Samy Akil | سامي عقيل

Senior Advisor @TheSyriaReport | Host & Founder @SyriaSpectrum | RTs ≠ Endorsing

[Samy Akil | سامي عقيل @Samy_Akil]

Just returned from a brief trip to my hometown, Aleppo — my second visit since the fall of the Assad regime.

Sharing some humble and necessarily incomplete observations on services, the economy, security, and political life 🇸🇾🧵

1/22

[Wassim Nasr @SimNasr]

Un diplomate avec un nom de guerre, l’architecte de la diplomatie syrienne d’Idleb à Damas @France24_fr https://t.co/zQZCp8LPBP

[Jihad Yazigi @jihadyazigi]

Our @Samy_Akil on the implications of Emmanuel Macron's visit to Damascus last week.

[The Syria Report @TheSyriaReport]

We're proud to announce that The Syria Report is a Gold Sponsor of the First Annual U.S.-Syria Business Forum, taking place in Damascus on July 13th.

We're honored to support the U.S.-Syria Business Council in convening this landmark event, and we look forward to contributing our insight and data to the conversations that will take place.

If you're attending, come find us; we'd love to connect.

Apply to Attend → https://t.co/ny70kX8wY3

[Samy Akil | سامي عقيل @Samy_Akil]

Shared some of my thoughts on Macron’s historic visit to #Syria with @AnanTello for @arabnews and what it means for Paris’s long term economic, political, and counter-terrorism strategy.

https://t.co/VfRDrh6Opn

[Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin]

The United Arab Republic was a disaster and helped build the police state in Syria that the Assad regime used to destroy the country for 50+ years

[Samy Akil | سامي عقيل @Samy_Akil]

That may be true to some degree, but an IED attack is still an IED attack for much of the Syrian population and foreign investors irrespective of the type deployed and scale of casualties. Also, the recent pattern of attacks in close proximity to government ministries (Tourism today, Court of Justice last week etc) is a worrying trend nonetheless. One can only hope that the inauguration of the Parliament goes smoothly.

[Samy Akil | سامي عقيل @Samy_Akil]

The recent string of IED attacks in central #Damascus is quite embarrassing for the Syrian state, coming at a time when the country’s economic strategy remains heavily dependent on attracting foreign investment and capital.

[Samy Akil | سامي عقيل @Samy_Akil]

However, the primitive nature of the IEDs deployed today and last week, coupled with the absence of any claim of responsibility, suggests these attacks are more likely the work of low capacity local actors or Assad-remnants rather than a well resourced external adversary.

[Samy Akil | سامي عقيل @Samy_Akil]

As Hussein al-Salama, head of the GIS, reiterated at a recent UN CT conference of intelligence chiefs, the list of #Syria’s adversaries remains a long one.

[Qalaat Al Mudiq @QalaatAlMudiq]

For the first time ever, a #Syria's General Intelligence chief addressed the UN in New York.

Speaking today at the Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies, Hussein Salama outlined the broad spectrum of security threats post-Assad Syria faces: from ISIS to Hezbollah-affiliated cells and from Assadists to Israeli attacks.

[Emmanuel Macron @EmmanuelMacron]

Rien ne pourra étouffer l’aspiration des Syriennes et des Syriens à vivre dans une Syrie pleinement souveraine, sûre, pluraliste, unie.

Ce matin j’ai rencontré la Syrie dans toute sa diversité. J’ai vu la dignité, le courage et la détermination.

Ma visite se poursuit.

[UEFA @UEFA]

UEFA statement on the Balogun case: ⬇️
https://t.co/9LQDx8waKe

[The Syria Report @TheSyriaReport]

A major development in Syria’s energy sector: Syrian-British businessman Ayman Asfari and the Syrian-Qatari Al-Khayyat family have signed an agreement with the Syrian government to rehabilitate and expand the country’s gas production capacity. The deal could play a significant role in strengthening energy infrastructure and supporting economic recovery.
https://t.co/fH5lccPyHf

[Gregory Waters @GregoryPWaters]

Today, Omar al-Talawi, a prominent media personality in Homs, named 11 Alawi neighborhoods which "will be removed from the map and we will plant potatoes there."

Talawi recently incited against the Sunni revolutionary city of Talbiseh as well, claiming it was filled with shabiha.

Why is the Syrian government arresting activists on charges of defamation while allowing Omar to openly call for mass killings?

[Haid Haid @HaidHaid22]

إن حظر الجمارك دخول الكحول والآلات الموسيقية، رغم عدم حظرهما قانونياً في سوريا، هو مثال آخر على الأخلاقوية البيروقراطية التي بدأت تظهر في البلاد، حيث يستخدم المسؤولون سلطتهم الإدارية لفرض تفضيلاتهم الأخلاقية من دون سند قانوني واضح أو نقاش عام. التفاصيل 👇https://t.co/vmlyJsX23b

[Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin]

Ahmad al-Sharaa will announce the final 70 seats for the Syrian Parliament on July 1

[𝗙𝗜𝗔𝗚𝗢 🇩🇪 @fiago7]

Wow we’re above Boston right now and our plane had a little turbulence but the captain announced it was just Tah‘s penalty that hit us