Iran, Russia, Turkey Push for Syrian De-Escalation
Iran, Russia, and Turkey signed an agreement to set up “de-escalation” zones in Syria. Neither the Syrian government nor opposition representatives signed the agreement . The agreement calls for zones through which unarmed civilians could move freely; they would be monitored at checkpoints overseen by the three guarantors, among other parties(Al Jazeera)
U.S. Imposes Mass Sanctions on Syria
The U.S. Treasury Department announced sweeping sanctions against two hundred and seventy-one employees of Syria’s government agency for chemical weapons research, more than doubling the total number of Syrian individuals and entities targeted by U.S. sanctions (Wall Street Journal)
United States Postpones Syria Talks With UN, Russia
The United States has backed out of talks on Syria slated to be held with the United Nations and Russia next Monday, UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura said, adding that the United States indicated it would resume the trilateral meetings and he would meet with Russia in the meantime (Voice of America)
Monitor Confirms Sarin Used in Syria
The chemical used in an attack on an opposition-controlled Syrian town that killed at least eighty-six people was confirmed to be the nerve agent sarin or a substance similar to sarin, according to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. France said it will soon present evidence of the Syrian government’s involvement in the attack (Washington Post)
United Kingdom Lawmakers Seek to Revoke Citizenship of Syrian Leader’s Wife
British lawmakers called on the government to revoke the citizenship of Asma al-Assad, the wife of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is a dual national (RadioFreeEurope)
Botched U.S. Strike Kills Allies in Syria
The United States confirmed that a strike in Tabqa, Syria, mistakenly killed eighteen allied rebel fighters. The fighters were members of a Kurdish-Arab militia that partners with the United States (Department of Defense)
Russia Vetoes UN Syria Resolution for Eighth Time
Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution put forth by Britain, France, and the United States condemning Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad over last week’s chemical weapons attack, the eighth time it has blocked a resolution on SyriaChina, Ethiopia, and Kazakhstan abstained while Bolivia voted no (New York Times)
G7 Declines New Syria Sanctions
Ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) countries and Middle East allies who met in Italy to discuss the Syrian conflict failed to reach a new agreement on sanctions against Russia and Syria, calling for an investigation into last week’s chemical weapons attack there before adopting new measures (BBC)
United States: Russia “Failed” Chemical Weapons Commitment
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Russia failed in its “commitment to the international community” to guarantee the destruction of Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons following a 2013 agreement (BBC)
U.S. Strikes Syrian Government Air Base
The Pentagon confirmed it launched fifty-nine missiles toward the same airfield where the United States believes Syrian aircraft took off to carry out a chemical weapons attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun earlier this week (Reuters)
Trump: Attitude Toward Assad ‘Changed Very Much’
President Trump said his “attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much” following a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens in Syria on Tuesday. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said “it is time for the Russians to really think carefully” about their support for the Assad regime (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Suspected Chemical Attack in Syria Kills Dozens
Dozens of Syrians died in an attack in rebel-held Idlib province believed to have been carried out with chemical weapons, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and opposition activists (AFP News Agency)
Observers also said aircraft later fired rockets at a medical facility treating victims of the attack. The monitoring group said either Syrian government forces or Russian jets were behind the attack (BBC)
Turkey Claims End to Military Operations in Syria
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced the end of Turkey’s “Euphrates Shield” operation in Syria, although he hinted that there may be more military campaigns in the future. Turkish troops remain stationed on the border of the two nations (Al Jazeera)
Number of Syrian Refugees Living In Middle Eastern Countries Surpasses Five Million
Data from the UN’s refugee agency shows that the number of Syrian refugees in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey surpassed five million for the first time. About half a million live in refugee camps (Reuters)
Sixteen Thousand Syrian Residents To Be Evacuated
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, reported that the Syrian government and rebels reached a deal on the evacuation of sixteen thousand Shia residents in government-held towns in exchange for the evacuation of Sunni rebels from two other towns. The observatory’s director called the move “a demographic change on a sectarian basis” (Reuters)
Spanish Court Orders Probe Into Syrian Officials
Spain will investigate alleged crimes by members of Syria’s security and intelligence forces in a case regarding a Spanish woman who claims her brother was tortured and executed by Syrian officials (BBC)
U.S. Airlifts Fighters Into Raqqa
The United States airlifted Syrian fighters from the Syrian Arab Coalition and the Syrian Democratic Forces, including Kurdish fighters, into the city of Raqqa to retake territory from the Islamic State and to block any advance of Syrian government forces from the city’s west, according to the Pentagon (Reuters)
U.S special forces are on the ground to advise the fighters, according to a military spokesman (New York Times)
U.S. Hosts Anti-Islamic State Summit
Representatives from the sixty-eight countries that form the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State are meeting in Washington to hear from the administration of U.S. President Donald J. Trump on how it will fight the militant group (Wall Street Journal)
Rebels Launch Second Offensive on Damascus
Syrian opposition forces seized several government-controlled areas in northeastern Damascus in their second assault on the city in three days (New York Times)
Rebels in Damascus continued a series of attacks on Damascus that began on March 19 (Al Jazeera)
U.S. Strike in Syria Hit Mosque
The United States confirmed it carried out an airstrike in Syria’s Aleppo province about fifty feet from a mosque and said it targeted militants; local reports charged that the airstrike hit a mosque and killed more than forty people, mostly civilians (Washington Post)
U.S. Likely to Send 1,000 More Troops Into Syria
The U.S. military is considering sending an additional 1,000 ground troops into northern Syria ahead of the Raqqa offensive (Washington Post)
UN Report: Syrian Strikes Cut Off Water to 5.5 Million People
The Syrian military carried out strikes that cut off water to 5.5 million people in Damascus starting last December, according to a new UN report. The report contradicts the government’s claim that opposition forces were behind the water shortages and categorizes the attack as a war crime (New York Times)
UNICEF: Highest Number of Syrian Children Killed in 2016
Last year brought the highest death toll for Syrian children since the start of the civil war with at least 652 dead, UNICEF reports (BBC)
Putin, Netanyahu Discuss Syria in Moscow
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Israel rejects any solution to the Syrian conflict that would leave “Iran or its satellites” in the country, adding that Israel believes Iran is attempting to establish a naval base in the country (Haaretz)