Syria: scores of civilians killed in government air strikes
Turkey warns Syrian army against helping Kurds repel Turkish forces in north
More than 100 civilians are believed to have died in overnight raids near Damascus, as Syrian government forces prepare a ground operation to recapture opposition-held Eastern Ghouta.
The Damascus suburb has been under fire since Sunday and at least 15 children are among the dead, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The enclave is the last remaining opposition-held territory near the capital, the BBC reports, and is completely surrounded by areas under government control.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“The attacks on the Eastern Ghouta area since Sunday have hit not only civilians but also their means of survival, targeting bakeries, warehouses and anything else that may hold food supplies,” says the news site.
Meanwhile, another flashpoint threatens Syrian stability as the country approaches its eighth year of civil war.
Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag warned Syria of “disastrous consequences” should Syria send government forces to reinforce the Kurdish YPG in their fight against the Turks in northern Syria, reports CNN.
Three Kurdish militia - the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) - have been the target of a month-long Turkish offensive in Afrin aimed at clearing the border.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Foreigners in Spain facing a 100% tax on homes as the country battles a housing crisis
Under the Radar The goal is to provide 'more housing, better regulation and greater aid,' said Spain's prime minister
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: January 22, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Codeword: January 22, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
The challenge facing Syria's Alawites
Under The Radar Minority sect that was favoured under Assad now fears for its future
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Islamic State: the terror group's second act
Talking Point Isis has carried out almost 700 attacks in Syria over the past year, according to one estimate
By The Week UK Published
-
What will happen in 2025? Predictions and events
The Explainer The new year could bring further chaos in the Middle East and an intensifying AI arms race – all under the shadow of a second Donald Trump presidency
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Kremlin seeks to quell Assad divorce reports
Speed Read Media reports suggest that British citizen Asma al-Assad wants to leave the deposed Syrian dictator and return to London as a British citizen
By Hollie Clemence, The Week UK Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Is it safe for refugees to return to Syria?
Talking Point European countries rapidly froze asylum claims after Assad's fall but Syrian refugees may have reason not to rush home
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Assad's fall upends the Captagon drug empire
Multi-billion-dollar drug network sustained former Syrian regime
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published