Thank You, Deeply

• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

Moaz al-Khatib Resigns: ‘A little bit of patience, our people. Isn’t the morning near?’

Moaz al-Khatib, the leader of the Syrian opposition coalition, has resigned in a statement posted to his Facebook page. The former Damascus cleric, who has led the Western-backed coalition since its creation in November, said he was resigning his post to “work with freedom.” The following transcript of the statement was provided to Syria Deeply by Hassan Hassan, a columnist for The National newspaper in Abu Dhabi.over 7 years ago

• Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
• Articles
• Forum

Syria Deeply Asks: Why Did NATO Intervene in Libya, and Not in Syria?

As a regular feature, inspired by your questions about the Syria conflict, we’ve rounded up answers from some of the top minds in our network. If you’d like to submit a question for us to tackle send it to <[email protected]>.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Articles
• Forum

The Roundtable: Competing Chants of ‘Civil State’ and ‘Islamic State’

At an anti-regime protest in Saraqeb in the northwestern province of Idlib on February 8, the three-starred revolutionary flag was ripped from the hands of a demonstrator by supporters of an Islamist faction. .over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

The Interview: An Unarmed Activist Who’s Challenging Aleppo’s Rebels

As two years of conflict have spread chaos over Syria’s largest city, bands of armed fighters here in Aleppo have been routinely linked to widespread looting and extortion in the territory under their control. To mute any public complaints, rebel groups routinely detain and beat up those who publicize their crimes.over 7 years ago

• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

Syria Deeply Asks: Where Would Bashar al-Assad Go If He Were Overthrown?

As a regular feature, inspired by your questions about the Syria conflict, we’ve rounded up answers from some of the top minds in our network. If you’d like to submit a question for us to tackle send it to <[email protected]>.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Religious & Ethnic Groups
• Articles
• Forum

The Conversation: Forgotten and Under Siege in Damascus’s Yarmouk Refugee Camp

As part of our effort to highlight civilian stories, below is a conversation between News Deeply and a 33-year-old Palestinian activist from the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, who asked not to be named. Here, he discusses how Yarmouk became was once “safe place” for activists in the wartime capital, until the FSA moved in. .over 7 years ago

• Human Rights
• Articles
• Forum

Why They Cross Aleppo’s ‘River of Death’

ALEPPO – For decades this city’s Qweik River was nothing more than a malodorous stream, its current depleted by Turkish dams. But the river has taken new meaning in the war that divided Aleppo, demarcating regime and rebel held territories and serving as a dumping ground for corpses.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Articles
• Forum

One on One: I Never Wear Armor

As part of our series of interviews with journalists covering the Syria crisis, we reached out to Al Jazeera’s Basma Atassi, a Syrian who has been reporting on the war in her home country. Here, she discusses what it’s like to watch the turmoil of her birthplace through a journalist’s lens. “I did not go with the mindset ‘I’m a journalist coming to save you,’” she says. “I just went as a journalist.”.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

Social Media Buzz: A Fatwa to Defend Assad

Millions of Syrians are using social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Skype to disseminate and discuss the conflict. Each week Syria Deeply monitors the online conversation in English and Arabic, pulling out the highlights in a feature called the Social Media Buzz.over 7 years ago

• Human Rights
• Articles
• Forum

UNHCR’S Panos Moumtzis: Syria is a “Hemorrhaging Country”

Syria is a “hemorrhaging country,” says Panos Moumtzis, the UNHCR’s regional refugee coordinator for the Syria crisis. He spoke with Syria Deeply founder Lara Setrakian in a Google Hangout this week, shortly after Syria’s official refugee toll hit the 1 million mark. .over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Articles
• Forum

The Interview: Malek Jandali

Renowned composer and pianist Malek Jandali grew up in Homs City and was one of the first Syrian creative artists to support the protests from abroad. Jandali’s parents were attacked by state security forces and have since found refuge in the United States, where their son holds citizenship. Here, he discusses the new political role of Syrian artists.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

A Family’s Pain and Stoicism: Civilians in Maaret Al-Numan

AL BARA, Idlib Province – As Syria’s neighboring countries grapple with a million refugees who fled from violence, a far greater number of internally displaced Syrians have moved away from the front lines to await the conflict’s conclusion. Life is anything but easy.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
• Articles
• Forum

Syria Deeply Asks: What’s the Best-Case Scenario for Syria?

As a regular feature, inspired by your questions about the Syria conflict, we’ve rounded up answers from some of the top minds in our network. If you’d like to submit a question for us to tackle send it to <[email protected]>.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Articles
• Forum

One on One: ABC’s Terry Moran

As part of our series of interviews with journalists covering the Syria crisis, we reached out to ABC News correspondent and “Nightline” anchor Terry Moran, who reported last month from the streets of Damascus. Here, he discusses the changes he saw in the Syrian capital. “Part of the horror of what’s happening in Damascus,” he says, “is just… the demoralization.”.over 7 years ago

• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Religious & Ethnic Groups
• Articles
• Forum

How Michel Kilo Negotiated a Tenuous Truce in Ras Al Ayn

Kurdish and Arab militias waged a bitter battle for three months in the northern city of Ras Al Ayn, in Hassakeh province. Now, they’ve reached a truce that has managed to last into a third week, marking an early success for a nascent group of peacekeepers led by famed Christian dissident Michel Kilo.over 7 years ago

• Arts & Culture
• Civil Society
• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

In Kafranbel, Witty Slogans and Encroaching Islamists

KAFRANBEL, Idlib Province—For almost two years, Kafranbel, a small town in Idlib, has enthralled Syrians with its witty banners and cartoons, delivering a message of peaceful defiance that made it an icon of the revolution. But today its residents are split: on one side, ardent supporters of a democratic Syria, on the other, those who seek an Islamic state led by extremists such as Jabhat Al Nusra.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Religious & Ethnic Groups
• Articles
• Forum

Social Media Buzz: Where They Shoot the Messenger

Millions of Syrians are using social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Skype to disseminate and discuss the conflict. Each week Syria Deeply monitors the online conversation in English and Arabic, pulling out the highlights in a feature called the Social Media Buzz.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Articles
• Forum

Syria Deeply Asks: What Should Be the Next Step for Syria?

As a regular feature, inspired by your questions about the Syria conflict, we’ve rounded up answers from some of the top minds in our network. If you’d like to submit a question for us to tackle send it to <[email protected]>over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

Behind the Lens: At a War’s Root, Unarmed Protests

over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Articles
• Forum

One on One: NPR’s Deborah Amos

As part of our ongoing effort to talk to journalists covering the Syrian crisis, we reached out to award-winning NPR correspondent Deborah Amos. Amos spoke from Turkey, where she was reporting not long after witnessing – and narrowly escaping – the deadly Feb. 11 car bomb blast at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Turkey and Syria. “That tells you something about covering Syria,” she says. “Being at the passport office turned out to be more dangerous than going to Aleppo.”.over 7 years ago

• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Human Rights
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

In Egypt, Damascus on the Nile

CAIRO – Last year, Omar Haidar arrived in Egypt. As bombs rattled entire neighborhoods, the 26-year old hotel manager fled his family’s village in the hard-hit suburbs of Damascus.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Articles
• Forum

Social Media Buzz: Scuds and Suicide Bombings, in Another Deadly Week

over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

Syrian Stories: Armed with a Mic and Camera

On April 25, 2011, a man held up a video camera in Deraa. He was not an experienced videographer and he did not have a tripod.He stood in front of a group of Syrian army soldiers with tanks and filmed them shooting their machine guns towards civilian targets. Each time he watched the clip on his laptop, he noticed the footage was shaky due to his trembling hand, so he would go back to his exposed vantage point to film once more.over 7 years ago

• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Articles
• Forum

The Interview: A Botched Mass Defection

Aleppo—First Lieutenant Adnan Barazi, 27, was stationed with Special Forces at Jabal al Sheikh along the Israeli border before the Syrian revolution, defending the frontlines against Syria’s main enemy. A Kurd who grew up in Homs, he was transferred to Jabal al Zawya in Idlib in October 2011 to aid in the crackdown on opponents of the Assad regime.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

One on One: Jenan Moussa

As part of our ongoing effort to talk to journalists covering the Syria crisis, we reached out to Jenan Moussa, a correspondent with Al Aan TV. Just back from conflict-torn Mali, the Dubai-based Moussa has made seven trips to Syria and covered most major events in the Middle East over the past two years.  Here, she discusses “overwhelming” Syria and covering the war for an Arab outlet. “When I have to go to Syria, the excitement disappears, there’s this grip of fear,” she says. “No matter how prepared you are, you cannot be prepared enough.”.over 7 years ago

• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

For Civilian Leaders, Governing Aleppo is a Tall Order

Aleppo—It was supposed to be the “mother of all battles” as the regime dubbed it in July, the city where the regime or the revolution would be crushed. But six months after rebels breached Aleppo the fight rages on, leaving civilians struggling to survive.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Articles
• Forum

Social Media Buzz: Valentine’s Day Comes to Syria

Millions of Syrians are using social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Skype to disseminate and discuss the conflict. Each week Syria Deeply monitors the online conversation in English and Arabic, pulling out the highlights in a feature called the Social Media Buzz.over 7 years ago

• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Articles
• Forum

The Interview: Tomorrow, I’m Defecting From Assad’s Army

Below is a conversation with a fighter who said he would be defecting from the Syrian Army the following day. We speak at a house in the Latakia mountains, where FSA fighters have gathered for dinner.over 7 years ago

• Religious & Ethnic Groups
• Articles
• Forum

Kurdish Syrians Battle Squalor, Indifference in Iraq

To date, 70,000 Syrian citizens have fled to refugee camps in Iraqi Kurdistan and languished. Though the majority of the evacuees are from Syria’s Kurdish cities, the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, or KRG, has done very little to accommodate the growing numbers.over 7 years ago

• Education
• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

At Aleppo’s Infantry School, Mass Graves and Corpses

Dozens of bodies, some in mass graves and others in shallow ones, have been discovered at Aleppo’s Infantry School, located just north of the city that fell into rebel control in December.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Religious & Ethnic Groups
• Articles
• Forum

Salamiyeh Bombings Strike the Heart of Syria’s Peaceful Revolt

For two years Salamiyeh, the Ismaili-majority city 20 miles east of Hama, has skirted much of the violence unleashed on its neighbors despite hosting large anti-government protests. It’s created an environment of political tolerance that differs from Assad regime strongholds and territories held by rebels.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

One on One: Clarissa Ward, Correspondent, CBS News

As part of our series of interviews with journalists covering the Syria crisis, we reached out to CBS News correspondent Clarissa Ward, whose extensive reporting from the war has been honored with both the DuPont and Peabody Awards. Here, she discusses the story behind the ‘Evening News’ piece that took her to the suburbs of Damascus in November of 2011. “It’s a very, very, very complex environment for a journalist,” she said. .over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Articles
• Forum

Social Media Buzz: Facebook Diplomacy and Terrorist Chants in Binnish

Millions of Syrians are using social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Skype to disseminate and discuss the conflict. Each week Syria Deeply monitors the online conversation in English and Arabic, pulling out the highlights in a feature called the Social Media Buzz.over 7 years ago

• Human Rights
• Articles
• Forum

The Interview: The Former U.S. Soldier Who’s Bringing Aid to Syria

Peter Kassig, a former U.S. soldier, aids Syrians on the ground.over 7 years ago

• Human Rights
• Articles
• Forum

Conversations: An Aid Worker in Aleppo

As part of our effort to highlight civilian stories, below is a conversation between News Deeply and a Christian aid and relief volunteer from Aleppo. He shared with us some of his and his friends’ latest observations on the situation in Aleppo and the northern part of the country. .over 7 years ago

• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• War Economy
• Articles
• Forum

The Interview: Samir Aita on the Regime’s Financial Standing

Samir Aita is a member of the Syrian Democratic Forum, and editor-in-chief of Le Monde Diplomatique Arabic edition. Here, he discusses the collapse of the Syrian economy and the financial situation of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.over 7 years ago

• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

One on One: Témoris Grecko

As part of our series of interviews with journalists covering the Syria crisis, we reached out to Mexican journalist Témoris Grecko. On the morning of January 24, Grecko, who has reported from Syria for Mexican and Spanish-language publications, was kidnapped in Aleppo. Here, he discusses being surrounded by men with guns, his eventual release and the current state of the battle for Syria.over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Articles
• Forum

In Aleppo, Bread Lines and Disenchantment with the FSA

ALEPPO – Every night thousands of people gather outside Aleppo’s bakeries to buy their daily bag of bread. Syria’s civil war has transformed the formerly routine transaction into a six hour process. .over 7 years ago

• Civil Society
• Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
• Articles
• Forum

Social Media Buzz: Massacres, Finger Pointing, and Russian Backlash

Millions of Syrians are using social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Skype to disseminate and discuss the conflict. Each week Syria Deeply monitors the online conversation in English and Arabic, pulling out the highlights in a feature called the Social Media Buzz.over 7 years ago

• Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
• Government & Pro-Government Forces
• Articles
• Forum

One on One: Miriam Elder

As part of our series of interviews with journalists covering the Syria crisis, we reached out to Miriam Elder of The Guardian. Elder, the newspaper’s Moscow correspondent, discusses Russian media’s coverage of the war in Syria, its longtime ally. “The last report I can remember seeing from Syria,” she says, “was at the beginning of September.”.over 7 years ago