Syrian soldiers appear to corroborate officer’s comments that abuse is widespread and defections are common in the regime’s volunteer force, All4Syria writes
Claims follow allegations by Washington the Assad regime may be planning a new chemical attack inside Syria, opposition outlet reports
Political opposition rejects current efforts to implement the Russian-proposed de-escalation zones, claiming the agreement works to consolidate areas of influence, Souriatna writes
The Syrian opposition’s failure to propose a suitable alternative to Assad has helped the Syrian president to defy international pressure to step down, Walid al-Bunni argues
Kurdish Democratic Union Party leader speaks with Saudi-owned outlet about the ongoing battle for the ISIS-held city, accusations of ethnic cleansing, and the Gulf crisis
Russian, Syrian and U.S.-led coalition warplanes bombard civilian areas in
Deir-ez-Zor, Raqqa and Hassakeh, opposition website writes
U.S. is also expected to send an observer to the negotiations scheduled to be held July 4-5, Kazakh foreign minister says
Rebel-controlled south risks being cut in half if regime forces take ground between Daraa city and the Jordan border, Zaman al-Wasl writes
Fifth round of talks will be held in the Kazakh capital July 4-5, Foreign Ministry confirms
Russia acknowledges failure of pro-Assad forces to advance on the ground resulting in the regime’s announcement of a two-day truce in the besieged southern city, Souriatna reports
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, the American diplomat says his country gave false hope early on to Syrians who believed the U.S. would intervene militarily against Assad
Iran says operation was carried out with full knowledge of the Syrian government and was part of Tehran’s policy on destroying Wahhabi movements, SANA reports
New laws aim to foster gender equality in social and political life, while also ending polygamy, honor killings and dowry payments, Enab Baladi writes
Syrian and Russian airstrikes have destroyed most infrastructure and residential buildings in areas outside their control, according to opposition source
Attack by Islamist groups on YPG areas sees 41 killed and over a dozen more injured, Kurdish source tells ARA
French President Macron must convince Moscow of the benefits of a political solution if Paris hopes to have any luck in settling the Syrian crisis, Michel Abu Najm writes for Saudi-owned newspaper
Opposition fighters struggle to hold off pro-regime assault on Daraa as Assad enacts yet another scorched-earth policy on one of Syria’s major cities, Enab Baladi writes
Russian deputy FM says discussions are underway with Iran and Turkey to hold talks following Ramadan, government outlet reports
Iranian media publishes images of the Quds Force leader defiantly praying on the contested border area following weeks of strikes by coalition warplanes, Alsouria reports
Despite risks of attacks by armed groups, the northern province has seen an increase in traffic since the implementation of the de-escalation zones agreement, opposition website writes
