Opposition is sticking to its position that Assad can have no role in the transition, saying “the heavy price paid by the Syrian people” would have been wasted if he remained in power
The recent inclusion of Amman into the Astana consultations bloc may herald the end of Jordanian support for the Free Syrian Army in southern Syria, writes Samer Dahi for loyalist Al-Watan
Ground and aerial bombardment of Al-Bab city kills scores including women and children, government news outlet SANA reports, following the latest phase of the Euphrates Shield operation against ISIS
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
