The most important updates on the war in Syria.
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WEEKLY UPDATE
August 27, 2016
Dear Readers,Welcome to the weekly Syria Deeply newsletter. We’ve rounded up the most important developments about Syria and the Syrians in order to bring you valuable news and analysis. But first, a brief overview:The week saw key shifts in alliances on the ground in Syria as diplomatic relations thawed between regional and world powers involved in the six-year conflict.The YPG, the main Syrian Kurdish militia, defeated government forces in the northeastern city of Hasaka. It also brought the U.S. close to direct confrontation with the Syrian government, after its airstrikes hit close to where U.S. special forces were stationed. A cease-fire was reached after Kurdish forces took control of the entire city, allowing the government to maintain hold over a few buildings in the security quarter.Despite being a key U.S. ally in the fight against ISIS, Kurdish YPG forces came under fire following Turkey’s military intervention in Syria. Turkish tanks, planes and special forces crossed the border to target both ISIS militants and Kurdish YPG forces, whom Turkey sees as an extension of the PKK, which has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy since the 1980s. Syrian rebels, backed by the Turkish army pushed out ISIS militants from Jarablus, the last significant border town controlled by the so-called Islamic State. U.S. vice president Joe Biden echoed Turkish demands that the YPG retreat to east of the Euphrates river or risk losing U.S. support.One week after Russia started using an Iranian airbase in Iran to strike targets in Syria, Iran declared Russian planes will no longer be allowed to do so after apparently being displeased that their guests publicized the event. The Russian Defense Ministry said its military had completed its operations, but kept the door open to future agreements to use its Iran’s airbases.A joint investigative team of U.N. and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) announced that the Syrian government was responsible for at least two chemical weapons attacks in 2014 and 2015, and ISIS was responsible for one. An additional six attacks were investigated, with three pointing at government responsibility and another three inconclusive.Government and rebel forces have agreed to evacuate civilians and fighters from the town of Darayya, under government siege since 2012. Only 5 miles (8km) outside of Damascus, residents there have faced near constant bombing, water shortages and food scarcity, with only one aid convoy allowed in four years of siege. Government bombing last week destroyed the town’s last hospital.U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Geneva in an attempt to restart peace talks. Kerry said he was hopeful, but not optimistic of the results.

Weekly Highlights

Analysis: No End to Aleppo’s Brutal Stalemate:

Intensified fighting in Syria’s largest city does not mean its stalemate will end any time soon. We look into the four-year-old stalemate in the deeply divided city of Aleppo in light of the recent battles there.
A Syrian man rides a motorcycle passing by a damaged building that was destroyed by airstrikes in Aleppo, Syria. Aleppo Media Center via AP

How to Help in Syria:

A list of organizations providing much-needed support for millions of Syrians in critical need of medical aid, food, water and shelter.
For new reporting and analysis every weekday, visit www.newsdeeply.com/syria.
You can reach our team with any comments or suggestions at info@newsdeeply.org.

Top image: A screenshot from a video shows five-year-old Omran Daqneesh, who was pulled from the rubble of a bombed building, bloodied and in shock, after an airstrike in Aleppo. Aleppo Media Center
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