Syria Conflict

US kills top Islamic State leader in Syria, Pentagon says

Syria's Kurdish-led forces alleged Maher al-Aghal was also affiliated with Turkey-backed opposition group Ahrar al-Sharqiya.

Syria

UN Security Council extends Syria cross-border aid for six months

Aid agencies say the short-term extension puts more than 4 million Syrian lives on the line.

Syria

Culture

Syrian musicians carve out small space in Istanbul’s live music scene 

Istanbul’s Syrian-run small art spaces have become a conduit of connection between locals and the refugee population through music amid high running anti-refugee sentiment across the country.

Syria

Energy company touts oil-for-food scheme as Syrian aid route tightens

With Syria's sole remaining route for cross-border aid in peril, a London-based oil company is lobbying for an initiative that would see the proceeds of Syrian oil being used for aid, with the money going to the UN rather than Damascus.

Syria

Russia vetoes UN measure renewing aid to northwest Syria

"People will die because of this vote," US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said of the Security Council's failure to reauthorize the cross-border mechanism.

Syria

4 million Syrians on brink of starvation as UN aid mechanism draws to close

Millions of Syrians are helplessly waiting in desperation as UN aid entry into Syria draws to an end amid expectations that Russia will veto a resolution authorizing cross-border aid into the war-torn country.

Syria

Culture

Women in north Syria collect wild plants, medicinal herbs to sell

Women in northern Syria, especially those who became the sole breadwinners for their children after losing their husbands during the war, are collecting wild plants and medicinal herbs to make ends meet.

Syria

Syrian forces crack down on Islamic State in Syrian desert

The Syrian government forces are waging a revenge war against the Islamic State in the Syrian desert amid escalating attacks.

Syria

Free Syrian Army defends areas of influence against IS, HTS cells

The internal fighting among FSA factions and the ambitions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to expand its control in the northwest of Syria did not prevent the Turkish-backed FSA factions from continuing their security operations to crack down on Islamic State cells in the countryside of Aleppo.

Syria

Syrian armed groups clash outside Aleppo

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham entered the areas under the control of Turkish-backed factions in the countryside of Aleppo.

Syria

Culture

Beekeepers feel sting in northern Syria

Beekeeping in northwest Syria, which was once a traditional industry, faces challenges due to the war and its repercussions amid a lack of support.

Syria

US drone strike kills al-Qaeda affiliate in northwest Syria

The rare drone strike in Idlib province was aimed to disrupt Huras al-Din's ability to stage terror attacks outside Syria, according to the Pentagon.

Syria