[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Syria and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Syria Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week's roundup to syria@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every week.]This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Syria and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Syria Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week's roundup to syria@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every week.]
English Links
Inside Syria
Al Monitor: Syria Reports New Israeli Missile Attack (18 August 2021)
An Israeli missile hit unspecified targets in Hader in southern Syria near the Golan Heights.
The New Arab: Syria Regime Continues Bombing Daraa as Russia Talks Fall Flat (18 August 2021)
The Syrian regime continues its bombardment of Daraa, firing on villages and refugee camps. Local leaders in Daraa rejected Russian proposed terms to stop the fighting favorable to the regime such as forcing opponents to leave the area.
Al Jazeera: Syria Says its Air Defences Intercepted Israeli Missiles (19 August 2021)
According to Syrian news agency SANA, the country’s air defences intercepted several Israeli missiles targeting the Damascus and Homs region in Syria that came from the direction of Beirut.
Al Monitor: Uzbek Fighters Complicate Makeover Campaign by Jihadi Group in Idlib (19 August 2021)
Attacks carried out by Uzbek fighters in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) targeting Syrian government forces on the Idlib fronts, have raised questions about the degree to which HTS controls these fighters.
Al Jazeera: Children Killed in Syria’s Idlib Amid Displacement Crisis (21 August 2021)
Russian-backed attacks on the village of Kansfara hit civilian houses, killing four children. Additional attacks targeting western Aleppo hit a civilian house, injuring three farm workers and two children. Only a day earlier, Russian air raids on the village of Ein Shib, west of Idlib city, killed five children.
Al Monitor: Syrian Government, Kurds Discuss Plans for Oil Trade (21 August 2021)
Representatives of the Qatiriji company and leaders of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) met with the Tabqa Civil Council affiliated with the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria to discuss the prospect of increasing oil shipments between government held areas and those controlled by the SDF in northeast Syria.
The New Arab: Activists in Idlib Rally to Mark Anniversary of Ghouta Chemical Attack (22 August 2021)
Activists and witnesses of the 2013 chemical attack in Ghouta gathered in Idlib to commemorate the victims of the attack and demand accountability.
Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC): Water Crisis and Drought Threaten More than 12 million in Syria and Iraq (23 August 2021)
Due to rising temperatures, record low levels of rain, and drought Syrians are at risk of losing access to water, food, and electricity. More than five million people dependent on the Tigris and Euphrates are affected by increased drought conditions in which hundreds of kilometers of agricultural land are at risk of total drought. In addition, communities in areas like Hassakeh, Aleppo, Raqqa, and Deir Az Zor have experienced increased outbreaks of waterborne diseases like diarrhea.
Al Monitor: Turkish Army on Lookout for Tunnels in Northern Idlib (23 August 2021)
Turkish forces have been undergoing campaigns to search for tunnels used to smuggle people from Syria to Turkey. Since many countries have closed their borders to Syrians, an increasing number resort to smuggling via tunnels to escape Syria despite the risks involved.
International
The Arab Weekly: Concern in Jordan Over Presence of Iran Militias Near Northern Borders (18 August 2021)
Analysts speculate that developments in Daraa al-Balad and concerns over the potential deployment of Iranian militias near its northern borders could pose a risk to Jordanian Syrianrelations.
The New Arab: US Gives Green Light for Lebanon to Import Electricity, Gas Through Syria (19 August 2021)
Jordanian electricity and Egyptian natural gas will be transferred through Syria to Lebanon. The approval of US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy was required to avoid complications with the Caesar Act.
Middle East Eye: UK Decision to Lift Sanctions on Assad-linked Businessman Sparked Outcry (20 August 2021)
The UK decided to lift sanctions on Tarif al-Akhras, a prominent Syrian businessman closely tied to Bashar al-Assad, prompting criticism among human rights groups.
Policy Reports
Operations & Policy Center (OPC): Visualizing Syria’s Merchandize Trade 2010-2019 (19 August 2021)
A research tool created by OPC synthesizes data on merchandise trade from regime-held areas. The data is broken down by year, destination or country of origin, value, quantity, commoditytype, and is presented in both Syrian pounds and US dollars, demonstrating the weak purchasing power of the Syrian pound.
SNHR discusses the consequences of the chemical attacks on eastern and western Ghouta and the regime’s repeated use of chemical weapons. The report highlights the disillusionment among Syrian citizens over the lack of accountability and calls upon the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to intervene based on Resolution No. 377 of 1950 and work towards referring the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to hold all those involved in chemical weapons attacks against Syrian citizens accountable.
Infographics and Maps
UNRWA: Humanitarian Snapshot, May & June 2021 (18 August 2021)
A new infographic developed by UNRWA, outlines its operations in Syria over May and June 2021. Operations during this period focused on providing humanitarian aid to Yarmouk camp and launching a COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
Arts and Culture
Syria Untold: ‘My Photography is me’ (17 August 2021)
Syrian Kurdish artist Sima Biab discusses her experience as a Syrian photographer over the past decade. This article is part of Syria Untold’s “Syrian in Focus” series which focuses on Syrian photography.
The Guardian: Abbas Akhavan Review- a Poetic Monument to Folly (22 August 2021)
The Guardian reviews “Curtain Call, Variations on a Folly,” a new exhibit by Abbas Akhavan at the Chisenhale Gallery in London that seeks to recreate the monumental arch of Palmyra. The exhibit is on display until 17th October.
The Guardian: Purple Sea Review- Harrowing Study of Syrian Refugee in Lifejacket Limbo (23 August 2021)
The Guardian reviews Syrian director Amel Alzakout’s experimental documentary comprised of raw footage she took after a boat she had been traveling on sunk off the coast of Lesbos.
Syria Untold: ‘I Fell in Love with Cinema’ (23 August 2021)
*You can read the original conversation in Arabic here.
Syria Untold has a conversation with Syrian film director Orwa al-Mokdad on filmmaking in Syria, ‘national cinema’ and the role of art during war time.
Arabic Links
عنب بلدي: درعا.. خسارة سيارة إطعام تدفع النظام لمنع الطحين عن مدينة نوى (٢٠ آب ٢٠٢١)
.منعت قوات النظام السوري دخول الطحين إلى مدينة نوى بريف درعا الغربي، على خلفية فقدانها سيارة إطعامعسكرية في محيط المدينة
العربي الجديد: 70% من السوريين يعيشون على الحوالات الخارجية (٢١ آب ٢٠٢١)
قدر عاملون في قطاع الصرافة ومحللون ماليون في سورية نسبة السوريين الذين يعتمدون في العيش على الحوالات الخارجية بنحو 70% من المواطنين، على الرغم من تدني قيمة المبالغ المحولة إلى مناطق سيطرة النظام، إذ يبلغ متوسط قيمة الحوالة الواحدة نحو 200 يورو
العربي الجديد: كورونا يتفشى بشكل متسارع في شمال غرب سورية (٢٢ آب ٢٠٢١)
"تشهد المناطق الواقعة شمال غربي سورية ارتفاعاً حاداً بإصابات فيروس كورونا ، بعد رصد إصابات بالمتحور "دلتا
الجزيرة: بعد رفض "لجنة درعا" خارطة الحل الروسية.. أين تتجه الأوضاعجنوبي سوريا؟ (٢٢ آب ٢٠٢١)
رغم أن خارطة الحل الروسية تضمنت وعودا بفتح المعبر والسماح بحركة البضائع والمؤن إلى درعا البلد، فإن النظام السوري لم يلتزم بفتحه بصورة مستمرة في حين يواصل عمليات القصف والتصعيد العسكري على الأحياء المحاصرة
عنب بلدي: “تربية درعا” تطالب النازحين بإخلاء المدارس التي لجؤوا إليها (٢٢ آب ٢٠٢١)
.أنذرت مديرية التربية في درعا نازحي درعا البلد القاطنين بمراكز الإيواء المؤقتة التي أُنشئت في مدارس المدينة بضرورة إخلائها لتجهيزها للعام الدارسي المقبل
العربي الجديد: لا اختراق في مفاوضات درعا... وتقديم اقتراح مدعوم روسياً مرفوض إيرانياً (٢٣ آب ٢٠٢١)
تشهد جولات التفاوض بين اللجنة المركزية في منطقة درعا البلد المحاصرة والنظام السوري، برعاية روسية، جموداً، من دون الوصول إلى أي حل أو اتفاق، في وقت رفض النظام والمليشيات الإيرانية اقتراحاً مدعوماً من روسيا لحلالأزمة