turkey

Armed Factions in Syria: Identity, Affiliations, and Strategic Positioning

Over thirteen years since the beginning of the war, Syria remains a stage for complex conflicts, with numerous factions vying for control over different zones of influence. Last Wednesday, following the establishment of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, Syrian opposition forces led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Cham launched an offensive from their ...

Assad Claims Rebels Attempting to 'Redraw' Regional Map

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on Monday branded an Islamist-led offensive that has captured swathes of territory an attempt to redraw the regional map in line with US interests. His comments in a phonecall with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian came as Syria's military and its ally Russia launched deadly air raids on areas under ...

Araghchi in Ankara: Iran and Turkey Advocate Syrian Sovereignty

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Aragchi, continued his regional tour on monday, in Ankara, by meeting his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, following a visit to Damascus. In a joint press conference, Aragchi emphasized the agreement between Tehran and Ankara on a key principle: "The unity and sovereignty of Syrian territories must be ...

Embattled Assad Seeks Support Amid Aleppo Setback

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sought to shore up support from his allies Sunday, after a monitor said a shock rebel offensive saw government forces lose control of Aleppo for the first time since the start of the country's civil war. The Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group and allied factions now "control Aleppo city, except the ...

Kurdish-Led Force in Syria Seeks to Evacuate Kurds from Aleppo

A US-backed, Kurdish-led force in Syria said on Monday it is seeking to evacuate Kurds around Aleppo to safe areas under its control, after pro-Turkey factions seized a town where tens of thousands of Kurds were living. Syria's Kurds have suffered multiple waves of displacement since 2011 and have again found themselves on the frontlines in the ...

SOHR Says Pro-Turkey Factions Attack Government, Kurdish Forces

A Syria war monitor said pro-Turkey factions in the north killed government forces and attacked Kurdish fighters in Aleppo province Sunday, as a separate rebel alliance waged an offensive nearby. Turkish forces and their proxies have controlled swathes of territory in northern Syria since Ankara in 2016 began successive ground operations to expel ...

Syria and the Domino Effect

Benjamin Netanyahu has warned in his speech announcing the ceasefire in Lebanon: "Assad is playing with fire." Less than a week later, the Syrian regime is collapsing on all fronts. This time, Turkey is taking the lead. Erdogan has successfully brought together a diverse coalition of militias, from Islamists to Kurds, for the operation. His goal: ...

US, Russia, Iran, and Turkey Address Escalation in Syria

The United States on Saturday said Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad lost control of Aleppo because of his reliance on Russia and Iran. Syria's "reliance on Russia and Iran," along with its refusal to move forward with a 2015 peace process outlined by the UN Security Council, "created the conditions now unfolding," National ...

What’s Behind the Syrian Rebels' Push to Retake Aleppo ?

Rebel forces opposing President Bashar al-Assad have launched their biggest offensive in years this week, controlling a majority of Syria's second city of Aleppo according to a monitor. Government forces offered little resistance, the war monitor said, and the army admitted that rebels had entered "large parts" of the city. Syrian ...

More Than 200 Dead in North Syria Army-Jihadist Fighting

A war monitor said on Thursday more than 200 people, mostly combattants, have been killed in fighting after jihadists and allies launched a major offensive on government-controlled parts of Syria's northwest a day earlier. The toll in ongoing battles "has risen to 182 (combattants), including 102 fighters from HTS", a jihadist ...

Cyprus Seeks NATO Membership in Coordination with US

Cyprus Aims to Join NATO, in Talks with the U.S. to Meet Membership Conditions, Says President Cyprus is aiming to join NATO and is in talks with the United States to meet the conditions for entering the military alliance, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Thursday. Christodoulides explained that the discussions were focused on "how the ...

Turkey's Erdogan Seeks to Increase Trade With Russia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said during a telephone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that he wants to expand trade between Ankara and Moscow. "President Erdogan declared that he aimed to increase the cooperation between Turkey and Russia in a number of areas, notably expanding the volume of trade," the ...