Russia’s deputy FM speaks to government news agency SANA about Moscow’s expectations ahead of next week’s UN-supervised negotiations in the Swiss city of Geneva
An interview with Kheder Khaddour on why, despite its weak fighting capabilities, the Syrian army remains a key element of the regime’s survival strategy. Here is the second part of the interview.
In violation of international law, a number of armed groups are exploiting eager youths, some no older than 15 years old, to report from Syria’s main conflict zones, Sada al-Sham writes
Rebel sources claim five regime officers were killed in three days of clashes in the southern city, while pro-government media announces the death of 20 opposition fighters since Saturday, Zaman al-Wasl reports
Opposition news site says fighters took the areas of Al-Dayyatha and Kraa northeast of Suweida city amid further losses by the Islamic State over the past few weeks
Official source says government ready to exchange more prisoners for hostages following previous success in liberating civilians held by terror groups, government news agency SANA reports
SANA quotes official spokesperson saying UN envoy de Mistura has begun sending out invitations to participants for the upcoming talks next Thursday
This is the first part of an interview with Kheder Khaddour on why, despite its weak fighting capabilities, the Syrian army remains a key element of the regime’s survival strategy. The second part of the interview will be published tomorrow.
“It’s different when I wear a Syrian hijab because the Turks believe that I won’t understand them and so they avoid me and don’t speak with me.” As debate continues in the West around the compatibility of the hijab with European values, Enab Baladi speaks to Syrian women in Turkey about their reasons for adopting the the Anatolian version of the head covering
Secretary General says the Lebanese paramilitary group supports every effort aimed at preventing bloodshed and paving way for reconciliation in Syria, government outlet SANA reports
Opposition outlet AlSouria Net speaks with the Syrian actor and member of the Cairo platform about next week’s negotiations in Geneva with the Assad regime, the role rebel groups will play, as well as Moscow’s intentions surrounding the political process in Syria
Syrian president amends civil status law deeming marriages valid if they take place in a foreign country, as long as citizens register the union at their local embassy or consulate, loyalist newspaper Al-Baath reports
Alsouria reveals the names of the 21-member delegation to the upcoming talks in Switzerland, as confirmed by the HNC late last week, despite prominent rebel groups Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam being excluded from the final list
Various opposition groups are refusing to cooperate to form a delegation for the upcoming Geneva negotiations with the Assad regime, as rifts emerge between the HNC and rebel leaders who participated in the Astana meetings late last month, Ibrahim Hamidi writes
Souriatna explains the current state of the truce agreement between the Assad regime and armed opposition in the Barada Valley, after pro-government forces inflicted heavy casualties and damage on the area in an attempt to pressure rebel groups to comply with demands
Assad’s coastal support-base is infuriated as gas stations run dry with many locals unable to undertake their daily responsibilities, activist tells opposition website, adding that armed groups are exploiting the remaining fuel reserves for profit
Government news service quotes military source as saying Israeli air craft targeted civilian building with rocket in southern Syrian province, while other sources reported that the strike was in response to a tank shell landing in the occupied Golan Heights
Saudi-based opposition newspaper reports on accidental killing of three Turkish soldiers in Russian operation near Syria’s northern border, as Putin attributes blunder to ineffectual military partnership between the two countries
Widows of northern Syria face immense pressures in the wake of their husbands’ deaths, as most are treated as inferior citizens and forced to comply with strict and demeaning expectations in order to receive support from family members, Asmaa al-Naasan writes in online magazine Al-Gherbal
Medical workers and facilities are deliberately and repeatedly targeted by Syrian and Russian air strikes with 167 specialists killed in 2016 alone, opposition site Sada al-Sham writes
