Gatilov avoids making comments on the progress of the ongoing intra-Syrian talks, stating that a number of meetings are still to take place with different Syrian participants
As key players look to fill the vacuum after the expected fall of ISIS’ capital of Raqqa, Al-Hayat columnist Ibrahim Hamidi breaks down the serpentine motivations behind the recent surge in international action on Syrian soil
Opposition figure Abdul Azim confirms to Zaman al-Wasl that delegates at the ongoing negotiations in the Swiss city have proposed a power-sharing model as part of a possible political transition
Russian FM urges joint action from countries involved in the Syrian file, whether they were ‘invited to Syria by the legitimate government’ or not
Defense Ministry spokesperson rejects claims made by militant group that rebel fighters shot down a Russian helicopter, saying that all aircraft in in Syria can be accounted for, Syrian government media writes
Fate of crew remains unknown after key rebel group claims responsibility for hitting a possible regime helicopter near the Suffiyat area in Kurds Mountain, opposition media Zaman al-Wasl reports
As ISIS prepares for urban warfare, Kurdish YPG boasts of superior fighting forces ahead of the looming battle for ISIS’ stronghold in Syria, as residents and U.S. defense officials voice skepticism over the likelihood the battle will be swift and decisive
Turkish deputy prime minister announces between 20,000 and 22,000 families have been identified to obtain citizenship, opposition website Alsouria Net reports, adding that about 35,000 refugees have so far returned to their homes in northern Syria after Turkish-backed forces cleared the area of ISIS militants
Toxic gas attack on the Latamaneh hospital kills medic and patient, as a medical relief agency releases a report claiming over 100 hospitals were hit by Syrian or Russian strikes in 2016
High Negotiations Committee representative Hariri says talks with U.N. envoy in the Swiss city were ‘fruitful’ and elaborated on the particulars of a transitional body and its structure, the opposition’s media office reports
Second batch of aid to arrive within a month raises the total amount of soft wheat provided by Russia to over 50,000 tons, government media reports
As intense fighting continues in areas of the capital, a Russian daily newspaper rebukes the regime and backs opposition claims that government forces fled from battles and that Republican Guard units suffered heavy losses, website Alsouria Net reports
News outlet ARA quotes Turkey’s deputy PM during speech in the capital, in which he warns that handing control of the ISIS stronghold over to a Kurdish-led administration will compromise peace and security in the region
International community must assume its responsibilities and work to stop future massacres by coalition air forces, loyalist outlet quotes ministry as saying, after reports emerge of over 30 deaths in the fatal strikes
Opposition media reports that rebels located in the mountains of the regime’s coastal stronghold launched 17 Grad missiles at Hameimim airbase
Assad tells a Tunisian delegation that political parties can help fight terrorism through progressive pan-Arab projects that help preserve Arab identity and culture, state news media reports
SOHR reports at least 33 civilians killed in U.S. strike on a school sheltering displaced people in an ISIS-held town, while officials from 68 countries meet in Washington to hear Trump’s plan to defeat the militant group
After an Israeli attack against an Iranian weapons shipment to Hezbollah in Syria, the writing is on the wall that Assad no longer commands respect anywhere as Russia and Iran try in vain to prop up a discredited regime
The war has destroyed Syria’s economy, with economic losses reaching over $275 billion and the country’s oil and power sectors suffering severe damage
Syria’s forceful response to the recent Israeli aggression is a Russian message that U.S. hegemony is ending in the region
