Amid heightened discontent among loyalists due to rising soldier deaths and poor social services, the wife of President Bashar al-Assad breaks with regime’s usual machismo image to appear in a video promoting the values of motherhood in Aleppo’s crippled districts
With the power balance in northern Syria looking as if it could tip the way of the Kurds, will Syria’s previously neglected community repeat the mistakes of Assad’s dominant minority experience, Eyed al-Jaafari asks in Lebanese Al-Modon
Syrian rebel commander tells opposition media that FSA fighters which participated in Turkey’s Euphrates Shield operation will join U.S. and Kurdish forces for upcoming battle to liberate Raqqa
As the battle for Raqqa city draws closer, a rebel spokesperson laments Kurdish domination of upcoming operations, also predicting that American forces will remain in Raqqa for years at the airbase they seized from ISIS last week, Alsouria Net writes
Circumventing a formal economy that does little to lift them out of poverty, citizens have adapted to new, innovative and sometimes dangerous methods to supplement a lost livelihood in times of financial hardship, Souriatna explains
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
Russian FM urges joint action from countries involved in the Syrian file, whether they were ‘invited to Syria by the legitimate government’ or not
As ISIS prepares for urban warfare, Kurdish YPG boasts of superior fighting forces ahead of the looming battle for ISIS’ stronghold in Syria, as residents and U.S. defense officials voice skepticism over the likelihood the battle will be swift and decisive
News outlet ARA quotes Turkey’s deputy PM during speech in the capital, in which he warns that handing control of the ISIS stronghold over to a Kurdish-led administration will compromise peace and security in the region
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
Head of government delegation calls the Astana talks a major achievement, as the issue of terrorism was resolved satisfactorily with the world acknowledging its existence in Syria
Jaafari, while highlighting the success of the third round of Astana talks, blames Turkey for the absence of the opposition delegation
In a conference held in Turkey, plans for reestablishment of the Army of Tribes are discussed, with the specific aim of delegitimizing other groups in control of the area such as PYD
U.S.-led coalition airstrikes hit a school sheltering displaced families in Al-Kesrat village in Raqqa, killing at least 19 civilians and wounding 15 more, SOHR reports
Assad says U.S. forces in Syria are ‘invaders’ and he has yet to see ‘anything concrete’ emerge from President Donald Trump’s vow to prioritize the fight against ISIS. Below is the full interview as published by SANA.
Following a terrorist attack that struck Damascus city, the Syrian government calls on the U.N. to issue a statement of condemnation and urge certain states to stop sponsoring terrorism
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says that Turkey is bent on striking PYD-led Kurdish militas if they remain in Manbij, as Euphrates Shield forces advance toward the city
Regime airstrikes on residential neighborhoods and a school in the town of Kafranbel in Idleb kill seven civilians, including four children and a woman
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
Kurdish militias ally with Assad forces to try and thwart Turkish-backed FSA groups’ advance toward Manbij, because of the importance the city holds in the battle against ISIS
