What is happening in Syria?
Situation for April 8-14, 2023
🔻Israeli attacks on Syria
▪️ Against the backdrop of a sharp aggravation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Israel and the West Bank of the Jordan, a pro-Palestinian group fired three rockets towards Israel, one of which fell on the occupied part of the Golan Heights.
In response, the Israeli Air Force attacked targets in the provinces of Daraa and Al Quneitra. Oppositional Syrian sources reported that the target of the raid was a facility belonging to Maher al-Assad, the brother of the Syrian president. Government sources denied this information.
▪️At the same time, Western media accused Iran of importing weapons to Syria under the guise of humanitarian aid after the earthquake. According to them, this explains the increased attacks by Israel.
It is noteworthy that this time Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the shelling of Syrian territory. He stated (https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/pm-blames-previous-government-for-terror-wave-reinstates-defense-minister-gallant/) that Iranian targets were hit.
🔻Fighting
▪️Pro-Iranian militias and Americans once again exchanged blows in eastern Syria. This happened after the US military shot down a militia drone in the At-Tabia Jazeera area.
Iranian-backed formations fired at a base near the Konoko oil field, one of the missiles reached its target. In response, the US Air Force launched airstrikes on militia positions in Khatla Tahtani.
▪️Recently, ISIS attacks on Syrian units in the desert area near the city of al-Sukhnah in the province of Homs have become more frequent. According to US data, the activity of militants in this sector has reached a maximum over the past year and a half.
In addition, the US Central Command reported on the capture in the east of the country of one of the IS field commanders Hudayf al-Yemeni and two accomplices.
▪️A Turkish drone attacked a car in the city of El Qamishli, eliminating the Kurdish field commander Hafal Baran.
A week ago, in Iraqi Kurdistan, under similar circumstances, an attempt was made (https://t.me/rybar/45641) to liquidate SDF leader Mazlum Abdi.
▪️According to some reports, a shootout took place between government forces and Kurdish formations near the demarcation zone south of Deir ez-Zor.
🔻Diplomatic Background
Against the backdrop of what is happening in an accelerated mode, the restoration of diplomatic relations between Syria and the Arab world continues.
▪️Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mikdad visited Jeddah and held talks with the authorities of Saudi Arabia, as a result of which the parties welcomed the resumption of air traffic and consular services.
The meeting discussed political ways of resolving the crisis in the SAR, humanitarian problems, the return of refugees, the fight against drug trafficking and terrorism.
▪️The Saudis also plan (https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/isolated-syrias-fm-arrives-saudi-arabia-landmark-visit-2023-04-12/) to initiate the return of the SAR to the Arab League states.
An obstacle to this may be the position of Morocco and Kuwait, as well as Qatar, one of the donors of radical Islamist groups in the republic.
▪️Western journalists believe (https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/10/middleeast/syria-drugs-bargaining-chip-mime-intl/index.html) that one of the "trump cards" of the Assad government in normalization will be the fight against the drug trafficking Captagon, the production of which is concentrated in the SAR. A cheap analogue of amphetamine is very popular in the Middle East, especially in Saudi Arabia.
In fact, there are no real prerequisites for reducing drug production. The main beneficiaries who directly sell the goods themselves are far beyond the borders of Syria. The refusal of the Syrian clans to participate in the traffic is fraught not only with the loss of relatively small profits, but also with increased pressure on the country from those who profit most from the Captagon.
At the same time, Syria officially opened an embassy in Tunisia, appointing a permanent representative in the country.
▪️Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced a new quadripartite meeting on Syria, which will be held in Moscow in May. He again noted that the differences cannot be resolved quickly, and for Turkey, the fight against the Kurdish formations plays a big role.
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