Table of Contents
In Depth Analysis
State Steps up as Soldiers Enter Public Service in Droves
Syria Update
From frontlines to front offices


A safety net, but with many holes
Flip side of the coin
Whole Of Syria Review

Instability in Al-Hol Camp as UN Urges Repatriation of IS Families
Al-Hol violence buoys international fears of IS threat
Al-Hol camp, Al-Hasakeh Governorate: The Quamishli-based research outlet Rojava Information Centre has reported that at least 20 people have been killed in al-Hol camp since the beginning of the year, including 10 who were reportedly beheaded. Responsibility for these killings remains unclear, but the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)–linked Asayesh, which is in charge of securing the camp, claimed that IS sleeper cells were behind most of the deaths. On 8 February, the SDF announced it had dismantled an IS network in al-Hol that was responsible for smuggling IS members and families from the camp.
From bad to worse
Tafas Deal Ends Escalation, Cements 4th Division’s Influence
4th Division’s power grows in Dar’a
A possible inflection point
30 Arrested in Damascus for Using Foreign Currency
Raids and arrests in Damascus as pound sinks to new low
‘Low’ and behold: The pound plummets again
IS Ambush Government Patrol in Rural Deir-ez-Zor
Convoy ambush results in 26 deaths
Al Mayadin, Deir-ez-Zor Governorate: On 10 February, media sources reported that Islamic State (IS) fighters had ambushed a Government of Syria convoy in Deir-ez-Zor, in the Al-Mayadin desert, killing at least 26 combatants. Seven of the dead were Syrian Arab Army soldiers. Reportedly, Liwa al-Quds militiamen and 11 IS fighters were also killed during the clash, which is said to have involved Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members. The road connecting Damascus to Deir Ez-Zor is a vital transit route and commercial corridor within eastern Syria.
Deir-ez-Zor under attack
Expansion of Russian Hmeimim Airbase
Base expansion augurs long-term ambitions

Expansion of the western runway at Hmeimim airbase. Image courtesy of Google Earth.
Regional ambitions do not a strategy make
Turkey to Open Medical Faculty in Northern Syria
Ar-Ra’ee to get a medical faculty and health sciences center
Ar-Ra’ee, Aleppo Governorate: On 6 February, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a presidential decree opening a new medical faculty and an institute for health sciences in Ar-Ra’ee, northern Syria. The new faculty will be a branch of the University of Health Sciences in Istanbul (established in 2015). In parallel, the Free Aleppo University signed a memorandum of understanding with Mardin Artuklu University on December 31, allowing graduates of the former to pursue postgraduate studies at the latter, and establishing centres for Turkish-language education and YOS exams, an entrance requirement for foreign students at Turkish universities.
A boost for accredited higher education in northern Syria
Teachers Strike in Northwest Syria
Teachers plead for financial support in light of economic deterioration
Northwestern Syria: On 4 February, teachers from numerous schools across southern Idleb and western Aleppo announced a general strike to protest the suspension of financial support for the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) Free Directorate of Education and to demand long overdue salaries. The schools released a collective statement expressing the teachers’ dissatisfaction with the lack of support for education in northwest Syria, particularly in light of the deteriorating economic conditions. Many teachers in the region have reportedly not received salaries for more than two years.
School’s out
Open Source Annex
Key Readings
The Open Source Annex highlights key media reports, research, and primary documents that are not examined in the Syria Update. For a continuously updated collection of such records, searchable by geography, theme, and conflict actor, and curated to meet the needs of decision-makers, please see COAR’s comprehensive online search platform, Alexandrina, at the link below.
Alexandrina
Note: These records are solely the responsibility of their creators. COAR does not necessarily endorse — or confirm — the viewpoints expressed by these sources.
Syrian Who Fled to Germany 5 Years Ago Runs for Parliament
What Does it Say? Tareq Alaows, a refugee from Syria living in Germany, is running for a seat in the German parliament. He aims to fight for better rights for migrants and refugees.
Reading Between the Lines: His candidacy is seen by Syrians as a positive step toward attainment and inclusion in Europe.
Source: AP News Language: English Date: 9 February 2021
Syria Faces Looming Crisis over Humanitarian Access
What Does it Say? During a UN Security Council session, Russia declared its intention to veto any extension of cross border humanitarian aid access to northwest Syria.
Reading Between the Lines: Russia and the Government of Syria have sought to isolate and weaken opposition areas, although analysts debate whether Russia will carry out its threat, given the refugee concerns of its partner, Turkey. Without aid, millions of civilians will suffer.
Source: Middle East Institute Language: Arabic Date: 25 January 2021
Syrian Oilfields No Longer a Priority for US Forces, Says Pentagon
What Does it Say? U.S. forces will no longer be openly protecting Syrian oilfields; rather, their focus will be on eliminating IS remnants.
Reading Between the Lines: The intentions of U.S. forces in Syria have been closely followed from Syria, where they are seen by some as a change of policy. While this possibility remains, the statements can also be seen as a mere backtracking from limited positions taken to appease the mercurial previous administration. Realistically, no change to U.S. policy on Syria can be inferred from public statements to date.
Source: The National Language: English Date: 9 February 2021
Iran-Syria Joint Chamber of Commerce Meets in Damascus
What Does it Say? The Iran-Syria Joint Chamber of Commerce convened on 8 February to discuss the Iranian Trade Center in Damascus.
Reading Between the Lines: Until the Iranian government improves its finances, direct business-to-business relationships through the private sector are likely to be the linchpin of bilateral economic cooperation.
Source: The Syrian Observer Language: English Date: 9 February 2021
Syria Is Still an EU Problem
What Does it Say? The piece calls for a greater EU engagement on Syria, including partner selection based on firm European principles, including the empowerment of women, human rights, inclusion, and democracy.
Reading Between the Lines: As the Syria ‘quagmire’ has persisted, the conflict has taken a back seat to other, more pressing issues in neighborhood affairs. The article is a reminder that in the absence of a robust military presence, the EU can exert influence over outcomes in Syria through aid and political actions.
Source: EU Observer Language: English Date: 29 January 2021
Apologists Call Assad Secular. Assad Tells Syrians Otherwise
What Does it Say? The Syrian Government has taken a Janus-faced approach to its supposed secularism, speaking both of religious toleration and Syria’s rich pluralism, even while ground realities impede religious liberty, and it lavishes scorn on genuine secular and non-religious behavior.
Reading Between the Lines: The latest row over Syria’s religious status is a reminder of the state’s ideological drift and its capacity to reinvent itself to meet the needs of emerging realities.
Source: Newsline Magazine Language: English Date: 8 February 2021
Building a Better Path for Syrian Aid
What Does it Say? The piece argues that in the face of obstruction by Damascus and the Kremlin, donor agencies such as USAID must exercise a greater role in carrying forward aid delivery, particularly in northwest Syria.
Reading Between the Lines: The article clearly articulates the concerns of aid politicisation and the UN’s admitted shortcomings in Syria, yet its thumbnail sketch of independent aid delivery to Government-held areas leaves much to be desired.
Source: Newsweek Language: English Date: 4 February 2021
Read More
After IS
What Does it Say? The article, penned by a respected researcher of IS, makes several points of note for the international response. Among them, it details how IS is able to persist in eastern Syria, and it calls attention to the potential social rift in the Self-Administration, not only on the part of marginalised Arabs in oil-rich Deir-ez-Zor, but also among the Kurdish fighters who are deployed to rural, Arab areas far from their home communities.
Reading Between the Lines: Such social tensions in particular will be a major factor in future stabilisation and resilience programming in northeast Syria.
Source: London Review of Books Language: English Date: 4 February 2021
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The content compiled and presented by COAR Global LTD is by no means exhaustive and does not reflect COAR’s formal position, political or otherwise, on the aforementioned topics. The information, assessments, and analysis provided by COAR are only to inform humanitarian and development programs and policy.