Russian FM rallies for Syria’s return to the 21-member body claiming the suspension of its membership has hindered efforts at securing peace in the country, Syrian state media reports
Chief HNC negotiator slams UN envoy for suggesting he would take the role of choosing an opposition delegation to attend the upcoming Geneva talks if members failed to present a list by February 8, according to Coalition news center
Zaman al-Wasl reports on the shelling of a number of towns in the western province of Hama as rebels and regime forces trade blows, killing and wounding civilians and displacing about 1,000 more
At least four aid workers wounded in air strikes by the anti-ISIS coalition in the northern province, opposition media reports
Home to hundreds of archeological sites, rebel-held Idelb’s historical artifacts have seen the full effects of corruption, looting and deliberate bombardment over the past six years, as those antiquities that aren’t destroyed are gobbled up by an eager international black market, Hussein Abdullah writes
Opposition website Enab Baladi says Syrian government threatening to imprison those who practice journalism without permission, in an apparent effort to crack-down on opposition journalists covering the regime
Thousands of people transported from the Barada Valley this week since regime forces took complete control of the area west of the capital on Sunday, opposition media Alsouria Net reports
Syrian president calls business owners a “a source of pride” for continuing production during meeting to discuss the impacts of war on industrialists, loyalist Al-Baath reports
Syrian president tells Venezuela’s Maduro over the phone that the struggles the two countries are facing are the result of foreign attempts to weaken the two states, government media reports
Lebanese website Al-Modon comments on the fracturing of opposition forces in Syria’s northern provinces as internal fighting forces factions to side with one of the two main rebel groups, Ahrar al-Sham or Al-Qaeda’s affiliate Jabhat Fateh al-Sham
Attempted advance by Assad forces quashed by key rebel group, killing 10 fighters, while clashes continued on a number of other fronts as part of a new regime offensive to retake the rural area surrounding the capital
Saudi-owned Al-Hayat details the recommendations inside the separate Kurdish and Russian draft constitutions, which call for greater autonomy for Kurds and a more decentralized government, while also acknowledging the multi-ethnic make-up of Syria’s demography
Loyalist newspaper Al-Watan explains Syrian political opposition figures invited to Russia’s capital Moscow for meetings after news emerged of Russian plans to impose a new constitution on the rebel delegation at Astana
Because Jordanian law makes it difficult for Syrian men to find legitimate work, refugee women are employing their talents in cooking, sewing, and handicrafts to help carve out a living for their families, Iqtissad writes
Rebel representative denies opposition delegates agreed to consider Russia’s draft constitution, saying that three issues will determine whether the opposition will continue its participation in political process — these include consolidating the ceasefire, bringing in humanitarian aid and releasing prisoners, Alsouria Net writes
Ain al-Medina explains the reason Moscow sent non-Russian special forces to a foreign country as part of a special mission for the first time since the breakup of the Soviet Union
President Assad and Iranian envoy Abdullahian reaffirm support for Syrian ceasefire agreement which they say is the beginning of the return of peace and stability to the country, government media reports
Loyalist outlet reports on protest outside parliament building where participants urged MPs to call on the international community to end the weeks-long obstruction of the capital’s water supply
Opposition spokesman announced the rebel delegation to Astana refused to address Moscow’s calls to review a new draft constitution, Zaman al-Wasl reports
The draft constitution has been prepared by Russian experts in order to speed up the political process
