The ongoing conflict in Syria continues to escalate with multiple actors involved, leading to deepening political and humanitarian crises. On September 20, 2024, UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen warned the Security Council of the rising regional tensions threatening to further destabilize Syria, citing recent Israeli airstrikes and Hezbollah rocket fire. At the same time, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) held its 10th Congress, emphasizing the importance of Kurdish unity and the liberation of Turkish-occupied territories as essential steps toward a political resolution in Syria. Meanwhile, clashes between U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and Iran-backed Syrian government forces have reignited in Deir el-Zour, further complicating efforts for peace. In addition, the U.S. military continues to combat ISIS while seeking to de-escalate broader regional tensions. Amid this turmoil, Syrian women have increasingly gained autonomy and resilience, navigating the challenges posed by a war-torn society still dominated by traditional gender roles.
Middle East: Regional crisis risks engulfing Syria, UN envoy warns
On September 20, 2024, UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, warned the Security Council of escalating regional tensions that risk dragging Syria deeper into conflict. Pedersen cited recent Israeli airstrikes, Hezbollah rocket fire, and explosions in Lebanon, some of which have extended into Syria. He expressed concern over the mounting violence and the possibility of a wider regional war, urging immediate de-escalation across the region.
Pedersen emphasized Syria’s ongoing conflict, which remains divided by active frontlines involving various foreign armies, Syrian armed groups, and terrorist organizations like ISIL. He noted the fragmentation of Syrian society and the enduring grievances, stressing the need for a UN-facilitated political process to achieve stability.
The humanitarian situation continues to worsen, with over 16 million Syrians in need of aid, more than half of them children. The UN’s 2024 response plan for Syria is severely underfunded, with only 25% of the $4.07 billion goal met. Children in Syria face heightened risks of abuse, with many families forced into negative coping strategies, such as child labor and early marriages.
Pedersen remains committed to advancing the political process by revitalizing the stalled Constitutional Committee, building trust, and seeking a comprehensive approach to the crisis. Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Council continues to investigate human rights violations, with ongoing calls for action as the Syrian conflict further erodes the country’s social fabric and economy.
PYD Congress: There can be no solution without the liberation of our lands and unity of Syrian lands
The 10th Congress of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) took place in Hesekê on September 21, 2024, with the participation of 700 delegates. The congress emphasized the ongoing struggle for Kurdish rights and the necessity of liberating lands occupied by the Turkish state as a critical step toward resolving the Syrian crisis, ANF news reported.
PYD Co-Chair Salih Muslim praised the party’s resilience since its founding in 2003, underscoring the importance of Abdullah Öcalan’s philosophy in guiding their efforts. He highlighted that the Syrian conflict, which has evolved into a proxy battleground for global powers, requires a political solution rooted in Kurdish unity and democratic self-governance. According to Muslim, the PYD has been a pioneer in defending the people of the region, and their struggle continues with the goal of achieving a democratic transformation in Syria and the wider Middle East.
Muslim stressed that Kurdish unity is essential to resolving the conflict, pointing out the party’s ongoing efforts to foster cooperation among Kurdish parties. He also condemned efforts to exclude the PYD from dialogue and reiterated the party’s commitment to democratic change.
Co-Chair Asya Abdullah highlighted the sacrifices made by the YPG and YPJ, whose leadership has safeguarded gains in the region. She emphasized that any solution to the Syrian crisis must include the liberation of occupied territories, such as Afrin, Girê Spî, and Serêkaniyê, and the unity of Syrian lands. Abdullah also called attention to the ongoing isolation and human rights abuses against Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı Island Prison and reaffirmed the PYD’s commitment to securing his physical freedom as part of the broader Kurdish struggle.
Abdullah emphasized the PYD’s mission to achieve national unity for the Kurdish people and to play a leading role in building a decentralized, democratic Syria. The congress concluded with a television screening highlighting the party’s activities over the years.
The PYD’s congress reinforced its long-standing objectives: the liberation of Kurdish territories, the protection of Kurdish rights, and the unification of Syria through democratic governance.
Fresh clashes reported between US-backed forces, government troops in eastern Syria
New clashes erupted Friday between U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and Iran-backed Syrian government forces in the eastern province of Deir-ez-Zor, a war monitor and local sources reported.
The fighting began when Syrian government forces and their allied militias launched mortar attacks against positions belonging to the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, in the restive province, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
A resident in the area told VOA that SDF fighters responded by firing at the source of the attacks, using mortars and light weapons. The resident, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said several SDF fighters sustained light wounds in the clashes, but the Syrian Observatory said there were no confirmed reports of casualties on either side.
Control of Deir el-Zour is divided between the two sides, with the SDF ruling the eastern side of the Euphrates River, while the western side is controlled by Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias. Iran has been a staunch sponsor of Syrian government forces since the beginning of the country’s conflict in 2011.
In recent weeks, there has been an increase in confrontations between the two sides. In August, a Syrian government paramilitary group called the National Defense Forces carried out an attack on SDF-controlled parts of Deir el-Zour, killing several civilians, according to local news reports. In response, the SDF launched a major attack, killing at least 20 government troops.
Pentagon Degrades ISIS, Continues Efforts for Peace in Middle East
The United States military continues to degrade the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, while other defense officials work to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said U.S. and Syrian Democratic Forces launched a raid in Syria that killed four ISIS operatives. The raid was designed to disrupt and degrade the terrorist organization’s ability “to organize and conduct attacks against civilians as well as U.S. citizens, allies and partners throughout the region and beyond,” Singh said.
ISIS remains a threat, and the United States military will continue to work with the Defeat-ISIS coalition to degrade that threat, she said.
Singh also said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with his Israeli counterpart Defense Minister Yoav Gallant four times since Sunday. The most recent call reviewed regional security developments. Austin reiterated the unwavering U.S. support for the defense of Israel in the face of threats from Iranian-backed extremist groups, Singh said.
“The secretary emphasized the U.S. commitment to deterring regional adversaries, de-escalating tensions across the region and reaffirmed the priority of reaching a ceasefire deal that will bring home hostages held by Hamas and an enduring diplomatic resolution to the conflict on the Israel-Lebanon border that will allow civilians on both sides to return to their homes,” Singh said.
Since the war, Syrian women gained in autonomy in a society still dominated by men
Le Monde published a report on how Syrian women have gained autonomy and resilience in a society still dominated by men, particularly in the context of the war’s devastating impact on their lives, communities, and traditional gender roles.
The reports quotes Yasmine (like the other witnesses quoted, she did not wish to give her name, and her first name has been changed) who told her story with modesty, keeping certain details to herself.
“My husband left me without a divorce 12 years ago. The war had changed him,” said the 52-year-old Syrian, dressed entirely in black, from her veil to her long zipped coat. Her piercing, sparkling eyes testify to her strength of character. But the dark circles under them and her frail body tell of a life of hardship. She won’t say what has become of her husband since 2012. That year, their neighborhood, Moon Square (“Douwar Al-Qamar” in Arabic), located between the fish market and Aleppo’s Old City gate of Qinnesrine Gate, fell to the rebels.
The place, with its small houses lacking in charm and comfort, was best known for its prostitutes and drug dealers. Many of the men, Sunni workers and small shopkeepers, joined the rebellion. The drug dealers, joined by women and children, continued to sell their wares under one of the neighborhood’s trees, while the fighters stocked the cellars of the houses and the tunnels dug into the hillside bordering the neighborhood with weapons and foodstuffs.
Yasmine fended for herself, with her four daughters and two sons. “We received no help from either side, because my son was in the army,” she said. He died in combat. She hid her second son, so that the rebels wouldn’t enlist him. Without flinching, she endured insults from both sides when she crossed the roadblocks to visit her mother in a neighborhood still in the hands of government forces.
‘Nobody supports us’
A vacant lot stretched across the site of her former home. The block of buildings was bombed in 2014. Yasmine moved into a house whose owner left her the keys. When the neighborhood was retaken by government troops in 2016, not a single man remained. All were killed or left for the rebel enclave of Idlib, in northwestern Syria, and Turkey. Left abandoned by the authorities, the neighborhood fell back into poverty, drugs and prostitution.
“We see kids who are into drugs, seven-year-olds sniffing gasoline. There’s a nine-year-old girl who’s already had sex, stories of little girls being raped and assaulted at night, and even boys being sexually abused. We have three 15-year-old girls who are already married. One child was stabbed in the face because he waved to a classmate in the street,” said Sumaya Hallak, who heads the 1-2-3 Hope Love Life for Peace association, which helps families in the area.
