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Instability in Syria

Nine Civilians Killed in Airstrikes Near Kurdish-Majority City in Northern Syria

  • The Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) claimed that Turkish forces were responsible for the bombings near the city of Kobani (Arab Weekly)

Israel Strikes Building in Damascus for First Time Since Ahmed al-Sharaa Took Over as Interim President

  • Israel’s military said it targeted a headquarters for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad; the militant group denied using the building for such purposes (FT)
  • On the heels of recent violence in coastal western Syria, Sharaa signed into effect a temporary charter for a five-year transitional governance period; it was not immediately made public (Guardian)

U.S.-Backed, Kurdish-Led Syrian Democratic Forces Agree to Integrate With New Syrian Government by End of This Year

  • The SDF controls an area of northwestern Syria that includes oil and gas fields and had been a holdout as the interim government sought to bring the country’s multiple armed groups under its umbrella; the deal reiterated interim leaders’ pledges to build an inclusive government (NYT)

Hundreds Killed in Recent Clashes in Western Syria

  • The deaths since last Thursday amount to Syria’s largest spate of violence since rebels ousted former President Bashar al-Assad in December, prompting international repudiation and calls for investigations (Reuters; UN)
  • The clashes occurred in a stronghold of Syria’s Alawite minority; Assad is Alawite, and many of his supporters still live in the area (BBC)
  • Armed men loyal to Assad ambushed government security forces on Thursday, kicking off a chain of violence (NYT)
  • As government forces fought back, civilians were broadly targeted, residents and monitoring groups said; unnamed Damascus authorities blamed armed militias who came to fight alongside government troops for summary executions of young people and raids of homes (WaPo; Guardian)
  • The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a United Kingdom (UK)-based war monitor, counted more than one thousand people dead—over seven hundred of whom were civilians—while the Syrian Network for Human Rights reported more than six hundred people killed (NYT; CNN)
  • Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa accused Assad loyalists and unnamed foreign powers of trying to foment unrest, saying that his administration would hold accountable “anyone who is involved in the bloodshed of civilians” or exploits state power; his office said it was forming an independent committee to investigate the clashes and killings (BBC)
  • The commander of the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) blamed the killings on Turkey-backed factions and Islamic extremists. The SDF called for Sharaa to reconsider his method for forming the new Syrian army, saying that some fighters could use the army “to create sectarian conflicts and settle internal scores” (Reuters)

United Kingdom Becomes First Country to Entirely Unfreeze Assets of Syria’s Central Bank

  • The UK also ended sanctions on oil groups and commercial banks, saying it supports rebuilding (FT)
  • Separately, armed individuals loyal to Assad killed at least sixteen Syrian government security personnel, a war monitor said; the clashes—some of Syria’s worst violence since December—broke out in a coastal region home to many in the Alawite minority, which includes the Assad family (NYT)

Syria Announces Intent to Dispose of Chemical Weapons From Assad Regime

  • Syria’s foreign minister visited the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the Hague, where he stated that the new government in Damascus is ready to comply with international norms and welcomes international assistance in the removal of the stockpiles; the OPCW aims to conduct inspections on roughly one-hundred potential chemical weapons sites (Reuters)

Syrian Forces Deployed to Jaramana After Weekend Clashes

  • Syrian forces negotiated for stability in the majority Druze and Christian suburb after violent unrest, which began with the killing of a Syrian security officer at a checkpoint and the subsequent withholding of suspects by local militia, according to Syrian state media (Al Jazeera)

One Killed in Clash Between Pro-Government Security Forces and Local Druze Gunmen

  • The shooting occurred in the predominantly Druze and Christian suburb of Jaramana near Damascus, which also left nine injured, though it remains unclear whether the person killed was a civilian or combatant (France24)
  • Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz warned against any government-led violence against the Druze in Syria (Times of Israel)

Israel Lobbies to Maintain Russian Bases in Syria to Contain Turkey

  • Israeli officials posited that a continued Russian presence in the country will keep it decentralized and weak, as opposed to Turkey becoming its primary security guarantor and expanding its regional influence; Israel fears that Ankara’s support to the new government in Damascus could embolden Islamist groups and complicate its plans to demilitarize southern Syria (Reuters)

Syrians Call for Inclusive Governance, Free Expression, and End to Israeli Military Presence at National Dialogue

  • Hundreds gathered at the Damascus conference, where interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa spoke, in a step toward rebuilding the country after fourteen years of civil war; working groups met to discuss topics like a new constitution, transitional justice, and Syria’s economic model (Reuters)
  • Five of the seven members of the conference organizing committee were in or close to al-Sharaa’s rebel group, and no committee members came from the Druze or Alawite minorities (VOA)
  • Religious minorities and women did attend the conference (AP)
  • While the European Union announced it would lift some broad sanctions this week, U.S. economic steps have been more measured (EuroNews; VOA)
  • Amid war and embargos, Syria’s economy has shrunk by some 85 percent since 2011, according to World Bank estimates (DW)

Syrians Hold National Dialogue on Future of Country

  • Hundreds of Syrians are in Damascus today for a conference on the country’s political future; they will produce recommendations for an interim government that is slated to take office on March 1 (Reuters)
  • The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S.-backed militia that controls much of the country’s northeast, was not invited; the interim government had demanded they disarm as a condition for participating (NYT)

European Union Eases Sanctions on Syria

  • The bloc announced it is suspending transportation, energy, and banking sanctions on Syria as part of efforts to support “an inclusive political transition” and “swift economic recovery, reconstruction, and stabilization” in the country (Politico)
  • The Council of the European Union said it would monitor the steps and continue to assess its sanctions policy (European Council)

Government Official Committee: Nonstate Groups Should Lay Down Their Weapons to Participate in National Conference on Syria’s Future

  • The U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces is a holdout group that has not yet agreed to merge into the new Syrian government, though talks are ongoing (Reuters; France24)

Vladimir Putin Speaks With Syria’s New President for First Time

  • Putin called Syria’s new president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, marking the first formal contact between the two countries’ top leadership; the two leaders discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation but did not discuss the futures of the Russian air and naval bases which are currently stationed in Syria (AP)

U.S. Grants Funding-Freeze Exemption to Security Contractor at Al-Hom Camp in Syria

  • The waiver provides a one-month extension for operations to continue at the camp, where 39,000 Islamic State (ISIS) militants are housed, along with their families and refugees; the camp is viewed as a hotspot for radicalization and recruitment (NYT)

United States Reportedly Plans to Withdraw All Troops From Syria

  • The Department of Defense is working to develop plans for full withdrawal within either thirty, sixty, or ninety days; President Trump has repeatedly stated his interest in cutting U.S. involvement in the country (NBC)

Car Bomb Kills Twenty in Northern Syrian City of Manbij

  • This marks the deadliest attack in Syria since the toppling of the Assad regime; no group has stepped forward to claim responsibility (Reuters)

Ahmad al-Sharaa Visits Riyadh in First Foreign Trip Since Being Named Interim President

  • The move symbolizes Syria’s distance from Iran since the rebel takeover; Saudi Arabia has pledged to invest in Syria’s reconstruction (AFP, FT)

Former Rebel Leader Ahmad al-Sharaa Gives First Speech Since Being Declared Interim President

  • Al-Sharaa pledged to pursue those who had “committed massacres and crimes“ and to hold a “national dialogue conference” (BBC)

Syrian Commanders Name Al-Sharaa Interim President

  • Armed factions that ousted Bashar al-Assad from Syria declared former rebel commander Ahmad al-Sharaa the country’s interim president at a closed meeting, a spokesperson said; he also announced the cancellation of Syria’s 2012 constitution and the dissolution of its legislature, army, security agencies, and rebel groups (AP)
  • Al-Sharaa said he aimed to fill the country’s governance vacuum “in a legitimate and legal way,” but did not announce a timeline for appointing a new legislature—leaving open questions about how differences between the country’s many factions will be handled (Reuters, NYT)
  • Al-Sharaa ran Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the flash offensive that toppled the Assad government; HTS remains on a U.S. terrorism list, though the Washington Post reported that U.S. intelligence officials cooperated with Syria’s rebel government to thwart a planned attack by the self-declared Islamic State earlier this month (WaPo)
  • Meanwhile, well over 81,000 Syrians have voluntarily returned to the country from Turkey since Assad’s fall, Ankara said (Anadolu)

Russian Diplomats Arrive in Syria for First Time Since Fall of Assad Regime

  • Syria’s transitional government held “frank” talks with a visiting Russian delegation, the Kremlin said; an unnamed Syrian source told Russia that the Syrians had sought the handover of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Moscow (Reuters)
  • A Syrian readout of the meeting also said it stressed the need for Russian “compensation” and “reconstruction” in the country, but did not mention military bases in the country that Moscow seeks to retain (Bloomberg)

EU Agrees on Gradual Plan to Ease Sanctions on Syria

  • European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc’s approach would be “step-by-step,” contingent on policy changes in Syria; while she did not specify the first steps, unnamed European diplomats told Euronews they could include the banking, energy, and transport sectors (Euronews)

UN Refugee Leader: Nearly 30 Percent of Syrians in Mideast Want to Return Home

  • The United Nations conducted an assessment of Syrian refugees displaced in Middle Eastern countries weeks after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Filippo Grandi told reporters; nearly 30 percent hope to return home, up from almost zero last year (Reuters)

Syria Plans Privatizations, Freezes on Former Regime Assets

  • Syria’s central bank ordered private banks to freeze accounts linked to the former government of Bashar al-Assad, a document seen by Reuters said (Reuters)
  • The central bank’s governor was replaced after the rebel takeover (Central Banking)
  • Syria’s foreign minister this week said the government would privatize several state-owned companies as part of its economic overhaul (FT)

French Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Syria’s Ousted Dictator

  • This is the second French arrest warrant against Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia after last month’s rebel takeover of Syria; it accuses Assad of a role in a 2017 bombing that killed a Franco-Syrian (RFI)