Moscow tries to bail out Assad regime in statement claiming Syrian warplanes struck a facility for making toxic bombs, resulting in a fallout which killed scores of civilians in Idleb province on Tuesday, Al-Araby al-Jadeed reports
Rather than making concessions or political gestures, by committing large-scale massacres the Assad regime is further raising the stakes and the political cost for the West of refusing to restore ties, Jihad Yazigi explains
Communities of displaced families from all over Syria are welcomed to Idleb, where the fusion of life, foods and traditions from all provinces has merged to create a stable microcosm of Syrian life, Sada al-Sham writes
Residents in the loyalist coastal regions are expressing concerns over the increase in military activity in the area, amid greater efforts by Moscow to secure strong footing at the negotiating table, opposition outlet Zaman al-Wasl writes
Civil Defense says bombardment, possibly by Russian jets, destroys medical facilities in Khan Sheikhoun treating the victims of Tuesday’s chemical attack, opposition website Al-Souria writes
Loyalist outlet Al-Watan quotes head of the Syrian Medical Association saying upcoming forum aims to highlight importance of city and signal its return to life, months after regime forces retook the eastern districts from rebel fighters
Opposition blames international community for allowing conditions for further attacks on civilians after reported chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun, saying failure to take immediate action would be a signal of exoneration for the Assad regime
Residents injured in different attacks after militants shell the capital’s central districts, including the landmark Umayyad Square and Mezze 86 district, with shells earlier falling in the Al-Qeimariyeh district of the Old City, government media reports
Government forces bombard ISIS fighters on the outskirts of the Regiment 137 base in eastern Deir-ez-Zor province, killing 28, while a Nusra Front explosives cache is destroyed in central Homs, state media reports
Zaman al-Wasl profiles the life of the former deputy defense minister and brother-in-law of Bashar al-Assad, whose proximity to and life’s work for the regime did little to earn him wide respect among the ruling family
Amid heightened discontent among loyalists due to rising soldier deaths and poor social services, the wife of President Bashar al-Assad breaks with regime’s usual machismo image to appear in a video promoting the values of motherhood in Aleppo’s crippled districts
Contributing to Saudi-owned Al-Hayat, Elias Harfoush writes that the U.S.’ recent change in tone toward the removal of Assad from power ignores important facts about the source of true terror in Syria and the regime’s manipulative strategy for survival
During an annual meeting party officials and ministers urge all parties to coordinate to alleviate the suffering of citizens, government newspaper reports
With the power balance in northern Syria looking as if it could tip the way of the Kurds, will Syria’s previously neglected community repeat the mistakes of Assad’s dominant minority experience, Eyed al-Jaafari asks in Lebanese Al-Modon
Mobile application offers civilians living under threat of regime bombs a way to minimize the risks of outdoor marketplaces, as the government and its allies continue to target populated places in opposition areas
As evacuations continue, Homs’ governor urges all residents, including militants, to settle their legal status as part of the amnesty decree, adding that officials are ready to welcome all those back to the neighborhood who wish to get back on the right track
Syrian rebel commander tells opposition media that FSA fighters which participated in Turkey’s Euphrates Shield operation will join U.S. and Kurdish forces for upcoming battle to liberate Raqqa
Coalition media office quotes HNC head as saying the Assad regime shifted focus of the talks to countering terrorism as a way to avoid discussing a political transition, adding that Moscow’s efforts to ensure a peace deal will not succeed while it supports the government on the ground
