For new comrades joining this channel: Welcome! ☀️

This is a broadcast channel to send updates of the situation in northern Syria, following the late offensive of HTS and SNA and the implications it may have for the Rojava Revolution.

The situation for now is in constant change, and it will probably escalate in unexpected ways. 
For now we want to make sure that information of current events is accessible, but we can also develop more concrete steps of support and solidarity.

Feel free to contribute with other updates, questions or relevant information.

Biji Berxwedana Rojava! 
💚❤️💛

Long live international solidarity!
🖤❤️

A first overview of the main developments the past three days by internationalist anarchists in Syria

📌 The offensive of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) made a breakthrough in the first days toward east (Aleppo) and south (Hama) and slowed down on December 2nd.

📌 Assad regime forces appear to have recaptured the city of Hama and halted the advance of HTS towards Homs city. Russian air forces are carrying out an extensive bombing campaign, targeting HTS units but also civilian and military infrastructure in Idlib, Aleppo, and along the route of the HTS advance. There are reports of both civilian and combatant casualties. Jets belonging to the Assad regime have also carried out airstrikes, but on a smaller scale. In Aleppo, in the Kurdish district of Sheikh Maqsood, the residents have prepared for self-defense.

📌 North of Aleppo, Şehba canton is been occupied by the [Turkey-backed] Syrian National Army (SNA). Thousands of people who have lived in refugee camps since the Turkish invasion of Afrin in 2018 are now being evacuated. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are organizing a humanitarian corridor to enable people to exit Aleppo and Şehba. No major clashes are reported between the SDF and SNA for now.

📌 In some other regions of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), artillery shelling and drone activity occurred, but no more than usual.

📌 There are reports of the Iranian-backed militia Hashd Ash-Shaabi moving into Syrian territory in the Deir-Ez-Zor region in large numbers. In the same region, the SDF and the Deir-Ez-Zor military council are making moves to take some towns and villages under control.

📌 The forces of the Islamic State that remain in the desert of central Syria have not been seen to make any major moves, but it is expected they will use the situation to the best of their ability.

📢 The SDF has called for a mass mobilization, asking for young people to join SDF and to be ready to repel the upcoming attacks on the liberated territory. It is a common expectation that the escalation will intensify and Turkish-backed factions will use the opportunity to attack the western regions of DAANES, such as Minbij.

💬 At first, there were rumors about an attempted coup in Damascus; if such an attempt did happen, it seems to have quickly failed.
Egypt, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran have expressed support for Assad regime.

🔸 The Democratic Autunomous Adminsitration of North and East Syria, also known as Rojava, is in the middle of the new turmoil. The number of refugees arriving in the western cantons, counted together with the number of people who have been arriving from Lebanon over the past few months, could easily exceed 200,000 in the coming weeks.

🔺 In the first days of the HTS offensive and the SNA push against Şehba, as well as the siege of Sheikh Maqsood, it is clear that Assad regime is in very difficult situation; it seems possible that it will collapse. However, any potential rule by HTS will not be stable and will not be able to resolve the pressing problems that the dictatorship of Bashar Al-Assad created and exacerbated for Syria. Nevertheless, the fall of Assad might open a window of possibility for change in the region, if Syrians—both those who remain in the country and those who will decide to come back after exile—manage to revive the original ideas of the Syrian revolution.

Major global powers like Turkey, the United States, and Israel will benefit from the HTS offensive. HTS fits all of their needs as a force that is opposed to Iran, Assad, and Russia. Given the chance to take up state-making if they win, following the Taliban model, it is possible that main actors in HTS will exercise their influence in a possible future new government. It is even possible that the aforementioned states might support HTS in taking power, seeing as they are not interested in the Syrian peoples independently deciding for themselves.

The fall of the Assad regime would be good for the DAANES in various ways, but it also poses major questions:

A) There is a serious danger that, freed of the necessity to fight against Russia and Assad, the Islamic State will take the opportunity to grow again, although they will also be in conflict with HTS.
B) We can expect that the United States will be increasingly invasive and manipulative if the DAANES becomes more dependent on the United States to protect it from a potential Turkish invasion.
C) Finding a new balance of forces in the region is sure to be chaotic and bloody, and it is not clear how it will conclude.
D) This is especially true as Turkey will be expanding the zone of its direct control much deeper into Syria.
E) Finally, the religious fundamentalists of HTS taking over western Syria will provoke sharp conflict with the revolutionary project in notheastern Syria, especially in regards to how that has changed the status of women in society.

The situation for Lebanon will be very difficult, as the country is going to be sandwiched between Israel and the HTS-controlled part of Syria. This might lead to the escalation of internal conflicts. Hezbollah will be left without a corridor via which to receive support from Iran.

In the regional context, to some extent, the DAANES represents a non-state solution based on self-governance and cultural, religious, gender, and ethnic autonomy. Still, it gets the least international support.

❤️‍🔥 Revolutionary greetings!

Comrades from Crimethinc shared our report from Dec 2nd together with a statement from the "Cantine Syrienne de Montreuil", a group of Syrian revolutionaries in exile. 

03/12/24

Short update on the current situation (and fast, so sorry for any mistakes 😅)

- HTS offensive continue advancing, consolidating their control of Aleppo city and advancing towards Hama. SAA started a counteroffensive at the doors of Hama, at this time very contested.
- HTS is heavily relaying on kamikaze FPV drones, something that until now was not so common in Syria. Clearly the lessons of Ukraine are spreading fast, with SNA and even SAA also using this weapon often. It simply had become the new reality of war in this Syria 2.0
- Sheik Mehksoud and Ashrafiye, kurdish neighborhood in Aleppo, are ready to defend themselves. The siege is creating big problems to access supplies (food, water, electricity). Light clashes with SNA combatants took place and some women fighter were captured, but seems HTS is avoiding to confront the Kurdish forces and continue their offensive on the SAA.

- SNA consolidated their occupation of Shehba, and is now mobilizing big convoys towards the front lines of Manbij.
- Some bombings already falling not just around Manbij but also in the front line of Kobane canton, next to the borders with Turky. A ground attack on Manbij area was repeled by the MMC (Manbij military Council). A major offensive of SNA on the Manbij region will probably start at any moment soon.

- Civilians are already deeply suffering from this the war, with numbers of IDPs (Internally Displaced People) already over hundred thousand. Apparently, and agreement reached between HTS and SDF promised safe passage to more than 75K people (mostly kurdish) from Shehba and Aleppo areas towards Manbij areas. Apparently SNA did not respect the agreement, delaying the convoy and forcing people to sleep on the street with freezing temperatures , with at least 3 deads. Improvised tents and refugee areas are being improvised around Manbij and Tabqa. It is a big humanitarian crisis, heyva sor as always is working to provide for those in need.

- Conflicts between HTS and SNA are reflected by some back and forth of press statements denouncing each other. SNA combatants had been looting properties and abusing civilians, with robbery, extortion and even executing at least 3 refugees from Shehba that were waiting to be evacuated. HTS arrested some SNA commanders and SNA reacted with accusations and threats, but later backed off a bit.

- SDF conducted an operation in Deir ezzor area with US support, recovering control over 7 villages on the eastern shore of the Eufrates river. Apparently, local population asked SDF intervention for security problems and risk of ISIS "sleeping" cells activity. SAA and Iranian militias had control over those villages, an after fierce clashes the operation concluded. (Yes, confusing... Also not so clear for us what happened there)

- a UN security council has been called to discuss the situation in Syria. As always, everybody is 'deeply concerned' about the situation. What a surprise eh?

Anyway, is late and we also need to sleep sometimes.

We may not be able to keep daily updates, especially if the situation escalate in different areas. But we will do our best to defend the revolution, behind the keyboards or on the front lines! ❤️‍🔥

Revolutionary greetings! 🖤

With all, the situation of territorial control remains very similar, so no new map today.
We are very lucky to have always nice maps from RIC in such critical situations, but remember that those lines on a map don't always mean much on the ground