Latest news with #SOHR
Shafaq News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Coalition airdrop kills ISIS commanders in Syria
Shafaq News/ Several senior ISIS operatives were killed in a joint airdrop carried out by the Global Coalition and a Syrian armed faction in the western countryside of Deir ez-Zor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Wednesday. The operation targeted a hideout in Jabal al-Bishri, a remote desert region straddling multiple Syrian provinces where ISIS remnants maintain a presence. SOHR noted that while the identities of those killed have yet to be confirmed, intelligence indicated the site was hosting a planned leadership gathering. According to the report, Coalition forces, supported by the US-backed Free Syria Army, stormed the site and engaged in direct clashes with ISIS fighters. Documents recovered from the location are believed to contain details on the group's activity and plans in central Syria. The Observatory described the mission as one of the most effective strikes against ISIS in recent months. The central Syrian desert—also known as al-Badiya—remains a critical zone for ISIS due to its vast, inaccessible terrain and limited state control, which have enabled the group to launch attacks. A similar operation took place on May 25, when Coalition troops conducted an airdrop with Syrian partners in the eastern desert of Homs, near the administrative border with Deir ez-Zor, targeting ISIS elements in the same region.
Gulf Insider
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Nearly 8,000 Killed In Syria Within Six Months: Monitor
At least 7,670 people, mainly civilians, have been killed in Syria since the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's government and the establishment of a new transitional authority, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has documented in a new report. According to the war monitor, the number includes more than 2,130 'extrajudicial executions' and 'identity-based killings.' It warned of a 'pattern of organized violence' across the country. The SOHR report documents 'the killing of 7,670 people across Syria from 8 December 2024 to 6 June 2025,' adding that among those killed are '5,784 civilians, including 306 children and 422 women.' SOHR warned that 'this grim toll is a result of ongoing violence and violations by local and external parties, alongside widespread security chaos,' which reflects 'the fragility of the security situation and the increasing danger to the most vulnerable constituents of society.' The over 2,130 executions were 'committed in brutal ways.' In March this year, Syrian government forces carried out a series of brutal massacres targeting Alawite civilians on the Syrian coast. Damascus said it would launch a probe, the results of which have not been made clear. SOHR says '1,726 liquidations' were recorded during the March massacres against Alawites. Unofficial estimates at the time said the number could be way higher, possibly several thousand. The killings were carried out in response to an armed uprising against security forces launched by elements of the former government's armed forces. The UK-based monitor went on to say that since the collapse of the Assad government, 1,886 non-civilian combatants have been killed, including 496 members of the Syrian Defense and Interior Ministries. Additionally, 627 members of various armed factions, many linked to the new authorities in Damascus, were also among those killed. Over 250 members of the US-backed Kurdish militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have been killed as well, according to SOHR. SOHR notes that 75 percent of all the deaths are civilians. The new Syrian army is dominated by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former Al-Qaeda branch with a history of war crimes and violent, sectarian ideology. Several other extremist factions, including notorious groups such as Jaish al-Islam, have been incorporated into Damascus's forces as well. Alawites continue to be targeted by Syria's military and groups under its command. In the last five days, at least 18 Alawites have been killed in a new wave of violence targeting the minority group. Meanwhile, the country faces a widespread Israeli occupation and regular bombardment. The new SOHR report comes as Syria is being pulled out of years of isolation – with the US, UK, and EU taking steps to lift the sanctions on the country, which had been imposed for 14 years. Julani's terror army is distributing flyers in rural villages of western Homs that say: 'We are coming to slaughter you, O Alawites. Leave your villages.' — Kevork Almassian (@KevorkAlmassian) June 9, 2025 The EU is set to provide Syria with nearly $200 million (€175 million) to boost reconstruction, the health sector, agriculture, and the country's economy, EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica announced while visiting Damascus on 4 June. Syria's President Ahmad al-Sharaa – a former Al-Qaeda and ISIS chief who went by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani – has met with world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump.
Shafaq News
04-06-2025
- General
- Shafaq News
Syria's Latakia towns under curfew after attack
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Syrian security forces imposed a curfew in the towns of Al-Daliyah and Beit Aana in the countryside of Jableh, south of Latakia, amid heightened tension and a heavy military presence. Syrian General Security announced in a statement that the curfew was imposed after 'an illegal group' attacked the communication center in Al-Daliya area. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the curfew, which began at 7:30 p.m. (local time), 'coincides with reports of an assault on an abandoned government building and an ongoing operation to take control of positions previously held by an armed faction preparing to withdraw from the area.' Military convoys from Hama's countryside, equipped with heavy weapons and affiliated with the General Security Directorate and the Ministry of Defense, were seen heading toward the coastal region. The purpose and final destination of these deployments remain unclear, SOHR revealed.
Shafaq News
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
7 Alawites missing in Damascus amid rising tensions
Shafaq News/ Seven Syrian citizens from the Alawite community have disappeared in Damascus, stirring concerns over their fate and casting a fresh spotlight on the challenges faced by Syria's Alawite minority since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Sunday that the missing individuals were last seen returning from work at a restaurant in Qasioun Mall, Barzeh district. Activists reported losing contact with them around 3 a.m. when their daily transport vehicle entered Ash al-Warwar neighborhood, an Alawite stronghold in the capital. Later that morning, the vehicle was found abandoned near the Police Hospital along the international highway, with no trace of them. Since al-Assad's ouster, Syria's Alawite community has faced intensified violence, political marginalization, and economic decline. The Alawites, once a pillar of al-Assad's security apparatus, have found themselves vulnerable to retribution and systemic challenges. Reports indicate that more than 1,383 Alawite civilians have been killed in retaliatory attacks since the regime's collapse. Thousands more have fled traditional strongholds in Latakia and Tartus, fearing reprisals from armed opposition groups. Alawite religious sites have also been targeted, including the torching of the revered shrine of al-Khasibi in Aleppo, sparking protests in Alawite-majority areas.
Al-Ahram Weekly
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
IS group claims first attack on new Syria forces since Assad fall - Region
The IS group on Thursday claimed its first attack on Syria's new government forces since the fall of longtime Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, two war monitors said. In a statement picked up by SITE Intelligence Group, IS said it had planted an "explosive device" on a Syrian forces' vehicle in the southern province of Sweida. SITE and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said it was the first IS-claimed attack on Syria's new government. SOHR said that one person was killed and three members of the Syrian army's 70th division were injured when a patrol was hit by a remote control landmine on Wednesday. The man killed was accompanying the Syrian government forces in the desert area, according to SOHR. Once in control of large swathes of Syria and Iraq, IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 largely due to the efforts of Kurdish-led forces supported by an international coalition. It has maintained a presence mainly in the country's vast desert. Reported attacks by the group in areas controlled by Syria's new government, which took power after Assad's ouster in December, have been scarce. However, they have continuously carried out attacks on Kurdish-led forces in the northeast. This week, Syrian authorities said they arrested members of an IS cell near Damascus, accusing them of preparing attacks. Another government operation in the northern city of Aleppo this month saw the death of one security forces officer and three IS members. During a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh this month, US President Donald Trump called on him to "help the United States to prevent to resurgence of IS", according to the White House. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
