The post Iran Withdraws Troops from Syria Amid Attacks on Iranian Commanders appeared first on The Syrian Observer ..read more

At the 12th International Meeting of High-Level Officials of Security Issues held in St. Petersburg, Major General Ali Mamlouk, National Security Advisor at the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Syrian Republic, emphasized the critical role of national identity and values in safeguarding countries from external threats and maintaining internal unity. His remarks on Thursday highlighted the challenges nations face from foreign agendas aiming to undermine societal cohesion through the erosion of cultural identity. Mamlouk stated, “Preserving national identity and traditional values fo ..read more

Recent investigations by Human Rights Watch (HRW) reveal a troubling escalation in the repression of Syrian nationals in Lebanon, including arbitrary detentions, torture, and forced deportations. This surge in human rights abuses has predominantly targeted Syrian opposition activists and army defectors. From January to March 2024, HRW documented several instances of Syrian individuals being forcibly returned to Syria by the Lebanese Armed Forces and the General Directorate of General Security, the agency responsible for managing foreign residents’ entry and residency in Lebanon. Among these we ..read more

On Thursday, Suweida City experienced heightened tension following the arrest of a university student by Assad’s forces approximately a month ago. Local sources have confirmed that families have detained several officers, including Colonel Manar Mahmoud, the head of the Immigration and Passports Branch in Suweida, in response to the ongoing detention of university student Danny Obeid. According to reports from the Suwayda 24 network, civil groups have set up checkpoints along the Damascus-Suweida road in protest against Danny Obeid’s continued detention since last February. They further stated ..read more

Recent investigations by Human Rights Watch (HRW) reveal a troubling escalation in the repression of Syrian nationals in Lebanon, including arbitrary detentions, torture, and forced deportations. This surge in human rights abuses has predominantly targeted Syrian opposition activists and army defectors. From January to March 2024, HRW documented several instances of Syrian individuals being forcibly returned to Syria by the Lebanese Armed Forces and the General Directorate of General Security, the agency responsible for managing foreign residents’ entry and residency in Lebanon. Among these we ..read more

Largely overlooked in the massive foreign aid package signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday is a measure that targets the trafficking of a dangerous drug in Syria, VOA has reported. The Illicit Captagon Trafficking Suppression Act is part of the package providing military and other aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. It provides for new sanctions against individuals, entities and networks affiliated with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who produce and traffic Captagon. Captagon is an addictive, amphetamine-like drug that is cheaply produced. Since the beginnin ..read more

On Wednesday evening, the Israeli military targeted a structure housing regime army personnel in the rural area of Quneitra. Subsequently, aircraft dropped warning leaflets in the vicinity. Local sources reported that Israeli missiles struck a building occupied by regime army forces near Rawadi village in Quneitra’s countryside, though specifics regarding casualties or material damage were not provided. Following the attack, Israeli aircraft dispersed paper leaflets in Quneitra, confirming the strike and issuing warnings to regime army leaders and soldiers, indicating further airstrikes if the ..read more

Ankara’s National Army issued a decision on Wednesday to isolate and apprehend Mu’tasim Abbas, purported commander of the al-Mu’tasim Division, which controls the town of Marea in Aleppo countryside. Local sources informed Athr Press that a military unit was dispatched to Mu’tasim Abbas’ headquarters to execute the arrest warrant, resulting in clashes between certain members of the Mu’tasim Division and the military unit deployed by the Ankara National Army. These sources added that the skirmishes led to the death of Ahmed Abbas, brother of the Mu’tasim Division commander, and injuries to four ..read more

Cathrin Schaer of DW wrote an op-ed in which she asked whether Syria can be the coming area of conflict between Iran and Israel.  For the past decade, Scaher writes, Israel has targeted Iranian assets and proxies in Syria through airstrikes, effectively impeding Iran’s military expansion without significant costs. This strategy extended to Lebanon and more recently to Iraq, disrupting the established rules of engagement with Iranian-tied adversaries. After a significant escalation on April 1, with Israel’s killing of a top IRGC general, Iran revised its engagement rules, openly attacking ..read more

Wednesday, in a display of military cooperation, the Syrian and Russian naval forces conducted joint exercises at a naval base in Tartous. These drills were attended by General Abdul Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim, Chief of the General Staff of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces, and General Sergey Kisel, Commander of the Russian forces in Syria. The exercises were designed to simulate real-life combat scenarios, focusing on defending against potential threats such as terrorist attacks and infiltration from both sea and land. Throughout the drills, General Ibrahim was briefed on the cooperation mechanism ..read more