International Envoys Call for Accountability, Aid, and Peace in Syria Amid Transition
UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen says that the war in Syria has not fully ended; in a testimony to the UN Security Council, he flagged the risk of ongoing fighting between armed groups in the country’s north (AFP)
A cease-fire between U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters and Turkish-backed forces in the town of Manbij was extended to the end of this week, Washington announced (NYT)
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said that continued combat could impede the flow of aid into Syria, where the UN refugee agency expects some one million refugees to return in the first six months of 2025 (Reuters)
An agency official called on countries not to force refugees to return; some three million refugees are in Turkey (UNHCR)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged more than $1 billion to support Syrian refugees in or returning from Turkey, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for an upgrade to Turkey’s relationship with the European Union (Euronews)
Meanwhile, as mass graves in Syria have become accessible to outside investigators, the U.S. government, UN bodies, and human rights groups have begun compiling evidence on abuses under the Bashar al-Assad regime in order to seek accountability (Reuters)
Syrian Rebel Leader Meets With Foreign Journalists, Officials
The leader of the recent takeover of Syria called for international help in rebuilding the country in his first press conference; he has begun going by Ahmed al-Shara rather than his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani (France24)
Al-Shara criticized Israel’s advance onto Syrian territory and Iranian militia activity, though he did not mention Russia; he said Syria’s future government would “not interfere in personal freedoms in a deep way” and had made contact with minority leaders (NYT)
French and German officials are in Damascus today, and the European Union plans to reopen its office there (AFP)
Hezbollah, Russia Show Signs Capabilities Diminished in Syria
Hezbollah’s leader acknowledged the group lost a military supply route from Iran through Syria in his first public comments since the fall of Syria’s leader, Bashar al-Assad (WSJ)
Following Assad’s upheaval, Russia has also evacuated at least four hundred troops from Damascus, an official from the Syrian rebel group that helped coordinate the withdrawal said (FT)
Israel Says Its Forces Will Remain in Seized Syrian Territory
Israel ordered its troops to prepare to remain in a formerly demilitarized buffer zone through the winter, saying they should do so until a new force can be established there (AFP)
Group of Seven (G7) leaders are meeting virtually today to discuss Syria’s transition (AFP)
Meanwhile, Russia made contact with Syrian rebels in hopes of keeping control of its bases in the country, the Russian news agency Interfax reported (Reuters)
Blinken Heads to Mideast for Talks on Syria’s Political Transition
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Jordan today and is due to continue on to Turkey in a flurry of diplomacy to encourage an “accountable and representative” new Syrian government after President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, the State Department said (NYT)
Echoing a previous U.S. statement, the UN special envoy for Syria said yesterday that Syria’s political transition should be inclusive to avoid another civil war in the country (AFP)
Blinken’s priorities also include preserving gains against the self-declared Islamic State, he told a congressional hearing yesterday before heading east; U.S. President-elect Donald Trump posted on social media last week that Syria “is not our fight,” adding, “Let it play out” (VOA)
Washington has also called for a Syria free of chemical weapons (CNN)
Yesterday, Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani said his group was working with international organizations to identify and secure possible chemical weapons storage sites; a Pentagon spokesperson welcomed the rhetoric but said that “actions have to meet words” (BBC)
U.S. Would ‘Recognize and Fully Support’ Syrian Government via Inclusive Process
The new Syrian government should uphold minority rights, facilitate humanitarian aid, prevent the country from being a base for terrorism, and ensure destruction of chemical and biological weapons, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said (State Department)
Turkey-backed rebels and U.S.-backed Kurdish forces have been clashing in northern Syria, though U.S. mediation helped reach a cease-fire in Manbij, Kurdish-led forces said (Al-Monitor,NYT)
Israel carried out at least 350 air strikes across Syria this week so far, prompting calls for restraint from the special UN envoy to Syria and from Iraq and Saudi Arabia (WaPo)
Syrian Prime Minister Begins Talks on Transfer of Power
The prime minister of the ousted Bashar al-Assad government in Syria began talks yesterday on the transfer of power in the country, he said following a meeting with the leader of a rebel group based in Syria’s northwest (Reuters)
The composition of a transitional government remained unclear, though a man who led the rebel administration, Mohamed al-Bashir, said today in a televised statement that he would lead it (Reuters)
Rebels announced an amnesty to Syrian fighters who were conscripted, but rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani said senior officials in Assad’s government who were involved in torture would be punished (NYT)
In the thick of Syria’s uncertain transition, several countries including France, Germany, Greece, and the United Kingdom (UK) suspended applications for Syrian asylum seekers yesterday (BBC)
In the capital of Damascus, banks and shops began to reopen following the rebel takeover (Reuters)
Farther afield, Israel continued its strikes on Syrian army bases, while the United States continued strikes against the self-declared Islamic State (BBC).
Syrians and World Leaders Weigh the Aftermath of Assad’s Lightning Downfall
The ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the weekend stunned Syrians and international observers alike, who saw the government crumble without a fight as rebel forces advanced on Damascus; Assad fled to Russia, rebels began freeing people from a major prison in Damascus, and refugees began traveling back to the country (NYT)
Rebel groups have called for police and civilian authorities to stay in their posts until a new government is announced, but much remains unclear about its potential composition (Economist)
The sudden end to more than fifty years of rule by the Assad family left foreign powers scrambling to respond to upended security dynamics in the country (AP)
Washington carried out air strikes against the self-declared Islamic State over the weekend, wary of its potential resurgence (WaPo)
Israel deployed troops onto Syrian territory in a move it described as trying to shore up defenses (WaPo)
The rebel group that led the offensive, Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States but has tried to spread a message of moderation in recent weeks (BBC)
U.S. President Joe Biden said yesterday that Washington was closely watching the rebels’ actions, not only their words; he called this “a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country” (Reuters)
Assad Regime Falls; Rebels Take Damascus
On Sunday, Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow amid a successful rebel offensive (AP)
Rebel forces, led by Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, took control of Damascus following their capture of strategic cities Aleppo, Hama, and Homs since November 30 (NYT)
The HTS-led coalition freed Assad regime prisoners from prisons such as Sednaya, a well-known military facility outside of Damascus, throughout the offensive as they seized new territory (PBS)
In the aftermath of the fall of Damascus, the Israel Defense Forces crossed the demilitarized zone on the Israel-Syria border and took control of territory in the Golan Heights (BBC)
Syrian Rebels Capture Second Major City as Offensive Rolls Forward
Rebel forces captured Syria’s fourth-largest city of Hama yesterday, advancing their week-old offensive despite efforts by Syria and its ally Russia to head them off; Syria’s army announced it had withdrawn from the city (WaPo)
Syria’s additional backers Iran and Hezbollah have consulted with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on how they could shore up his position as the fighters now move toward the city of Homs, a frontier of an area critical to the government; meanwhile, the head of a U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish force told reporters yesterday that the self-declared Islamic State group had taken control of some areas in Syria’s east (Reuters)
The leader of the main group driving the rebel offensive, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, told CNN yesterday that he aimed to overthrow Assad; Jolani leads Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham, a group that split from al-Qaeda in recent years and that the United States classifies as a terrorist organization (CNN)
Thousands of people began fleeing from Homs beginning last night, the British monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said (BBC)
Syrian Military, Rebels Battle Near City of Hama
The two sides clashed around three miles northeast of the city of Hama, state media and the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said; Russian and Syrian air strikes on rebel-held areas of northwest Syria have continued in recent days, with residents and rescue workers saying residential areas and medical facilities were hit (Reuters)
Russia, Syria Conduct Air Strikes in Syria After Surprise Rebel Advance
The Syrian military and its ally Russia struck targets in northwestern Syria overnight in an effort to retaliate for a shock rebel advance that has upended the country’s thirteen-year civil war; the rebel push comes as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s backers Hezbollah and Russia were embroiled in other conflicts (Reuters)
Battle lines in the war had been largely static since 2020, but rebel forces captured much of the city of Aleppo over the weekend and said they controlled all of the country’s Idlib province (NYT)
The United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement yesterday that they were closely monitoring the situation in Syria and urged de-escalation by all parties (State Department)
The surge in fighting in Syria has also prompted fighters from Iran-backed Iraqi militias to cross into the country (AP)
Former al-Qaeda affiliate group Ha’yat Tahrir al-Shama appears to be playing a protagonist role among the rebels (BBC)
Some of the rebels are also backed by Turkey, which has been frustrated by delays in talks with Syria about the return of Syrian refugees (NYT)
Syrian Rebel Forces Advance to Aleppo
Anti-government forces based in northwestern Syria conducted a surprise offensive this week; as of Saturday, the rebels were in control of most of Aleppo, the country’s largest city, as well as parts of the Aleppo, Idlib, and Hama provinces (NYT)
The rebel forces, led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, seized an international airport and a major highway during the operation (AP)
Russia’s military announced that it carried out airstrikes in support of the Syrian government during the offensive, while Turkey and the United States have previously backed certain anti-government groups; a U.S. National Security Council spokesperson urged de-escalation (Reuters)
Israel Strikes Targets in Syria
Israeli strikes in and around the Syrian capital of Damascus killed at least fifteen people, Syrian state media reported; Israel said it was targeting the Islamic Jihad militant group (AP)
U.S. Air Strikes Kill as Many as Thirty-Five Operatives of Self-Declared Islamic State
The Pentagon said in July that attacks by the group in Iraq and Syria in 2024 were on track to double last year’s numbers (NYT)
Turkey Bombs Kurdish Targets in Syria, Iraq After Attack on Defense Firm
The targeted strikes on a separatist Kurdish group in Syria and Iraq came hours after an attack on an aerospace contractor in Turkey’s defense sector that killed five people (WSJ)
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on Turkey, but Ankara blamed the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)(AP)
Israeli Strike Hits Syrian Town of Latakia
The strike on the Mediterranean port city caused fires to break out, according to Syrian state media (Reuters)
Israeli Air Force Kills Iranian Revolutionary Guard Consultant
An Israeli airstrike in Damascus killed an Iranian Revolutionary Guard consultant and three civilians, according to Syrian state media (Reuters)
U.S. Military Says It Killed Thirty-Seven Militants in September Air Strikes in Syria
Two separate strikes this month killed militants affiliated with the self-declared Islamic State group and a group connected to al Qaeda, U.S. Central Command said yesterday; some nine hundred U.S. troops are stationed in Syria, mostly aimed at preventing a resurgence of the Islamic State (AP)
Syria Demands Timetable for Withdrawal of Turkish Troops Before Starting Talks to Restore Ties
The two countries had been sending signals they were interested in reviving bilateral engagement, but now Ankara perceives Damascus’s demand as an unwillingness for a “return to peace,” Güler added (Al-Monitor,AP)
Syria’s Assad Meets With Putin in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Moscow, signaling interest in mediating tensions between Syria and Turkey, the Kremlin said; also discussed were events “in the Eurasian region,” Assad said (AP)
Syria and Turkey cut ties in 2011 after Turkey backed Syrian insurgent groups seeking to overthrow the Assad regime. Russia is one of Assad’s closest backers in Syria’s ongoing civil war (AP)
President Bashar al-Assad’s Party Wins 74 Percent of Parliamentary Seats in Low-Turnout Elections
That gives Assad enough parliamentary support to pass a constitutional amendment that could extend his rule; current term limits would limit his tenure to 2028 (AP)
U.S. Central Command: Self-Declared Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Attempting to Reconstitute
An unnamed U.S. defense official told the Associated Press that the group was behind 121 attacks in Iraq and Syria in 2023; in the first half of 2024, the group has claimed 153 attacks (AP)
Former Syrian Military Official Accused of Torturing Prisoners Arrested in Los Angeles
The accusations against Samir Ousman al-Sheikh were made in a U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigation, according to a court filing; he had been living in the city since 2020 and was also accused of attempted U.S. naturalization fraud (NYT)
Apparent Israeli Strike in Syria Kills Two Hezbollah Members
The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah launched rockets into the Golan Heights in retaliation, further fueling concerns that the region is on the brink of full-scale war (NYT)