Abdulnasser Al-Ayed explains that for Russia’s ‘safe zone’ proposal to work, Moscow will need to consider U.S. concerns despite attempts to sideline Washington in the Syrian peace process
Saudi-owned Al-Hayat reports rebel delegation approves plan but chooses to walk out of negotiations in protest at Assad regime’s continued bombardment of opposition areas
Russian president stresses importance of U.N. role during meeting with Merkel in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, government media reports
Moscow hails phone call between leaders as constructive and ‘business-like,’ with the Russian president also urging caution on U.S. policy toward North Korea, Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat 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
Russia will continue to support a peaceful settlement and protect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against the international forces of terrorism and extremism, Putin tells Assad in cable, state media reports
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
During Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s first trip to Moscow, Russian president slams U.S. for act of aggression on Syrian territory, calling last week’s strike a violation of international law, government news agency reports
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
Vladimir Putin is a game-maker and a surprise-organizer. His counterpart in the Oval Office wants to be too
Kremlin spokesperson denies that Russia allowed Israel to strike Hezbollah from Syrian airspace and says talks between Putin and Netanyahu will focus on Syria, state news agency reports
The Syrian regime forces scored a major gain against ISIS militants in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, while the negotiations at Geneva continue as Russia and US talk of plans for establishment of safe zones
The international body, along with its influence, has been compromised by the Russian veto which on several occasions stood to thwart any attempt at salvaging Syria today
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad denied Amnesty reports on mass killing in a Syrian prison and said President Donald Trump’s ban on Syrians targeted terrorists, not the Syrian people. Below is the full interview he gave to French TF1 TV and EUROPE 1 Radio as appeared in SANA, the Syrian news agency
Saudi-based opposition newspaper reports on accidental killing of three Turkish soldiers in Russian operation near Syria’s northern border, as Putin attributes blunder to ineffectual military partnership between the two countries
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
Loyalist Al-Watan newspaper writes that Erdogan’s mounting domestic and international problems will force the Turkish president to accept that the only way to restore his regional standing will be through rapprochement with Assad
Writing for All4Syria, Walid Bunni urges opposition factions attending the upcoming talks in Astana to resist foreign pressure for short-term gains
Russia is not serious in its wish to impose a ceasefire, Walid al-Bunni argues
Russia’s acknowledgment of the armed opposition is one of the requirements of profiting politically from the victory in Aleppo. This means that transforming the military victory into a political settlement requires recognizing the enemy before sitting with him and agreeing to a solution to the conflict.
