The flashpoint areas in Syria this past week did not change much as the north of the country, namely Hasaka and Aleppo, and the southern front of Quneitra witnessed significant advances by Kurdish forces and the Syrian army against extremist groups.
On a political level however, the visit of four French lawmakers to Damascus highlighted the international divides on the Syrian crisis. Some hailed it as start of a European shift towards the Syrian government while others called it a “diplomatic transgression.”
French lawmakers meet Assad
Four French lawmakers met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday during a private trip to the war-torn country, despite a breakdown in diplomatic ties between Paris and Damascus.
The four MPs and senators, who hail from both the left and the right, belong to the France-Syria parliamentary friendship groups. One of the MPs is a member of President Francois Hollande's ruling Socialist Party (PS).
The French government was quick to deny that the lawmakers were there in an official capacity.