In Syria Today, the Women’s Media Union operating in the Kurdish-controlled Northeast has extended its “No to Death Penalty” campaign for an additional week. The campaign, which aims to protest the harsh sentencing of female activists in Iranian prisons, will now run until August 26. In a separate development, an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon has claimed the lives of at least 10 Syrian nationals and injured several others. This strike, reportedly targeting a Hezbollah weapons depot, is one of the deadliest since the recent flare-up of conflict between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, exacerbated by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. On the humanitarian front, India has sent a substantial aid shipment of anti-cancer drugs to Syria, highlighting its ongoing commitment to support the Syrian people amid their ongoing crisis.
Meanwhile, tensions continue to rise in Syria’s Deir-ez-Zor, a strategically crucial region caught in the broader conflict between U.S.-aligned forces and Iranian-backed militias. Recent clashes, including attacks on U.S. bases and increased drone strikes, underscore the region’s importance in the ongoing struggle for influence between the U.S. and Iran.
“Anti- Death Penalty” Campaign extended for 7 days in AANES
The Women’s Media Union (YRJ) decided to extend the period of the signature collection campaign that was launched in the North and East Syria region under the slogan “No to Death Penalty”, on August 12, in protest against the sentences on female activists detained in Iranian state prisons, Kurdish ANHA news agency reported.
According to the information the collecting signatures within the campaign has been extended for another 7 days, after it was scheduled to end on the 19th of this August, and accordingly, collecting signatures will continue until the end of the 26th of the same month.
The campaign period was extended again in response to the demands received by the Women’s Media Union during the past 72 hours from various women’s organizations in Syria.
The YRJ noted that since the announcement of the campaign, many active women’s organizations operating in the North and East of Syria have expressed their support and joining, including the Free Media Union, Kongra Star, Zenobia Women’s Gathering, and others such as women’s councils and committees in civil society institutions, and female journalists.
It also witnessed a large participation at the level of Kurdistan, and at the level of Asian and African countries, especially by female journalists. The YRJ indicated that there is participation and support for the campaign from all parts of Kurdistan, as well as Amazigh figures and activists, and from other countries, including Lebanon, Egypt and several countries in Asia.
The YRJ’s spokesperson, Arin Sweid said “There is a strong will and effective participation. There are several proposals put forward by female journalists in particular to shed more light on women’s resistance against the escalating attacks and to support the concept of the “Women, Life, Freedom” uprising, especially in eastern Kurdistan and Iran.”
Sweid added: “In general, the campaign had a wide-ranging resonance, as it comes in the context of highlighting the position to protect women from attacks, and supporting everyone aspires to freedom.”
Countering Iran in East Syria Means Moderating the SDF
Andrew Tabler is the Martin J. Gross Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and recently published a study paper in the Washington Institute highlighting the challenges faced by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in eastern Syria. The study examines the growing tensions between the SDF and Arab tribal communities, particularly in Deir al-Zour, where Iran and the Assad regime are exploiting local grievances to undermine the SDF’s governance.
In August, groups aligned with the Assad regime and Iran launched a significant attack on villages controlled by the SDF near U.S. military positions. This incident reflects a broader pattern of increasing Iranian influence and militia activities in the region, aimed at pushing U.S. forces out of Syria. Despite Washington’s efforts to support the SDF and counter these provocations, the SDF’s heavy-handed approach in dealing with Arab tribes has exacerbated local discontent, providing fertile ground for Iran-backed groups to gain traction.
The study emphasizes the need for the U.S. to reassess its strategy in eastern Syria. It suggests that moderating the SDF’s governance approach, particularly by engaging more moderate Arab tribal leaders and addressing local grievances, could help stabilize the region. Additionally, the paper advocates for continued U.S. support for the SDF, combined with diplomatic and military efforts, to prevent an Afghanistan-like collapse in the area.
Tabler concludes that while withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria might seem appealing, doing so under the current conditions would likely lead to a resurgence of extremist groups like ISIS and further destabilize the region. Instead, the U.S. should use its presence as leverage to foster a more inclusive and sustainable governance model in eastern Syria.
US military presence in Syria carries substantial risks, but so does complete withdrawal
Sefa Secen, a Postdoctoral Scholar in Political Science at The Ohio State University, recently published an article examining the complex risks and implications of the U.S. military presence in Syria. Despite the significant risks associated with continued U.S. involvement, such as prolonging the conflict and straining relations with Turkey, a complete withdrawal could have equally severe consequences.
Secen discusses the multifaceted role of U.S. forces in Syria, including deterring military actions by the Assad regime and Turkey, limiting Iranian and Russian influence, and preventing the resurgence of the Islamic State group. The U.S. military presence supports the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls much of the territory previously held by ISIS. However, this alliance has angered Turkey, a NATO ally, due to its opposition to Kurdish autonomy.
The article highlights recent escalations, including a major attack by U.S.-backed forces on pro-government posts and a drone strike injuring U.S. personnel. These events underscore the ongoing volatility in the region and the difficult decisions facing U.S. policymakers. While some argue for withdrawal to avoid further entanglement, others warn that leaving could destabilize the region, empower adversaries like Iran and Russia, and allow ISIS to regroup.
Ultimately, Secen emphasizes that the decision to maintain or withdraw U.S. forces from Syria will have profound implications for regional stability and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. The choice is fraught with challenges, requiring careful consideration of both the immediate risks and the long-term consequences for Syria and the broader region.
At least 10 Syrian nationals killed in Israeli strike on Lebanon
An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon early Saturday killed at least 10 Syrian nationals, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Euronews.com reported.
The strike on Wadi al-Kfour in Nabatieh province is among the deadliest in Lebanon since the Hezbollah militant group and Israeli military started trading strikes on 8 October, a day after Hamas attacked southern Israel and sparked the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Hezbollah maintains that it will stop its attacks once a ceasefire is reached in the Gaza Strip.
Among the dead were a woman and her two children, the ministry said. Five others were wounded, two of whom in critical condition.
An Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli military, Avichay Adraee, said the strike in the southern province targeted a weapons depot belonging to Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has not immediately commented on the strikes but says it will stop its attacks on northern Israel once there is a cease-fire in Gaza.
India Sends 1,400 kg Anti-Cancer Drugs To Syria In Humanitarian Assistance
India has dispatched a consignment of approximately 1400 kgs of anti-cancer drugs to Syria in humanitarian assistance, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The drugs are dispatched from India, keeping in mind the country’s commitments to Syria.
“India sends humanitarian assistance to Syria. In keeping with its humanitarian commitments, India has despatched anti-cancer drugs to Syria,” the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X Friday, sharing a post of the consignment with pictures.
“The consignment of approx 1400 kgs will support the Syrian government and its people combat the disease,” the post added.
Airstrikes in Syria’s Deir-ez-Zor could foreshadow a deeper conflict –
Jonathan Spyer’s analysis of the ongoing conflict in Syria’s Deir al-Zur highlights the intensifying struggle over the strategic region, particularly the area along the Tehran-Beirut arms route, JPost.cpm reported.
On August 12, 2024, Iran-backed militias launched an attack on a U.S. base in the Conoco gas field, marking a continuation of the escalating hostilities between U.S.-aligned forces and Iranian proxies.
The significance of Deir al-Zur lies in its location, straddling the Euphrates River, which divides the region into areas controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on the east and the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Assad regime forces on the west. The conflict in this region is not just about local control but is part of a broader strategic battle over Iran’s efforts to maintain a ground link from Tehran to Beirut, facilitating the transport of arms and supplies to its allies across the Middle East.
The recent spike in tensions, including the U.S.-led coalition’s likely involvement in a drone strike that killed eight Iran-aligned militants, reflects the broader regional conflict between the U.S. and Iran, exacerbated by the ongoing Israel-Iran proxy war. Despite these clashes, Iran appears to be avoiding turning Deir al-Zur into a full-scale front, preferring to maintain it as a vital logistical route rather than a primary battleground.
Spyer underscores the importance of the West and its allies continuing to hold their positions in this strategically crucial but largely overlooked area. The ongoing insurgency by Iranian proxies across the Euphrates is a calculated effort to drive out U.S. forces and solidify Iran’s control over this critical corridor, which remains vulnerable to disruption by U.S.-aligned forces. The outcome of this struggle will have significant implications for the broader regional power dynamics and the stability of the Middle East.
Syrian Druze protesters remain defiant in opposition to Assad
Crowds of men and women belonging to Syria’s Druze minority continue to descend on the main square of the city of Suweida, unrelenting after a year of action, chanting slogans and raising placards demanding the removal of President Bashar Al Assad.
According to a report by UAE’s The National, Suweida remains under the control of central authorities, unlike rebel-held areas where people have broken the grip of Mr Assad’s iron rule and are now part of fragmented zones largely free of regular security forces.
Security compounds, one of them overlooking the square, have not been overrun by rebels. Military bases still dot the province, which borders Damascus, unlike fringe areas in the north-east and north-west that are now run by separatists or extremists.
In nearby Damascus and other provinces fully recaptured after the 2015 Russian intervention in support of Mr. Al Assad, even a critical comment on a Facebook page can result in arrest for an indefinite period. But Suweida’s Druze population are bucking the trend, thanks to outside pressure.
For the last five decades, Syria’s ruling elite, drawn mainly from the Alawite sect, have portrayed themselves as the protectors of minorities, a claim that became central to their strategy in the civil war, which has raged since 2011.
One year anniversary of the Anti-Assad protest in Suweida
The authorities have implied that without the Alawites in power, a political ascendancy of the majority Sunnis would result in religious extremists taking power and the annihilation of non-Muslims, similar to how ISIS behaved towards some non-Muslim groups in Iraq.
But as the Syrian authorities hope to benefit from normalization between Damascus and Arab countries, and amid growing calls in Europe to reach an accommodation with Assad that could involve financial flows to Suweida, the Druze protest continues unabated.
The Druze sect is an offshoot of Islam, and Suweida is a strategic province between Damascus and the Jordanian border, encompassing a fertile plateau.
The Druze are a transnational minority, also present in Jordan, Israel and Lebanon. In Syria in 2010, the last year before the civil war broke out, there were about 700,000 Druze among the country’s 22 million population.
With Syria’s economy deteriorating since 2011, many of Suweida’s Druze population have grown increasingly resentful of the state’s corruption and mismanagement. Calls have also grown among young people to introduce democratic rule as a way to settle the civil war.
Several pro-democracy marches have taken place in Suweida over the past several years, but they lacked critical mass and were crushed brutally.
