Military/Diplomatic Highlights:
• Hostilities continue to impact civilians and vital infrastructure in Syria. In Menbij (Aleppo Governorate), shops and service providers remain closed or are reluctant to operate after dark due to recent violence.
• On January 9th it was announced that the new Minister of Defense and Free Syria Army met to unify military factions under one command.
• On January 10th, the Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister stated that the HTS-led interim Syrian government should be given the opportunity to address Kurdish militants' presence within the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) before Turkey takes military action.
• There are continuing conflicts between the SDF and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA):
o The SNA reportedly shelled SDF positions along the eastern Peace Spring frontlines on January 10 amid a possible SNA offensive against the SDF.
o Turkey continued to support SNA operations to isolate SDF elements along the Euphrates River ahead of the possible offensive.
o The SNA continued to engage the SDF northwest of Tishreen Dam on January 10.
Displacement and Humanitarian Assistance Highlights:
• Humanitarian access remains challenging in parts of northeast Syria, due to the ongoing closure of internal border crossings and bridges damaged by recent fighting. This continues to restrict the movement of goods and personnel.
• The UN as of January 2nd urged all parties in Syria to respect international law by:
o Protecting civilians.
o Safeguard civilian infrastructure.
o Ensuring unimpeded aid delivery.
• The Syrian Red Crescent Society (SRCS) continues to provide humanitarian assistance throughout the country:
o On January 4th, the Egyptian Red Crescent Society delivered humanitarian aid (624 food kits and 900 blankets) to the SRCS.
o The SRCS has received 34.5 tons of humanitarian aid (food kits, chronic disease medications, medical equipment, diapers, and dates) from the Libyan Red Crescent Society on January 4th.
o The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre delivered the following supplies via a 60-truck convoy to the SRCS on January 6th:
Medical supplies and equipment.
Food assistance (3,380 food baskets and 13,520 bags of flour).
10,208 shelter bags and 6,555 pieces of clothing.
o The SRCS on January 8th, distributed 188 food and relief kits to vulnerable families (disabled, unemployed, etc.) in Damascus.
o On January 8th, SRCS received the seventh shipment of 27.3 tons of humanitarian aid from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre at the Damascus International Airport. This shipment included rice, flour, dates, shelter materials, medical supplies, blankets, and a medical device.
• The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on January 10th shipped four ambulances to the SRCS.
• The Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) continues to expand their presence throughout the country:
o On December 31st, White Helmets’ teams began servicing the city of Deir Ezzor.
o A White Helmets’ convoy arrived in the City of Baniyas on January 6th to begin providing services to the city residents.
• On January 9th, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that humanitarian response in Syria is only a third funded. An additional $8 million was allocated from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund for a total of $20 million available to scale up operations.
• As of January 2nd, over 522,000 people across Syria have returned to their areas of origin after a month of displacement. Some 627,000 people remain newly displaced, 42% of them are in Idleb.
• Over the last month, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has gradually resumed programming throughout the country:
o Interventions include shelter repairs and winterization, provision of critical basic assistance to the most vulnerable, and ongoing protection services through 102 open community centers across Syria.
o UNHCR and their partners are also present at several border crossing points to observe immigration processes, provide immediate assistance and interviewing people about their experiences and priorities.
• The Menbij National Hospital, which serves 100,000 people, has limited fuel supplies. The hospital has been using their generators to power Intensive Care Unit machines and incubators for several days.
• As of December 27th, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported that bread prices have increased 900%. To assist, WFP received 500 metric tons of wheat funded by Norway through the Grain from Ukraine program.
• As of January 8th, nearly 13 million people are food insecure.
• On January 3rd, shelling damaged the Al-Khafsa water station, reducing the water supply to Aleppo city and its countryside.
• On January 7th, the U.S. government issued GL 24 to ensure that sanctions do not impede essential services and continuity of governance functions across Syria. This includes the provision of electricity, energy, water, and sanitation.
Violations of International Humanitarian Law Highlights:
• There are regular reports of unexploded ordnances (war remnants and landmines) causing civilian casualties. Between November 27, 2024, and January 4, 2025, the White Helmets documented the deaths of 32 civilians, and injuries to 43 civilians due to explosions from these ordnances.
• On January 4th, the White Helmets reported that one of their volunteers (Subhi Al-Wawi) was killed on duty by gunfire in Damascus.
• The White Helmets treated a journalist (Ayham Bayoush) after he was injured in an attack by the SDF using a suicide drone that targeted him while he was reporting on the ground in the countryside of Manbij on January 5.
• The Syrian Network on Human Rights (SNHR) continues to document the extrajudicial killing of civilians:
o Unidentified gunmen killed Ali Mahla on January 7th while he was driving his car on the international highway between the two cities of al-Qerdaha and Jabla.
o The SNHR also documented the killings of 10 civilians by unidentified parties, on January 9.
• On January 10th, the SNHR issued a statement on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) arrest of a French Journalist and the Syrian Lawyer in Quneitra in occupied Syrian territory.
• The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) has estimated that between 100,000 to 200,000 people are listed as missing in Syria. The ICMP stated that any process to locate these people and investigate their disappearance should be led by Syria and that the authorities should place the interests and rights of their families first.
Sources:
• Syrian Arab Republic: Flash Update No. 10 on the Recent Developments in Syria (as of 7 January 2025)
• UNHCR Regional Flash Update #9 - Syria Situation Crisis (10 January 2025)
• OCHA Syria Twitter Page
• UN Refugee Agency, Syria Twitter Page
• WFP Syria Twitter Page
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Twitter Page
• Syrian Red Crescent Society Twitter Page
• Syrian Civil Defense Twitter Page
• Syrian Emergency Task Force Twitter Page
• Scholars4Syria Twitter Page
• Syrian Network on Human Rights Twitter Page
• International Commission on Missing Persons Twitter Page
• Institute for the Study of War Twitter Page
Resources
Syria Community Consortium Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment (New)
Interactive Map: Assessed Control of Terrain in Syria
Syrian American Medical Society Monetary Donations Website
Syrian Emergency Task Force Monetary Donations Website
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