Turkey’s numerous transgressions, as well as the late arrival of its delegation to the meetings, proves its lack of seriousness and “clear will” to hinder dialogue, state media quotes Syrian government envoy as saying
Opposition’s official media claims nation-wide ceasefire at risk of total collapse due to Russia’s support for regime bombardment of the southern Syrian province, which has killed 47 people in past three days
What is needed from the current Astana consultations is to “open the Syrian bridges to each other” and speak boldly about the problems facing those inside the country, Naim Ibrahim writes in loyalist newspaper Al-Watan
Sada al-Sham reveals story behind scores of women held prisoner for years, and the attempts by civilians and activists to negotiate their release in the face of negligence from authorities
Zaman al-Wasl speaks to the uncle of 16-year-old Bashar, who was seriously injured while removing the rubble of their house following government air strikes
Rebel commander tells opposition outlet Zaman al-Wasl that Ahrar’s Farouq Brigades left the city in an effort to end indiscriminate civilian deaths, adding that it expected other factions to follow suit
Turkish president announces plans to clear Raqqa of ISIS as well as 4,000-5,000 sq. km of land in Syria’s north to establish safe zones, while regime forces set sights on the Ghouta of the capital Damascus and the country’s south
Opposition website Enab Baladi reports on the eleventh-hour struggle between political and armed opposition groups to form a delegation for next week’s negotiations in Geneva with the Assad regime
Washington-based organization’s “charges and propaganda fakes” were dismissed as false long ago, Syrian state media quotes the Kremlin as saying
During meeting with high-level Dutch delegation, Coalition president urges EU to take a more active role in the upcoming Geneva talks, opposition media office reports
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
SANA quotes official spokesperson saying UN envoy de Mistura has begun sending out invitations to participants for the upcoming talks next Thursday
“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
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
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
