(Saraqeb, Syria)—The walls of the city of Saraqeb in Idlib province reflect the reality of the Syrian situation in all its iterations over the past three years. After the outbreak of the protests, government forces stormed the city in March 2011, and the security crackdown escalated the summer of that same year, with military opposition forces beginning to organize that […]

By Sadeq Abdelrahman (Tartous, Syria) – Tartous is a quiet coastal city that has received thousands of displaced people from different Syrian cities. As a result, the city has not experienced any severe crises apart from the economic consequences of the conflict that have affected every corner of Syria. Battles rage far from the city, and the only bullets one […]

(Raqqa, Syria) - The Free Syrian Army (FSA) has been effectively driven out of Raqqa. Three Salafist groups now dominate the city: the Islamic Movement of Ahrar al-Sham, Al-Nusra Front, and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In light of this new reality, these factions have come to include the greatest number of other battalions, including those that […]

By Mariam Abdullah* (WADI AL-NASSARA – HOMS PROVINCE) – This past July, around 50 frightened Christian villagers in a town in an area of western Syria known as the “Christian Valley” gathered in a hall next to the town’s orthodox church. The village priest stood before them, and peered at the tired and anxious faces in the crowd as they […]

(Damascus, Syria) - Negotiations around the Geneva II conference, which aims to bring the Syrian opposition and the regime into dialogue, have reached a critical stage: the decision on whether the conference will be held and under what conditions will be made soon. Reports indicate that the West is increasing pressure on the external opposition to attend the conference. […]

By Razan Zaitouneh Why does the West insist on dealing with our dead and injured as if they were less valuable than a Westerner – and as if our casualties don’t even deserve respect or compassion? After the chemical massacre in Syria’s two Ghoutas, we believed that the world would, at last, take our interests into account in one way […]

Karam Mansour Editors’ Note: The editorial team changed the names of interviewees for their safety. (Jaramana, Syria) - Fear and anxiety have reigned over the Damascus suburb of Jaramana since it became the frequent target of car bombs. According to Jaramana’s Red Crescent, 18 car bombs have exploded in the city during the past two and a half years, leaving […]

The Damascus Bureau asked residents of the opposition-controlled town of Salqeen in Idlib province to give their views on American military intervention and how to end the Syrian crisis. The interviewees participated in a demonstration on September 13, which was part of the weekly Friday demonstrations against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that started in 2011. The demonstration followed the initiation […]

(Eastern Ghouta, Syria) - The line of buses and cars waiting to enter East Ghouta at the Syrian Army’s Mleha checkpoint on the road to Damascus, one of just two that remain open, stretches back nearly a kilometre. It’s 3pm, and those at the back of the line can expect to wait three to five hours before they can proceed […]

By Salem Nassif Some opposition activists regard Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s initiative to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis, which followed the chemical weapon attack in Ghouta, as an opportunity to come to a solution that will at least lessen the suffering and death of Syrians. Others see the initiative as nothing more than yet another attempt to […]