- Health
- Articles
- Forum
Syria’s Descent into a Public Health Nightmare
Dr. Annie Sparrow spoke to Syria Deeply about the ongoing attrition and targeting of Syria’s doctors, and the rapidly deteriorating public healthcare system inside Syria.
In-depth
Forum
- Health
- Human Rights
- Articles
- Forum
The ICRC on Syria: We Are in a Constant Emergency
Syria Deeply talks with the Red Cross’s Simon Schorno about their operations and how it works with combatants on all sides.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
- ISIS
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Articles
- Forum
A Teacher in Raqqa, Living Under ISIS Rule
‘Physics and chemistry contained many unholy laws, and we had to be careful not to corrupt the minds of children under ISIS rule’.
- Civil Society
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Articles
- Forum
Rebel Alliances Pose Threat to Assad in Damascus and Southern Syria
Theodore Bell, analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, spoke to Syria Deeply about the how the emergence of a stronger, unified opposition in the south might threaten the regime in Damascus.
- Human Rights
- ISIS
- Articles
- Forum
ISIS Restructures Raqqa Under its New Ruling System
Residents tell Syria Deeply that ISIS has divided Raqqa and assigned responsibilities to its local leaders, in a systematic bureaucracy of religious rule.
- Civil Society
- Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
- Articles
- Forum
Syrian Diary, Part 16 – My First Day at University
Marah, a teenage girl from one of Syria’s besieged cities, shares her stories of life in the war. She recently moved to Damascus to continue her education, deciding to focus her college studies on prosthetics. She hopes to help heal the injured in her country’s conflict.
- Human Rights
- Articles
- Forum
When Human Trafficking Goes Awry
A Syrian lawyer tells the story of his Palestinian wife’s dangerous trip at sea – and how she ended up in an Egyptian jail.
- Displacement
- Articles
- Forum
A Syrian Story: Moving Syrian Refugees into Europe
‘Those working in the smuggling business by sea are new in the profession. I believe they are godless; they are human traffickers’.
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Religious & Ethnic Groups
- Articles
- Forum
A Kurdish Fighter in Kobani Tells His Story
‘We hope that a speedy international intervention can save Kobani, because everyone knows that if it falls, there will be huge massacres’.
- Civil Society
- Articles
- Forum
Syria’s Kids, Foraging Through Trash to Survive
‘Most of those buyers are exploiters. They buy things from us for very cheap prices, but we have to sell to them because we want to live.’.
- ISIS
- Articles
- Forum
Fear in Raqqa, Under the Rule of the Islamic State
‘In Raqqa, it seems the color black and fear go hand in hand’.
- Displacement
- Human Rights
- Articles
- Forum
The Road of a Refugee: ‘Looking for a Place to Start Over’
A Syrian doctor tells the story of his flight to Lebanon, and the difficulties he, and many others, face.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Articles
- Forum
Underage Teens Face Conscription in Assad’s Syrian Army
“My son was only away for four days before he was killed. He was supposed to be in a training camp for at least six months.”.
- Civil Society
- Articles
- Forum
One-on-One: Francesca Borri Shares a View of Aleppo from the Ground
“An old man told me my life was more important than his because I, as a journalist, could tell the world what was happening in Syria. He disappeared into dust and smoke”.
- Human Rights
- ISIS
- Articles
- Forum
How U.S. Led Strikes on Syria May be Helping Assad
Activists point to increased Syrian airstrikes against the opposition since the US-led campaign began. But rebel groups are also fighting Islamic State, analysts note.
- Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
- War Economy
- Articles
- Forum
A Booming Business for Firewood, as Syrians Seek Ways to Keep Warm this Winter
“I would estimate that the sale of wood has multiplied more than 12 times because of the surge in demand”.
- ISIS
- Articles
- Forum
ISIS Accused of Abducting, Torturing and Abusing Kurdish Children
‘Many Syrians are facing two bleak choices: Syrian government barrel bombs, or ISIS’s advance and own brand of horrendous violations’.
- Human Rights
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Religious & Ethnic Groups
- Articles
- Forum
Al-Qaida Affiliate Gains Ground Against U.S.-Backed Syrian Rebels
‘If these are the champions of the Sunni-Arab cause in Syria, an al-Qaida offshoot, then there is reason to be worried’.
- ISIS
- War Economy
- Articles
- Forum
Understanding the Oil Money that’s Fueling ISIS
David Butter, a Middle East energy analyst and associate fellow at Chatham House, spoke to Syria Deeply about ISIS oil and what it means for Syria at large.
- Arts & Culture
- Articles
- Forum
Syria’s Treasured Historical Sites: War Damage Captured on Satellite
Before-and-after photos from the AAAS show the extent of damage to Syria’s World Heritage sites as a result of the war.
- Arts & Culture
- Civil Society
- Articles
- Forum
War Sparks Virtual Romance: Online Marriages on the Rise
‘Whatever feelings we developed virtually don’t compare to actually meeting and talking face-to-face’.
- Displacement
- Articles
- Forum
Lebanon Closes Its Borders to Syrian Refugees, After Surge in Numbers
Ninette Kelley, the U.N. refugee agency’s representative in Lebanon, said the country has been restricting the entry of Syrians since August.
- Civil Society
- Education
- Articles
- Forum
Syria’s ‘Lost Generation’ of Kids, Caught Between Limited Education and Pressure to Provide
A recent report by Oxford’s Refugee Studies Centre maps the educational provisions and status of refugees from Syria aged 12–25 years old, in the main hosting countries of Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey.
- Civil Society
- War Economy
- Articles
- Forum
Greening the Rubble: Syrians Embrace Urban Farming to Stave off Starvation
Ansar Hevi of 15th Garden explains how the program teaches urban Syrians how to grow their own food, empowering people to feed themselves.
- ISIS
- Articles
- Forum
Hassan Hassan on How to Uproot ISIS in Deir Ezzor
Hassan Hassan gave us his take on what needs to be done to effectively root out ISIS in Syria.
- Displacement
- Articles
- Forum
Focus In Turkey, Syrian Women and Girls Increasingly Vulnerable to Exploitation
Dubious matchmakers and criminal gangs are preying on the Syrian women and girls who have sought shelter in Turkey. The sexual exploitation ranges from illicit marriages to prostitution.
- Displacement
- Human Rights
- Articles
- Forum
On Jordan-Syria Border, a Forced Coexistence Spurs Bullying Among Children
As Syrian refugees and their Jordanian hosts struggle to make ends meet in a stressed economy, tensions are boiling over into their kids’ worlds.
- Civil Society
- ISIS
- Religious & Ethnic Groups
- Articles
- Forum
Syrian Chemical Weapons, in ISIS Hands and Renewed Civilian Attacks
Hamish de Bretton Gordon OBE, a chemical weapons expert focusing on the Syrian crisis and founder of London-based SecureBio, weighs in on what remains of the chemical stockpile in Syria and where authorities stand in securing them.
- Civil Society
- Human Rights
- Articles
- Forum
My Syrian Diary Part 15: Seeking New Dreams, Chasing Old Ones
Marah, a teenage girl from one of Syria’s besieged cities, shares her stories of life in the war.
- Religious & Ethnic Groups
- Articles
- Forum
Kobani Marks the Rising Profile, Prominence and Power of Syria’s Kurds
Mutlu Civiroglu, an analyst specializing in Syria and Turkey, spoke to us about the strategic dimension of the Kurdish fight, the rise of the YPG, and the complex role for Turkey in mix.
- Displacement
- Education
- Religious & Ethnic Groups
- Articles
- Forum
In Jordan, slashed UN food aid has even ‘well off’ Syrians feeling the pinch
With Jordan limiting job opportunities and the UN reducing food aid, even middle-class refugees from war-torn Syria are asking how, and where, they can survive.
- Religious & Ethnic Groups
- Articles
- Forum
Kobane: Turkey to Allow Some Kurds to Help Defend City Against Islamic State
The battle for the ethnic-Kurdish city of Kobane on the Turkish-Syria border could see Iraqi Kurds join the fray in greater numbers after Turkey’s decision, a reversal of its previous policy.
- Arts & Culture
- Human Rights
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Articles
- Forum
Rebel Love: Syrian Fighters Talk About Intimate Life in War
‘I realize that we can’t get married. You’re Sunni and I’m Alawite. You’re with the opposition and I’m with the regime, but I promise you that I will never give you up, no matter what.’.
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Articles
- Forum
In Kafranbel, a Struggle to Survive and Keep Protests Alive
Raed Fares, a Syrian activist from the northern city of Kafranbel in the Idlib countryside, speaks to Syria Deeply about the state of revolutionary fervor in his town.
- Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
- Health
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Articles
- Forum
With Water Scarce In Yarmouk, Civilians Face Starvation, Malnutrition, Disease
Thousands of Palestinian refugees are trapped inside Yarmouk refugee camp, facing starvation, malnutrition, disease and now face a threat of lack of water supply.
- Civil Society
- Articles
- Forum
Sumaya from the Shelter: A Portrait of Life in War
Women need a lot of care and attention at a time where everything around them is falling apart.
- Civil Society
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Articles
- Forum
Analysis: U.S. Airstrikes Against ISIS Have Hurt Moderate Rebels
Faysal Itani, a fellow at the Atlantic Council, gives his analysis of the U.S. strikes on ISIS and how they have shifted dynamics on the ground.
- ISIS
- Articles
- Forum
Power Cuts Lead Shopkeepers to Protest in ISIS Country
‘We were forced to go on strike and close our shops until ISIS provides us and the people of Raqqa with enough power’.
- Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
- ISIS
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Articles
- Forum
On Islamic State’s Western Front, Lebanon Girds for Pre-Winter Attacks
Lebanon fears that Islamic State and other militant forces – pressed by Hezbollah and Syria into the mountains along Lebanon’s border – are trying to break into populated areas.
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Articles
- Forum
One-on-One: CBS News Correspondent Clarissa Ward, Up Close with Western Jihadis
‘A lot of ISIS fighters buy into this utopian vision of creating a caliphate where there will be none of the social ills we have in the West. This is essentially Marxism under the veil of Islam.’.