Serving as a battleground for countless foreign and ideological belligerents, the greatest danger facing Syria is the fragmentation and polarization of its society, Walid al-Bunni writes
Syrian state media reports Israeli attack targeted area southwest of Damascus airport, as opposition sources claim strike destroyed weapons cache for Lebanese Hezbollah militants fighting inside Syria
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
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
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
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
In a special op-ed for The Syrian Observer, the coordinator-general of the High Negotiations Committee explains that untying the Syrian knot will require isolating external influence on the Syrian scene, a transition with the establishment of a new political system, and the firm application of international law in order to hold war criminals to account
As key players look to fill the vacuum after the expected fall of ISIS’ capital of Raqqa, Al-Hayat columnist Ibrahim Hamidi breaks down the serpentine motivations behind the recent surge in international action on Syrian soil
After an Israeli attack against an Iranian weapons shipment to Hezbollah in Syria, the writing is on the wall that Assad no longer commands respect anywhere as Russia and Iran try in vain to prop up a discredited regime
The war has destroyed Syria’s economy, with economic losses reaching over $275 billion and the country’s oil and power sectors suffering severe damage
Amid Russian-Iranian political rivalry over influence in Syria, more concrete competition in the sphere of economics surfaces as Damascus, in deference to Russian requests, delays implementation of strategic agreements with Tehran
Kurdish displays of multi-directional alliances with Russia, Iran and the U.S. come as no surprise, as all sides, united in curtailing Turkey’s influence in the region, contemplate the preservation of an Alawite state
This charade called Moscow and Cairo’s platforms is only an accessory to the Syrian regime
The two warring Syrian sides do not have the power to reject or obstruct any peace deal and the position of the new US administration on Syria will determine whether the Geneva talks will be successful
The decline of Iran’s dominance is inevitable due to its diverging interests with Russia in Syria and the emergence of an American policy shift
Political opposition stands its ground against attempts by Moscow to influence the make-up of its negotiating delegation at the upcoming Geneva talks, while the US presidency begins meetings with UN and regional leaders on the Syrian issue, Sada al-Sham writes
In the lead-up to the Syria talks in Geneva, attendees should prepare for the US president to shift focus from the political process to the issue of establishing safe zones, Ali Dahi writes in loyalist Al-Watan
Opposition media reports on interview between rebel negotiator and German press agency DPA following rumors of rebel representatives accepting inducements from the Assad regime
Iranian president hails the liberation of Aleppo as a critical step towards establishing peace and stability in Syria as countries ready to gather in Kazakhstan for negotiations on the crisis
