Fighters and their families from Foua and Kafraya have taken up new residence in an area cleared by Iran and Hezbollah in 2013 with a view of creating a Shiite presence there, opposition outlet Zaman al-Wasl reports
The Assad regime is scrambling to receive assurances from allies and make sense of U.S. policy after the Trump administration’s surprise strike on a Syrian air base. But Damascus is failing to see that rules of the game have already changed, Yahya Al-Aridi writes for opposition outlet All4Syria
Opposition media center reports that Syrian government forces and allied militias continue to target rebel-held areas with heavy bombardment, now for the 40th day in a row, as the death toll rises in some residential districts
Unnamed source claims Walid al-Muallem told U.S. official that Syria cannot be held accountable for killing civilians as long as America is responsible for civilian deaths in ISIS-held Mosul, opposition website Zaman al-Wasl reports
Opposition outlet All4Syria reports on a recent decision to remove the old stalls from the grounds of the Umayyad Mosque, one of the most important Shiite pilgrimage sites in Damascus, with local council citing ‘abuse of antiquities’ as reason for action
U.N. envoy tells reporters in Switzerland that cease-fire guarantors Russia, Turkey and Iran worked actively to ensure the success of a possible political settlement during trilateral meetings in Tehran, state news media reports
Activists and monitoring groups claim FSA troops kill over 50 Shiite militants in four weeks of fighting throughout Hama province, meanwhile a rebel missile attack kills Russian and regime personnel in the province’s northern countryside, opposition website Zaman al-Wasl reports
Opposition members and activists decry the forced relocation of thousands of civilians from the “four Syrian towns” as part of a negotiation deal to release kidnapped Qatari businessmen, Paula Istih writes for Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat
Led by the United States, an international consensus has finally formed that the rule of the Assad family has reached its end, but Syrians must understand that the battle is not yet over, writes Walid al-Bunni for All4Syria
Report by U.K.-based human rights group documents regime violations in the Al-Waer neighborhood of Homs, including the killing of nearly 900 civilians, in the lead-up to resettlement operations being carried out, opposition media reports
Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat explains that many opposition factions are still deciding whether to participate in the talks in the Kazakh capital, claiming that some parties believe Russia isn’t pulling its weight in enforcing the cease-fire deal
Government outlet SANA reports on a closed-door meeting between the three guarantors of a nationwide cease-fire which came into effect on Dec. 30 last year
Donald Trump’s decision to strike the Shayrat base earlier this month was less about changing the balance of power in Syria, but instead represented a nod to his domestic rivals showing his willingness to act as a strong and decisive leader, Abdel Moneim Ali Eissa writes for loyalist outlet Al-Watan
Opposition site Alsouria Net reports on attack which targeted convoy of around 5,000 people who had been granted safe passage out of the besieged Shiite villages
Trump had to send a message to all parties supporting Assad that he won’t just resort to Syrian talks but will be part of the joint offensives in Syria, Tariq Alhomayed writes
Iraqi Shiite militias fighting in the Hama countryside recently launched a media campaign alongside their military efforts to take back the town, attempting to win public support among Christian residents by falsely claiming to have recaptured a number of churches, opposition outlet All4Syria writes
Sources tell Zaman al-Wasl that regime and Baathist figures rallied disaffected tribesmen to join pro-Assad paramilitary units amid heightened resentment toward the Kurdish administration in the northern province
Al-Hayat columnist Ibrahim Hamidi highlights four observations in the aftermath of the first American strike on Syrian army positions, explaining that the coming days will show which of two tracks will be taken by Russian and the U.S. in response — military escalation between the two superpowers, or a renewed interest in a military-political agreement
Iranian president rejects U.S. actions a blatant violation of sovereignty, following Friday’s attack on a Syrian air base in Homs province, opposition website reports
Vladimir Putin is a game-maker and a surprise-organizer. His counterpart in the Oval Office wants to be too
