Displaying items by tag: Syria

On 8 December, Syrian rebels overthrew Bashar al-Assad, ending his 24-year rule and his family’s half-century grip on power. Their victory caps a devastating 13-year civil war which killed over 500,000 people, displaced millions, and involved major global powers. Turkey, a key player, supported rebel groups, primarily to counter Kurdish militias. Turkey, which would also like to repatriate three million Syrian refugees, has played a role in brokering ceasefires and aiding the rebels’ recent offensive. Russia, Assad’s staunch ally, provided air support and troops starting in 2015, securing key military bases in Syria. However, its focus on the Ukraine war weakened its ability to sustain Assad’s regime, leading to his downfall. Assad has reportedly fled to Moscow. The USA has backed moderate rebels and Kurdish-led forces against Assad and ISIS, maintaining about 900 troops in the northeast. Iran and Hezbollah, longtime Assad allies, have also seen their influence wane due to internal and external conflicts. Breaking news: the rebels have announced that the Syrian parliament and constitution will be suspended for three months.

Israel has launched a series of airstrikes and naval operations in Syria, targeting military assets and creating a buffer zone near the Golan Heights. Defence minister Israel Katz stated the actions aim to establish a ‘sterile defence zone’ to prevent terrorist activities. Israeli strikes reportedly destroyed Syria’s naval fleet, military warehouses, air-defense facilities, and weaponry near Damascus. There were probably as many as 250 strikes, with video evidence of naval wreckage in Latakia. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed significant damage to Syria’s military infrastructure. Israel claims its operations are temporary and limited to precluding advanced weaponry from extremist groups. However, several nations have condemned the strikes as violations of international law. The UN criticised the buffer zone seizure as a breach of the 1974 disengagement agreement, despite Israel’s assurances of its defensive intent.

Buoyed by their lightning capture of Aleppo and swathes of northern Syria, rebel forces – led by Islamist factions – are now targeting the strategically important town of Hama. This offensive, ending four years of relative calm in the region, has already displaced nearly 50,000 people, with many fleeing nearby towns. Over 600 people, including 104 civilians, have been killed to date. Hama is a former stronghold of anti-Assad sentiment; its capture would ‘pose a threat to the regime's popular base’. The Syrian military say that sizeable reinforcements have arrived to bolster the defence of Hama, with Russian air support. Abandoned military equipment along roads highlights the intense clashes. As winter deepens the plight of displaced civilians, the renewed violence underscores Syria’s enduring humanitarian crisis, drawing international appeals for peace.

6 February was the anniversary of two earthquakes that brought mass destruction to south Türkiye and northwest Syria, with over 50,000 lives lost. There were 1.7 million people in Hatay province, home to Türkiye’s largest Christian community; now there are only 250,000, as residents have moved to stay with relatives or find shelter elsewhere. A SAT-7 team who revisited the area found many who stayed living in ‘cities’ of container units. Rebuilding is under way, but the pace is slow and the task colossal. Although destruction was less widespread in Syria, many factors are preventing recovery. After twelve years of conflict, over four million people in the area were in need of humanitarian aid even before the quakes struck. Government corruption, international sanctions, and a collapse in the value of the Syrian currency have compounded the problem. The Bishop of Aleppo, Magar Ashkarian, said that although the earthquake had increased Christian migration abroad, denominations have come closer: ‘We live together in a very close relationship and try to help entirely without discrimination’.

Over a hundred people, including ten civilians, were killed and another 125 were injured when drones carrying explosives targeted a graduation ceremony at a military academy in Homs. The army blamed ‘terrorist groups backed by known international forces’, and said it would respond with full force and determination against these terrorist groups ‘wherever they are’. There was no immediate claim from the rebels and jihadists battling the government in the country's civil war. The attack is believed to have been launched from opposition-held areas north-west of Homs. An eye-witness said, ‘After the ceremony, people went down to the courtyard and the explosives hit. We don't know where it came from, and corpses littered the ground.’ Syria's defence minister attended the graduation ceremony, but left minutes before the attack.

Ten UN relief trucks carrying aid finally reached northwest Syria four months after huge earthquakes rocked the region. This was the first aid convoy to cross from government territory into a rebel-held enclave since aid deliveries became a political pawn following the disaster. Pray for the 15 million Syrians needing help to survive, and for God to comfort an estimated 8.8 million people affected by the earthquakes; they may have a roof over their heads, but their hearts remain unsettled. Every new aftershock triggers a flashback and trauma. No one knows when the earth will stop moving. Pray for the global church as it continues to offer help and hope. Syrian Christians have been helping earthquake survivors from day one. Believers are telling people about God’s love, which their consistent presence shows is real.

Nine women and seventeen children are taking the Australian government to court, arguing that Australia has ‘effective control’ of their detention and the power to set them free from Syria’s Roj refugee camp. These Australian wives, widows, and children of slain or jailed IS members claim a legal right to return to Australia. Most are in squalid and violent detention camps, some held for four years. Children have untreated shrapnel wounds, malnourishment, and serious mental illnesses. Some were born in the camp and know no life outside it. Save the Children Australia say that legal action was a last resort, but they were left with no choice but to take Australia’s government to court. Pray that the US-backed Kurdish SDF army and the refugee camp officials will actively cooperate in the release of these Australians as they did for other countries, including Denmark, USA, Germany, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

Built on the ashes of ten years of war, an illegal drug industry run by associates and relatives of President Bashar al-Assad has grown into a multibillion-dollar operation, eclipsing Syria’s legal exports and turning the country into the world’s newest narcostate. Its flagship product, captagon, is an addictive, inexpensive amphetamine, popular in Saudi Arabia and now being found in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Syria’s operations include workshops manufacturing the pills, packing plants to conceal them for export and smuggling networks to spirit them abroad. The production and distribution is overseen by the Fourth Armoured Division of the Syrian Army, commanded by Maher al-Assad, the president’s brother. Hezbollah's fighters have played a key role in helping the Syrian government turn the tide in the civil war and have long been accused of involvement in drug trafficking. The UK and US have imposed sanctions on those responsible for the captagon trade, which could be worth $57 billion. See

Arab reports indicate a Palestinian terror group based in Syria with ties to Iran and Hezbollah is actively preparing for a new series of attacks inside Israel. Speaking from Syria, Fadi Malach, commander of the Galilean Wolves, said, ‘We are in the midst of preparations for a series of additional operations inside Israel, despite Israel’s warning to Hezbollah, who might go on another adventure.’ Malach also said that his group was responsible for a roadside bombing at the Megiddo Junction in northern Israel on 13 March, which injured an Israeli motorist. The man who planted the bomb was subsequently killed by Israeli soldiers while driving back towards the Lebanese border. Explosives and a weapon were found in the vehicle, and the terrorist wore a suicide bomb belt. Malach said Galilean Wolves have been active since 2004, in an effort to liberate Galilee in the first stage, and they are not co-opted by Iran.

President Bashar al-Assad joined the Arab League summit in Jeddah and was embraced by the Saudi crown prince. A decade ago, the Saudis funded anti-Assad militias; now they want to remake the Middle East and need Syria onside. Assad insists, ‘Other countries should not interfere with what happened inside Syria’s borders. It is important to leave internal affairs to the leader and his supporters.’ Between them, princes and presidents at the summit have locked up many thousands of their opponents. Syrians blame the Assad regime for destroying their country. Over a million Syrian refugees have fled to Lebanon, but recently Lebanon sent 1,500 back to Syria at gunpoint. The UN insists Syrian refugees cannot return home until their country is safe and secure. The Assad regime remains under US and European sanctions. Amnesty International said, ‘Assad has turned Syria into a slaughterhouse’. President Bashar al-Assad broke his country to save his regime. There has been no justice for his victims.