MEI Syria Program

The @MiddleEastInst's #Syria Program aims to inform the public, practitioners & policymakers on all aspects of Syria & its crises. Directed by @Charles_Lister.

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

#Syria's Red Crescent is hosting all Arab Red Cross/Crescent orgs in #Damascus today.

SARC's #Assad-appointed chief Khaled Hboubati is a nightclub & casino businessman close to Bashar, who got rich out of the #EastGhouta siege & was awarded a stake in a #Daraa border crossing.

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

Too busy to keep track of everything happening in #Syria?

Subscribe to #SyriaWeekly:

https://t.co/IBfPEH1fbU

~30 key developments in this week's newsletter, plus detailed analysis on #Suwayda & implications of a #Hezbollah-#Israel war.

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

NEW -- #Paris Court of Appeal has approved #France's arrest warrant for #Assad, accused of crimes against humanity in the 2013 Sarin Gas attack outside #Damascus.

The appeal for presidential immunity was refused.

[Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل @IbrahimAlAssil]

Which means there are at least 100,000 families in Syria that await, everyday, to know if their loved ones are dead or still alive in the notorious prisons of Assad’s secret police. Every Syrian knows someone affected. Every Syrian awaits.

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

In one week, #ISIS attacks have killed 35+ people in #Assad-held areas of central #Syria -- *amid* a major pro-regime operation.

Meanwhile, #ISIS attacks from January 1 to May 31 2024 show a 240% increase compared to 2023 -- in #SDF & #Assad areas combined.

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

I'm proud & honored to be managing the #Syria Strategy Project alongside @Qidlbi & @MarieForestier -- we've gathered ~80 of the world's most renowned experts to piece together a realistic, meaningful & multilateral policy.

See more info here:

https://t.co/Sh30tkgbeS

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

36hrs ago, @MEI_Syria, @ACMideast, @Eurpeace & @MadaniyaNetwork launched the #Syria Strategy Project -- a major new international initiative.

You can re-watch the whole launch event here -- featuring an array of high-level speakers & panels:

https://t.co/1BkMFlGkub

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

يعمل مشروع إستراتيجية #سوريا مع صانعي السياسات لتطوير استراتيجية شاملة لصياغة مسار مستدام لحل الأزمة السورية.

بالعربية:

https://t.co/BT9vwNrPac

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

We've secured the participation 80+ of the world's most renowned #Syria experts to work over the next 12 months to develop a holistic & realistic approach to resolving #Syria's crisis.

And we've secured 25+ governments & Syrian stakeholder entities to consult on it throughout.

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

TODAY at 1pm ET, we launch the #Syria Strategy Project -- a joint & major initiative between @MEI_Syria, @ACMideast, @Eurpeace & @MadaniyaNetwork.

We'll have keynote remarks & x3 panels & you can attend in-person or online -- so make sure to RSVP here:

https://t.co/wKlp9LWqj3

[The DSR Network @thedsrnetwork]

With such a heavy focus on the situations in Gaza and Ukraine, other foreign policy priorities have taken a back seat. @Charles_Lister joins @mpolymer to outline the need for a coherent strategy to deal with Syria, and why the country is primed to explode.https://t.co/5lMlmhwp7x

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

On Tuesday, 16.5 million #Syria-made #captagon pills were seized in #Libya, en route to #Sudan.

That's one of the biggest seizures anywhere in a long while -- and underlines the deep #Assad-#Haftar ties & a the Syrian regime's attempt to exploit conflict in #Sudan.

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

Interested in #Syria?

Make sure to RSVP for this March 18 conference, marking the launch of The #Syria Strategy Project -- a major new international initiative btw @MEI_Syria, @ACMideast & @Eurpeace.

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

In 10 days, @MEI_Syria will launch a major new project, in collaboration with @AtlanticCouncil & @Eurpeace.

The #Syria Strategy Project has gathered 80+ experts & 25+ Syrian stakeholders & governments to deliberate on a meaningful & realistic international approach to #Syria.

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

Yes -- as I wrote for @ForeignPolicy a week ago.

#ISIS's recovery in #Assad-held areas is significant -- in terms of less visible metrics (extortion, intimidation, shadow influence) & newly also in terms of attack intensity & rural territorial control.

https://t.co/FESYv6y29y

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

#Jordan has killed 20 civilians -- most women & children -- in a string of airstrikes in southern #Syria, aimed at stemming the [#Assad-linked] drug trade.

Local anger is rising & some in #Suwayda want to take charge.

@mohammed_nomad, for @MEI_Syria:

https://t.co/gFsQCoGCD3

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

It's now been 5 days since 3 U.S. soldiers were killed by an #Iran-sponsored attack on the #Jordan-#Syria border.

So far, no U.S. response -- the weather is sunny & clear.

#Israel targeted an #IRGC operative in #Damascus this morning -- the 5th such strike in 7 weeks.

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

On Tuesday, an @IDF strike hit an aid distribution point in #KhanYounis; @MEI_Syria advisory committee member Dr. @sahloul was there.

12+ children were injured, some with shrapnel head injuries so severe their brains were largely outside of their skulls.

https://t.co/6ODJxwdPKD

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

#Jordan conducted airstrikes in southern #Syria overnight, flattening a residential building in the town of Arman in #Suwayda.

10 people were killed, including 5 women & these 2 young girls -- locals have called it a "massacre." It took 10hrs to get bodies out of the rubble.

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

This panel is just getting started — featuring a stellar set of speakers on the humanitarian crisis & conditions associated with the detainee crisis in NE #Syria.

Tune in here: https://t.co/Pui8vrslWH