WEEKLY UPDATE
October 7, 2016
Dear Readers,Welcome to the weekly Syria Deeply newsletter. We’ve rounded up the most important stories and developments about Syria and the Syrians in order to bring you valuable news and analysis. But first here is a brief overview of what happened this week:Hundreds have been killed in increasing violence in Aleppo, prompting a United Nations warning that Syria’s largest city could be “totally destroyed” by the end of year. Elsewhere in the country, the so-called Islamic State stepped up its bombing campaign, hitting rebel, government and Kurdish areas.On Wednesday, the Syrian army said it would cut back attacks on the rebel-held eastern side of Aleppo for humanitarian reasons. But few believe the government will allow those living in rebel-held Aleppo to leave safely. U.N. envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura reportedly pledged to personally escort up to 1,000 rebel fighters out of Aleppo in an attempt to quell the devastating air attacks by Syrian and Russian forces.Airstrikes have decreased, but ground clashes between rebels and pro-government forces increased as the regime continued one of the biggest operations in Aleppo since 2013, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.The Syrian army’s announcement came just after Russia said it would send more warplanes to Syria, in addition to an S-300 air defense missile system Moscow had already sent to its naval base in the government-held province of Tartus.The United States has officially suspended talks with Russia on Syria. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Moscow had “failed to live up to its own commitments … and was also either unwilling or unable to ensure Syrian regime adherence to the arrangements to which Moscow agreed.”As much of the international community focused its attention on the battle for Aleppo, Islamic State carried out several bombings across Syria. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a bomb that killed at least 21 people near the Syria-Turkey border Thursday. The attack targeted Syrian rebels supported by Turkey, many of them from the Failaq al-Sham group, near the Atmeh border crossing west of Aleppo.It came after an Islamic State suicide bomber killed at least 30 people at a Kurdish wedding in northeastern Syria. Earlier in the week, Islamic State carried out two suicide attacks on government buildings in the center of Hama, killing at least two people. This is the first time the group has claimed an attack inside the city.

Weekly Highlights:

Besieged in Eastern Aleppo but Happy to Be Here: Diary Entry

Wissam lives with his wife in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, which has been under government siege since July. Violence is escalating in his neighborhood, but the teacher and activist wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
A meal shared by Wissam Zarqa and his wife before the siege began in eastern Aleppo. Wissam Zarqa

Analysis: Why Assad’s Propaganda Is Not as Crazy as It Seems

The Syrian government’s recent tourism videos of beautiful scenery and nightlife may look ludicrous to Westerners who know the brutal truth about Aleppo – but the West is not the intended audience of this publicity blitz.
Syrian regime forces gather at the Kindi Hospital in Aleppo on October 2, 2016.
Rebels had held the Kindi hospital since 2013, and capturing it allows government forces to threaten the opposition-held Heluk and Haydariyeh neighborhoods. AFP/George Ourfalian

What Syrians Can Expect in a Post-War Landscape

The U.S. objective in Syria is a political solution to the conflict. But for this to be successful, it will have to account for the complex governance structures and dynamics already established across the country, write Daniel Serwer, Rose Youhana and Katherine Preston.
Syrian regime forces gather at the Kindi Hospital as smoke billows following aistrikes on Aleppo on October 2, 2016. AFP/George Ourfalian

Additional Reading:

Top image: Syrian civil defense volunteers, known as the White Helmets, search for victims amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a government forces airstrike on the rebel-held neighborhood of Bustan al-Basha in Aleppo on October 4, 2016. AFP/Thaer Mohammed

Author: Impunity Watch Archive