Syria

Co-author: Rouba El Husseini | – – Beirut (AFP) – Seven years of war and massive displacement have redrawn Syria’s demographic map, erecting borders between the country’s ethnic, religious, and political communities that will be hard to erase. Displaced Syrians, analysts, and rights defenders have described to AFP a divided country where regime opponents have […]

Syria

With Palestinian help, Syria forcing ISIL Terrorists from last pocket near Damascus

AFP

Beirut (AFP) – Islamic State group fighters began evacuating their final stronghold in southern Damascus on Sunday, a monitor said, bringing Syria’s government closer than ever to flushing out the last threat to the capital. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used a combination of military pressure and evacuation deals in recent months to recapture territory […]

Iran

Largest Israeli raids on Syria in Years hit ‘Iranian’ Targets after Rocket Fire

AFP

by Laurent Lozano | – – Jerusalem (AFP) – Israel’s army said Thursday it had carried out widespread raids against Iranian targets in Syria overnight after rocket fire towards its forces which it blamed on Iran, marking a sharp escalation between the two enemies. The incident came after weeks of rising tensions and followed US […]

Iraq

Now Iraq is regularly bombing Syria . . . to Blast ISIL Remnants

AFP

Baghdad (AFP) – Iraqi warplanes carried out a raid Sunday targeting Islamic State group commanders in eastern Syria, in the second such strike on the jihadists since mid-April, the premier’s office said. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered the “painful strike” which targeted “a meeting of IS commanders south of Al-Dushashiya in Syrian territory”, a statement […]

Featured

Syria: Did E. Ghouta Gas Reports cause Rebels to surrender en masse in Homs, Hama?

Juan Cole

The Syrian regime and its Russian backers have managed to expel opposition guerrilla groups from the areas just north of the central cities of Homs and Hama. The groups agreed to hand over their heavy and medium weapons and to board buses for either Idlib province or Jarabulus in Aleppo province in the north. The […]

Syria

Syria: Why tales of a western ‘regime change plot’ don’t make sense

Brian Whitaker

There’s a claim circulated endlessly on the internet that the conflict in Syria is a “regime change war” orchestrated by western powers. As far as many of the Assad regime’s defenders are concerned, this is established fact. To quote one of them – Piers Robinson, writing for the Open Democracy website – the existence of […]

Syria

Syrian Government Forces advance against last ISIL Redoubt near Damascus

AFP

Damascus (AFP) – Syrian regime forces advanced Saturday in southern Damascus after fierce clashes with the Islamic State group, state media said, as they pushed an offensive to drive the jihadists out of the capital. Forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad retook control of Qadam’s Mazaniyeh area after destroying IS fortified positions and “inflicting losses of […]

Syria

Assad regime confiscating homes of millions of Syrian Refugees Abroad

contributors

Middle East Monitor | – – Some ten million Syrian refugees are at risk of permanently losing their homes following the announcement of a new law that would allow the Assad regime to confiscate vacated property. “Law Ten”, that came into effect earlier this month, gives Syrian home owners until 10 May to prove ownership […]

Syria

Syrian Gov’t Secures Capital, takes E Qalamoun from Saudi-backed ‘Army of Islam’

contributors

Beirut (AFP) – Syria’s regime Wednesday moved towards sealing its grip on the capital as it retook a new region outside Damascus from rebels and pounded its southern districts to oust jihadists. Seven years into Syria’s civil war, President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has ramped up its efforts in recent weeks towards securing the capital with […]