History of the Syrian Civil War (2020–present)

On 1 February, four officers from the K and S units of Russia's Federal Security Service were reported killed near Aleppo.[12][13]

Idlib and Aleppo

The Syrian army's Idlib and Aleppo offensive, which began in December 2019

Main article: Northwestern Syria offensive (December 2019–March 2020)

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, by 6 February, the Syrian Army had captured 139 (including areas captured last year)[15] towns, villages and hilltops, including the strategic city of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, towns and villages of Al-Tah, Jarjnaz, Tell Mannas, Kafr Rumah, Khan al-Sabil, Hish, Sarmin and Afs and Turkish observation posts at Sarman, Maar Hattat, Tell Touqan, Rashidin in Western Aleppo and 4 posts inside the encircled Saraqib pocket.[16] Humanitarian organizations called for a ceasefire in Idlib after 520,000 people had been displaced from their homes.[17]

On 10 February, pro-Syrian government militias including Shabiha were filmed desecrating the graves and exhuming the bodies of opposition fighters and those affiliated with them, in a series of clips circulated on social media during the two days prior, in southern Idlib province, and holding skulls of opposition fighters and civilians and mocking them.[18]

By 18 February, pro-government sources said that the Syrian Arab Army and its allies had captured 2,052 square kilometers of territory and more than 200 towns, villages and hilltops.[19] The same day the UN human rights chief expressed her pressing concerns over the increase in fighting in northwest Syria and has also blamed the Syrian government and Russia for intentionally causing harm to civilians.[20]

On 20 February, Turkish-backed rebels launched another counteroffensive on Nayrab with Turkish artillery support.[21][22] Turkish commandos were also reported to have been operating alongside rebels in the assault on the town.[23] A Russian UAV was reported to have been shot down during the initial shelling and rocket strikes.[24] Russian planes provided air support to the pro-government forces and struck positions of the advancing rebels.[25] Additional shelling on nearby towns on both the government-controlled and opposition-controlled sides of the frontline were reported, with both Russian and Turkish forces involved in air and artillery support roles respectively.[26] During the battle, rebels reportedly attempted to shoot down a Russian Su-24 using Turkish-provided MANPADS.[27][28]

After heavy fighting,[26] the rebels managed to take full control of the town. However, Russian air support allowed the pro-government forces to eventually repel the rebel assault and recapture Nayrab.[29][30] Russia contacted Turkish forces and told them to end artillery support to the rebels, which they did, according to Russia.[31] The Turkish Ministry of Defense confirmed that two Turkish soldiers had been killed and five wounded due to an airstrike during the assault,[32] while also claiming the Turkish-backed rebels killed 50 Syrian government forces during the battle.[33] The Russian Ministry of Defence said Russian forces destroyed one tank, six armored vehicles, and five other vehicles all belonging to the rebels.[34] As well as the two confirmed Turkish deaths,[35] the SOHR said that about 28 rebels and 14 pro-government soldiers were killed and that some Syrian soldiers were beheaded by jihadist fighters.[36]

See also: 2020 Balyun airstrikes

On 27 February 2020, during the Syrian Army offensive on Idlib an airstrike against a Turkish Army convoy in Balyun, Idlib resulted in the deaths of at least 34 Turkish soldiers according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, while other sources close to Turkey gave tolls of 50–70 dead Turkish soldiers,[37][38] making it the single deadliest attack on Turkish forces since its involvement in the war.[39][40] Between 36 and 60 soldiers were also wounded.[41][42] At around 11 a.m. on 27 February 2020, two Russian Sukhoi Su-34 and two Syrian Su-22 fighter jets started intensive bombing raids of Turkish-backed rebel forces in the southern countryside of Syria's Idlib province. According to Russian sources, after 1 p.m., Turkish troops conducted more than 15 MANPADS attacks against the Russian and Syrian jets, with some Russian aircraft allegedly suffering damage while evading the fire.[42]

At around 5 p.m., a 400-man Turkish mechanized infantry battalion traveling in a convoy was targeted by an airstrike on the road between al-Bara and Balyun, around five kilometers north of Kafr Nabl. A light airstrike by a Su-22s halted the convoy, after which more intense bombing forced the Turkish soldiers to take shelter in the nearby buildings. The Russian jets then reportedly dropped KAB-1500L laser-guided bombs on the Turkish positions, collapsing two buildings and leaving a number of soldiers under the rubble. Russia denied it carried out airstrikes in the area and stated it made attempts to ensure the Syrian military ceased firing to allow the evacuation of the Turkish troops, but noted the Turkish forces should not have been in the area, where "counter-terror operations" were taking place, and that Turkey failed to notify it about the soldiers' presence in advance.[42]

On 28 February, the Defense Ministry of Turkey stated that a day after 33 of their soldiers were killed in the air strike, artillery fire was launched by Syrian forces in northwest Idlib province of Syria, which led to the killing of one Turkish soldier and two others injured. The Turkish military also continued to attack Syrian Government targets in the region as well, according to the defense ministry.[43][44] Turkey said it retaliated for Balyun strikes by striking 200 Syrian government targets and 309 soldiers.[45] NATO and the US expressed support for Turkey and urged Russia to engage with UN ceasefire efforts, while the UN expressed concern at developments.[45][46]

After the attack in northwest Idlib on 27 February, which caused the death of dozens of Turkish soldiers, Turkey declared on 1 March, that it was starting a major counteroffensive against Bashar al-Assad’s government.[52] The announcement was made by Turkey’s defense minister Hulusi Akar, after which he described the decision as an attempt to prevent the Syrian government from launching dangerous attacks against Syrians, as well as to ensure the establishment of an extensive ceasefire in the region.[53] Two Syrian fighter jets were reported to have been shot down in Idlib province by a Turkish F-16, as the offensive against Syrian forces intensifies. The pilots managed to eject from the jets and land safely at the clash site between Syrian forces and Turkish troops in Idlib province, the BBC added.[54][55] Also, the Syrian media confirmed that there were no casualties in the northwestern Idlib attack.[56] The defense minister of Turkey maintained that in addition to the shooting down of the two Syrian military aircraft in the offensive known as Operation Spring Shield, he disclosed that Turkey had killed over 2,000 Syrian government troops.[57]

On 1 March, the 2020 Daraa clashes began.

On 5 March, a meeting was held between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after which both parties agreed to a military ceasefire in Idlib province of northwestern Syria. The meeting between the Turkish and Russian president which was held in Moscow, reportedly lasted for about six hours, according to CNN.[58][59] According to the announcement by both President Putin and Erdogan, the ceasefire was scheduled to commence on Thursday evening at midnight, with the expectation that it would halt the violence in the area.[60] In accordance with the ceasefire agreement, joint patrols and a security corridor were established along the vital M4 highway.[61]

In order to fight the coronavirus outbreak, the UN special envoy for Syria on 24 March, urged for an instant ceasefire throughout the entire country which has been ravaged by war for the past decade. The International Committee of the Red Cross also called for a ceasefire, as they cannot simultaneously deal with the virus outbreak and cater for the displaced people of Syria, the ICRC regional director added.[62][63]

On 31 March, the Shayrat Airbase in Syria came under an Israeli missile attack, during a meeting between high ranking officers of Syria and Iran. No casualties were reported in the attack, as the Syrian air defenses were able to successfully intercept the Israeli missiles.[64][65][66] According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) based in the UK, eight missiles were believed to have been fired by the Israeli warplanes at the Al-Shayrat air base.[67]

On 1 April, as the Syrian war enters its tenth year, the death toll recorded in March is reportedly the lowest, as there is a fall in the number of civilian casualties, according to the Observatory human rights group in Syria. A total of 103 civilians were said to have been killed, with 51 of them dying as a result of air strikes and shellings.[68][68] The rights group added that the civilian death toll is less than half of the deaths recorded in February which was placed at 275, when a major government offensive in Syria’s last opposition stronghold was still active.[69]

On 13 April, Turkish riot police dispersed dozens of Syrians participating in a sit-in on the M4 highway in the northwest linking the key cities of Saraqeb and Latakia; the incident showed a growing dissatisfaction toward the joint Russian-Turkish military presence in the area.[70] In another story, the local sources including one from Quneitra confirmed to Arabi21 that Russia was exploiting the poverty under which people were living in Syria to recruit young people - with wages and the promise to settle the security situation - to fight in Libya alongside the forces of General Khalifa Haftar against the internationally recognized-Government of National Accord.[71]

On 27 April, the SNHR reported that the Syrian government continued to commit multiple human rights violations in March and April, the same months seeing the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 44 civilians including six children killed, and its forces arrested 156 people, and committed at least four attacks on vital civilian facilities, including two schools.[72] The Syrian military blamed Israel for launching a missile attack on a military airfield close to Damascus.[73] As a result of the attack, at least three civilian casualties were reported, leaving four more wounded, according to Al Jazeera.[74] However, SANA added that the Syrian military was able to intercept the missiles, which they believe were fired from Lebanese airspace.[75]

On 28 April, a bombing in Afrin killed 40 people, including 11 children. No group claimed responsibility. Turkey blamed the YPG for the attack. According to the head of the British-based Observatory for human rights in Syria, at least six pro-Turkish Syrian fighters were among those killed in the blast with a possibility of increase in the death toll.[76][77] At least 47 people were reported injured, according to Al Jazeera.[78] According to the governor of the neighbouring Hatay province, across the Turkish border, the explosion was believed to have been caused by the rigging of a fuel tanker with hand grenades.[79] Many people, alongside those who got trapped in their cars were burnt to death as a result of the blast, Syrian activists disclosed.[80]

In April 2020, it was reported that the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed had been attempting to persuade the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to break a ceasefire with Turkish-backed rebels in Idlib province. Mohammed bin Zayed offered Assad $3 billion in cash to push the offensive.[81][82]

On 11 May, reports from Amnesty International suggested that 18 attacks were carried out on civilian facilities, including medical facilities, in northwestern Syria between May 5, 2019 and February 25, 2020, by the Syrian government. The report said that the Syrian military intentionally attacked civilian facilities such as schools and hospitals.[83][84][85]

On 18 May, the UN envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen urged Russia and the US to take advantage of the partial cooling down of the situation in the region, and sue for peace so as to bring the conflict to an end.[86] Pedersen said that the lack of dialogue between the two countries had left the people of Syria to pay the consequences. He also mentioned that Russia, Turkey and Iran, are all integral to the establishment of a ceasefire in the region. Pedersen is the fourth mediator serving in the capacity of UN envoy to Syria who has attempted to resolve the differences in the war-torn country.[87][88][89]

On 27 May, pro-Syrian government militias destroyed and desecrated the grave of the eighth Umayyad Caliph Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz, located in the village of Deir Sharqi in the area of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man in the north-west province of Idlib, and with the contents exhumed and disappeared.[90]

On 29 May, the Russian government proposed a dialogue with Assad’s government, in an attempt to increase its military facilities in the country. President Vladimir Putin ordered the defense and foreign ministries to oversee the negotiation with the Syrian government in having access to more facilities on both land and sea.[91][92]

On 1 June, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) reported that the death toll of civilians in the month of May in Syria had reached a total of 125, including 26 children and six women.[93][94] The group also reported that eight people were killed as a result of torture, with seven of them killed by the Syrian government forces and another by the Syrian Democratic forces.[95][96]

On 3 June, the last rebel stronghold/de-escalation zone was attacked by a series of airstrikes, carried out by Russian jets.[97] Based on reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the airstrikes were launched where the borders of Hama, Idlib, and Latakia provinces converge.[98] According to the Daily Sabah, no casualties were reported.[99]

On 7 June, the towns of Manarah and Fatrah were captured by Hurras al-Din jihadists in Idlib Governorate, but after Russian airstrikes the Syrian Army managed to recapture the towns on the same day.[100][101] The fighting left 22 rebels and 19 government soldiers killed, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.[100]

On 20 June, In light of the increase in number of COVID-19 cases, activists urged for the release of political prisoners in Syria. Officials of the UN expressed concerns over the virus spreading in prisons.[102][103]

On 22 June, a Syrian doctor residing in Germany was detained on the allegation of committing crimes against humanity at a prison in Syria. Dr. Alaa Mousa is believed to be the third former Syrian official to be detained in Germany, according to The New York Times.[104][105] When Mousa was working at a prison in Homs in 2011, he reportedly engaged in beating a detainee (who had been assigned to him for treatment) with a plastic pipe.[106] According to the German prosecutors’ office, at the time of the incident, the detainee was said to be suffering from an epileptic seizure, after being arrested for participating in a protest.[107] The doctor was believed to have been summoned the next day to attend to the detainee, but came along with another doctor who also had a plastic pipe with him. They continued beating and kicking the victim until he became unconscious and incapacitated.[108]

The state-controlled Syrian Arab News Agency reported that Israeli missiles were launched in southern and eastern Syria on 23 June, killing at least two Syrian soldiers and leaving four others injured. According to Al Jazeera, the attacks are believed to be aimed at bases manned by Iranian-backed militias.[109][110] Apart from the two Syrian soldiers killed in the southern province of Sweida, five members of the pro-Iranian militia were also killed, bringing the death toll to seven people, the Times of Israel reported.[111] However, the Israeli army has not made any comments about the attack, despite the fact that Israeli military officials have stated that it would seek the overhaul of Iranian presence in Syria.[112] The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights disclosed that the Syrian air defenses responded to the attacks, while intercepting a huge number of missiles.[113]

On 4 July, 20 Russian soldiers took control of Al-Ward, a major oil field in Abu Kamal countryside, after expelling the Syrian government military security personnel from it. Later, Russian forces deployed 15 military vehicles in the field, raised barricades and fortified its surroundings with heavy machine guns.[146]

On 9 July, Russia and China failed in a second U.N. Security Council bid to cut aid access to Syria from Turkey, and the council would now vote on a last-ditch attempt to extend approval for cross-border aid deliveries before it expires on 10 July.[147]

On 14 July, a joint Russian-Turkish patrol was attacked by a SVBIED, injuring several Russian and Turkish soldiers. Also, five civilians were believed to have been wounded during the explosion, according to civil defense groups. The Russians responded by carrying out several airstrikes against rebel positions in greater Idlib.[148][149]

On 15 July, unknown aircraft, suspected to be Russian, carried out airstrikes on the city of al-Bab, controlled by the Syrian National Army and Turkey. An apartment complex was destroyed in the attack.[150] One civilian was killed and at least 10 others were injured in the airstrikes. It was the first airstrike on the town since it was captured from ISIL in 2017.[151]

On 16 July, an unknown UAV suspected to be Turkish carried out a strike against a Russian coordination point south of Al-Darbasiyah, which is controlled by the SDF but with Syrian Army and Russian military police forces present.[152] Two Russian soldiers, one SAA member and two members of the Asayish were injured in the strike.[153]

On 17 July, the Syrian National Army was put on high alert and reinforced checkpoints and frontlines amid flyovers by unknown jets.[154]

On 19 July, a car bomb exploded in Azaz, leaving five dead and 43 wounded, according to Turkish state media.[155] Among the wounded victims, 15 civilians who were in critical condition were reportedly rushed to Kilis, a city across the Turkish border, in order to receive medical attention.[156] Separately, in northwestern Syria's Afrin, 13 people alongside children were said to have been wounded also in a terror attack.[157]

On 17 August, Syrian forces reportedly clashed with US troops in northern Syria close to the Turkish border, which resulted in the death of one Syrian. Two other Syrian soldiers were said to have been injured during the clash, state media added.[158][159]

On 26 September, a car bombing in Ras al-Ayn left at least 7 people dead and another 10 were injured.[160]

On 30 September, dozens of Syrians demonstrated in Idlib city, to mark five years of Russia’s intervention in the civil war, and stood amid the rubble of houses destroyed by Russian bombing raising slogans such as "the Russian occupiers must leave" and "Putin and his warplanes destroyed the most ancient civilization in history".[161]

On 5 October, Oman became the first Persian Gulf country to reinstate its ambassador in Syria.[162]

On 6 October a truck bombing killed at least 18 people and injured another 40 in al-Bab, Aleppo Governorate, Syria.[163]

On October 12, Syrian government forces from the National Defence Forces, in cooperation with the Republican Guard, attacked and seized the Al-Ward oil field in the eastern governorate of Deir Ez-Zor from the Iranian militias belonging to the 47th Iranian Division which fled the area.[164]

On October 15, U.S. forces conducted a drone strike against Al-Qaeda in the vicinity of Idlib, killing two senior members in the first drone strike by the U.S. military against the group in Syria since mid-September 2019.[165]

On October 21, a Russian airstrike targeting civilian settlements in al-Rami village in southern Idlib province, injuring five civilians including two children.[166]

On 22 October, US-led coalition drones targeted a meeting arranged by ex-ISIS commander with the participation of Hurras al Din members in the village of Jakara in the Salqin area of Idlib, killing at least 23 persons including 17 jihadist fighters (among them, seven senior leaders of Al-Qaeda)[167] and 6 civilians.[168]

On October 23, according to pro-government media, Russian missiles targeted an illegal oil market controlled by rebels, between the villages of Al-Kousa and Ain Al-Bayda in Jarabulus countryside, Alepo Governorate, killing 5 persons and injuring 15 more.[169][170]

On October 26, Russian warplanes targeted a training camp of Faylaq al-Sham, a Turkish-backed rebel group, near Kafr Takharim in Idlib Governorate. The strike killed 78 fighters and wounded more than 90. The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights called the strike the heaviest attack since the beginning of the ceasefire.[171][172][173]

On 18 November, an airstrike was launched in Syria by the Israeli military, which resulted in the death of three soldiers and one other injured.[174] The air strikes were said to have been carried out after the discovery of roadside bombs along the border in the Golan Heights, according to the Israeli military.[175] Iranian and Syrian targets within Syria, were the targets of the attack, as military compounds, headquarters and storage facilities were hit by the Israeli IDF fighter jets.[176] According to the war monitor, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the number of those killed in the attack had reached at least 10 people.[177]

On 22 November, a week after the death of Walid al-Moallem, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has designated Faisal Mekdad as Syria’s new foreign minister. The position of deputy foreign minister however, was given to the present ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar al-Jaafari. Also, a high ranking Foreign Ministry official, Bassam Sabbagh replaced Bashar Ja’afari as the UN ambassador.[178][179][180]

On 23 November, heavy clashes between Turkey-backed fighters and Kurdish fighters in Ayn Issa resulted in the death of at least 11 fighters, according to an opposition war monitor. The rights group SOHR, added that despite the 11 Turkey-backed fighters who were killed, an unidentified number of SDF fighters were also killed or injured.[181][182]

Separately, two explosions occurred in the towns of Afrin and al-Bab, which are both controlled by Turkey-backed fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.[183] In the explosion which took place in Al-Bab city, at least five people were reportedly killed, with 20 others injured. Another explosion hit a busy street in Aleppo’s Afrin, just a few hours after the explosion in al-Bab, killing two people and 15 others injured.[184][185] However, there has been no claim of responsibility for either of the blasts, according to the Daily Sabah.[186]

On 25 November, following recent rains in the northern parts of Syria, which destroyed hundreds of tents in displacement camps in Idlib and Aleppo, the United Nations (UN) has revealed that aid is urgently needed for 3 million Syrian refugees.[187]

On 2 December, Lebanon's al-Akhbar newspaper reported that the SDF managed to ambush Turkish-backed forces, killing 30 fighters.[188]

On 11 December, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) reported to the UN Security Council that Syria's implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention cannot be considered "accurate and complete."[189]

On 25 December, Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the state news agency, reported that air strikes targeted Masyaf in the western province of Hama, but that Syrian air defenses were able to intercept the missiles.[190][191] At least six pro-Iranian militia fighters were reported to have been killed in Hama province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which also said that the air strikes were launched from the Lebanaese airspace.[192][193] Satellite images suggested that four buildings for manufacturing weapons were damaged during the air strikes.[194] According to SANA, just a day before the attack, two sites in southern Syria had been reported to have been targeted by Israel.[195] Despite Israel being known to have targeted the Masyaf military compound many times in the past, there was no immediate comment from Israel regarding this attack.[196]

On 30 December, a Syrian military official accused Israel of a missile strike on a military unit in Damascus, close to the Zabadani Valley. One Syrian soldier was said to have been killed during the attack, leaving three others injured.[197][198] According to the Syrian military, the attack was launched from Northern Galilee.[199] Apart from the attack carried out in the area of a-Zabadani, SANA said another defense battery in the western part of Damascus was targeted by the Israeli Air Force.[200]

On 31 December, a Syrian Army convoy south of Deir ez-Zor was ambushed by ISIL insurgents, leaving at least 37 Syrian Army soldiers dead and wounding several others. SOHR said it was one of the deadliest attacks committed by ISIS since the fall of their 'caliphate' in March 2019.[201][202] SANA said that 25 civilians were killed during the attack, but SOHR and local sources put the death toll much higher, with local sources saying over 30 members of the elite 4th Division were killed.[203][204] ISIL issued a statement claiming responsibility for the bus attack. The group maintained that it had killed 40 Syrian army soldiers during the attack, while leaving six others seriously injured.[205][206]

On 1 January 2021, SOHR reported that a bomb exploded near a Russian military base in the Tal Saman area south of Ayn Issa, wounding several Russian soldiers. Prior to the blast, SOHR said an explosives-laden pickup truck was parked just outside of the Russian base by two men who then fled the area. Guardians of Religion Organization claimed responsibility for the attack through a message circulated on social media. SOHR's Rami Abdel Rahman described it as "the first such direct attack against a Russian base in northeastern Syria."[207]

On 3 January, three buses were attacked by suspected ISIL militants on a highway in central Syria, leading to the death of nine people. According to state sources, the dead included a thirteen-year-old girl, with four others injured, while SOHR said seven of the dead were soldiers and there were 16 wounded, and local sources nine military deaths.[208][204] The Jerusalem Post reported that Western intelligence sources linked the rise in militancy to local Arab Sunni tribal anger at executions for suspected ISIL ties of dozens of local nomads by Iranian Shi'ite militia in the area.[204]

On 9 January, ISIS insurgents attacked pro-regime soldiers in the town of Al-Shola, in Deir Ez Zour province, during a sweeping operation looking for Jihadist cells. The attack left at least 7 National Defence Force militiamen dead and an unknown number wounded.[209][210]

On 11 January, Syrian army forces and his allies infltrated and raided Army of Victory positions in Al-Ghab Plain, northwestern Hama, killing 11 fighters of the rebel group.[211]

On 13 January, Israeli air strikes were allegedly launched in eastern Syria, close to the Iraqi border, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Apart from the strike being carried out close to the Syria-Iraq border, it was also reported that it had hit sites in eastern Syria's Deir Ezzor region as well.[212][213] At least 18 strikes were launched across multiple locations in eastern Syria, the organization added.[214] According to France 24, at least seven Syrian soldiers and 16 allied fighters were killed during the Israeli raid over night.[215]

Later in the day, it was reported by the SOHR that the death toll had reached fifty-seven people, while 37 others were injured, with some sustaining critical injuries.[216][217] However, the airstrikes which were carried out by Israel against Iranian-backed targets, were believed to have been executed with intelligence given by the United States, a senior US intelligence official disclosed.[218]

On 18 January, IS militants fired machine guns at Syrian soldiers east of Hama (the exact location was not mentioned). Six soldiers were killed.[219]

On 22 January, the state-run SANA news agency claimed that Israel launched a fresh missile strike that hit central Syria’s Hama province.[220] At least four family members were believed to have been killed during the attack, with four others injured. Two children were also among those killed during the attack.[221][222] However, the Syrian military maintained that its air defense systems managed to intercept most of the Israeli missiles.[223] There’s no immediate comment from Israel yet, regarding the incidence.[224]

On 24 January, IS militants targeted a Syrian army bus on the road between Palmyra and Deir ez zour. At least 12 Syrian soldiers were killed according to the SOHR.[225] Although the Islamic State (IS) militants have been blamed, no group has officially claimed responsibility for the attack yet.[226]

Also on 24 January, negotiations broke down between pro-government forces and rebel factions resulting in clashes in the cities of Tafas and Muzayrib in Daraa province. Several rebel fighters were killed and at least 4 members of the 4th Division have been confirmed to have died, according to the Syrian Observatory.[227][228][229]

On 25 January, as reported by SOHR, in Al-Mayadeen, 13 ISIS members were killed by Russian Airstrikes. In addition ~17 Fajr Al-Islam members and 4 Syrian militia members were killed in the clashes. The Russian military is acting as a mediator in these events, and has threatened a military incursion if compliance is not given.[230][231]

On 26 January, Syrian government forces and ISIS militants clashed in the Homs desert, leaving at least 7 pro-government fighters and 11 ISIS militants dead.[232]

On 30 January, four NDF militiamen were killed by an ISIS landmine in the Syrian desert.[233]

Forces of the Syrian army's 5th corps came under attack by IS militants east of Homs, resulting in the death of at least one officer and several other soldiers according to Halab Today TV.[234]

Also on the 30th, a car-bomb exploded in the Turkish proxy held town of Afrin, killing at least 8 and injuring several others.[235][236]

On 31 January, 11 people were killed in two separate car-bomb attacks in the cities of Azaz and Al-Bab in the Turkish backed SNA held areas of Northern Syria. Turkish officials have blamed the attack on the SDF.[237][238]

Meanwhile, in Syria’s northeastern city of Hassakeh, Deir Ez Zor province, one person was reportedly killed and four others injured, when Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) shot at pro-government protesters.[239] The protesters were demonstrating against the siege on their neighborhood in Hassakeh city, as dozens of men were seen taking to the streets.[240] According to the Daily Sabah however, the Syrian who died was a regime security member killed by the YPG forces after they had opened fire on pro-Assad protesters. [241]

Also on the 31st, several military formations under the banner 'Ahrar al-sham', who operated in the 'peace-spring' area, have suspended operations. The statement has been issued by the groups: “Liwaa Al-Qadisiyah”, which had operated under the banner of the “Islamic State”, “Liwaa Al-Khattabe”, “Liwaa Suqur Al-Sunnah”, and “Liwaa Ahl Al-Athar”.[242]

On February 1, 2021, an ISIS IED was activated against an SDF vehicle in central Al-Raqqah. One fighter was killed and another was wounded.[243]

On February 1, 2021, ISIS operatives fired at an SDF fighter in the Al-Basira area, about 25 km southeast of Deir ez-Zor. The fighter was killed. In addition, a member of the SDF civilian council in the Al-Basira area was targeted by machine gun fire about 15 km north of Al-Mayadeen. He was killed.[244]

On 3 February, a Turkish soldier died of wounds sustained in an attack on 31 January by unnamed gunmen. Another Turkish soldier was also wounded. This is the first Turkish fatality of 2021.[245]

Also on 3 February, ISIS launched an attack on Syrian forces in Hama province, killing 19 regime personnel including 11 fighters of the Iranian-backed Baqir Brigade according to the SOHR. It has been described as ISIS's deadliest attack this year.[246][247] Since March 2019, the death toll of regime personnel and allied militia forces as a result of IS attacks has now reached at least 1,200, the Observatory added.[248]

A suspected ISIS VIED targeted a pro-government checkpoint near the Al-Maleha area, south of Deir Ez Zor. The attack left over 10 members of Liwa Al-Quds and the Syrian Army's 17th division dead and others wounded. Exchange of heavy fire was also reported between the ISIS members and regime fighters.[249][250]

Also on 3 February, airstrikes by Israel. An official speaking on the condition of anonymity maintained that the Israeli missiles were launched from over the Golan Heights, without disclosing what the actual target was.[251] No casualties were recorded during the attack, only material damages were said to have been caused, according to the JPost.[252] However, the SANA state news agency cited a military source who maintained that the Syrian anti-air defenses were able to intercept most of the Israeli missiles.[253]

On 4 February, a Turkish officer officer was killed while he was dismantling an IED which was intended to detonate at the entrance to the headquarters of “al-Hamza Division".[254]

On 5 February, four Syrian soldiers of the 17th Division, were killed and six others were injured, after ISIS cells attacked them while they were combing Al-Tayarat area in Al-Mayadeen desert.[255]

Also on 5 February, eight Syrian jihadists of “Ansar Al-Hezb Al-Islami Al-Turkistani” (the Turkestani Islamic Party Supporters) were killed, as regime forces targeted their bus by a guided missile on Kherbet Al-Naqous frontlines in Sahl Al-Ghab in the western countryside of Hama.[256]

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