A few hundred marines have been deployed to Syria ahead of a battle to retake from the self-proclaimed Islamic State the city of Raqqa, which is considered to be the militants‘ de facto capital. The United States is also considering sending hundreds of troops to Kuwait to be ready to join in the battle if necessary, according to a defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity (Associated Press)
U.N. Report on Aleppo finds War Crimes by Both Sides
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, established by the United Nations, accused both sides of the Battle for Aleppo guilty of war crimes (Al Jazeera)
Iraq Air Strikes Target Islamic State in Syria
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that the country’s air force carried out strikes in Syria against targets from the self-proclaimed Islamic State in retaliation for recent attacks in Baghdad. The Joint Operations Command said the strikes, the first by Iraq inside Syria, destroyed an Islamic State headquarters in the town of Albu Kamal (Associated Press)
U.S.-Backed Forces Enter Syria’s Deir ez-Zour
The Syrian Democratic Forces entered Syria’s Deir ez-Zour in bid to cut off the Islamic State’s supply lines to Raqqa (Al Jazeera)
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, reported that at least eleven people were killed in air strikes in the province, an area where the U.S.-led coalition’s planes operate
Four Russians Killed in Syria
Four Russian military personnel were killed and two others wounded by a roadside bomb outside Homs, Russian media reported (New York Times)
Little Progress at Syria Talks in Astana
Syrian government and opposition representatives again refused to talk one on one at a second peace conference in the Kazakh capital, while Iran, Russia, and Turkey vowed to bolster a shaky cease-fire. UN talks are slated to resume on February 23 in Geneva (Radio Free Europe)
Syria Deployed Chemical Weapons in Aleppo
Syrian government forces deployed chlorine bombs in at least eight attacks during the final weeks of an offensive to retake the rebel-held city of Aleppo, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch, which verified at least nine people killed in the attacks, including four children (Al Jazeera)
Assad “Ready” for Rebel Prisoner Swap
The government of President Bashar al-Assad said it is “continuously ready” for prisoner swaps with rebel groups. The announcement comes ahead of a meeting on the country’s cease-fire between Iran, Russia, and Turkey (Al Jazeera)
Pentagon: Ten Al-Qaeda Militants Killed in Syria
A U.S. airstrike near Syria’s Idlib on February 3 killed ten al-Qaeda militants, according to the Pentagon. The Defense Department also claimed that a second airstrike the following day killed Abu Hani al-Masri, who led the group that planned an unsuccessful attack on the U.S. Embassy in Albania in 1998 (Wall Street Journal)
Trump, Erdogan Agree to Combat ISIS
U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed during a phone call to jointly combat the self-proclaimed Islamic State in the Syrian cities of al-Bab and Raqqa (Reuters)
5,000-13,000 Syrians Killed in Mass Hangings
Thousands were killed in the Syrian prison of Saydnaya between 2011-2015, according to a new Amnesty International report (Associated Press)
The new figures are in addition to the 17,000 the rights group said were already executed in prisons across Syria (Washington Post)
Russia Denies Airstrikes in Idlib, Killing Fifteen
Fifteen people were killed in the rebel-held city of Idlib following airstrikes from what residents believed were Russian jets, despite a Turkey-Russia brokered cessation of hostilities announced in December (Reuters)
Trilateral Meeting on Syria Begins
Iran, Russia, and Turkey began technical talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the implementation of a fragile cease-fire in Syria. The discussion follows a summit with representatives from the Syrian government and armed opposition groups in the same city three weeks ago (Al Jazeera)
Geneva Talks on Syria Postponed, Russia Says
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that UN-sponsored Syria peace talks slated to begin February 8 would be postponed until the end of that month, though a UN spokeswoman did not confirm the delay (Al Jazeera)
Iran, Russia, Turkey Agree to Monitor Syria Truce
Iran, Russia, and Turkey agreed to monitor a month-old cease-fire in Syria after neither the Syrian government nor opposition groups signed an agreement during two days of peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana (New York Times)
The participants will reconvene next month in Geneva for UN-sponsored peace talks (Wall Street Journal)
Peace Talks Begin in Kazakhstan
Representatives from Syrian opposition groups and the government of Bashar al-Assad are meeting for the first time since early last year as peace talks sponsored by Russia, Turkey, and Iran begin in Astana, Kazakhstan (The Guardian)
U.S. Carries Out Anti-ISIS Raid in Syria
U.S. special forces carried out a ground raid against the self-proclaimed Islamic State near Syria’s Deir ez-Zour province, according to Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that twenty-five militants were killed in the operation, a number Davis called “grossly exaggerated” (Washington Post)
Russia to Reduce Military Forces in Syria
Russia said it has begun to decrease its military presence in Syria, days after the announcement of a ceasefire between the regime and opposition groups (Reuters)
Syrian Regime Retakes Aleppo
The Syrian regime took full control of Aleppo after the last evacuation of rebel-held areas. The evacuation of civilians and fighters also concluded after long delays due to frigid weather. Aleppo is back under President Assad’s forces for the first time since 2012 (New York Times)
UN Approves Team to Investigate Syria War Crimes
The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution to create a special team to collect evidence of human rights abuses committed during the Syrian civil war (Al Jazeera)
Aleppo Evacuation Underway After Convoy Attack
Following an attack on a medical convoy by pro-government forces, buses and ambulances began to enter the final enclave of Aleppo held by opposition forces on Thursday to evacuate thousands of residents and fighters (Reuters)
UN Reports Atrocities Amid Aleppo’s Fall
The United Nations accused Syrian government-backed forces of executing dozens of civilians during what appears to be their final push to retake the city of Aleppo from opposition forces. A spokesman for the UN human rights council said his office had received reports of pro-government forces entering homes and killing people “on the spot” (Washington Post)
Hundreds of Aleppo Men Missing, UN Says
The United Nations warned that hundreds of men appear to be missing after leaving rebel-held territory in Aleppo for government-controlled regions (BBC)
The Syrian White Helmets first-responders group called on international organizations to secure their volunteers‘ evacuations, issuing a statement saying “our volunteers face torture and execution in the regime’s detention centres.”
Syria Says Israeli Missiles Targeted Airport
Syrian state media alleged that Israeli missiles targeted a military airport on the outskirts of Damascus, reportedly causing fires but no injuries (BBC)
Syrian Army Takes Aleppo’s Old City From Rebels
Forces backing the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad took Aleppo’s old city from rebel forces. The government and its allies now control three-fourths of eastern Aleppo, which had been a stronghold for opposition forces since 2012 (Washington Post)