Ongoing clashes in Euphrates region
Heavy clashes continue to take place in the western shore of the Eufrates river around Tishreen Dam and Qereqozah bridge. Turkish planes and drones had been targeting SDF positions together with continues attacks of heavy weapons, as new waves of Turkish proxies launched offensives against SDF positions. The civilian vigil that started on January 8th continues, with new convoys arriving every few days. HTS forces recently deployed forces in Jarablus, near the Euphrates river and next to the Turkish border, in convoys that arrived from Turkish territory into the border city.

Preparations for the “national dialog conference”
The HTS aligned preparatory committee for the “national dialog conference” have been holding meetings in Damascus with delegates from different provinces of Syria. Anti-Kurdish statements had been made by the president of the committee, that made clear that neither SDF nor PYD will be invited to the “national dialog conference”. The participation to those meetings has been therefore controlled by that committee, that made public statements after the meetings concerning the provinces of Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir Ezzor calling for the dissolution of SDF. A video was shared on social media allegedly showing an SDF/DAANES delegate being expelled from one of these sessions. ENKS, political rival of PYD and in opposition to SDF, also criticized the decisions of holding those meetings outside SDF controlled territories and with very limited scope of participation.

Efforts to return Iraqi nationals from al-Hol camp
A new group of Iraqis sheltered in Hol Camp, hosting families captured in the campaign against the caliphate of ISIS, returned to their country. This process is part of the joint work by the Autonomous Administration and the Iraqi Parliament’s Committee on Migration, Displacement and Community Reconciliation. The new group, which is the fifth to leave the camp since the beginning of 2025, consists of 618 people (167 families). The Iraqi administration will reportedly resettle these migrants, who have returned voluntarily, to Jeda Camp in Nineveh. Since 2022, 22 Iraqi groups have left Hol Camp and returned to their country.

On economy and HTS unfulfilled promises
At a time when Syria’s economy is struggling with inflation, currency devaluation, and rising unemployment, a recent report issued by the Syrian Central Bank on the country’s general inflation rate of 2024 is questioned by several economist, dismissing the Central Bank’s numbers as inaccurate and unreliable.
The head of the Chamber of Industry in Damascus also criticized the Syrian provisional government for their unfulfilled promises to support the industrial sector and incentivize economy. After the fall of the Assad regime, 100,000 Syrians returned from the bordering countries. In a context where it is already hard to maintain the jobs of industrial workers, the lack of measures to answer the need of the newcomers will deepen the humanitarian and economical crisis already ongoing in Syria. On the other side, the announcement of the EU to lift the sanctions on energy, transport and banking on Monday 24th of February can bring important economical changes.

Trade unions against Syrian government’s decisions
The Syrian provisional government fired 400,000 workers connected to services and administration of the Syrian State. This was presented as part of a “government restructuring plan”, at a time when Syria’s economy is struggling with inflation, currency devaluation, and rising unemployment. Damascus workers’ unions organized demonstrations to protest the decision, calling for a suspension of the dismissals and the creation of independent review committees to reassess the process.

Tribal clashes growing in Deir Ezzor
Inhabitants of Deir ez zor are witnessing a surge in deadly clan clashes, increasing local insecurity and heightening residents’ fears, that already left nearly 20 dead and more than 100 injured by gunshots. Most of the victims are civilians uninvolved in the clashes. Community development initiatives promoting dialogue and reconciliation among tribes are unsuccessful, partly due to the fear of repression and increase of violence. Some civilians of the region recently called for “support from local and international organizations to motivate residents to work together”.

HTS and the of Southern Operation Room
Banyan Hariri, commander of the Southern Operations Room and member of HTS since 2018, has been promoted to colonel and assigned as commander of the military forces in the region of Hawran. His forces from the Southern Operations Room are being merged an integrated under the Defense Ministry together with soldiers of the SAA who fought on the ranks the dissolved Assad regime. The region of Hawran include Daraa and Suweyda, neighboring with the occupied Golan heights and the newly expanded “security zone” of Israel. This process is also happening together with increased security operations of the provisional government against old regime loyalists and drug dealers.

New military council in Suweyda
In Suweyda, the police command has been reactivated in coordination with the provisional government, and a similar process to resettle soldiers of the SAA started. After meeting with delegates from the provisional government, Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri declared that men from Suweyda joining the army will serve in their regions, and that those who don’t want to join military service will continue their civilian lives. Allegedly, on February 22nd, a statement of a new military council of Suweyda was shared on social media, rejecting the integration of their forces in the ministry of defense of the HTS provisional government. We are not sure yet what this implies.

Israel not-anymore-temporal security zone
Israel defense minister declared that two military posts on mount Hermon and 7 more in the newly occupied “extended buffer zone” will be permanent. Netanyahu called for a demilitarization of the southern Syria and Israel intentions to not allow military forces of HTS provisional government deploy on the areas south of Damascus. Netanyahu expressed concerns about the safety of the Druze community, stating that they won’t tolerate threats against them.

 # Analysis

Shortly before March 1st, the date that was marked for the dissolution of the provisional government and the creation of a new one, the dates for the awaited “national dialog conference” had been fixed for February 25th. The preparation committee for the conference is mainly composed of HTS members loyal to al-Sharaa, including two women to make-up the obvious bias of such a committee, one of them from Turkey. All members are then Sunni Muslim, without any efforts to represent other ethnic and religious minorities in Syria such as Kurds, Druze, Christians or Shia muslims. As we mentioned before, such a conference will probably end up being a staged performance where to announce the dissolution of HTS, transferring their institutions and man-power into the a new centralized Syrian government. Such moves aims to legitimize their power grab as well as getting rid of the “terrorist” label that still hangs on them, tracing them back to their origins as a branch of al-Qaeda.

To make such a move more compelling, several senior figures of Hurras al-Din, the hardliners that stayed loyal to al-Qaeda when HTS started to act independently from it, had been target by coalition air-strikes in Idlib. This is probably the result of coordinated exchange of information between al-Sharaa provisional government and the US military apparatus. The newly proclaimed president of Syria is getting rid of his old comrades, specially of those that still to extremist to be accepted by western powers. With his help, intelligence operatives are getting their coordinates to American drones that do what they had been trained to do for decades: find, fix, finish. Don’t get us wrong here, we don’t complain about those theocratic fascists being blown up into pieces. We just point out how this is part of the power games of another theocratic fascist climbing up his way to presidency of the government.

In a recent article of Robin Yassim-Kassab, coauthor of the book “burning country” with Leila al-Shami, he wrote that Syria needs a strong society, not a strongman. Decades of megalomaniac dictatorship in Syria, with big statues and massive picture of Assad everywhere (first the father and later the son), contributed to promote a mentality where centralized hierarchy, represented by one strong-man, is seen as the only possible expression of national unity. The brutal years of war have been an extreme example of where this leads, with the regime loyalists putting in practice their slogan “Assad or we burn the country”. They did burn the country, but this did not stop the regime from collapsing.

On the other side of the Eufrates river, the 3 main institutions of the northeast Syria (SDF, SDC and the DAANES) announced an agreement to accept some of the conditions proposed by the provisional government in Damascus. The details of that meeting have not been shared on official channels, but it shows the disposition of joining the transitional process ongoing in Syria. This came as Turkish threats of a full invasion still hanging over the regions of the autonomous administration. As far as we know, this there is not yet any formal agreement with the provisional government of Syria. Such agreement is therefore a display of the will to prioritize negotiations and to avoid a continuation of the bloodshed.

March will therefore be a very intense month, The awaited “historical the message” of Abdullah Ocalan, promised by the delegation that visited him in Imrali prison, will probably be announced soon. 8 of March, working women’s day, is also a very important date for the women’s movement leading the revolutionary process. Newroz, the Kurdish new year celebrations, also take place at the end of March. For as, Anarchists in NES, it is also a very special month since is the month that 3 of our anarchist comrades fell şehid in defending this revolution. We honor them and we carry their memories in our hearts, continuing the struggle they gave their life for.

Revolutionary greetings!

09.02.25 – 16.02.25

# NES

Resistance in Tishreen
The civilian vigil in Tishreen dam continues, with people from all territories of Northeast Syria organizing rotations. The convoys are organized by the different cantons, with dozens of civilians going in every rotation to keep watch on the dam for a few days until the next group arrives.
Meanwhile, the clashes between SDF and SNA militias continue in the western countryside of the dam, with Turkish drones and warplanes bombing SDF positions constantly. Supply lines of SDF, as well as other civilian locations are also a target of Turkish drones on the eastern side of the dam. The Syrian Kurdish journalist Agid Roj was killed in one of these drone strikes. SDF drones units destroyed several vehicles of SNA militias.

Roja Reş and delay of the “historical announcement”
Kurdish people all around the world held demonstrations on February 15th demanding freedom for Abdullah Ocalan on the 26th anniversary of his imprisonment. After the meeting of DEM party leaders with him in Imrali prison, an historical statement was announced, but it has been delayed. DEM party leaders held meetings with the main Turkish political parties and also with Kurdish political parties of Başûr, Iraqi Kurdistan. PKK senior leader Cemil Bayik declared that the guerrillas will not disarm without Abdullah Ocalan’s release from prison. PKK executive committee member Murat Karayilan hinted additional conditions for any possible disarment, adding that a decision like that needs to be discussed in a PKK conference before taking any step. This contradicts declarations of Turkish politicians stating that PKK will lay down weapons if Ocalan calls for it.

# Syria

Plans for the “National dialog conference”
Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa formed a preparatory committee for the “National dialog conference” on February 12th, that is mostly comprised of pro-HTS individuals and close allies of al-Sharaa. The preparatory committee does not include representatives of the Alawite, Druze, Kurdish, or Shia communities. The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), aligned with the DAANES, made a statement denouncing the lack of inclusivity of that committee, as well as the risk of such a conference to be instrumentalized by HTS to simply consolidate their power grip. The Preparatory Committee held its first “dialogue session” in Homs Province on February 16.

Security operations of HTS
HTS forces continue their security operations, mostly targeting regime loyalists. At least 13 people had been killed in different incidents in Homs, Aleppo, Latakia and Deir Ezzor. SOHR reported some of the arrested to be found dead afterwards, some with signs of torture as well as two bodies that were found decapitated in Abu kamal.
An operation in Deir Ezzor resulted in the arrest of a group of leaders of the “National Defense” militia affiliated with the regime. In Latakia countryside, a curfew and searching operations took place after two check points of HTS in the area of Fahel Qabu, western Homs countryside, were attacked. The “Syria popular resistance” claimed responsibility for the attacks, a group allegedly aligned with Iran and other regime loyalist forces.

More non-Syrian HTS appointments
HTS continues their reorganization of the new Syrian army, announcing new appointments and changes in different military structures. The Defense Ministry reportedly appointed HTS Shura Council member Brigadier General Abdul Rahman al-Khatib as commander of the Republican Guard in Damascus, a majority Alawite elite force under the Assad regime. The Defense Ministry also reportedly appointed the former head of the ”Deterrence Aggression” operation room as the head of the “Damascus Division”, probably referring to the 4th Division of the Syrian Arab Army.

HTS deployment in Lebanon border
Following the clashes that took place in the Syria-Lebanon border last weeks, HTS security forces had been deploying in coordination with Lebanon army to crack down on the smuggling routes over the border. Discussions between Lebanese authorities and HTS provisional government in Syria are coordinating the security operations and the procedures for Syrian citizens arrested by Lebanese army.

HTS negotiations with southern armed groups
The Syrian interim government has continued to attempt to consolidate its control over groups in southern Syria that have not yet joined the Defense Ministry. Negotiations with the “Southern operations room” in Daraya and with “Men of dignity” in Sweyda continue. Some agreements allowing deployment of HTS forces in those areas had been put in practice, but definitive agreements about the integration of those groups on the new Syrian army has not been reached yet.

# International

Paris conference on Syria
Paris held an international conference about Syria with several representatives of Western states as well as other influential powers involved in the transition of Syria. French president remarked the need for new Syrian authorities to get more involved in the war against ISIS and the need for SDF to be included in the transition of Syria, remarking the important role the kurds played in the war against ISIS. Discusions about lifting the sanction took place, with promises to make it happen soon to provide humanitarian relief to the Syrian people. This become event more urgent now that Trump froze all USAID founds, from what many of the humanitarian services in Syria, including clinics in the camps of ISIS prisoners, depend. After the conference France authorities also confirmed that Israel refused their request to withdraw from areas that had been recently occupied.

Negotiations with Russia
An oficial call between al-Sharaa, interim president of Syria, and Putin took place. Among other topics, they talked to coordinate the withdraw of Russian forces from Syria. Russian naval fleet is reported leaving Syria, with Russian cargo vessels evacuating military assets from the port of Tartus as Russia negotiates its presence in Syria with the interim government. A big shipment of printed Syrian currency arrived to Damascus from Russia, where it has being printed for several years.

# Remember Omar Aziz
Events to commemorate Omar Aziz, a Syrian anarchist who died in the regime prison on February 16th 2013, took place. More than 20 events across more than 15 countries were held, reading his text “On the formation of local councils” and screening movies about the Syrian revolution. Events also took place in Northeast Syria, highlighting the similarities of his anarchist proposals with the system of communes and local councils of the Self-Administration of Northeast Syria. Many anarchist groups also made statements to remember his struggle commemorate his legacy. Jawana Aziz, daughter of Omar Aziz, published a video as a tribute to him. The video and the list of events can be found in the website https://rememberomaraziz.net/

# Manbij car bomb and Kobane without water

Another car bomb detonated in Manbij killing 21 people, mostly women. SNA blames SDF, but SDF denies it and attributes it to SNA factions. SDF condemned the attack and called for an investigation, offering support to find the perpetrators.
Heavy clashes between SNA and SDF continued, with constant bombings of turkish air force on positions near Tishreen dam and Qereqozah bridge.
Turkish attacks rendered the main water station of Kobane out of order, leaving more than 200,000 people without drinking water. DAANES calls for international human rights organizations to condemn the attacks, calling it a war crime.

# US Making Plans for Withdrawal

With President Trump in office, the Department of Defense (DOD) is drafting plans for a possible withdrawal of all 2000 US troops on Syrian ground. Several proposals are being drafted, considering different time schemes of 20, 60, and 90 days. Pentagon officials stated that for now there is no order to evacuate, but that their work is to have plans for any possible situation.

# Syrian-Turkish ‘Deep Strategic Partnership’

Following a visit of Al-Sharaa in Ankara, both presidents vowed to establish a close partnership. Al-Sharaa emphasized pressure of Israeli withdrawal, Erdogan cooperation on combating terrorism and pushing back on PKK in Syria. Announcements of a formal defense pact are not officially made yet, but there are clear indicators of Turkey willing to make us of air bases in Syria, as well as offering military support to rebuild a new Syrian army. This will include retaining influence on SNA forces that are expected to joint the new Syrian army.

# New deployments of HTS in SNA areas

The military operations command, linked to the transitional government of HTS, increased it’s deployment of forces in SNA controlled areas. This followed the announcement of SNA joining the new Syrian army, as well as the promotion of several commanders of SNA to high ranks. Among those promoted there is Abu Amsha, leader of the joint forces (hamza and Suleiman Shah brigades), who was behind the assassination of the kurdish polititian Hevrin Xalef in 2019.

# New air raids of Israel and UN assessment

UN delegation arrived to Quneitra region to asses the situation after Israel forces organized a partial withrawal from the region. Israel air forces also re-started bombing campaigns, targeting different locations around Damascus, declaring that those are attacks directed to Hamas and weapons that Hamas may use against Israel.

# Common delegation PYD-ENKS

ENKS, political organization connected to KDP in Rojava, announced their intentions to have a common delegation with PYD to Damascus, with the objective to negotiate the political status of the kurdish regions of northern Syria. ENKS stated that rejects any proposals of autonomy for north-east Syria and calls for a federal model.

# Negotiations and new Political Council in Suwayda

Political, military and religious entities created a new council together, pledging to “fill the political void, unify perspectives, and mobilize efforts in line with the evolving needs of Syrians in the upcoming phase.” The transitional government sent a delegation and held meetings with druze authorities, negotiating the process of integration of druze armed forces in the new Syrian army, allegedly in exchange of some political benefits, but seems no definite agreement has been reached yet.

# Expectation for the message from Ocalan

According to DEM-Party, Ocalan prepares historic call for the February 15th, the day that will make 26 years of his imprisonment.

# People’s Tribunal on Rojava vs. Turkey

At the Free University of Brussels, jurists, human rights activists, affected people and witnesses take part in the 2-day event to investigate and publicize the human right violations in NES. Turkey declined the invitation.

# Analysis

Now it’s two months since Bashar al-Assad left Syria, marking the collapse of the regime and the beginning of a new phase for Syria. Since then, HTS had been gradually taking more and more control of the state apparatus, culminating with the self-proclamation of al-Sharaa as president of Syria. The provisional government, originally announced for three months, legitimized it’s authority with a staged “victory congress” where only military commanders could assist, announcing now a period of 4 or 5 years before any elections can take place in Syria. Western support for the new regime kept the press away from calling it a military coup, but it is clearly what happened. This new administration counts with full support of the Turkish state, undermining any constructive agreement with the DAANES to joint efforts and build a democratic Syria.

Negotiations between the new administration in Damascus and the SDF continue, but it is clear that any agreement is out of reach, specially after SNA forces (turkish proxies) are being promoted inside the ranks of the new Syrian army. With Trump on the white house and his calls for US forces to withdraw, the future of the autonomous administration it’s very uncertain. Other minorities in Syria are slowly being bent under the authority of the new centralized rule, as international states support and assist the new government to establish it’s power. Any dreams of democratization and revolutionary steps for Syria fade away, as the new administration gets integrated into the ranks of capitalist nation-states.

The imperialist influence that Russia and Iran had over the Assad regime are being exchanged for the imperialist influence of Turkish neo-otoman dreams, with support of Turkish NATO partners of western countries. The islamic fundamentalist politics of the self-proclaimed president of Syria are now kept hidden, waiting to consolidate their power grip before to start any moves that could scare their newly acquired western partners. The promises of protection for ethnic minorities and women rights probably will last until economical sanctions are lifted, but after that nothing will remain between the new centralized state and any resistance against their authoritarian measures.

The revolution of northern Syria is funneled into a very difficult position, forced to accept the integration into a new Syrian state under the rule of an islamist force, or the annihilation under the bombs of the Turkish army. But after more than a decade of revolutionary developments in Syria, and more than four decades of efforts and struggle of the kurdish liberation movement, a promise of an historic announcement is now brought to the table by Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned leader of PKK. In less than a weak will be 26 years since we was imprisoned in the prison of Imrali, and this fifteen of February is the date that this historic announcement is expected.

At the same time, many anarchist from all around the world are also coming together in solidarity with the Syrian revolution, organizing events in memory of Omar Aziz. On the sixteen of February will be 12 years since he died in the brutal prisons of Assad regime, regime that after more than 50 years of brutality finally collapsed. We will commemorate his legacy as a revolutionary example, building bridges of solidarity over all Syria and all around the world. Now more than ever revolutionary forces must stand together to face the darkening times ahead of us. We remember our sehids, as well as all revolutionaries that gave their lives fighting for a better world.

Revolutionary greetings!

26.01.25 – 01.02.25

# On the New Syrian Government’s Victory Congress
The Military Operations Administration in Syria announced some dramatic shifts in the country’s governance as results of the so called ‘Victory Congress’. This congress was organized with a high degree of secrecy and was held among military leaders of different factions, including SNA. SDF or DAANES delegates were no invited. The next day Ahmed al-Sharaa gave a public speech on Syria national tv as new president.

Announcements of the “victory congress”:

– Ahmed al-Sharaa is now the official president of Syria’s transitional phase. The 2012 Syrian constitution is abolished.
– A temporary legislative council will be established to govern the country until a new constitution is drafted and implemented.
– All military and security institutions previously loyal to the old regime are officially disbanded.
– All armed factions and political-revolutionary bodies will be dissolved and integrated into state institutions.
– The Ba’ath Party, which had ruled Syria for decades, is officially dissolved.

Key priorities for the transitional phase announced next day on the “president speech”:
1- Establishing a functioning authority to fill the political vacuum.
2- Ensuring civil peace and preventing further internal conflicts.
3- Building state institutions that can serve the Syrian people.
4- Developing a strong economic foundation to drive recovery.
5- Restoring Syria’s international and regional standing.

Major challenges for the new administration:
– Security threats of remaining militant factions and external actors.
– Economic hardship, exacerbated by years of war and sanctions.
– Political divisions within Syrian opposition groups and international stakeholders.

In short, the Military Operations Administration’s decision to dismantle Syria’s previous political and security structures represents the most radical restructuring of the country in decades. The move is expected to face both domestic and international scrutiny, especially as foreign powers —including Russia, Iran, and Turkey— have vested interests in Syria’s political and military landscape.

# Some reactions to the “victory congress”:

Declaration of the DAANES about the “Victory council”

As the DAANES, we emphasize that these decisions should have been taken at a ‘National Congress’ with the participation of everyone. 
In particular, we do not accept the presence of some terrorists who have the blood of the Syrian people on their hands. Ehmed Ihsan Fayad al-Hayis, who brutally murdered Hevrin Xelef, Secretary General of the Future Syria Party and Mohammad al-Jasim, the head of the Abu Amsha group, complicit in many crimes committed in Afrin, were present at this meeting. 
We emphasize once again that this meeting is not legitimate and does not represent the Syrian people.
Any decision to be taken in Syria without a National Congress including all political circles will be incomplete. The most appropriate solution to end the instability in Syria is a national congress. The exclusion or suspension of any party in Syria from the congress will be no different from the practices of the former regime. On this basis, we once again call on the government in Damascus to refrain from such mistakes. Everyone must take part in the making of the new constitution in Syria.
As the DAANES, we once again call for the unity of Syria as part of our national liberation perspective. We emphasize once again that everyone in Syria must have their say about the future of Syria.”

Reaction a Syrian journalist, Hussam Hammoud, who covered the Syrian war for BBC, Guardian, al-Monitor and many other media, posted on social networks:

What happened yesterday at the so-called “Victory Conference” and the appointment of Sharaa as transitional president was disappointing on multiple levels:
    
1- A military council, not a revolutionary civilian body, approved it, resembling a coup rather than the revolution of a free nation.
2- Decisions were issued by an unknown legislative authority; there’s no clarity on who approved the dissolution of political institutions or the suspension of the constitution.
3- Civil and political voices were entirely absent, with decision-making confined to military actors.
4- A president was appointed while still technically listed on international terrorism sanctions.
5- “Victory” was declared without securing control over key areas like northeastern and southern Syria.
6- The entire discourse was military-focused, failing to address the Syrian people who sacrificed everything for freedom.
7- Calls for a “national dialogue conference” were actually nothing, what happened lacked civilian representation, reflecting a military-centered vision.
8- Revolutionary political and civil blocs were dissolved by decree and absorbed into the new state, illegally.
9- Military factions remain uncontrolled, a key reason why the conference lacked live coverage, with only select excerpts published to avoid backlash from dissenting military leaders that HTS couldn’t fully gain their trust.
10- The new president’s speeches are aimed at Western media only, not the Syrian people, with no direct address to those on the ground.
11- There was no official Syrian channel for such a critical announcement, Syrians found out about their “new president” through a Telegram message.
The conference was an all-male gathering, mostly Arab and Sunni. Syria is far more diverse than that.

# Other relevant news of the week:

– Tukish drones and war planes continued their attacks. Besides military targets, ivilians were targeted and killed in Tishreen, Kobane, Sirin and Zirgan.
– Delegations of high military officers and intelligence leaders from the Turkish state visited Damascus this weak.
– Turkey declared that SNA accepts the conditions of HTS to get integrated in the new Syrian army.
– Southern military room (Daraa) and Druze armed groups (Sweyda) also accepted an agreement to get integrated in the new Syrian army.
– SDF conditions to join the new Syrian army were not met and rejected the request to joint under the conditions that HTS propose, calling to continue negotiations
– HTS forces deployed on Manbij to asses the security situation.
– Important HTS operation in Syria-Lebanon border seized several weapon, cracking down against arms smuggling routs of Hezbollah.
– HTS continued its operations against regime officials, arresting important figures like Atef Najib, cousin of the former regime president Bashar al-Assad, and former head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa.
– Several insurgent attacks against HTS in different areas has been claimed by the “popular resistance of Syria”.
– EU announced that economical sanctions on sectors of finance, energy and transports will be lifted for one year if the interim goverment ensures an “inclusive political transition”.
– Russian delegation was received in Damascus, but allegedly they couldn’t reach an agreement with the transitional government and agreed to continue negotiations.

Revolutionary greetings!

20.01.25 – 26.01.25

# NES

#WeAreTishreen action days
To support resistance in Tishreen Dam, the internationalist commune called for days of action on January 25th and 26th. 10 years ago, on these dates, the city of Kobane was liberated from the attacks of ISIS. Today, the attacks of Turkish forces are still ongoing. For more than 2 weeks civilian convoys have been arriving to maintain a vigil in Tishreen dam. The vigil is continually attacked by drones, with 21 civilians killed and over 200 injured. Important representatives of the autonomous administration of North-East Syria who joined the vigil also got injured in those attacks, as well as some internationalists who also went there to support the resistance.

Int. org.s suspend operations in NES
International organizations providing humanitarian help have suspended their programs in northeastern Syria without providing a timeline for the suspension. This follows an executive order signed by the new U.S. President Donald Trump, which temporarily halts all U.S. foreign aid programs for 90 days. Several international organizations operating in northeastern Syria have informed their staff that program implementation will be paused pending a review by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The executive order signed by Trump states that all heads of departments and agencies responsible for U.S. foreign development assistance programs must immediately suspend new commitments and the disbursement of development aid funds.

Realese of Syrian families from al-Hol
66 Syrian families currently in the al-Hol camp will be allowed to return to their home. Al-Hol camp hosts families of ISIS fighters, mostly women and children captured during the operations that brought the islamic caliphate to an end. This is the first time that detainees from Syria in al-Hol camp are allowed to leave the camp. Date for return of these families has not yet been disclosed. Talks about return of other Syrian and Iraqi families detained in the camp are on going. This announcement came together with a call to UNHCR and Red Cross to assist the camp administration to ensure the return of those families, as well as a call for the international community to take responsibility for foreign detainees.

 # Syria

HTS moves South and East
The Military Operations forces, linked to the transitional government of HTS, took control of a corridor along the M5 in southern Syria until the city of Daraa and the border with Jordan. This move divided the territory under control of the southern operations room in the Daraa region and the Druze defense forces in Suweyda region. They also sent military forces east of the coast cities, taking control of the oil and gas fields in the region of southern Raqqa. Since the fall of the regime those areas were under control of SDF, that deployed there to prevent ISIS expansion. This transfer of control was coordinated between SDF, HTS and the international coalition, but some media outlets spread false information of clashes between HTS and SDF that SDF denied.

Assad al-Shibani in Davos Forum
The Foreign Minister of Syria’s transitional government, Assad al Shibani, joined the World Economic Forum held yearly in Davos, Switzerland. He met with important political figures, including an interview with Tony Blair and a meeting with Masrour Barzani, PM of the KRG. Shibani called to lift the economical sanctions on Syria. He invited foreign investment to Syria and stated their intentions to privitise state-run companies. Those are clear indicators of their will to apply a neo-liberal economical agenda in exchange for acceptance as legitimate government of Syria. Shibani also called for the SDF to disband, claiming they have no longer justification to exist since his government is promising to protect the rights of kurds and other minorities.

Israel military base in Quneitra
Israel army continue their operations to expand their occupation in southern Syria. Recently they started the construction of military base in Quneitra countryside, southern Syria. In some areas where recently deployed forces of the Military Operations, connected to the transitional government of HTS, videos with both military forces deploying together had been recorded. It is not clear how much this operations are coordinated.

# Analysis

As HTS government consolidates it’s position, asserting their diplomatic influence and expanding their military presence over Syria, their position on the autonomous self-administration starts to be more aggressive. Recent military deployments on the gas and oil fields south of Raqqa were used by some media to calim military advances over SDF, exploiting also ethnic tensions and resentments that may arab nationalists still hold against Kurds. It is not clear how much it was a mistake or disinformation of some media, or how much it was an intentional move to portray the transitional government as strong and decisive against separatism. Assad al-Shibani, FM of the HTS government who recently got his PhD from an Istanbul private university, is calling to disband SDF in the (in)famous World Economic Forum of Davos, while anouncing a full embracement of neoliberal economical agenda for Syria.

Al-Sharaa, ‘de facto’ president of Syria, is also making declarations like “The Kurdish People’s Protection Units alone did not respond to our call to restrict weapons to the authorities”. Those statements dismiss not just the ongoing negotiations with SDF, but also how other armed groups also rejected his calls to reorganize the monopoly of violence under direct control of a centralized state. As SDF makes diplomatic moves to consolidate it’s position and strength in the negotiation table, HTS seems to be more inclined to accelerate tensions towards confrontation, knowing they will have full support of Turkey for any military action against SDF. Turkish state media have a long history of fabricated news, and now already twice they spread false information of alleged car bombs going to Aleppo from SDF areas, indicating their readiness to create excuses to justify attacks on SDF.

Let’s not lie, the situation in NES looks difficult. Still, the resistance in Tishreen is an example of the determination to resist against the invasion, to defend the advances of the revolution. We also remember how 10 years ago, 26th of January of 2015, YPG and YPJ announced the liberation of Kobane from the attacks of ISIS. We should not forget that, because at that time it looked much darker than today. And here we are, the revolution did not just defeat the caliphate, but have been also a key element to the collapse of the regime of Bashar al-Assad. It is also making impossible for Turkey to consolidate it’s imperial aspirations in Syria and in Kurdistan. Revolutions are not the easy way, we know that, but difficulties won’t deter us to pursue our dreams of freedom and liberation.

Revolutionary greetings!

11.01.25 – 19.01.25

Resistance in Tishreen
Turkish proxies of SNA continue their attacks on the outskirts of Tishreen dam and Qereqozah bridge. SDF is resisting the attacks, that take place with support of Turkish artillery and air raids with drones and fighter jets. Turkey is sending new reinforcements to continue their military operations, as SDF continue inflicting heavy blows to the occupation forces, targeting vehicles and advanced military equipment with SDF-produced FPV drones.

Turkey attacks on civilians
For almost two weeks the vigil on Tishreen dam has been ongoing, with civilian convoys arriving from different areas of northern Syria to maintain a protest and protect the dam. Turkish drones attacked the vigil on several occasions, killing already more than 10 people and leaving dozens of injured. Those numbers add to others being killed by Turkish drones all around norther Syria, especially in Kobane countryside. The cities of Derik and Qamishlo were also targeted with drone strikes.

Diplomacy towards kurdih unity
A high delegation of SDF including Mazlum Abdi visited Hewler (Erbil), administrative capital of the KRG (Kurdish regional Government) in Iraq. They met with Masoud Barzani and other hig representatives of KDP, ruling party of the KRG. In that meeting they discussed about the importance of Kurdish unity and negotiations with the provisional government of HTS in Damascus.

EU-Syria Diplomacy
Several foreign ministers of European countries visited Damascus to hold meetings with al-Sharaa, ‘de facto’ leader of the provisional government of Syria. A EU delegate of the crisis management commission also promised €235 million in aid for Syria during her visit in Damascus.

Syria relations with the Arab league
The transitional government of Syria is also reinforcing their relations with the state members of the arab league. After the visit of the Qatar prime minister in Damascus, a common statement condemning the expansion of occupied territories by Israel in southern Syria was made, calling to respect the 1974 agreement.