Today’s news round on Syria highlighted a series of escalating regional tensions and their impact on Syria. Israel’s recent strikes on Iranian targets have prompted Iran, Syria, and Iraq to close their airspace, with Iran extending this restriction indefinitely, as reported by JPost.com. In northeastern Syria, Turkish airstrikes killed at least 12 civilians, including two children, following a retaliatory campaign for a recent attack on a Turkish defense firm. Middle East Eye revealed that a Canadian woman, denied repatriation from a Kurdish-controlled Syrian camp, died in Turkish detention after escaping. The UN warns of severe regional spillover into Syria as conflict intensifies in Gaza and Lebanon, worsening Syria’s humanitarian crisis with a sharp rise in refugees. Meanwhile, a second Syria-Lebanon border crossing has been rendered inoperative by Israeli strikes, further restricting civilian movements and aid access. Enab Baladi also reports on how Israeli and U.S. sanctions targeting Hezbollah’s economic channels in Syria are deepening strains on Syria’s economy, highlighting the complex interdependencies in the region.
Airspace over Iran, Syria, and Iraq closed amid Israeli strikes
In the wake of intensified Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, Iran, Syria, and Iraq have closed their airspace to all flights, JPost.com reported.
The unprecedented move, aimed at safeguarding airspace during the escalation, affects civilian, commercial, and non-operational military flights until Saturday morning. Iran has extended the airspace closure indefinitely, though it was previously reported that the airspace would open at 9:00 a.m.
The Israeli strikes, which targeted strategic military sites across Iran, prompted swift reactions on Iranian social media, where users voiced concerns over further Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) actions. Images circulated on social networks showed passengers disembarking from flights halted at Iranian airports, illustrating the operation’s impact on regional air travel and significant financial losses for airlines.
According to flight data, the distance from Israel to Tehran is approximately 1,600 kilometers. With an F-16 jet capable of reaching speeds up to 2,400 km/h (Mach 2.0) at high altitude and an F-35 up to 1,931 km/h (Mach 1.6), an estimated flight time from Tehran back to Israeli airspace would be around 50 minutes. If refueling in mid-air, this time may extend by an additional 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the specific operational requirements.
At least a dozen civilians killed in Turkish strikes, says Kurdish-led Syria force
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Thursday that Turkish air strikes killed 12 civilians in northeastern Syria, following a deadly attack on a defence firm near Ankara, according to AFP.
“Over the past hours… a new wave of (Turkish) attacks on northern and eastern Syria” killed “12 civilians, including two children”, and wounded 25 others, a statement from the US-backed force said.
“In addition to populated areas, Turkish warplanes and UAVs (drones) targeted bakeries, power stations, oil facilities and (Kurdish) Internal Security Force checkpoints,” the statement added, also reporting Turkish shelling.
Turkey launched air strikes on Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria Wednesday blaming them for an attack that killed five people at a defence firm near Ankara.
A further 22 people were wounded in the attack, which the government said was “very likely” carried out by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Hours later, “an air operation was carried out against terrorist targets in the north of Iraq and Syria,” the defence ministry said in a statement.
Canadian woman who escaped from Syrian camp dies in Turkish detention centre
A Canadian woman has died in a detention centre in Turkey after apparently escaping from a camp in northeastern Syria from where she had been refused repatriation by her own government, Middle east Eye reported.
The 40-year-old, known by the initials FJ, was the mother of six children who were returned to Canada earlier this year from al-Roj camp where many families suspected of links to the Islamic State group (IS) remain detained.
According to lawyers and campaigners, Canadian officials last year refused to repatriate her from the Kurdish-controlled camp along with other Canadian women and children on the grounds that she was deemed a security risk.
In comments on Friday, her lawyer, Lawrence Greenspon, described that as “patently false”, citing strict conditions imposed on other women who had returned from Syria.
The Canadian government has previously been accused of “unyielding cruelty” for making repatriation arrangements for children which forced mothers who were not also deemed eligible to choose between keeping their children with them or sending them to Canada.
According to the letter, seen by Middle East Eye, FJ is believed to have escaped from al-Roj, leaving her children behind, and crossed into Turkey in March.
Syria facing alarming regional spillover, UN envoy warns
The conflict in Gaza and Lebanon is spilling over into Syria, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation, the UN Special Envoy for the country warned on Wednesday.
“The fires of conflicts are raging the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Gaza, and in Lebanon. And the heat is being felt in Syria too – spiralling escalation is already having a major impact on Syria and Syrian civilians,” Geir Pedersen said, briefing ambassadors on the Security Council.
“I want to issue a clear warning: regional spillover into Syria is alarming and could get much worse, with serious implications for Syria and international peace and security. Syria demands our collective attention.”
Around 425,000 people, including 300,000 Syrians, have crossed into Syria from Lebanon in recent weeks, fleeing intensified airstrikes and violence. These movements are aggravating Syria’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, with worsening shortages of essential services such as fuel and water.
In addition, Israel carried out over 116 airstrikes across Syria since 7 October last year, targeting infrastructure and urban centres, including the capital Damascus, claiming that it targetted Hezbollah and Iranian-linked arms routes.
“However, the Syrian Government and many monitors too have highlighted the heavy impact on civilians, with alarming reports of civilian deaths and casualties from Israeli strikes, as well as damage to some civilian and economic infrastructure,” Mr. Pedersen said.
Lebanon minister says Israel strike puts second Syria crossing out of service
Lebanon’s Transport minister said on Friday that Israeli bombing made a second border crossing between the country and Syria inoperable — leaving only one main official passage between the two nations operational.
“The Qaa crossing has been put out of service after an Israeli strike on Syrian territory,” Ali Hamieh told AFP, adding that the strike blocked the passage of vehicles.
On October 4, Israel hit near the Masnaa crossing, the main international passage between Lebanon and Syria, leaving a crater on the road and putting the crossing out of order. Human Rights Watch said the strikes prevented civilians from fleeing and hampered aid operations.
How targeting Hezbollah’s economy affects Syria
Enab Baladi published a report analyzing the effects of Israeli-targeted attacks on Hezbollah’s economic networks in Syria and the broader impact on the Syrian economy.
Recent Israeli airstrikes and sanctions have focused on disrupting Hezbollah’s financial channels within Syria, specifically targeting the flow of Iranian oil and Hezbollah-linked companies intertwined with Syria’s economy. According to Israeli and U.S. intelligence, oil shipments from Iran to Syria are sold to Syrian firms, with proceeds channeled back to Hezbollah. This setup involves several Syrian companies, including the Qaterji family-owned “B.S” company, known for its connections to the Syrian regime and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah’s financing also extends beyond oil to sectors like money transfer companies. The U.S. recently sanctioned the al-Fadel company, linked to the Assad regime and Hezbollah, for aiding in these economic channels. Additional sanctions target the Captagon trade, a narcotic trafficking operation estimated to yield $1 billion in revenue for Hezbollah, managed by senior Syrian regime officials.
While Israeli measures have intensified, Karam Shaar, an economist with the Syrian Observatory of Political and Economic Networks, noted that the fundamental factor in Syria’s economic health is Iran’s direct support of the regime. Iran has provided extensive credit and oil shipments to the Syrian government, valued over $11 billion since 2012, essential to regime stability.
Additionally, Iran is pressing Assad’s government to repay an estimated $50 billion debt, incurred from years of military and economic support. To settle this debt, Tehran has proposed acquiring investment projects and land in Syria as alternative repayment.
