Syria

Iran to Bolster Syria Air Defenses, Counter US Pressure

For Iran, Syria has never been just another country in a region mired in sworn enmities and unending conflicts. The two allies further cemented their military relationship Wednesday when they sealed another deal against rivals, both internal and external.

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Idlib: Syria’s Last Major Opposition Stronghold

Idlib is Syria's last major anti-government bastion, which was targeted by a deadly government offensive last year.

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Iran Says ‘No Military Solution’ for Syria in Talks With Russia, Turkey

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said there is "no military solution" for Syria on Wednesday during a video conference with his Russian and Turkish counterparts.

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Seven Fighters Killed in Israeli Strikes on Syria: Monitor

Seven fighters, including two Syrian soldiers, were killed in Israeli strikes Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

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Southeast Asia: Returning Foreign Fighters

The 2019 defeat of IS in the Levant has led to the potential migration of battle-hardened Southeast Asian foreign terrorist fighters back into the region.

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Drone Strike in Syria Kills Two Jihadist Leaders: Monitor

A drone attack in northwestern Syria killed two commanders of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group on Sunday, a war monitor said.

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First Civilian Killed in NW Syria Raid Since March: Monitor

Russian air strikes on northwestern Syria killed a civilian Tuesday, the first such fatality since a ceasefire went into force three months ago, a war monitor said.

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Syria Jihadist-Regime Clashes Leave 41 Fighters Dead

An Al-Qaeda offshoot led an offensive Monday against regime forces in northwest Syria, sparking clashes that left 19 pro-government fighters and 22 jihadists dead, a war monitor said.

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Pompeo Presses Nations to Fund IS Fight Despite Budget Crunch

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday urged allies to make up a shortfall in funding to defeat the Islamic State movement despite a budget crunch after the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic. The United States and Italy led a meeting of 31 nations on fighting the extremists, held virtually due to precautions to stop the virus. A US raid last year killed the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, shortly after President Donald Trump declared the group that once ruled vast swathes of Syria and Iraq had been defeated on the battlefield. “That said, our fight against ISIS continues, and will for the foreseeable future. We cannot rest,” Pompeo told the conference. “We must continue to root out ISIS cells and networks and provide stabilization assistance to liberated areas in Iraq and Syria,” he said. “It’s true that the pandemic is putting enormous pressure on all of our budgets, but we urge your nations to pledge toward our goal of more than $700 million for 2020.” The funding drive by the coalition, which seeks to bring stability to Iraq and Syria, has raised only $200 million this year as of May 26, a State Department spokesperson said. The United States has pledged …

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First Russian Strikes in 3 Months Hit NW Syria: Monitor

Russian air strikes have hit Syria’s last major rebel bastion for the first time since a March ceasefire came into force, a war monitor said on Wednesday. The Russian strikes on Tuesday evening and at dawn on Wednesday hit an area of the northwest where the boundaries of Hama, Idlib, and Latakia provinces meet, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance (HTS), led by Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate, and its hardline allies enjoy a significant presence in the area, the Britain-based monitoring group added. Home to some three million people, the Idlib region of the northwest is controlled by HTS and affiliated rebel groups. A Russian-backed government offensive between December and March displaced nearly a million people in the region. Some 840,000 of the nearly one million remain displaced, while some 120,000 have returned to their home communities since the ceasefire went into force, according to the United Nations. The truce, which coincided with the coronavirus crisis, had put a stop to the relentless air strikes by government forces and their Russian allies that killed at least 500 civilians in four months. The Observatory said the latest strikes were intended to push jihadists away from the …

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