Middle Orient

Syrian transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced on Sunday, 18 January, that a ceasefire agreement has been reached between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). According to the Syrian Presidency, the agreement includes the following provisions: An immediate, comprehensive ceasefire on all fronts and front lines between government …

Syria’s Kurdish authorities say the move does not guarantee people’s rights Syria’s President Ahmad Al Shara on Friday issued a decree affirming the rights of Kurdish ⁠Syrians, formally recognising their language ​and restoring citizenship to the country’s largest minority community. “I have the honour to issue a decree especially for …

SDF accepts integration into army after government troops advance into Deir Ezzor and Raqqa The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces militia has agreed to cede control of Deir Ezzor and Raqqa provinces to the Syrian government, state media has reported, after the army made rapid advances into the two eastern provinces. …

Anti-ISIS operations launched in response to attack The US said an air attack in north-western Syria killed an Al Qaeda-affiliated leader who was linked to an ISIS member responsible for a deadly ambush of American personnel last month. US Central Command (Centcom) on Saturday said that the strike, carried out …

Residents of northern city welcome return to control of government forces Jubilant crowds waved Syrian revolutionary flags amid celebratory gunfire as Raqqa residents tore down symbols and statues of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who had controlled the city since 2017. The scenes in the city on the north bank …

La situation actuelle d’escalade autour de l’Iran ne peut être comprise qu’en la lisant comme un conflit entre des zones d’influence clairement définies. Il ne s’agit ni, au principal, d’un processus de réforme interne en Iran ni d’une question «systémique» abstraite, mais de la confrontation entre les intérêts stratégiques de …

Researcher Tells TML ‘Military Control Alone Is Not Enough To Ensure Stability’ in Eastern Aleppo as Syrian Army Replaces SDF Middle East researcher Mazen al-Khalil told The Media Line that “the withdrawal of thousands of fighters without a clear political agreement raises questions about the area’s future” [DAMASCUS] In a …

Syrian transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa has escalated his political rhetoric against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in his latest interview with the Kurdish Shams TV channel, excerpts of which were aired by the state-run Syrian al-Ikhbariya. Al-Sharaa’s discourse shifted toward blame and accusations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), accusing …

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said his efforts to work toward de-escalation and a ceasefire continue, with the help of international parties, calling on “the people to rally around their sons, our fighters, and show courage and faith,” as he put it. In an interview with the Kurdish Hawar News Agency, …

The US-backed, Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capitulated to the Syrian government in a ceasefire agreement on January 18.[i] The government compelled the SDF to agree after a combination of government operations and tribal uprisings caused the SDF to withdraw from nearly half of its territory and most of the …