Syrian Revolution News & Discussions

[Khafee]

Iranian, Iraqi Fighters Reported Killed In Israeli Air Strikes In Syria
May 06, 2020

Israeli air strikes in eastern Syria have killed 14 Iranian and Iraqi fighters, a group monitoring the Syrian war says.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes in a desert region of Deir al-Zor Province late on May 4 targeted positions of Iranian and Iran-backed militias.

The watchdog said there were also wounded.

Syrian state media reported late on May 4 that Israeli missile strikes targeted a research center and military depots in the northern province of Aleppo.

They did not mention the attack on Deir el-Zor Province, which borders Iraq.

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria in recent years targeting Iranian forces, Syrian government positions, and allied militias. It generally doesn’t comment on specific operations.

Western and Israeli intelligence say Iranian forces and allied militias use the eastern Syrian desert bordering Iraq to transfer fighters and advanced weapons systems to support the Syrian government and the Lebanese militant group Hizballah.

In Aleppo Province, Iranian forces and allied militia have given crucial support to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad during the country’s nearly nine-year civil war.

Russia, a key backer of Damascus that has close security ties with Israel, has largely looked the other way as Israel carries out a shadow war with Iran in Syria to prevent its archenemy from entrenching itself in the country.

With reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, and Reuters

 

[Khafee]

Amnesty International: Attacks By Damascus, Russian Forces In Syria 'Amount To War Crimes'
May 11, 2020

Syrian humanitarian volunteers, known as the White Helmets, carry a body retrieved from the rubble following a reported government airstrike on the town of Ariha, one of the locations mentioned in Amnesty's report. (file photo)

Amnesty International says it has documented 18 attacks in northwest Syria carried out by Syrian government and Russian forces over the past year that amounted to war crimes.

The rights group said in a report published on May 10 that the 18 attacks were on medical facilities and schools, and were carried out by either the Syrian government or its Russian ally between May 2019 and February 2020 in Idlib and areas adjoining the rebel stronghold.

Evidence of the attacks entails multiple serious violations of international humanitarian law, according to Amnesty International.

"These violations amount to war crimes," the report says.

The attacks included three ground attacks and two barrel-bomb attacks by Syrian government forces. The remaining 13 attacks were air strikes -- two by Syrian government forces, seven by Russian government forces, and four by Syrian or Russian government forces.

It said the majority occurred in January and February 2020, during the latest onslaught, which Amnesty International said “subjected civilians in opposition-held areas in north-west Syria to a new wave of horrors.”

Since December around 500 civilians have been killed and almost 1 million people have been displaced.

The recent escalation apparently is a continuation of an earlier offensive that began in April 2019 targeting the last pocket under the control of armed opposition groups.

A cease-fire has largely held since early March, but hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced and highly dependent on aid even as the region braces for a possible outbreak of the coronavirus.

'Systematic Attacks'
Among the documented attacks in Amnesty International’s report are Russian air strikes near a hospital in the town of Ariha on January 29 that flattened at least two residential buildings and killed 11 civilians.

Amnesty also blamed the Syrian regime for an attack on a school using banned cluster munitions that killed three people in Idlib city on February 25.

"The latest offensive continued an abhorrent pattern of widespread and systematic attacks aimed at terrorizing the civilian population," Amnesty's regional director Heba Morayef said.

The report said that, even by the standards of the nine-year war, “the resulting displacement and humanitarian emergency were unprecedented.”

It said the attacks must be viewed in the context of a well-established pattern of Syrian government forces targeting civilian infrastructure and civilians that is "part of a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population, therefore constituting crimes against humanity."

Syria's war has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the repression of anti-government protests.

Amnesty International’s findings are based primarily on remote research conducted between January and April 2020. Researchers interviewed 74 people, including direct witnesses of attacks, displaced people, local and international aid workers, and UN staff members.

Researchers also reviewed videos and photographs, analyzed satellite imagery, and obtained logs of aircraft observations by flight spotters on the ground, as well as intercepted aircraft radio communication, to assess consistency with witness accounts.

Amnesty International has sent letters summarizing its findings to the permanent missions of the Syrian and Russian governments to the United Nations in New York and to the largest coalition of armed groups in northwest Syria.

It had not received a response as of 4 May, when its report was finalized.

With reporting by AFP

 

[Khafee]

Truck bombing kills more than a dozen people in Syria​

Oct. 6, 2020

More than a dozen people were killed in Tuesday's explosion, which occurred in an area that is partly controlled by Turkish forces. UPI Photo/File | License Photo

Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Two human rights watchdog groups said Tuesday a powerful truck explosion in Syria killed nearly 20 people and injured dozens more.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the bomb exploded Tuesday morning in the city of Al-Bab in Aleppo province, which is controlled by Turkey and factions of the so-called "Euphrates Shield."

The explosion occurred near the Othman mosque near the center of the city.

The SOHR said the death toll could rise.

The Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, placed the death toll at 19 and more than 70 injured. The group said several of the injured are in serious condition.

United Nations Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator Mark Cutts denounced the bombing.

"We condemn in the strongest terms these ongoing indiscriminate attacks on civilians," Cutts tweeted.

 

[Khafee]

U.N. seeks $10 billion for Syrians as humanitarian needs soar​

March 30, 2021
Updated 7 hours ago
By Robin Emmott


BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United Nations will urge international donors to pledge up to $10 billion on Tuesday to help Syrians fleeing a decade of civil war in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that the need for humanitarian support has never been so great.

In the fifth annual conference to keep Syrians refugees from starvation, the event hosted by the European Union will seek $4.2 billion for people inside Syria and $5.8 billion for refugees and their hosts in the Middle East.

Some 24 million people need basic aid, a rise of four million over the past year and the highest number yet since a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 led to civil war.

“It has been ten years of despair and disaster for Syrians,” said U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock. “Now plummeting living conditions, economic decline and COVID-19 result in more hunger, malnutrition and disease. There is less fighting, but no peace dividend,” he said in a statement.

Fighting between Syrian army forces and rebels has subsided since a deal a year ago ended a Russian-led bombing campaign that had displaced over a million people, but Russian air strikes, along with Iranian and Syrian-backed militaries, continue to attack rebel outposts.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to address the conference on Tuesday. On March 10, marking a decade of conflict, he said Syria is a “living nightmare” where about half the children have never lived a day without war and 60 percent of Syrians are at risk of going hungry.

In a separate statement on Tuesday, the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement called on international donors to help rebuild the country, particularly to repair critical health, water and electricity services.

“Our infrastructure is ruined,” said Khaled Hboubati, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society.

Rebuilding destroyed cities will take billions of dollars more and cannot start until powers involved in the conflict, including Russia and Iran, help agree a peace settlement, the European Union, which is hosting the conference, says.

International Committee of the Red Cross head Peter Maurer urged world powers to reach a peace deal or face many more annual donor conferences for Syria. “Humanitarians are here to help but the ultimate responsibility lies with parties to the conflict,” he said.

Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Editing by William Maclean

 

[Khafee]

U.S. Notes 'Atrocities' Of Assad Regime, Russian Air Strikes In Pledging Aid To Syria​

March 30, 2021

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the assistance Washington would provide for humanitarian assistance in Syria "aligns with our values as a nation and with our national interests." (file photo)

The United States has announced nearly $600 million in new humanitarian assistance in response to the war in Syria, noting that it is aimed at helping people who have faced “innumerable atrocities,” including air strikes carried out by the regime and its ally, Russia.

U.S. assistance will benefit many of the estimated 13.4 million Syrians inside Syria, as well as 5.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

"We offer support to alleviate the suffering of the world's most vulnerable people because it aligns with our values as a nation and with our national interests," Blinken said, urging other donors to support the Syrian people.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his backers, including Russia, have been blamed for much of the violence, which started in March 2011 as part of a wave of protests calling for political reforms in several countries in the Middle East.

Blinken said his statement that the Syrian people "have faced atrocities, including Assad regime and Russian air strikes, forced disappearances, [Islamic State] brutality, and chemical-weapons attacks."

Corruption and economic mismanagement by the Assad regime have exacerbated the dire humanitarian crisis, which has been further compounded by COVID-19, Blinken said.

The aid was announced during the fifth Brussels Conference on supporting Syria and the region, which brings together more than 50 countries and 30 international organizations in the biggest annual drive for pledges to assist people affected by the war.

The United Nations has set a goal of $10 billion in 2021 for Syria and refugees in neighboring countries. The UN says about $4 billion of the total is needed for humanitarian relief inside Syria. The rest is for refugees and the nations in the region hosting them.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said more than 13 million people need humanitarian assistance to survive this year.

"That's over 20 percent more than last year, and the majority of the population is now facing hunger," Guterres said in a video message.

The $596 million pledged by the United States brings total U.S. humanitarian assistance to Syria and the region to nearly $13 billion since 2011.

Germany has pledged the most during the donor conference -- 1.74 billion euros ($2 billion).

"The Syrian tragedy must not last another 10 years. Ending it begins by restoring hope. It begins with our commitments -- here, today," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters​

 

[Khafee]

U.N. raises $6.4 billion for Syrians as humanitarian needs soar​

By Robin Emmott
March 30, 2021

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - International donors pledged $6.4 billion in humanitarian aid on Tuesday to help Syrians fleeing a decade of civil war, but short of a $10 billion goal as governments struggle with weakened economies in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the fifth annual conference held to keep Syrians from starvation, the event hosted by the European Union sought $4.2 billion for people displaced inside Syria and $5.8 billion for refugees and their hosts elsewhere in the Middle East.

The United Nations had raised more than $7 billion in 2020 and 2019, although U.N. officials will still press for more pledges throughout this year and have time, as the money is split between 2021 and 2022.

Financial institutions and donors have also agreed low-interest loans worth $7 billion, said Janez Lenarcic, the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management.

Some 24 million people need basic aid in Syria and the surrounding region, a rise of 4 million over the past year. It is also the highest number yet since a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 led to a devastating civil war.

“Things are getting worse,” U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock said via video link. “We’ve had a decade of death, destruction, displacement, disease, dread and despair,” he said, adding that the United Nations was organising its biggest-ever response plan for Syria and the region to save thousands of lives.

PLEDGES​

Germany pledged 1.738 billion euros ($2.04 billion), its largest amount in four years. The EU’s support, which comes from its common budget and is separate from member states, was steady at 560 million euros.

Other pledges came in throughout the day including $100 million from Qatar and almost $600 million from the United States.

Britain pledged 205 million pounds ($281.16 million), although David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee, said the amount was lower than the 300 million pounds pledged last year, urging London to provide more.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called late on Monday for Syria’s borders to be kept open to allow unhindered access and the free flow of aid, a call echoed by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

“It’s vital that assistance can reach those in need...It’s of vital importance for humanitarian help being able to be brought to these people,” Borrell said.

Fighting has subsided since a deal a year ago ended a Russian-led bombing campaign that had displaced over a million people. But Russian air strikes, along with Iranian and Syrian-backed militaries, continue to target rebel outposts.

The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement urged international donors to help rebuild Syria, particularly to repair critical health, water and electricity services.

International Committee of the Red Cross head Peter Maurer urged world powers to reach a peace deal or face many more annual donor conferences for Syria. “The ultimate responsibility lies with parties to the conflict,” he said.

With Russian and Iranian help, Assad has retaken much of the territory lost to rebels, and U.N.-backed peacemaking efforts have stalled.

The EU has said there can be no foreign-assisted reconstruction in Syria without a peace deal between the Assad government and myriad rebel and other opposition groups.


($1 = 0.8532 euros)

($1 = 0.7291 pounds)

Reporting by Robin Emmott; Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and Madeline Chambers in Berlin; Editing by Lisa Shumaker

 

[Counter-Errorist]

'Lives will be lost,' warn Syria aid groups as UK cuts funding by a third​

Reduced £205m offer at UN pledging conference comes as 90% of Syrians live in poverty

Syrians and aid organisations have warned that “lives will be lost” as a result of the UK’s decision to cut aid funding to the conflict-stricken country.

The UN hoped to raise $10bn (£7.3bn) from governments and donors at a virtual two-day pledging conference for Syria – the biggest appeal yet to help people inside and those displaced outside the country.

However, the conference ended raising only $6.4bn in total and $4.4bn pledged for this year – far less than half the $10bn requested.

Although the UN organisers had warned that the plight of Syrians had worsened over the past year, the sums raised at the equivalent conference last year for 2020 were higher, at $5.5bn, with $2.2bn set aside for this year.

The shortfall came despite a warning from the head of the UN World Food Programme, David Beasley, that if the $10bn target was not met food rations would be cut by as much as 30% in many parts of the country.

He said: “If we take away food when it is needed most then I have no doubt we will see a second wave of migration into Europe and extremism will flourish.”

The offer from the UK foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, of at least £205m is a third less than the UK’s donation of £300m at the same conference last year. In total, the UK provided £400m for aid programmes in Syria in 2020, meaning that if no further funding is forthcoming for 2021, the cut amounts to almost 50%.

The UK was also widely criticised for a decision earlier this month to cut funding to Yemen by half, while maintaining arms sales to the Saudi-led coalition.

“When the UK government makes huge cuts to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, it is saying to the Syrian people and to the courageous teachers, rescue workers, doctors and aid workers serving their communities every day under Russian and Syrian bombs: ‘We do not care about your suffering,’” said Laila Kiki, the executive director of human rights group the Syria Campaign.

“[The cuts] are a deeply worrying indication of the UK’s position in the world. Lives will be lost because of these cuts … it is a new low for the UK government.”

About 90% of Syrians across regime, rebel and Kurdish-held areas are living in poverty, and 6.4 million refugees live in precarious circumstances in neighbouring countries Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

Need inside Syria has increased sharply since last year because of a crash in the Syrian currency, the coronavirus pandemic, and a Russian and Chinese UN security council veto that shut one of just two remaining border aid crossings.

Approximately 24 million people in the country now rely on aid to survive – a rise of 4 million, and the highest number yet in the decade-long crisis, according to the latest UN figures.

“By stopping funds to Syria, the UK government paves the way for further political and military conflicts [as well as] hunger and Covid-19,” said Abdulaziz Ramadan, the CEO of DOZ International, a humanitarian organisation working in the Kurdish-held north-east of the country.

“We offer protection, psychological support and safe places to play and learn to nearly 20,000 children in north-west Syria, most of them suffering from trauma,” said Leila Hasso, advocacy manager at Hurras Network in north-west Syria. “If there is any reduction in aid, it will be catastrophic for the children as there are no other funding sources to fill the gap at present. The UK must continue its support and not leave them to face their fate alone.”

Three million people in the north-west of the country will be at further risk in July if Russia again vetoes UN plans to keep the final cross-border point for aid open.

“A reduction [in UK aid to Syria] would be tantamount to turning our backs on some of the most vulnerable people in the world, erode our authority on the international stage, and undermine our diplomatic hand in coming negotiations on cross-border aid access,” the shadow minister for international development, Anna McMorrin, and the shadow secretary of state for international development, Preet Kaur Gill, said in a statement issued before the UK decision.

'Lives will be lost,' warn Syria aid groups as UK cuts funding by a third

Reduced £205m offer at UN pledging conference comes as 90% of Syrians live in poverty

www.theguardian.com

 

[Khafee]

Syria reports fire on oil tanker, says it was apparently attacked by drone​

April 24, 2021

Syria’s oil ministry reports that a fire broke out on an oil tanker near the port of Banyas, saying it was apparently attacked by a drone coming from Lebanese territory.

The ministry didn’t identify who the tanker or drone belongs to, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the ship was Iranian. The UK-based group has had its credibility questioned in the past.

The report follows other recent reports that Israel has been targeting Syria-bound ships carrying Iranian oil and weapons.

ראשוני. בבדיקה. דיווחים על תקיפת מיכלית נפט מול חופי לבנון. עשן עולה מהמיכלית. pic.twitter.com/7jIWOHxagC
— Or Heller אור הלר (@OrHeller) April 24, 2021

 

[space cadet]

Explosion reported at Syria’s Latakia port on ship that may be Iranian

Initial reports say blast caused 2 light injuries and considerable damage, amid escalating maritime tensions in region

www.timesofisrael.com

 

[Lieutenant]

Explosion reported at Syria’s Latakia port on ship that may be Iranian

Initial reports say blast caused 2 light injuries and considerable damage, amid escalating maritime tensions in region

www.timesofisrael.com

The international community is busy running after Omar Al-Bashir who killed a few thousands at the same time ignoring Assad who murdered thousands and displaced millions of his people. Moral insanity.

The bottom line is: The Syrian revolution is dead. No one seems to care anymore. Assad has gone away with it unpunished.

 

[space cadet]

The international community is busy running after Omar Al-Bashir who killed a few thousands at the same time ignoring Assad who murdered thousands and displaced millions of his people. Moral insanity.

The bottom line is: The Syrian revolution is dead. No one seems to care anymore. Assad has gone away with it unpunished.

I know, I only posted here because I saw no other Syria discussion to attach to

 

[Khafee]

The international community is busy running after Omar Al-Bashir who killed a few thousands at the same time ignoring Assad who murdered thousands and displaced millions of his people. Moral insanity.

The bottom line is: The Syrian revolution is dead. No one seems to care anymore. Assad has gone away with it unpunished.

By opting for this biasness, they show their true colors.