Dear Readers,Welcome to the weekly Syria Deeply newsletter. We’ve rounded up the most important stories and developments concerning Syria and the Syrians in order to bring you valuable news and analysis. But first, here is an overview of what happened this week:At least 47 people were killed when six bombs exploded in four Syrian provinces between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. local time on Monday. The deadliest of the attacks was a double bombing in the government-held coastal province of Tartous in which at least 35 people died. Bombs also went off in the Kurd-held province of Hasaka and government-controlled areas of Homs and Damascus.The battle in northern Syria continues with Turkish and Syrian government forces both making gains. Over the weekend, Turkish troops and their allied opposition forces pushed ISIS militants out of the Syrian border area with Turkey. On Wednesday, Turkish shelling killed six Kurdish security forces in Afrin, a northwestern city controlled by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).Forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad retook parts of Aleppo early in the week, effectively putting the eastern part of the city under siege. On Tuesday night, at least 120 people, including 10 women and 37 children, were hurt in a suspected chlorine gas attack in the al-Sukkari district of opposition-held eastern Aleppo. Two days later, shelling from Islamist groups in the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud district killed the last remaining pediatrician in the area.A group of doctors in Aleppo also urged the international community to respond to a crisis in the south of the city. They say the only hospital in the area, which serves roughly 125,000 people, will be relocated to another district by the end of the month.Pro-government forces are also in the midst of a major battle with opposition forces in Hama. At the end of August, several opposition factions launched the biggest offensive in the western central province since 2014. In the two weeks since fighting began, some 100,000 people have been displaced.On the diplomatic front, Russia and the U.S. failed to reach a cease-fire agreement this week, just as the Syrian opposition revealed its plan for political transition that would see President Assad and members of his government step down. The three-phase plan presented by the High Negotiations Committee includes a six-month negotiation and cease-fire, an interim government in power for roughly a year and a half, followed by the establishment of a new constitution and United Nations-supervised elections.Although no nationwide cease-fire has been agreed on the international stage, another local truce was negotiated in the Damascus suburbs this week following the earlier evacuation of Darayya city. Under the terms of the deal, fighters in Mouadamiya will be transferred to the rebel-held province of Idlib. Those who wish to remain must surrender their weapons by Monday.
Weekly Highlights:
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