian Regime
Turkey’s military shot down two Russian-made Syrian jets and struck more than two thousand regime targets as part of a new military offensive in Syria’s northwest. Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on March 5 (Al-Monitor)
NATO Holds Emergency Talks Over Escalation in Syria
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ambassadors are holding emergency talks today after an air strike in northeastern Syria killed at least thirty-three Turkish soldiers (Associated Press)
The strike marked a dramatic escalation in Syria’s rebel bastion and prompted the European Union’s top diplomat to warn of a slide into a major international conflict (Reuters)
Rebel Forces Captures Strategic Junction in Syria’s Idlib
Turkish-backed Syrian fighters recaptured the town of Saraqeb, an important highway junction, while Syrian government forces initiated a counterattack to regain control of the area. During the fighting, two Turkish soldiers died in an airstrike. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that despite Damascus’s loss of Saraqeb, Syrian government forces now control all of southern Idlib (Al Jazeera)
Russian Delegation Visits Turkey As Syrian Violence Continues
More than twenty people died from regime attacks on civilian targets in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province. A Russian delegation is expected to visit Turkey today for talks on de-escalating violence in Syria (Al Jazeera)