| | | | | 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: In Syria, the lead negotiator for the mainstream opposition resigned over what he deemed to be the failure of the United Nations-led peace talks in Geneva to bring about a political solution and to facilitate humanitarian access into besieged communities across the country. Mohammad Alloush, head of Jaish al-Islam, a powerful Islamist rebel group based in Damascus, said on Sunday the peace talks were a "waste of time," that they had failed to secure the release of thousands of detainees or to make any progress toward a political transition in Syria that does not include. The month-long revolt in Hama's central prison further deteriorated, after inmates captured 11 staff members, including the prison chief. Airstrikes overnight on Monday killed at least 60 civilians and put two hospitals out of service in the northern rebel-held province of Idlib, according to the Syrian Civil Defense, a group of volunteer rescue workers also known as the White Helmets. Clashes between ISIS and rebel factions north of Aleppo continued throughout the week in Marea, after the extremist group cut the town off from the rebel stronghold of Azaz along the Turkish border. The U.S.-led coalition conducted its first-ever airdrop of weapons in Syria on Thursday to support rebels holding the town of Marea. Thousands of civilians have fled the area over the past week, as ISIS attempted to advance into Marea and on to the rebel stronghold of Azaz. Global medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) urged Turkey on Thursday to open its border with Syria and allow the nearly 100,000 displaced civilians who have fled war in the north of the country in recent months, entry into the country and protection from the current ISIS assault. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continued a major offensive against ISIS throughout the week, pushing toward Raqqa, their de facto capital. The campaign has been focused on capturing a strip of land along the Turkish border known as the Manbij pocket. The seizure of the strategic swathe of land would cut off ISIS's access to Syria from Turkey and significantly decrease the flow of foreign fighters in and out of the country. The SDF has captured at least 11 towns and villages from ISIS since it began the offensive last week. Weekly Highlights: Syria's New Media Watchdog Takes Aim at Falsehoods With hundreds of news sources and social media feeds about Syria – some of which publish rumor, hearsay or even fake stories – we speak with Dirar Khattab, the managing editor of the Syrian fact-checking website Takkad, on what they are doing to combat this problem. | |  | | A Russian soldier, acting as escort to a group of journalists, walks inside a Greek Orthodox church in village of Maaloula, Syria, on March 3, 2016. AP/Pavel Golovkin | | Ghouta Infighting Challenges Jaish al-Islam's Rule A month-long struggle between the two leading factions in the besieged suburb of Eastern Ghouta in Damascus ended last week when the parties agreed to a cease-fire. However, the dispute raises questions over the rule of Jaish al-Islam, the leading faction in the area. | |  | | A man walks with two children through the rubble in Eastern Ghouta just outside of Damascus. Save the Children via AP | | Idlib: Civilian Deaths, Hospitals Out of Service Overnight airstrikes reportedly carried out by the Russian air force hit civilian targets in rebel-held Idlib city in northwestern Syria, killing more than 60 civilians and putting two hospitals out of service. | |  | | Smoke rises after a barrel bomb, thrown from a helicopter, hits a rebel position during heavy fighting on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013, between troops loyal to President Assad and opposition fighters in the Idlib countryside. AP, File | | Additional Reading:
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Top image: Syrian refugees arrive to a train station in south Germany in September 2015. More than 420,000 Syrian refugees came to Germany in the last year, and the large majority will eventually receive asylum. AP/Markus Schreiber | | | | | | |
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