Mateo Nelson

Editor, Arabic ➡️ English translator focused on Syria
(Formerly @SyriaDirect)

[Mateo Nelson @mhnelson14]

I am deeply grateful to all those whose stories I have edited and translated, and to all the Syrian and international journalists I’ve been lucky to know through this work so far.

[Mateo Nelson @mhnelson14]

My time at @SyriaDirect has come to an end, and with it an important chapter in my life that began in 2015. Over these years, it has been a privilege to learn and grow as an editor, translator, writer and reporter while telling some small piece of Syria’s unfinished story.

[Mateo Nelson @mhnelson14]

Spending my entire professional life to date working across multiple languages, differences and countries has only strengthened my belief in the fundamental cynicism of borders and simplistic narratives.

[Walid AL NOFAL - وليد النوفل @nofal95512]

تم إغلاق حسابي الرئيسي على (x) قبل شهر بشكل مفاجئ، وهذا هو حسابي الجديد.
منذ ذلك الوقت، قدمت عدة طلبات التماس وتواصلت مع إدارة "إكس" أكثر من مرة، لكن لم يصلني أي رد حتى الآن.

[Syria Direct @SyriaDirect]

🧵 The Trump administration’s abrupt termination of Syrians’ Temporary Protected Status has left thousands scrambling for solutions before a November 21 deadline to self-deport or become undocumented.

🔗 https://t.co/lrcqPjUlIC

[Haid Haid @HaidHaid22]

🧵 1/5 My latest report examines how HLP rights violations are being addressed during the first six months of Syria’s post-regime transition. It highlights both the formal and informal efforts currently underway to reclaim property. https://t.co/MRvNg7wB4P

[The National @TheNationalNews]

Attendees of the UN General Assembly stage a mass walkout as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enters the hall for his address.

[Human Rights Watch @hrw]

Syrian authorities should ensure that judicial proceedings examine not just individual crimes but institutional responsibility. They should also allow access to international accountability mechanisms and carry out security reforms.

Read more: https://t.co/HZKb901eZN

[Human Rights Watch @hrw]

NEW: The Syrian transitional government has promised accountability for March 2025 violence, but it has provided little transparency on examining the role of senior military or civilian leaders. https://t.co/IYP0492fhf

[Syria Direct @SyriaDirect]

🧵 Historic drought, degraded infrastructure and unregulated well drilling drain Daraa’s water as authorities struggle to respond to the country’s worst water crisis in decades.

🔗 https://t.co/wv0XHXMDMo

[United Nations Geneva @UNGeneva]

“It is clear there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”

UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry's report shows #Israel has committed #genocide in #Gaza.

https://t.co/UGjepPwmwo

[Benjamin Fève @BenjaminFeve]

In Syria in Figures with @KShaar_Advisory, we were among the first to talk about the drought in Syria.

In our article “Ringing the Alarm Bells: Syria May Be Facing Its Worst Drought in Decades” we warned that the worst was about to happen for the agricultural sector... and it did.

(Read it here: https://t.co/szI7NkaqQ3)

Today, the latest Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) map for August 2025 shows that much of Syria’s agricultural heartland, especially in the north and northeast, is under severe vegetation stress (VCI <0.35). These are precisely the rainfed farming zones that supply a large share of the country’s wheat and barley. By contrast, the southwest and coastal areas, where irrigation and rainfall are more reliable, remain in relatively good condition.

This comes on top of what we reported three months ago:
• Rainfall in early 2025 was the lowest since 1997, less than 95 mm in the first quarter versus a long-term average of 165 mm.
• The Vegetation Health Index (VHI) had already collapsed by March, with readings 40–50% below normal.
• Wheat and barley harvests already forecasted well below average.
• Irrigated agriculture offers little relief, as Euphrates water levels are shrinking due to upstream retention and damaged irrigation systems.

Syria is facing one of its worst droughts in decades, with devastating consequences for food security, water access, and public health.

[Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression @SyrianCenter]

Syria/France – Ochlik/Bouvier/Colvin case – French courts issue seven arrest warrants for senior Syrian officials over the bombing of the Homs press center in 2012
https://t.co/tUCheYaOB8

[Syria Direct @SyriaDirect]

Syria Direct joins with more than 250 media outlets across the world to condemn the Israeli army's killings of journalists in Gaza. We also call on the Israeli authorities to allow independent access for the international press in the Gaza Strip.

[Middle East Eye @MiddleEastEye]

Exclusive: US contractors in Gaza pursued MEE journalist before his killing
https://t.co/cEq55oaorA

[Syria Direct @SyriaDirect]

From exile to food sovereignty: A family’s return to Syria
✍️ @MarineCaleb & @PhilippePernot7
Additional reporting by Yaser Shahrour & Elie Ashram

https://t.co/D5apKXYhUo

[Idrees Ahmad @im_PULSE]

On this day in 2013, Bashar al Assad carried out the biggest chemical attack of the 21st century, killing over 1,400, including 426 children. I wrote for @newlinesmag a detailed account of what happened that day and the impact this event had globally. https://t.co/6xZXKh8tO1