| | | | | Dear Readers, Welcome to the weekly Syria Deeply newsletter. We've rounded up the most important stories and developments about Syria and the Syrians in order to bring you valuable news and analysis. But first, here is a brief overview of what happened this week: Violence escalated in Aleppo throughout the week, as government and Russian fighter jets pounded opposition-held neighborhoods in the divided city, while U.S.-backed Kurdish and Arab forces worked to push the Islamic State group (ISIS) out of its last stretch of territory along the Turkish border. By Thursday, U.S.-backed Syrian fighters had surrounded ISIS militants in the strategic strip of land known as the Manbij pocket on three sides. The offensive, which began early last week, aims to push ISIS out of the border territory that has been a vital logistics base central to its movement of foreign fighters to and from Europe. As U.S.-backed forces pressured ISIS from the north, pro-government forces backed by Russian airstrikes simultaneously pushed into ISIS-controlled Raqqa, just southeast of Manbij, along Syria's northeastern border with Turkey. It has been nearly two years since government troops have entered Raqqa province. Nearly 20,000 civilians have been displaced from the Manbij area since the U.S.-backed offensive began last week. The U.N.'s humanitarian agency warned earlier in the week that if it continues, the offensive could displace as many as 216,000 people. In a parliamentary speech on Tuesday – his first major public address since peace talks fell apart in April – Bashar al-Assad vowed to retake "every inch" of Syria in what he referred to as his country's war on terror. Assad's declaration came just two days before U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura announced that he would not attempt to reconvene the Syria peace talks in Geneva until August, saying the time was "not yet mature for the official third round of intra-Syrian talks. Government airstrikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo city were the heaviest they've been in weeks. Three different medical facilities in Aleppo were hit in the span of three hours on Thursday. One of the hospitals targeted was the last in opposition-held areas of the city equipped to provide pediatric services. And after the U.N. backed down earlier in the week on its strategy to air drop aid to besieged cities across the country, a humanitarian convoy managed to bring food aid into the besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya on Thursday for the first time since government forces surrounded the area in November 2012. The delivery to Daraya was made just hours after the Assad government gave initial approval for humanitarian access to all 19 of the country's besieged communities. De Mistura, however, stressed that "approval … does not mean delivery. Weekly Highlights: Hama Prison Riot Shines Spotlight on Show Trials | | | It's been more than a month since some 850 political detainees in Hama's Central Prison revolted, taking guards hostage and overrunning part of the facility. Negotiations are aiming at highlighting judicial malpractice and the release of about half of the prisoners. | |  | | A Syrian soldier holds an AK-47 with a sticker of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad as he stands guard at a checkpoint in Damascus. AP/Hassan Ammar | | Jan Egeland: Education for Syrians 'Non-Negotiable' The Norwegian Refugee Council's Jan Egeland explains that without consistent education, Syrian refugee children risk becoming part of the lost generations – a phrase they have come to loathe. | |  | | Imane and her brothers attend catch-up classes at a local school run by the Norwegian Refugee Council. They share their dreams and hopes in the video story below. UNESCO/Dalia Khamissy | | Former Captive: To Defeat ISIS, Convince Civilians If the war against the so-called Islamic State group is ever to be successful, our tactics must go beyond military ones, says French journalist and former ISIS captive Nicolas Henin. | |  | | Released French hostage Nicolas Henin, left, hugs his wife and children upon his arrival at the Villacoublay military air base, outside Paris, on April 20, 2014. AP/Jacques Brinon | | Additional Reading:
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Top image: In this photo released on the official Facebook page of the Syrian presidency, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, right, addresses a speech to the newly elected parliament at the parliament building, in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, June 7, 2016. Assad has vowed to liberate every inch of the country, the way government forces captured the historic town of Palmyra from the Islamic State group. AP/Syrian Presidency via Facebook | | | | | | |
