Turkey restricts cross-border movement with Syria after area taken by terrorists- Daily Sabah

Turkey is limiting cross-border movement at Bab Al-Hawa (Cilvegözü) crossing with Syria after the area was taken by a terrorist group, Customs Minister Bülent Tüfenkci said Wednesday.

Tüfenkci told reporters that the restrictions were imposed after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants took control of the area.

He noted that restrictions will continue until the terrorist group's control over the area ends and will be imposed on all exports of all goods with the exception of humanitarian aid and food products.

The Cilvegözü border crossing in Turkey's Hatay province is a main crossing into Syria, which shares a lengthy border with Turkey.

The border crossing, near the southern city of Hatay, is located across from the Bab al-Hawa crossing north of Aleppo in Syria.

https://www.dailysabah.com/war-on-terror/2017/08/10/turkey-restricts-cross-border-movement-with-syria-after-area-taken-by-terrorists

Army Shelling Inflicts Direct Damages to IS Posts in Ras Baalbek, Qaa- Naharnet

The Lebanese army has shelled the posts of the Islamic State group on the outskirts of the eastern border towns of al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek, the Army Command-Orientation Directorate said in statement on Thursday.

“Army units have pounded with heavy artillery, missile launchers and helicopters, several posts of terrorist in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek and al-Qaa. Several injuries were reported among their ranks,” the Army's communique said.

The move comes as the army gears up for a long-awaited assault to dislodge hundreds of Islamic State militants from a remote corner near Syrian border, seeking to end a years-long threat posed to neighboring towns and villages by the extremists.

The years-long presence of extremists in the border area has brought suffering to neighboring towns and villages, from shelling, to kidnappings of villagers for ransom.

Car bombs made in the area and sent to other parts of the country, including Beirut's southern suburbs, have killed scores of citizens.

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/233970

Lebanon Faces 'Difficult Situation' as Hizbullah, AMAL Ministers Announce Visit to Syria- Naharnet

The Lebanese government is facing the “most difficult situation” since its formation, as ministers of Hizbullah and Amal Movement plan to travel to Syria “not according to a cabinet decision,” media reports said on Thursday.

"The government is in the worst situation since its formation. Although it passed through a period where it was unable to keep up with a number of accumulated files related to the State and people's interests, but here it is today facing an unenviable situation,” as for its relations with Syria, a ministerial source told al-Joumhouria daily.

An-Nahar daily described the move as an attempt to “normalize relations” with Syria.

Wednesday's cabinet meeting “may be the most sensitive test for the fate of the government since its formation with the most advanced attempt to forcibly normalize relations with the Syrian regime,” said the daily.

Two ministers are to travel to Damascus next week to attend an industrial fair, they announced after Wednesday's cabinet session.

Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan said he and Agriculture Minister Ghazi Zoaiter had received invitations to the Damascus International Fair, which opens on August 16.

"I will take part in the expo as the minister of industry in order to hold talks... I am going to Syria first and foremost as part of my vision for Lebanon's national interest," Hassan told reporters.

Hassan, a minister of Hizbullah, which has intervened in Syria on behalf of President Bashar Assad's government.

Zoaiter belongs to Amal movement.

"There are some issues that need to be dealt with on the trade and industry levels between the two countries," Hassan said.

"The ties between Lebanon and Syria are still in place politically and diplomatically. We have an ambassador (in Damascus) and they have an ambassador (in Beirut)," he added.

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/233965

Syrian Army Advances Further In Jobar District Amid Intense Military Strikes On Faylaq al-Rahman Fortifications...- South Front

On Wednesday, Syrian Air Force warplanes carried out dozens of airstrikes against Faylaq al-Rahman positions in Jobar district, Ayn Tarma and Kafarbatna areas east of Damascus.

The 4th Armored Division of Syrian Arab Army (SAA) also shelled Faylaq al-Rahman fortifications in the district with dozens of heavy Burkan rockets on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The SAA also captured 10 building blocks near Al-Manshiyeh roundabout in Jobar district east of Damascus, according to the pro-government web blog Al-Masdar News.

From its side, Faylaq al-Rahman claimed that 10 Syrian soldiers from the 4th Armoured Division were killed in an ambush in Ayn Tarma area.

Faylaq al-Rahman also claimed that its fighters damaged two T-72 tanks of the 4th Armoured Division in Ayn Tarma.

Furthermore, Faylaq al-Rahman published a video that shows a field operations room of the 4th Armoured Division in the west of Ayn Tarma being targeted by Faylaq Al-Rahman DIY gun.

https://southfront.org/syrian-army-advances-further-in-jobar-district-amid-intense-military-strikes-on-faylaq-al-rahman-fortifications-videos/

Black flags over Idlib: The jihadi power grab in northwestern Syria (Aron Lund-IRIN)

Life in northwestern Syria’s war-torn and impoverished Idlib Province is already bad. And with the jihadi group Tahrir al-Sham now firmly holding dominion, it’s about to get a whole lot worse for the two million people in the country’s largest rebel-held region.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have so far proved incapable of reclaiming Idlib and the surrounding opposition-dominated areas, and in the meantime Tahrir al-Sham has purged its main Islamist rival. In response, the opposition’s traditional foreign patrons are taking a step back, cutting military support and reevaluating even the civilian aid they’ve been sending into the province for the past six years.

International politics aside, the world now needs to find an answer to the question of how northwestern Syria’s civilians can be kept afloat if Western and Arab donors write Idlib off as an extremist haven, as they are likely to do—especially if Tahrir al-Sham tries to control aid flows. No less important is the question of what will become of these civilians, many of whom have been displaced from other parts of Syria or fled al-Assad’s notorious secret police, if the Syrian army one day manages to retake the area.

How Tahrir al-Sham took charge

Ever since the Syrian army was run out of Idlib's eponymous provincial capital in March 2015, two groups have dominated the fractious Sunni insurgency there: the Nusra Front, which recently rebranded itself as Tahrir al-Sham, and its Islamist partner-cum-rival, Ahrar al-Sham.

The two groups started out as close allies, but they had subtle ideological differences and contradictory international alignments, and a tortuous power struggle followed.

An ideologically complicated creature, Ahrar al-Sham has received most of its support from Turkey, Qatar, and private Islamist funders, while keeping a wary distance from the United States and other Western nations. However, the group isn’t terrorist-listed and it has repeatedly been invited to participate in UN-backed Syrian peace talks.

By contrast, the Nusra Front/Tahrir al-Sham is on various international terrorist lists and its leaders under sanction for its ties to the al-Qaeda movement; it has also been a target of US airstrikes. Successive name changes and a 2016 disavowal of al-Qaeda’s tutelage have been roundly dismissed by the international community, including the United States. “The core of [Tahrir al-Sham] is al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria,” a State Department spokesperson told IRIN, adding that Washington’s 2012 terrorism designation of that group will apply “regardless of what name it uses or what groups merge with it.”

http://www.irinnews.org/analysis/2017/08/09/black-flags-over-idlib-jihadi-power-grab-northwestern-syria

Not Money Alone: The Challenges of Syrian Reconstruction (Fabrice Balanche- The Washington Institute)

A dedication to rural residents, more-efficient farming techniques, and a focus on cities other than Damascus will be necessary to build a new Syria.

CLICK ON GRAPHICS TO VIEW/DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES VERSIONS

The war in Syria has not ended, but all interested actors must begin mulling the country's reconstruction now if such an effort is to have any chance of success. This is the case despite uncertainties about the status of de-escalation zones, areas controlled by the Islamic State and the Syrian Democratic Forces, and other factors. To be sure, a postwar Syrian government will face challenges far beyond the obvious problem of amassing and distributing financial resources.

UNDERLYING CAUSES OF THE WAR

Among the causes of the 2011 Syrian revolt were economic and geographic structural realities that accentuated political and sectarian problems. Indeed, a look at Syria on the eve of the uprising shows a center-periphery imbalance wherein large cities were surrounded by belts riven by poverty. Since Syria gained its independence in 1946, the population has grown rapidly, doubling every twenty years and creating unsustainable overpopulation in areas where agriculture did not offer enough jobs and where nearby urban economies could not absorb the labor influx. In the 2000s, the rural exodus accelerated when desperate populations flocked to informal suburbs, further burdening their already-strained economies.

http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/not-money-alone-the-challenges-of-syrian-reconstruction

Geagea: Some Trying to Use Lebanon to Bestow Legitimacy on Assad Regime- Naharnet

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea warned Wednesday that some parties "are trying to use Lebanon and the Lebanese government to bestow legitimacy on Bashar al-Assad's regime," shortly after a cabinet session witnessed controversy over an expected visit by some ministers to Syria.

“The Turkish and Jordanian governments have managed to return 100,000 Syrian refugees through cooperation with the United Nations, whereas here we have parties seeking to consult with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while forgetting that the refugees had escaped from him in the first place,” said Geagea at a press conference in Maarab.

“Those who want to return to Syria can return to the Assad-controlled regions from this very moment,” Geagea added, noting that refugees refraining from returning to regime-held areas are staying in Lebanon out of fear of political persecution or bloodshed.

The LF leader lamented that there are Lebanese parties who are “trying to give people the impression that the refugees' return is hinging on cooperation with Assad.”

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/233946

Large prisoner exchange between Syrian Army, Jaysh Al-Islam in East Ghouta- Al-Masdar News

BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:25 A.M.) – A large prisoner exchange took place between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Jaysh Al-Islam (Army of Islam) on Tuesday, a local source told Al-Masdar News.

According to the source, the Syrian Arab Army free three Jaysh Al-Islam fighters in exchange for six soldiers that were held captive by the latter.

The deal reportedly took place at the Wafiddeen Camp crossing located between the towns of Douma and ‘Adra in the East Ghouta region of rural Damascus.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/large-prisoner-exchange-syrian-army-jaysh-al-islam-east-ghout/

Coalition denies raiding Popular Mobilization Forces sites’ and ISIS claims responsibility- Al-Arabiya

The International coalition against ISIS denied reports that claimed they have launched raids on positions of the Popular Mobilization Forces on the Iraqi-Syrian border.

The reports conflicted about the source of the bomb attack on a Popular Mobilization Forces’ convoy on the Iraqi-Syrian border, killing 36 members of the militias.

For its part, ISIS claimed responsibility for the strike, refuting what was reported that US aircrafts, or artillery, was behind the bombing near Akashat. The organization published a video and pictures of the operation in which they arrested a number of elements.

Dozens of fighters of the Popular Forces were killed on Monday evening, as a result of the bomb attack near the Iraqi-Syrian border.

The Iraqi military sources said earlier that the bombing of the “international coalition” came through “fighter aircraft”, targeting groups of the Popular Mobilization Forces which approached the Iraqi-Syrian border, who left their positions in the Iraqi territory near the town of Akashat (about 50 km east of the Syrian Iraqi borders).

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2017/08/09/Coalition-denies-raiding-Popular-Mobilization-Forces-sites-and-ISIS-claims-responsibility.html

The Dragon and the Lion: China's growing ties with Syria- MEE

China has benefitted from the bickering between Russia, US and Turkey - emerging as a dominant player in Syria in terms of political and economic diplomacy

Last March, China quietly deployed troops to Syria. The soldiers, according to Chinese officials, trained members of the Syrian army, offering advice on medicine and logistics. Despite how little fanfare surrounded this move, it was, in fact, very significant: this is the first time China has sent troops to the Middle East for any reason other than to protect ongoing commercial projects.

The war in Syria has had a significant impact on global stability with grave implications for European security, the American presidential elections of 2016 and for Islamist non-state groups operating in Asian countries such as China, Philippines, Malaysia and even the secure city state of Singapore.

The effect of the war on China’s policy in the Middle East since 2014, particularly in Syria, has transformed it from one of caution to one of proaction.

While Beijing’s engagement was initially motivated by security concerns - including fears of Chinese nationals fighting in Syria and returning east - over the past two years, the blossoming relationship has seen both China’s economic interests in Syria and the country’s hold in the Levant more broadly flourish.

Conflict resolution

As the Syrian conflict evolves on a daily basis, the stakes for East Asia’s security are high. With recent events such as the arrest in March of Islamic State (IS) operatives in Malaysia and in June in Singapore, and the links between Islamic separatist fighters in Philippines and Myanmar and groups operating out of Syria, the war can no longer be seen as detached from potential unrest in East Asia.

http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/dragon-and-lion-syrian-chinese-relations-blossom-57414512

Northern Homs committee meets with Russians, demands new de-escalation deal- Zaman al-Wasl

A committee formed by rebel factions and civil society in northern Homs has met with the Russian military on Tuesday as part of a cease-fire deal reached last week where both parties discussed the fate of forcibly disappeared and detainees as well the food and aid entry to the besieged region.

The committee, in statement posted online, said residents and rebels of de-escalation zones in Syria seek a unified platform for the basic three zones in Eastern Ghouta, Syrian south and northern Homs, to reach a new deal to substitute Cairo agreement.

Rebels of northern denied the entry of a Russian aid convoy on Monday, saying detainees release is the first priority.

Russian military police on Sunday deployed in the northern countryside, setting up two checkpoints and observation points. 

 

The main Russian checkpoint was in Dar al-Kabira crossing, the only gateway to northern Homs, local reporter said.

 

The truce that began Thursday and the deployment are part of the third of four planned cease-fires reached in recent months under an agreement brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey in May that aims to "de-escalate" the violent Syrian civil war, now in its sixth year.

https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/28779.html

Syrian Army pushes north from liberated Sukhnah to Raqqa- Al-Masdar News

BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:30 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) resumed their offensive in east Homs, Monday, after repelling the Islamic State’s counter-attack to retake Al-Sukhnah.

Led by the 5th Corps, the Syrian Arab Army pushed north from Al-Sukhnah this afternoon, attacking the Islamic State’s positions near the towns of Al-Kom and Taybah.

With help from their Russian allies, the Syrian Arab Army captured several points from the Islamic State forces, killing and wounding several terrorists in the process.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syrian-army-pushes-north-liberated-sukhnah-raqqa/

Lebanese Ministers to Head to Syria at Official's Invitation- Naharnet

As reports emerge that “coordination at the military level might take place” between Lebanon and Syria, it has also been reported that around three Lebanese ministers "might make a trip to Syria to meet an invitation" of a Syrian official, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday.

“Minister of Agriculture Ghazi Zoaiter and Minister of Industry Hussein Hajj Hassan will travel to Syria on August 16 to meet the invitation of Syrian Minister of Economy and Trade,” said the daily.

“Lebanon's Minister of Finance, Ali Hassan Khalil, will later travel to Damascus at the invitation of Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis,” it added.

The daily said that “questions were raised as to whether these visits need approval from the council of ministers or would be considered as "private visits.””

Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Samir al-Jisr told the VDL (100.5) Monday that he had ”no knowledge about the ministers' visit, but if it is true it must be a decision of the council of ministers.”

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/233815

Bassil from Ras Baalbek: The Army is The One to Liberate Lebanese Land- Naharnet

Foreign Minister and Free Patriotic Movement leader Jebran Bassil said on Monday that it is “normal for the army to be the one to liberate Lebanese territories,” pointing out that the country is celebrating the “restoration of decision making which has been absent before.”

Bassil who spoke from the border town of Ras Baalbek, chaired the party's politburo meeting which was exceptionally held in the town in a gesture of support for the Lebanese army as it wages a battle against the Islamic State group in the outskirts of al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek.

He said the battle against the jihadists also aims to uncover the fate of servicemen abducted by the IS in 2014 during the Arsal army battles.

“The battle is accompanied by knowing the fate of the abducted servicemen,” he said, stressing “now we live a great joy because our State is restoring the people's trust.”

Turning to the crisis of displaced Syrians and refugees in Lebanon, he said: “We have always been talking about the threats of displacement and terrorism which used to be under a foreign cover, today this cover is gone.”

“The responsibility is great for the Lebanese and the army in how to deal with the issue of the Syrian displacement and the danger today comes from several quarters,” he stressed.

The Minister added: “We will be in Ras Baablek today and everyday. The meeting was extraordinary because the situation is extraordinary.”

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/233822

ISIL’s counter-offensive near Sukhnah ends in disaster- Al-Masdar News

BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:25 P.M.) – The Islamic State (ISIL) launched a desperate offensive near the strategic city of Al-Sukhnah, Monday, targeting the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) positions north of their former stronghold.

ISIL began the offensive by storming the small hilltops located north of the Al-Sukhnah; this would result in a series of clashes that would last for two hours.

Unable to penetrate the Syrian Army’s defenses, the terrorist group was forced to withdraw their remaining forces from the front-lines in order to avoid a high casualty count.

According to a military source in eastern Homs, the Syrian Army killed well over 20 Islamic State terrorists on Monday, including several foreign combatants.

This failed offensive will likely be the Islamic State’s last attempt to recover Al-Sukhnah, as the Syrian Army has been quickly securing all flanks around the city.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isils-counter-offensive-near-sukhnah-ends-disaster/

Suriye'den 'Kürtler seçim tarihi belirledi' haberlerine yanıt: Ödeyecekleri bedeli biliyorlar- Sputnik News

Suriye Dışişleri Bakan Yardımcısı Faysal Mikdad, Suriye’nin kuzeyinde Kürtlerin denetimindeki bölgelerde sonbaharda yerel belediye ve bölgesel meclis seçimi yapılacağı açıklamasını değerlendirdi.

Başkent Şam’da Reuters ve BBC’ye konuşan Mikdad “Seçimler bir şakadan ibaret olacak. Suriye, topraklarının hiçbir parçasının bölünmesine izin vermeyecek” dedi. Mikdad şöyle devam etti: "Suriye'nin kuzeyinde ülkedeki durumu tehlikeye atmayacak Suriye vatandaşlar olduğuna inanıyoruz. Ülkenin bölünmesi yönünde hareket edenler, ödeyecekleri bedeli biliyorlar."

Mikdad, Şam’ın Kürtlerin kontrolündeki bölgelerde er ya da geç kontrolü sağlaması gerektiğinin de altını çizdi.

Reuters'ın aktardığına göre geçen hafta bir Kürt yetkili sosyal medya üzerinden yaptığı açıklamada, yerel toplulukların yönetimi için yaz aylarında, daha büyük yerleşim birimlerinin yönetimi için kasım ayında ve ocakta da bölgenin bütünü için seçimler yapılacağını yazmıştı.

https://tr.sputniknews.com/ortadogu/201708071029594732-suriye-kurt-secim-tarihi-belirledi-bedel/

Saudi Arabia: Our position on Syria’s future is firm, no place for Assad- Al-Arabiya

An official source at the Saudi Foreign Ministry has said reports by several media outlets quoting Riyadh’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir regarding the Syrian crisis as “inaccurate”.

Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted the source as saying: “The firm position of the Kingdom on the Syrian crisis is based on the principles of the Geneva 1 Declaration and UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which provides for the formation of a transitional authority to govern the country, the drafting of a new constitution and the preparation of elections for a new future for Syria which will have no place for Bashar al-Assad”.

The source confirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), the procedures it is considering to expand the participation of its members, and the unification of the opposition.

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2017/08/06/Saudi-Arabia-Our-position-on-Syria-crisis-is-firm-no-place-for-Assad.html

Lebanese, Syrian armies planning offensive against ISIL together: report- Al-Masdar News

The Lebanese newspaper, Al-Joumhuriya, reported on Saturday that the Lebanese army has been coordinating the upcoming battle against ISIL terrorists in Ras Baalbek outskirts with the Syrian military.

The paper added that both sides’ representatives held several meetings for this purpose, noting that the battle has been delayed in order to intensify this process.

Al-Joumhuriya also denied reports about US-Russian participation in the battle, clarifying that the officials are mulling such an international support.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/lebanese-syrian-armies-planning-offensive-isil-together-report/

ISIS kicks off do-or-die offensive to capture Deir Ezzor city- Al-Masdar News

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (4:00 A.M.) – With the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) mechanized pincers pushing towards the provincial capital of Deir Ezzor from three axes connected to the government mainland, ISIS commanders seem to have realized that their assault on the city must be speed up, forcing them to intensify attacks on the SAA’s besieged eastern garrison.

A series of new photos released by Amaq Agency, ISIS’ primary media branch, shows technicals, a tank and mortar guns targeting SAA positions in and around the city..

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/pictures-isis-kicks-off-die-offensive-capture-deir-ezzor-city/

Syrian Army continues past Sukhnah towards Deir Ezzor, several areas liberated- AllMasdar News

BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:55 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continued their offensive in eastern Homs, today, targeting the Islamic State’s (ISIL) positions along the Palmyra-Deir Ezzor Highway.

Backed by Shaytat tribal fighters and Liwaa Fatemiyoun (Afghani-Iranian paramilitary), the Syrian Army’s 5th Corps liberated several areas that were under the Islamic State’s control southeast of Al-Sukhnah.

According to a military source, the Syrian Arab Army and their allies liberated the areas of Abu Qal, Duhur Rajm Al-Qan, and Tal Al-Maleh.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syrian-army-continues-past-sukhnah-towards-deir-ezzor-several-areas-liberated/