All posts tagged: Syrias

Syria cannot heal without a rebuilt health system | Syria’s War

Syria cannot heal without a rebuilt health system | Syria’s War

Published by Sam Flores

Last week, European Union and Syrian officials met in Brussels for high-level talks on the country’s reconstruction. The EU’s support for Syria’s health system, including 14 million euros ($16.25m) to rehabilitate Ar-Rastan Hospital in Homs, is a significant contribution that merits recognition. While the EU is demonstrating what strategic investment can achieve, the gap between the conditions returnees face and what they need for a healthy life remains a major barrier for the country’s recovery. After 14 years of conflict, Syria is facing a public health crisis that no government can address on its own. The restoration of health services will instead require large-scale, coordinated action from across the international community. A recent report authored by my organisation, Relief International, details the crisis at hand: many of the 3.7 million Syrians who have returned home are encountering a health system left fractured and struggling after years of devastation. According to our findings, 78 percent of returnees in Deir Az Zor reported that healthcare was unavailable. In al-Tebni district, 41 percent of surveyed households said at …

Syria’s Kurds feel abandoned by Trump and U.S. : NPR

Syria’s Kurds feel abandoned by Trump and U.S. : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Children play outside a vacant school that is now being used to house displaced people in Qamishli, Syria. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption toggle caption Claire Harbage/NPR QAMISHLI, Syria — The children running through the courtyard of a school in this northeastern city are a blur of motion. But they’re not students at recess — they are members of displaced families living here since public schools were turned into shelters in January. Instead of a school bus, there is an ancient red Nissan pickup truck with black flames painted along the sides. It’s a U.S. export, evidently — according to the large sticker of the American flag depicting 14 states and the year 1791 when the Bill of Rights was enacted. On the windshield above the green faux fur glued to the dashboard, “Allah” (God) is written in flowing white Arabic script. Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was toppled in late 2024 by Turkish-backed opposition fighters. But the repercussions are still rippling through Syria, particularly here in the Kurdish-led breakaway region where Syrian government forces retook territory …

From exile to judge: Symbolism in Syria’s trial of Assad, former officials | Syria’s War News

From exile to judge: Symbolism in Syria’s trial of Assad, former officials | Syria’s War News

Published by Sam Flores

On March 13, 2013, Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan, a judge at Idlib’s Civil Court of Appeal, publicly defected from the Syrian regime – an act that led him to be sentenced to death in absentia. In December 2024, more than a decade later, Bashar al-Assad’s regime – the very one he had defected from – was overthrown, and al-Aryan was able to finally return to Syria’s judiciary. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list In the latest step on al-Aryan’s journey from defection to exile to return, he was the presiding judge on Sunday at the opening of the trial of Atef Najib, a cousin of former President al-Assad and the former head of political security in the southern province of Deraa who faces charges of premeditated murder, torture leading to death and crimes against humanity. Al-Assad and his brother Maher al-Assad, a former top military commander, are also being tried in absentia. Both men fled to Russia after their 2024 overthrow. Fadel Abdulghany, the founder of the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), told …

Syria puts first Assad-era official on trial in Damascus | Syria’s War News

Syria puts first Assad-era official on trial in Damascus | Syria’s War News

Published by Sam Flores

Atef Najib, former head of political security in the Deraa province, is charged with ‘crimes against the Syrian people’. Published On 26 Apr 202626 Apr 2026 Syria has begun its first public trial of officials who served under longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, 15 years after the start of the civil war. Trial proceedings opened in Damascus on Sunday for Atef Najib, the former head of political security in southern Syria’s Deraa province. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list He is accused of overseeing a violent crackdown on protesters there during the 2011 uprising, and faces charges related to “crimes against the Syrian people”, according to Syria’s state-run news agency, SANA. Najib, who is a cousin of al-Assad, was the sole defendant in court for Sunday’s preparatory session of the trial set to continue next month. Charged in their absence are Al-Assad and his brother, Maher, former commander of the Syrian military’s 4th Armoured Division. Along with other former high-ranking security officials also charged in absentia, they are accused of killings, torture, extortion and drug …

The Hack That Exposed Syria’s Sweeping Security Failures

The Hack That Exposed Syria’s Sweeping Security Failures

Published by skeptic

When a wave of unusual activity swept through Syrian government accounts on X in March, it first looked like pure chaos—trolling, parody names, and even explicit content. But beneath the noise lay something far more telling: a state still struggling with the most basic layer of its cybersecurity. In early March, several official Syrian government accounts on X—including those linked to the presidency’s General Secretariat, the Central Bank, and multiple ministries—were hacked. The compromised profiles posted “Glory to Israel,” retweeted explicit material, and briefly renamed themselves after Israeli leaders. Authorities moved to restore control within days, with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announcing “urgent steps” to recover the accounts and prevent further breaches. Yet what remained unsettled was the deeper question: How secure is the state’s digital front door? In a government now dependent on commercial platforms for communication, losing a verified account doesn’t just disrupt messaging—it silences the state’s voice. When the State Stops Speaking for Itself At first glance, the breach appeared politically charged. Pro‑Israel messages circulating on verified government accounts …

Israel says it hit Syrian army camps in the south after Druze ‘attacked’ | Syria’s War News

Israel says it hit Syrian army camps in the south after Druze ‘attacked’ | Syria’s War News

Published by Sam Flores

Israeli air strikes target army camps in response to alleged attacks on the Druze community in Suwayda on Thursday. Published On 20 Mar 202620 Mar 2026 Israel’s military has said it struck Syrian army camps overnight in response to what it claimed were attacks against the Druze community in the south of the country. “This was in response to yesterday’s events, in which Druze civilians were attacked in the [Suwayda] area,” the Israeli military said in a post on Telegram on Friday. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “The [Israeli military] will not allow harm to come to Druze in Syria and will continue to act for their protection.” The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor reported on Thursday that fighting broke out between government forces and fighters from local tribes against opposing Druze factions in the western countryside of Suwayda. The fighting began after mortar shells fell on areas under the control of Druze factions. The shelling later hit residential neighbourhoods in the city of Suwayda, sowing panic and fear among residents, …

She lost 5 brothers to Syria’s war – Now she’s fighting for justice at the UN

She lost 5 brothers to Syria’s war – Now she’s fighting for justice at the UN

Published by Sam Flores

Yasmen Almashan’s life was shattered when five of her brothers disappeared during Syria’s war. Now a member of the Syrian National Commission for Transitional Justice, she is speaking at the UN to push for answers and national reconciliation. More than 130,000 Syrians went missing under the Assad regime. Story by Jessica Lemasurier. Keywords for this article Source link

Syria’s Kurds Caution Iran’s Kurds Against Aligning With US Against Tehran

Syria’s Kurds Caution Iran’s Kurds Against Aligning With US Against Tehran

Published by Sam Flores

QAMISHLI, Syria March 8 (Reuters) – Kurdish residents of northeast Syria warned Iran’s Kurds ⁠against ⁠aligning with the U.S. to fight the Iranian ⁠government, citing their own experience in Syria in recent months as evidence their Iranian counterparts would be “abandoned.” Iranian Kurdish ​militias based in northern Iraq have consulted with the United States in recent days about whether and how to attack security forces in western Iran, as the United States ‌and Israel pound Iran with air strikes, Reuters ‌has reported. But Syria’s Kurds warned their Iranian counterparts against partnering with Washington. “I hope that the Kurds of Iran will not ally themselves with America, because they will ⁠abandon them,” said ⁠Saad Ali, a 45-year-old resident of the northeastern Syrian Kurdish town of Qamishli. “Tomorrow, if an agreement ​is made between them (the U.S.) and the Iranians, they will eliminate you. Do not make our mistakes,” he told Reuters.  Syrian Kurdish fighters aligned with the U.S. more than a decade ago to fight the Islamic State group, setting up their own semi-autonomous zone in …

Australian ISIL relatives sent back to Syria’s Roj camp after release | ISIL/ISIS News

Australian ISIL relatives sent back to Syria’s Roj camp after release | ISIL/ISIS News

Published by Sam Flores

Thirty-four people returned due to a coordination problem with Damascus that is expected to be resolved late on Monday, officials say. Listen to this article | 3 mins info Published On 16 Feb 202616 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Thirty-four Australian relatives of ISIL (ISIS) fighters have been brought back to a camp where they were being held just hours after their release, returned due to “technical problems” with their transfer, according to local sources cited by Reuters and AFP news agencies. Hukmiya Ibrahim, a director of the Roj camp, said on Monday that the Australian citizens had been handed over to members of their families who had come to Syria for the release, and then sent on buses towards Damascus, where they were due to depart for Australia. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list However, the Australian families were forced to turn back shortly after leaving due to “poor coordination between their relatives and the Damascus government”, said camp official Rashid Omar. Reuters cited a Syrian official as …