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#NewsFromTheFront
Weekly highlight from your anarchist comrades in #NES
17.03.25 - 23.03.25
Also available on https://tekosinaanarsist.noblogs.org/category/war-updates/

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# NEWROZ PIROZ BE!

This week all Kurdistan went to the streets for Newroz, the new year celebrations for many peoples in West and Central Asia, Caucasus and Balkans. It has a very significant meaning of resistance for Kurdish people. Throughout northern Syria big celebrations were organized by the DAANES, with music, political speeches and other cultural events. Many political and social organizations made statements to celebrate Newroz and to celebrate the achievements of the Kurdish liberation movement, as well as the revolutionary steps taken this year, and the recent statement of Abdullah Öcalan invigorated the celebrations.

# NEXT STEPS ON THE AGREEMENTS SIGNED BY ABDI-SHARA'A

Following the agreements of cooperation signed by Mazlum Abdi and Ahmed al-Shara'a, the provisional goverment formed a committee to coordinate its implementation. Alongside discussions about the integration of SDF into the Ministry of defense and other topics related to security and military affairs, steps are also been taken in civilian affairs. UNICEF mediated a discussion between the DAANES and the Ministry of Education to develop a fair and accessible process for students across the region, mainly concerning Syrian universities and mechanisms for conducting secondary and preparatory certificate exams. Discussions about oil and gas fields and electricity plants are also taking place, with the Syrian Minister of Electricity Omar Shaqrouq giving at a press conference about energy infrastructure repairs in northeast Syria. Rumors and alleged conditions of SDF and the transitional government about the integration of SDF in the new Syrian army are spreading on some social networks, but as terms are being discussed no official announcements have been made this week.

# AGREEMENTS BETWEEN PYD AND ENKS

Representants of PYD (Partiya Yekitiya Democratic - Democratic Union Party, leading political party of DAANES) and ENKS (Kurdish national union party, a party in Rojava that is closely connected to KRG and Turkey) held a meeting in Qamishlo with mediation of Mazlum Abdi and American officials. After the meeting both sides communicated they reached agreements to end the disputes between both organizations and to build a common delegation to negotiate with the Damascus provisional government. Both parties also expressed their common disagreement with the provisional consitution that was recently proposed by the provisional government, calling for a decentralized and federal Syria. They also stated that they will meet again after the celebrations of Newroz to continue negotiations.

#COASTAL INSURGENCE

Incidents continue in the coastal areas of the Latakia province that saw the recent wave of insurgency. Revenge killings and kidnappings have continued over the past week, even as coordinated insurgent attacks and extrajudicial sectarian killings by interim government forces have decreased. Alawite media have widely reported on instances of violence committed against the Alawite community by Sunnis and government forces. Several thousands, mostly Alawites, left their homes seeking shelter from the attacks in Lebanon. Near 10.000 found temporary shelter in the Russian base at Hmeimim, but after the tensions lowered, Russian military personal urged them to leave the military base.

# CLASHES IN LEBANESE BORDER

After a confusing incident on the border between Syria and Lebanon where some Syrians were killed, clashes took place. Forces of HTS connected to the Syrian Ministry of Defense (MoD) launched a raid into Lebanese territory, taking control of one small border town. The Lebanese army engaged in clashes, allegedly against smugglers or tribal armed groups. HTS-linked media blame Hezbollah for the incidents, but Hezbollah denied involvment. Over the week, clashes continued on and off, with discussions ongoing between Lebanese goverment and Syrian provisional government to secure the border and stop the clashes. Allegedly, Hezbollah used the tensions and confusion to launch raids on Syrian territory.

# DEIR EZZOR INSURGENCY

Soldiers of the MoD launched several raids in the Deir Ezzor region, in areas under control of the provisional government. The raids followed a wave of insurgency and attacks against military points of the MoD, allegedly by smuggling networks and militias aligned with Hezbollah or with Iran. It seems there is no direct relation between the insurgency in Deir Ezzor and the insurgency in coastal areas, but in both cases Assad loyalist elements seem to be involved in one way or another.

# HALT ON TURKISH ATTACKS?

On Sunday 16th of March a Turkish drone attacked a family home in the Kobane countryside killing both parents and 7 children, with only two children surviving with serious injuries. Many protests denouncing the attack took place all across north-east Syria. Two days after the massacre, the attacks of SNA and the Turkish army slowed down to a point that in the last days, no new attacks are reported. This pause could be a temporary phenomenon, but it comes against the backdrop of the SDF-Syrian provisional government talks. Turkey and the SNA appeared to halt attacks on March 19, which was the same day that the Syrian interim government met with the SDF at al Shaddadi base in Hasakah Province to continue negotiations over the SDF’s integration into the Syrian army.

# ISRAEL ATTACKS

Israel continued its attacks on Syrian military positions, further advancing their occupation in southern Syria. Some airstrikes are claimed to be targeting military installations in southern Syria, which were allegedly being repurposed by military personal, and becoming a potential threat to Israel. Military occupation forces entered several new villages of the Quneitra region. Besides the expansion of the military occupation, they launched airstrikes next to the Lebanese border, allegedly targeting Hezbollah militias. The Israeli air force also bombed the Palmyra military airport in central Syria in several raids.

# ANALYSIS: Read in comments

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#NewsFromTheFront
Update from your anarchist comrades in #NES
10.03.25-16.03.25
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# Signature of an agreement SDF - Provisional Government

On Monday, March 10, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian President Ahmad al-Shar’a sign an agreement formalizing what was already discussed and confirming cooperation towards a shared security framework. It ensures Kurdish political rights and paves the way for integration of major institutions. DAANES institutions back the agreement gladly, hoping that it will put an end to the different conflicts like the clashes erupted on the coast, will safeguard rights of Kurds, and will enable the return of IDPs and refugees to Afrin and other occupied territories. In the following days, the UN and relevant international state actors, such as Gulf states, European states, and US welcomed the SDF-Syrian government agreement.

# Aftermatch of Coastal insurgence

After few days of coordinated insurgent attacks on the coastal region of Latakia, the stronghold of Assad loyalists, forces of the Ministry of Defense (MoD) are, more or less,in control of the situation. Several insurgents had been killed or arrested in wide security operations, as well as several fighters linked to the MoD, mostly caught in ambushes by the insurgents. Many civilians, mostly Alawite population, have been killed or forced to flee looking for shelter in the Russian military base. Security operations continue, combing the insurgent areas. Insurgent attacks, even if not in the scale that they had been, also continue. Interim president al-Shara made declaration briefly acknowledged accusations of extrajudicial killings by HTS-led forces and promised that those who “exceeded the powers of the state” will be held accountable. Shara also appointed two Alawites and several competent, professional judges to a committee to investigate the crimes committed by government troops.

# Provisional Constitution of Syria

Interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara signed a provisional constitution on March 13, claiming to initiate a five-year transition period. The document is based on Islamic jurisprudence, remarking that the president of Syria must be Muslim. The constitution defends the freedoms of opinion, expression, information, publication and press, also defends religious freedom. The Constitutional Committee emphasized that the document ensures a separation of powers between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. However, it ensures a lot of powers to the president, who will appoint a third of the "Peoples Assembly" and select a committee that will appoint the other two thirds. The president will also select the seven members of the Supreme Constitutional Court, also have right to declare state of emergency with the approval of the National Security Council, formed by the minsters of Defense, Interior, Intelligence and Foreign affairs. This grants al-Shara a massive influence over the formation and direction of the Syrian state. The SDC and other institutions of the DAANES, including the opposition party of ENKS, made declarations rejecting this constitution and denouncing how it perpetuates the presidential model of the Assad regime, not reflecting the plurality of Syria. Druze authorities also made declarations in the same direction.

# Turkey continue on the offensive

After the agreement between Mazlum Abdi and Ahmed al-Shara, there was a question of how much this implies the end of hostilities between SNA and SDF. But clearly nothing really changed on the ground. Turkey continued their attacks with planes and drones over the Eufrates region around Tishreen dam, were the civilian protests still ongoing. There have been renewed attacks with heavy weapons on differnet points of the M4 like Til Temir and Ain Issa frontlines. Turkish foreign minister made declarations declaring that will monitor closely the implementations of the agreements with SDF, calling to make no concessions for any attempt of self-administration.

# Continuing repatriations from Al-Hol camp to Iraq

After Iraq halted repatriations from Iraqi citizens in al-Hol camp for a short period, and following coordinated efforts between DANNES and the Iraqi state, more than 600 Iraqi former arrested had been allowed to return to Iraq. This also comes after The provisional government announced that they are ready to take control of the ISIS prisons currently under control of SDF.

# Points of agreement signed by SDF and the provisional government:

Political Participation – Full representation and rights for all Syrian communities, including Kurds, in state institutions based on merit rather than sectarian or ethnic background.
Kurdish Rights – Recognition of the Kurdish community as an integral part of Syria, ensuring constitutional rights and citizenship protections.
Security and Stability – A ceasefire across Syrian territories, aiming to reduce hostilities and facilitate political dialogue.
Institutional Integration – The merging of all civil and military institutions in northeast Syria into the national framework, including border crossings, airports, and energy resources.
Refugee Return – Guarantees for the safe return of displaced Syrians to their homes under government protection.
Sovereignty Protection – Joint efforts to counter external threats, including armed groups and foreign interventions that destabilize Syria.
Combating Extremism – Enhanced cooperation in counterterrorism efforts against ISIS and other extremist factions.
Ending Division and Sectarian Rhetoric – Rejecting hate speech and ensuring national reconciliation.

# Evaluation

The recent agreement between Mazlum Abdi and Ahmed al-Shara, happening at the same time than the massacres against Alawite population, leaves a bitter taste. The agreement brings nothing new, nothing more than what was already discussed. It is the formalization on paper to reach common agreements for Syria. It takes a step to make sure that no national-scale decisions and talks are made without people of northeastern Syria. Still, it is hard to see the future of the revolution through the large scale moves of state-level diplomacy.

At the same time, we need to ask ourselves: what would we like to see? What is the alternative? What could be done in this situation? Is there any better way to proceed, something that aligns better with anarchists values and respects the will and the needs of the people of north-east Syria? Honestly, these are very difficult questions.

We need to reflect what all this means. What it means for the people here, wearied by war, with the Turkish threats of a full scale invasion still looming? What it means for the revolution, with the collapse of the Assad regime but with a new authotitarian goverment rising over the same structures of nation-state? And also what it means for us, revolutionary anarchists who committed to support and defend this revolution?

In comparison with everything around it and beyond, NE Syria is clearly the most exciting political proposal in the region. Can it survive the war, the lack of resources, the attacks from all sides, the cooptation Can it avoid collapse and annihilation? Can people defend what they fought and died for, and live their lives in dignity? Time is desperately needed to ensure positive answers to these questions. And the moves we see in past weeks do buy the revolution some time. What we are trying to do here defies th logic of capitalist modernity, and this is not an easy thing to do. And as every revolution, whatever happens will bring lessons for the next ones to come.

Revolutionary greetings!
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#NewsFromTheFront
Biweekly update from your anarchist comrades in #NES
24.02.25-09.03.25

Also available on https://tekosinaanarsist.noblogs.org/category/war-updates/

# Uprisings in coastal areas

In the last days, a new wave of insurgent attacks against the military forces of HTS spread around Latakia, near the strongholds of the ousted Assad regime. The situation spiraled out of control, with protests and massacres taking place. The new Syrian army is undertaking the biggest security operation of their short history, with newly created units deployed to secure the area. Insurgent cells set up ambushes and small attacks on several checkpoints, and Alawites are organizing protests to denounce the brutalities they suffer. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is reporting over a 1000 killed in the ongoing clashes. Some Islamist groups linked to the SNA, not yet integrated in the new Syrian Army, are also deploying in the region. Videos of massacres against Alawite population are spreading in social media while many actors, from the DAANES to the UN, call for an end of hostilities. The transitional government forces are now in control of the main populated regions of Latakia, but in rural areas insurgency attacks and security operations continue. Senior officers of the ousted regime are being captured, others are leading insurgent groups and calling for negotiations with the government. The group called "Syrian popular resistance" claimed some of the attacks against government forces, but even if several attacks are coordinated at the same time it seems unlikely that there is any unified insurgent organization. Transitional government forces also deployed alongside Lebanon border to prevent Hezbollah to support the insurgency, despite Hezbollah stating they have nothing to do with it. A brutal response from security forces, targeting not just the insurgent groups but the Alawite population in general, will probably spark more resentment fueling further escalation.

# No government transition after the "National dialog conference"

On February 24th a 2-day conference was held in the presidential palace of Damascus, with more than 500 people invited to attend. Nevertheless, the invitations were sent less than 48 before the event, making any meaningful participation quite difficult. The invited delegates were mostly figures close to HTS and there was an absence of representation from women, minorities and other political forces. At the end of the conference a final statement was shared, echoing the already announced goals of the transitional government. The conference became a process to legitimize a constitutional committee that will write a provisional constitution for Syria that will need to be approved by the provisional president of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa. An interim legislative council will assume temporary legislative duties until elections will be held for a permanent legislature. Al-Sharaa implied that the interim government would be responsible to appoint the members of these two bodies.

# Alternative national dialogue conference in Raqqa

Political entities of Northeast Syria not invited to the "National dialog conference", organized an alternative conference in Raqqa. More than 300 representatives of ethnic minorities and political forces not invited to the conference in Damascus joined this alternative conference, calling for a decentralized and democratic Syria. The conference's final statement calls to apply the system of democratic autonomy of northeastern Syria as a model to build a pluralistic and democratic country.

# Statement of Öcalan

At the end of February the delegation that visited Abdullah Ocalan shared a statement calling for a peace process in Turkey. The statement called the PKK to lay down weapons and organize a congress to dissolve the Party. The next day PKK central committee shared a statement welcoming the call of Ocalan and declaring a unilateral ceasefire, urging the Turkish state to initiate a process of democratization needed for peace negotiations to happen. They also called for the liberation of Ocalan, pointing out that only he can lead a congress where PKK can take such important decisions as laying down weapons and dissolving itself, putting the ball in Turkey's court. The AKP government announced that it will not negotiate with PKK.

# Reaction of SDF and PYD to Öcalan's announcement

Mazlum Abdi welcomed the message of Abdullah Ocalan and stated that the call for PKK to disarm doesn't apply to SDF, and that it will continue its work to defend the people of northeastern Syria against the military threats of Turkish forces. The spokesperson of PYD announced that “if the reasons for carrying weapons disappear, we will lay them down,” implying that the SDF will not disarm until Turkey and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) cease attacks on the SDF in northeastern Syria.

# Southern Syria and the Druze question

The situation in southern Syria was going on a path to normalization with the transitional government forces. "Men of dignity", the main Druze armed faction, together with other smaller groups, reached an agreement to establish Suwaydawi-led security forces under interim Syrian government control in Suwayda Province. The Druze militias and interim government agreed that local leaders and residents from Suwayda would comprise the province’s security units, although it is unclear if Suwaydawis will have a majority presence in the units or if the units will only be comprised of Suwaydawis. With this agreement HTS forces were allowed to deploy in the region that before they were not allowed to access. This came with the ongoing escalation of Israel aggression in the region, that has been using the protection of the Druze community as an excuse to legitimize their deployment and extension of the "security zone", building new military bases beyond their already occupied areas. IDF also conducted new ground operations to destroy military targets in further regions of southern Syria.

# Evaluation

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#NewsFromTheFront
Weekly update from your anarchist comrades in #NES
17.02.25-24.02.25

Also available on https://tekosinaanarsist.noblogs.org/category/war-updates/

# Ongoing clashes in Euphrates region

Heavy clashes continue to take place in the western shore of the Eufrates river around Tishreen Dam and Qereqozah bridge. Turkish planes and drones had been targeting SDF positions together with continued attacks of heavy weapons, as new waves of Turkish proxies launched offensives against SDF positions. The civilian vigil that started on January 8th continues, with new convoys arriving every few days. HTS forces recently deployed forces in Jarablus, near the Euphrates river and next to the Turkish border, in convoys that arrived from Turkish territory into the border city.

# Preparations for the "national dialog conference"

The HTS aligned preparatory committee for the "national dialog conference" have been holding meetings in Damascus with delegates from different provinces of Syria. Anti-Kurdish statements had been made by the president of the committee, that made clear that neither SDF nor PYD will be invited to the "national dialog conference". The participation to those meetings has been therefore controlled by that committee, that made public statements after the meetings concerning the provinces of Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir Ezzor calling for the dissolution of SDF. A video was shared on social media allegedly showing an SDF/DAANES delegate being expelled from one of these sessions. ENKS, political rival of PYD and in opposition to SDF, also criticized the decisions of holding those meetings outside SDF controlled territories and with very limited scope of participation.

# Efforts to return Iraqi nationals from al-Hol camp

A new group of Iraqis sheltered in Hol Camp, hosting families captured in the campaign against the caliphate of ISIS, returned to their country. This process is part of the joint work by the Autonomous Administration and the Iraqi Parliament's Committee on Migration, Displacement and Community Reconciliation. The new group, which is the fifth to leave the camp since the beginning of 2025, consists of 618 people (167 families). The Iraqi administration will reportedly resettle these migrants, who have returned voluntarily, to Jeda Camp in Nineveh. Since 2022, 22 Iraqi groups have left Hol Camp and returned to their country.

# On economy and HTS unfulfilled promises

At a time when Syria’s economy is struggling with inflation, currency devaluation, and rising unemployment, a recent report issued by the Syrian Central Bank on the country’s general inflation rate of 2024 is questioned by several economists, dismissing the Central Bank’s numbers as inaccurate and unreliable.
The head of the Chamber of Industry in Damascus also criticized the Syrian provisional government for their unfulfilled promises to support the industrial sector and incentivize economy. After the fall of the Assad regime, 100,000 Syrians returned from the bordering countries. In a context where it is already hard to maintain the jobs of industrial workers, the lack of measures to answer the need of the newcomers will deepen the humanitarian and economical crisis already ongoing in Syria. On the other side, the announcement of the EU to lift the sanctions on energy, transport and banking on Monday 24th of February can bring important economical changes.

# Trade unions against Syrian government's decisions

The Syrian provisional government fired 400,000 workers connected to services and administration of the Syrian State. This was presented as part of a "government restructuring plan", at a time when Syria’s economy is struggling with inflation, currency devaluation, and rising unemployment. Damascus workers’ unions organized demonstrations to protest the decision, calling for a suspension of the dismissals and the creation of independent review committees to reassess the process.

# Tribal clashes growing in Deir Ezzor

Inhabitants of Deir ez zor are witnessing a surge in deadly clan clashes, increasing local insecurity and heightening residents’ fears, that already left nearly 20 dead and more than 100 injured by gunshots. Most of the victims are civilians uninvolved in the clashes. Community development initiatives promoting dialogue and reconciliation among tribes are unsuccessful, partly due to the fear of repression and increase of violence. Some civilians of the region recently called for “support from local and international organizations to motivate residents to work together”.

# HTS and the of Southern Operation Room

Banyan Hariri, commander of the Southern Operations Room and member of HTS since 2018, has been promoted to colonel and assigned as commander of the military forces in the region of Hawran. His forces from the Southern Operations Room are being merged an integrated under the Defense Ministry together with soldiers of the SAA who fought on the ranks the dissolved Assad regime. The region of Hawran include Daraa and Suweyda, neighboring with the occupied Golan heights and the newly expanded "security zone" of Israel. This process is also happening together with increased security operations of the provisional government against old regime loyalists and drug dealers.

# New military council in Suweyda

In Suweyda, the police command has been reactivated in coordination with the provisional government, and a similar process to resettle soldiers of the SAA started. After meeting with delegates from the provisional government, Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri declared that men from Suweyda joining the army will serve in their regions, and that those who don't want to join military service will continue their civilian lives. Allegedly, on February 22nd, a statement of a new military council of Suweyda was shared on social media, rejecting the integration of their forces in the ministry of defense of the HTS provisional government. We are not sure yet what this implies.

# Israel not-anymore-temporal security zone

Israel defense minister declared that two military posts on mount Hermon and 7 more in the newly occupied "extended buffer zone" will be permanent. Netanyahu called for a demilitarization of the southern Syria and Israel intentions to not allow military forces of HTS provisional government deploy on the areas south of Damascus. Netanyahu expressed concerns about the safety of the Druze community, stating that they won't tolerate threats against them.

# Analysis

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#NewsFromTheFront
Weekly update from your anarchist comrades in #NES
09.02.25-16.02.25

Also available on https://tekosinaanarsist.noblogs.org/category/war-updates/

# NES

- Resistance in Tishreen-
The civilian vigil in Tishreen dam continues, with people from all territories of Northeast Syria organizing rotations. The convoys are organized by the different cantons, with dozens of civilians going in every rotation to keep watch on the dam for a few days until the next group arrives.
Meanwhile, the clashes between SDF and SNA militias continue in the western countryside of the dam, with Turkish drones and warplanes bombing SDF positions constantly. Supply lines of SDF, as well as other civilian locations are also a target of Turkish drones on the eastern side of the dam. The Syrian Kurdish journalist Agid Roj was killed in one of these drone strikes. SDF drones units destroyed several vehicles of SNA militias.

- Roja Reş and delay of the "historical announcement"-
Kurdish people all around the world held demonstrations on February 15th demanding freedom for Abdullah Ocalan on the 26th anniversary of his imprisonment. After the meeting of DEM party leaders with him in Imrali prison, an historical statement was announced, but it has been delayed. DEM party leaders held meetings with the main Turkish political parties and also with Kurdish political parties of Başûr, Iraqi Kurdistan. PKK senior leader Cemil Bayik declared that the guerrillas will not disarm without Abdullah Ocalan's release from prison. PKK executive committee member Murat Karayilan hinted additional conditions for any possible disarment, adding that a decision like that needs to be discussed in a PKK conference before taking any step. This contradicts declarations of Turkish politicians stating that PKK will lay down weapons if Ocalan calls for it.

# SYRIA

-Plans for the "National dialog conference"-
Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa formed a preparatory committee for the "National dialog conference" on February 12th, that is mostly comprised of pro-HTS individuals and close allies of al-Sharaa. The preparatory committee does not include representatives of the Alawite, Druze, Kurdish, or Shia communities. The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), aligned with the DAANES, made a statement denouncing the lack of inclusivity of that committee, as well as the risk of such a conference to be instrumentalized by HTS to simply consolidate their power grip. The Preparatory Committee held its first “dialogue session” in Homs Province on February 16.

-Security operations of HTS-
HTS forces continue their security operations, mostly targeting regime loyalists. At least 13 people had been killed in different incidents in Homs, Aleppo, Latakia and Deir Ezzor. SOHR reported some of the arrested to be found dead afterwards, some with signs of torture as well as two bodies that were found decapitated in Abu kamal.
An operation in Deir Ezzor resulted in the arrest of a group of leaders of the "National Defense" militia affiliated with the regime. In Latakia countryside, a curfew and searching operations took place after two check points of HTS in the area of Fahel Qabu, western Homs countryside, were attacked. The "Syria popular resistance" claimed responsibility for the attacks, a group allegedly aligned with Iran and other regime loyalist forces.

-More non-Syrian HTS appointments-
HTS continues their reorganization of the new Syrian army, announcing new appointments and changes in different military structures. The Defense Ministry reportedly appointed HTS Shura Council member Brigadier General Abdul Rahman al-Khatib as commander of the Republican Guard in Damascus, a majority Alawite elite force under the Assad regime. The Defense Ministry also reportedly appointed the former head of the ”Deterrence Aggression” operation room as the head of the “Damascus Division", probably referring to the 4th Division of the Syrian Arab Army.

-HTS deployment in Lebanon border-
Following the clashes that took place in the Syria-Lebanon border last weeks, HTS security forces had been deploying in coordination with Lebanon army to crack down on the smuggling routes over the border. Discussions between Lebanese authorities and HTS provisional government in Syria are coordinating the security operations and the procedures for Syrian citizens arrested by Lebanese army.

-HTS negotiations with southern armed groups-
The Syrian interim government has continued to attempt to consolidate its control over groups in southern Syria that have not yet joined the Defense Ministry. Negotiations with the "Southern operations room" in Daraya and with "Men of dignity" in Sweyda continue. Some agreements allowing deployment of HTS forces in those areas had been put in practice, but definitive agreements about the integration of those groups on the new Syrian army has not been reached yet.

# INTERNATIONAL

-Paris conference on Syria-
Paris held an international conference about Syria with several representatives of Western states as well as other influential powers involved in the transition of Syria. French president remarked the need for new Syrian authorities to get more involved in the war against ISIS and the need for SDF to be included in the transition of Syria, remarking the important role the kurds played in the war against ISIS. Discusions about lifting the sanction took place, with promises to make it happen soon to provide humanitarian relief to the Syrian people. This become event more urgent now that Trump froze all USAID founds, from what many of the humanitarian services in Syria, including clinics in the camps of ISIS prisoners, depend. After the conference France authorities also confirmed that Israel refused their request to withdraw from areas that had been recently occupied.

-Negotiations with Russia-
An oficial call between al-Sharaa, interim president of Syria, and Putin took place. Among other topics, they talked to coordinate the withdraw of Russian forces from Syria. Russian naval fleet is reported leaving Syria, with Russian cargo vessels evacuating military assets from the port of Tartus as Russia negotiates its presence in Syria with the interim government. A big shipment of printed Syrian currency arrived to Damascus from Russia, where it has being printed for several years.

# REMEMBER OMAR AZIZ

Events to commemorate Omar Aziz, a Syrian anarchist who died in the regime prison on February 16th 2013, took place. More than 20 events across more than 15 countries were held, reading his text "On the formation of local councils" and screening movies about the Syrian revolution. Events also took place in Northeast Syria, highlighting the similarities of his anarchist proposals with the system of communes and local councils of the Self-Administration of Northeast Syria. Many anarchist groups also made statements to remember his struggle commemorate his legacy. Jawana Aziz, daughter of Omar Aziz, published a video as a tribute to him. The video and the list of events can be found in the website https://rememberomaraziz.net/

Revolutionary greetings!

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#NewsFromTheFront
Weekly update from your anarchist comrades in #NES
02.02.25-08.02.25

Also available on https://tekosinaanarsist.noblogs.org/category/war-updates/

Weekly highlights - 02.02.25 - 08.02.25

# MANBIJ CAR BOMB AND KOBANE WITHOUT WATER
Another car bomb detonated in Manbij killing 21 people, mostly women. SNA blames SDF, but SDF denies it and attributes it to SNA factions. SDF condemned the attack and called for an investigation, offering support to find the perpetrators.
Heavy clashes between SNA and SDF continued, with constant bombings of turkish air force on positions near Tishreen dam and Qereqozah bridge.
Turkish attacks rendered the main water station of Kobane out of order, leaving more than 200,000 people without drinking water. DAANES calls for international human rights organizations to condemn the attacks, calling it a war crime.

# US MAKING PLANS FOR WITHDRAWAL
With President Trump in office, the Department of Defense (DOD) is drafting plans for a possible withdrawal of all 2000 US troops on Syrian ground. Several proposals are being drafted, considering different time schemes of 20, 60, and 90 days. Pentagon officials stated that for now there is no order to evacuate, but that their work is to have plans for any possible situation.

# SYRIAN-TURKISH 'DEEP STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP'
Following a visit of Al-Sharaa in Ankara, both presidents vowed to establish a close partnership. Al-Sharaa emphasized pressure of Israeli withdrawal, Erdogan cooperation on combating terrorism and pushing back on PKK in Syria. Announcements of a formal defense pact are not officially made yet, but there are clear indicators of Turkey willing to make us of air bases in Syria, as well as offering military support to rebuild a new Syrian army. This will include retaining influence on SNA forces that are expected to joint the new Syrian army.

# NEW DEPLOYMENTS OF HTS IN SNA AREAS
The military operations command, linked to the transitional government of HTS, increased it's deployment of forces in SNA controlled areas. This followed the announcement of SNA joining the new Syrian army, as well as the promotion of several commanders of SNA to high ranks. Among those promoted there is Abu Amsha, leader of the joint forces (hamza and Suleiman Shah brigades), who was behind the assassination of the kurdish polititian Hevrin Xalef in 2019.

# NEW AIR RAIDS OF ISRAEL AND UN ASSESSMENT
UN delegation arrived to Quneitra region to asses the situation after Israel forces organized a partial withrawal from the region. Israel air forces also re-started bombing campaigns, targeting different locations around Damascus, declaring that those are attacks directed to Hamas and weapons that Hamas may use against Israel.

# COMMON DELEGATION PYD-ENKS
ENKS, political organization connected to KDP in Rojava, announced their intentions to have a common delegation with PYD to Damascus, with the objective to negotiate the political status of the kurdish regions of northern Syria. ENKS stated that rejects any proposals of autonomy for north-east Syria and calls for a federal model.

# NEGOTIATIONS AND NEW POLITICAL COUNCIL IN SUWAYDA
Political, military and religious entities created a new council together, pledging to “fill the political void, unify perspectives, and mobilize efforts in line with the evolving needs of Syrians in the upcoming phase.” The transitional government sent a delegation and held meetings with druze authorities, negotiating the process of integration of druze armed forces in the new Syrian army, allegedly in exchange of some political benefits, but seems no definite agreement has been reached yet.

# EXPECTATION FOR THE MESSAGE FROM ÖCALAN
According to DEM-Party, Öcalan prepares historic call for the February 15th, the day that will make 26 years of his imprisonment.

# PEOPLE'S TRIBUNAL ON ROJAVA VS. TURKEY
At the Free University of Brussels, jurists, human rights activists, affected people and witnesses take part in the 2-day event to investigate and publicize the human right violations in NES. Turkey declined the invitation.

# ANALYSIS

Now it's two months since Bashar al-Assad left Syria, marking the collapse of the regime and the beginning of a new phase for Syria. Since then, HTS had been gradually taking more and more control of the state apparatus, culminating with the self-proclamation of al-Sharaa as president of Syria. The provisional government, originally announced for three months, legitimized it's authority with a staged "victory congress" where only military commanders could assist, announcing now a period of 4 or 5 years before any elections can take place in Syria. Western support for the new regime kept the press away from calling it a military coup, but it is clearly what happened. This new administration counts with full support of the Turkish state, undermining any constructive agreement with the DAANES to joint efforts and build a democratic Syria.

Negotiations between the new administration in Damascus and the SDF continue, but it is clear that any agreement is out of reach, specially after SNA forces (turkish proxies) are being promoted inside the ranks of the new Syrian army. With Trump on the white house and his calls for US forces to withdraw, the future of the autonomous administration is very uncertain. Other minorities in Syria are slowly being bent under the authority of the new centralized rule, as international states support and assist the new government to establish its power. Any dreams of democratization and revolutionary steps for Syria fade away, as the new administration gets integrated into the ranks of capitalist nation-states.

The imperialist influence that Russia and Iran had over the Assad regime are being exchanged for the imperialist influence of Turkish neo-otoman dreams, with support of Turkish NATO partners of western countries. The islamic fundamentalist politics of the self-proclaimed president of Syria are now kept hidden, waiting to consolidate their power grip before to start any moves that could scare their newly acquired western partners. The promises of protection for ethnic minorities and women rights probably will last until economical sanctions are lifted, but after that nothing will remain between the new centralized state and any resistance against their authoritarian measures.

The revolution of northern Syria is funneled into a very difficult position, forced to accept the integration into a new Syrian state under the rule of an islamist force, or the annihilation under the bombs of the Turkish army. But after more than a decade of revolutionary developments in Syria, and more than four decades of efforts and struggle of the Kurdish Liberation Movement, a promise of an historic announcement is now brought to the table by Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned leader of PKK. In less than a weak it will be 26 years since hee was imprisoned in the prison of Imrali, and this 15th of February is the date that this historic announcement is expected.

At the same time, many anarchist from all around the world are also coming together in solidarity with the Syrian revolution, organizing events in memory of Omar Aziz. On the 16th of February will be 12 years since he died in the brutal prisons of Assad regime, a regime that after more than 50 years finally collapsed. We will remember him and commemorate his legacy as a revolutionary example, building bridges of solidarity over all Syria and all around the world. Now more than ever revolutionary forces must stand together to face the darkening times ahead of us. We remember our sehids, as well as all revolutionaries that gave their lives fighting for a better world.

Revolutionary greetings!

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#Syria #VictoryCongress #SDF #DAANES #AANES #SNA #HTS #AlSharaa #Rojava #Revolution #DefendRojava #Anarchy #Anarchism #Comrades #Internationalism #Manbij #Kobane #Syria #DOD #USA #Turkey #Erdogan #PKK #NewSyrianArmy #Israel #ENKS #KDP #Druze #DEM #Öcalan #Ocalan #ULB #Brussels #OmarAziz

#NewsFromTheFront
Weekly update from your anarchist comrades in #NES
27.01.25-02.02.25

Also available on https://tekosinaanarsist.noblogs.org/category/war-updates/

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# ON THE NEW SYRIAN GOVERNMENT'S VICTORY CONGRESS

The Military Operations Administration in Syria announced some dramatic shifts in the country’s governance as results of the so called 'Victory Congress'. This congress was organized with a high degree of secrecy and was held among military leaders of different factions, including SNA. SDF or DAANES delegates were no invited.

__Announcements of the "congress"

- Ahmed al-Sharaa is now the official president of Syria’s transitional phase.
the 2012 Syrian constitution is abolished.
- A temporary legislative council will be established to govern the country until a new constitution is drafted and implemented.
- All military and security institutions previously loyal to the old regime are officially disbanded
- All armed factions and political-revolutionary bodies will be dissolved and integrated into state institutions
- The Ba’ath Party, which had ruled Syria for decades, is officially dissolved

__Key priorities for the transitional phase

1- Establishing a functioning authority to fill the political vacuum.
2- Ensuring civil peace and preventing further internal conflicts.
3- Building state institutions that can serve the Syrian people.
4- Developing a strong economic foundation to drive recovery.
5- Restoring Syria’s international and regional standing.

__Major challenges for the new administration

- Security threats from remaining militant factions and external actors.
- Economic hardship, exacerbated by years of war and sanctions.
- Political divisions within Syrian opposition groups and international stakeholders.

In short, the Military Operations Administration’s decision to dismantle Syria’s previous political and security structures represents the most radical restructuring of the country in decades. The move is expected to face both domestic and international scrutiny, especially as foreign powers —including Russia, Iran, and Turkey— have vested interests in Syria’s political and military landscape.

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# SOME REACTIONS TO THE "VICTORY CONGRESS"

__Declaration of the DAANES

"As the DAANES, we emphasize that these decisions should have been taken at a 'National Congress' with the participation of everyone.
In particular, we do not accept the presence of some terrorists who have the blood of the Syrian people on their hands. Ehmed Ihsan Fayad al-Hayis, who brutally murdered Hevrin Xelef, Secretary General of the Future Syria Party and Mohammad al-Jasim, the head of the Abu Amsha group, complicit in many crimes committed in Afrin, were present at this meeting.
We emphasize once again that this meeting is not legitimate and does not represent the Syrian people.
Any decision to be taken in Syria without a National Congress including all political circles will be incomplete. The most appropriate solution to end the instability in Syria is a national congress. The exclusion or suspension of any party in Syria from the congress will be no different from the practices of the former regime. On this basis, we once again call on the government in Damascus to refrain from such mistakes. Everyone must take part in the making of the new constitution in Syria.
As the DAANES, we once again call for the unity of Syria as part of our national liberation perspective. We emphasize once again that everyone in Syria must have their say about the future of Syria.”

__Reaction of a Syrian journalist, Hussam Hammoud, who covered the Syrian war for BBC, Guardian, al-Monitor and many other media, posted on social networks

What happened yesterday at the so-called “Victory Conference” and the appointment of Sharaa as transitional president was disappointing on multiple levels:

1- A military council, not a revolutionary civilian body, approved it, resembling a coup rather than the revolution of a free nation.

2- Decisions were issued by an unknown legislative authority; there’s no clarity on who approved the dissolution of political institutions or the suspension of the constitution.

3- Civil and political voices were entirely absent, with decision-making confined to military actors.

4- A president was appointed while still technically listed on international terrorism sanctions.

5- “Victory” was declared without securing control over key areas like northeastern and southern Syria.

6- The entire discourse was military-focused, failing to address the Syrian people who sacrificed everything for freedom.

7- Calls for a “national dialogue conference” were actually nothing, what happened lacked civilian representation, reflecting a military-centered vision.

8- Revolutionary political and civil blocs were dissolved by decree and absorbed into the new state, illegally.

9- Military factions remain uncontrolled, a key reason why the conference lacked live coverage, with only select excerpts published to avoid backlash from dissenting military leaders that HTS couldn’t fully gain their trust.

10- The new president’s speeches are aimed at Western media only, not the Syrian people, with no direct address to those on the ground.

11- There was no official Syrian channel for such a critical announcement, Syrians found out about their “new president” through a Telegram message.
The conference was an all-male gathering, mostly Arab and Sunni. Syria is far more diverse than that.

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# OTHER RELEVANT NEWS OF THE WEEK

- Turkish drones and war planes continued their attacks. Besides military targets, ivilians were targeted and killed in Tishreen, Kobane, Sirin and Zirgan.

- Delegations of high military officers and intelligence leaders from the Turkish state visited Damascus this week.

- Turkey declared that SNA accepts the conditions of HTS to get integrated in the new Syrian army.

- Southern military room (Daraa) and Druze armed groups (Sweyda) also accepted an agreement to get integrated in the new Syrian army.

- SDF's conditions to join the new Syrian army were not met, therefore rejected the request to joint under the conditions that HTS proposed, calling to continue negotiations. SDF is now the only force who did not reach an agreement.

- HTS forces deployed on Manbij to assess the security situation.

- Important HTS security operation in Syria-Lebanon border seized several weapon, cracking down on Hezbollah arms smuggling routs.

- HTS continued its operations against regime officials, arresting important figures like Atef Najib, cousin of the former regime president Bashar al-Assad, and former head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa.

- Several insurgent attacks against HTS in different areas has been claimed by the "popular resistance of Syria".

- EU announced that economical sanctions on sectors of finance, energy and transports will be lifted for one year if the interim government ensures an "inclusive political transition".

- Russian delegation visited Damascus, but allegedly they couldn't reach an agreement with the transitional government and agreed to continue negotiations.

Revolutionary greetings!

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#Syria #VictoryCongress #SDF #DAANES #AANES #SNA #HTS #AlSharaa #Rojava #Revolution #DefendRojava #Anarchy #Anarchism #Comrades #Internationalism

#NewsFromTheFront
Weekly update from your anarchist comrades in #NES
20.01.25-26.01.25

Also available on https://tekosinaanarsist.noblogs.org/category/war-updates/

## NES ##

# WEARETISHREEN ACTION DAYS

To support resistance in Tishreen Dam, the internationalist commune called for days of action on January 25th and 26th. 10 years ago, on these dates, the city of Kobane was liberated from the attacks of ISIS. Today, the attacks of Turkish forces are still ongoing. For more than 2 weeks civilian convoys have been arriving to maintain a vigil in Tishreen dam. The vigil is continually attacked by drones, with 18 civilians killed and over a 100 injured. Important representatives of the autonomous administration of North-East Syria who joined the vigil also got injured in those attacks, as well as some internationalists who also went there to support the resistance.

# INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SUSPEND OPERATIONS IN NES

International organizations providing humanitarian help have suspended their programs in northeastern Syria without providing a timeline for the suspension. This follows an executive order signed by the new U.S. President Donald Trump, which temporarily halts all U.S. foreign aid programs for 90 days. Several international organizations operating in northeastern Syria have informed their staff that program implementation will be paused pending a review by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The executive order signed by Trump states that all heads of departments and agencies responsible for U.S. foreign development assistance programs must immediately suspend new commitments and the disbursement of development aid funds.

# RELEASE OF SYRIAN FAMILIES FROM AL-HOL

66 Syrian families currently in the al-Hol camp will be allowed to return to their home. Al-Hol camp hosts families of ISIS fighters, mostly women and children captured during the operations that brought the islamic caliphate to an end. This is the first time that detainees from Syria in al-Hol camp are allowed to leave the camp. Date for return of these families has not yet been disclosed. Talks about return of other Syrian and Iraqi families detained in the camp are on going. This announcement came together with a call to UNHCR and Red Cross to assist the camp administration to ensure the return of those families, as well as a call for the international community to take responsibility for foreign detainees.

## SYRIA ##

# HTS MOVES SOUTH AND EAST

The Military Operations forces, linked to the transitional government of HTS, took control of a corridor along the M5 in southern Syria until the city of Daraa and the border with Jordan. This move divided the territory under control of the southern operations room in the Daraa region and the Druze defense forces in Suweyda region. They also sent military forces east of the coast cities, taking control of the oil and gas fields in the region of southern Raqqa. Since the fall of the regime those areas were under control of SDF, that deployed there to prevent ISIS expansion. This transfer of control was coordinated between SDF, HTS and the international coalition, but some media outlets spread false information of clashes between HTS and SDF that SDF denied.

#ASAAD AL-SHIBANI IN DAVOS FORUM

The Foreign Minister of Syria's transitional government, Assad al Shibani, joined the World Economic Forum held yearly in Davos, Switzerland. He met with important political figures, including an interview with Tony Blair and a meeting with Masrour Barzani, PM of the KRG. Shibani called to lift the economical sanctions on Syria. He invited foreign investment to Syria and stated their intentions to privitise state-run companies. Those are clear indicators of their will to apply a neo-liberal economical agenda in exchange for acceptance as legitimate government of Syria. Shibani also called for the SDF to disband, claiming they have no longer justification to exist since his government is promising to protect the rights of kurds and other minorities.

#ISRAEL MILITARY BASE IN QUNEITRA

Israel army continue their operations to expand their occupation in southern Syria. Recently they started the construction of military base in Quneitra countryside, southern Syria. In some areas where recently deployed forces of the Military Operations, connected to the transitional government of HTS, videos with both military forces deploying together had been recorded. It is not clear how much this operations are coordinated.

## ANALYSIS ##

As HTS government consolidates it's position, asserting their diplomatic influence and expanding their military presence over Syria, their position on the autonomous self-administration starts to be more aggressive. Recent military deployments on the gas and oil fields south of Raqqa were used by some media to claim military advances over SDF, exploiting also ethnic tensions and resentments that may arab nationalists still hold against Kurds. It is not clear how much it was a mistake or disinformation of some media, or how much it was an intentional move to portray the transitional government as strong and decisive against separatism. Assad al-Shibani, FM of the HTS government who recently got his PhD from an Istanbul private university, is calling to disband SDF in the (in)famous World Economic Forum of Davos, while announcing a full embracement of neoliberal economical agenda for Syria.

Al-Sharaa, 'de facto' president of Syria, is also making declarations like "The Kurdish People's Protection Units alone did not respond to our call to restrict weapons to the authorities". Those statements dismiss not just the ongoing negotiations with SDF, but also how other armed groups also rejected his calls to reorganize the monopoly of violence under direct control of a centralized state. As SDF makes diplomatic moves to consolidate it's position and strength in the negotiation table, HTS seems to be more inclined to accelerate tensions towards confrontation, knowing they will have full support of Turkey for any military action against SDF. Turkish state media have a long history of fabricated news, and now already twice they spread false information of alleged car bombs going to Aleppo from SDF areas, indicating their readiness to create excuses to justify attacks on SDF.

Let's not lie, the situation in NES looks difficult. Still, the resistance in Tishreen is an example of the determination to resist against the invasion, to defend the advances of the revolution. We also remember how 10 years ago, 26th of January of 2015, YPG and YPJ announced the liberation of Kobane from the attacks of ISIS. We should not forget that, because at that time it looked much darker than today. And here we are, the revolution did not just defeat the caliphate, but have been also a key element to the collapse of the regime of Bashar al-Assad. It is also making impossible for Turkey to consolidate it's imperial aspirations in Syria and in Kurdistan. Revolutions are not the easy way, we know that, but difficulties won't deter us to pursue our dreams of freedom and liberation.

Revolutionary greetings!