Click to see full-size image
The war in Syria continues with the main players being Turkey and Israel as the country’s new government struggles to gain legitimacy.
On January 12, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) renewed its attack on the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the direction of the town of Kobani in the eastern Aleppo countryside in northern Syria.
The clashes broke out near the Tishreen Dam and Qara Qozak Bridge on the Euphrates River, with Turkish fighter jets and combat drones carrying out airstrikes against the nearby towns of Tell Taffaha and Tell Barkal as well as Sarrin Airport in support of the SNA.
SDF fighters held onto their positions, inflicting some serious losses on the SNA. By January 13, at least 20 Turkish-backed fighters had been killed, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The SDF’s drone units were responsible for many of the casualties.
The SNA has been launching attacks against the SDF in the direction of Kobani for nearly a month now, with no success whatsoever. Nevertheless, a much larger attack with direct Turkish participation is to be expected in coming weeks if Ankara reaches an agreement with the United States, the main backer of the SDF which is currently keeping some troops in the region.
While Turkey is actively working to expand its control in northern Syria, Israel continues to widen its area of operations in the south of the country.
On January 11, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) advanced in the western outskirts of the town of Malgah in the southern al-Quneitra countryside.
Israeli military bulldozers paved a road from Malgah to the al-Dar’iyat point on the border with the occupied Syrian Golan Heights before withdrawing. This unusual move by the IDF is likely meant to prepare for future operations in the region.
On January 13, the IDF escalated again, launching strikes against an unofficial crossing between the Syrian town of Matarba and the Lebanese town of al-Qasr in the western countryside of Homs. It is still unclear if the strikes caused any casualties.
On the political side, the new Syrian government led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham continues to make efforts to gain legitimacy with help from Arab countries.
The Saudi capital, Riyadh, hosted on January 12 an Arab ministerial meeting and another featuring the foreign ministers of Arab and Western countries to discuss the situation in post-Assad Syria.
The meeting brought together foreign ministers and representatives from Bahrain, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Spain, Syria, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the U.S., as well as the Secretary-General of the Arab League, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the UN Special Envoy for Syria.
“Discussions centered on steps to support the Syrian people during this critical period, aiming to rebuild Syria as a unified, independent, and secure Arab state for all its citizens. Participants emphasized the need for a Syria free from terrorism, external aggression, or breaches of its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” a joint statement said.
It added that the “attendees expressed their support for a Syrian-led political transition process involving diverse political and social forces that safeguard the rights of all Syrians. They highlighted the importance of dialogue to address challenges and concerns while respecting Syria’s sovereignty and independence. Stressing that Syria’s future lies in the hands of its people, they reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the Syrian people’s choices and will.”
The meeting also addressed concerns over Israel’s incursions into the buffer zone and neighboring sites in Mount Hermon and Quneitra Governorate. Participants underscored the need to respect Syria’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
On the sideline of the meeting, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani held a series of bilateral meetings with Arab and foreign counterparts.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said Shaibani met with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Jordan’s Ayman Safadi, and Bahrain’s Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani.
The top diplomat also held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and UN envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen, according to the same source.
All in all, Syria’s future remains uncertain. Foreign interventions and the challenges facing the new government could lead to years of war.
whaha look at that filth lying on the ground, armored vehicles getting destroyed by some cheap commercial drones. a shame sf didn’t post the one where that mercenary filth was running away from the drone, that one was my favorite. nevertheless:
🎶another one bites the dust and another one gone and another one gone another one bites the dust, yeah🎶
what will happen after trump ?
hahaha, hahaha haha hahaha, hahaha haha 🏃♂️🤡 😆😆😆 haha hahaha hahaha
by the time sf made this post sdf already released another video. love the fact that there is a pov-view and a second drone capturing the after result. pure cinema.
edit: 2 new videos
yes, pure cinema! it is mainly pure propaganda and a godsend for turkey. you are literally showing your combat tactics. if the turkish army intervenes directly in syria. it will be even more impressive than against the syrian army and azerbaijan against the armenian army. here you destroy 3 cars and make 2 holes in a house and you are happy!? … it made me laugh more than anything else. you try to copy us
yeah some are not that impressive have to give u that but still more than 200 killed (many confirmed) and most are your turkmen brothers. if u guys had the capability to do something about it, surely u would have done it already. also some turkish soldiers among the dead btw
oh no there are no dead turkish soldiers because turkey would have announced it. you can accuse us of all the lies you want, we will never lie about the death of our soldiers never. for the syrian rebels 200 300 we don’t know! it’s like for you. there are many dead in the ypg too. these are propaganda numbers always inflated, i don’t pay attention to them. you are trying to retake territory but you can’t do it, you are being prevented for the moment. it’s not much but it’s enough it works.
yeah sure your guys never die while our side lies and inflates the numbers. cope harder buddy. according to sohr (pro rebel media and not even kurdish) 279 death on your side and 66 on our side. 1: 4,2 ratio
hahaha, hahaha haha hahaha, hahaha haha 🏃♂️🤡 😆😆😆 haha hahaha hahaha
as i have been saying since the end of december. not much will happen in january. when trump will be president and the new american agenda will start, then at that point the game can continue. there are only small skirmishes now. everyone is holding their positions. the small propaganda videos of the ypg will not change the fact that the ypg cannot in any way retake the territories it has lost.
syrian and ukraine war and terrorism in afrca are push by france and britain.because their existance are base on killing destabilizing and looting of gold,diamonds,cocoa,uranium,oil and gas.
france and britain plan with israel and kill idiamin,gadafi,sadam,sakere.the embasiesthat their have in namibia,south africa,mozambique,malawi,swaziland and nigeria are military bases and intellegence offices.
look in namibia usa,britain,france and china got huge expensive embasies which surpases countries economy and accomodate military vehicles.while the citizen are poor,exploit and jobless.