Syria
Protests erupt in Syria as the economy collapses
By Jean Shaoul, 10 June 2020
The Syrian pound has fallen precipitously following Lebanon’s economic crisis last October and now the US’s Caesar Act allowing President Donald Trump to impose fresh sanctions.
Britain’s covert operations to overthrow Syrian government exposed
By Jean Shaoul, 18 May 2020
Sarkha is one of many programmes in a vast network of fake news activities carried out by the intelligence arms of the US and European powers.
Record 50.8 million people internally displaced in 2019
By Jean Shaoul, 2 May 2020
The plight of tens of millions of internally displaced people is virtually ignored, attracting little global attention during the escalating global pandemic.
COVID-19 pandemic threatens millions in war-torn Libya and Syria
By Kumaran Ira, 7 April 2020
Imperialist wars and proxy conflicts costing hundreds of thousands of lives have destroyed infrastructure critical to fight the spread of coronavirus.
Putin and Erdogan agree to new Idlib ceasefire at Moscow summit on Syria
By Jordan Shilton, 6 March 2020
Despite both sides’ efforts to smooth over the conflicts, the ceasefire does not resolve the broader NATO-Russia conflicts behind recent Turkish-Russian clashes in Syria.
Idlib war escalates as Turkey announces military operations against Syria
By Ulas Atesci, 2 March 2020
Turkey shot down two Syrian jets after a Syrian air strike claimed the lives of 34 Turkish soldiers.
War tensions mount in wake of strike on Turkish troops in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 29 February 2020
Russia has sent two cruise missile warships to the Syrian coast as Moscow and Ankara continue to dispute the facts surrounding a strike that killed three dozen Turkish soldiers.
Turkey bombs Syria after losing dozens of troops to Syrian-Russian airstrike
By Alex Lantier, 28 February 2020
The danger is growing that all-out war could erupt between the NATO alliance and the Syrian government’s major international backers, Iran and Russia.
Fighting mounts as Washington backs Turkish attack on Syria, Russia
By Alex Lantier, 21 February 2020
US-backed Turkish military operations targeting Syrian and Russian units in Syria could escalate into an all-out clash between Russia and the entire NATO alliance.
Washington backs Turkey as border clashes mount with Syria and Russia
By Ulaş Ateşci, 19 February 2020
Washington is encouraging Turkish army operations inside Syria, risking a direct clash between the NATO alliance and the Syrian government’s main allies, Russia and Iran.
Dozens killed in growing border clashes between Turkey and Syria
By Ulas Atesci, 4 February 2020
This fighting threatens to escalate into a direct confrontation between Turkey, a NATO member state, and the Syrian regime’s nuclear-armed ally, Russia.
US troops confront Russian convoy near Syrian oil fields
By Bill Van Auken, 23 January 2020
Washington is occupying Syrian oil fields to deny resources to Damascus and continue its drive for regime change.
Europe dispatches naval flotilla to threaten Iran, Syria
By Anthony Torres, 22 January 2020
A French aircraft carrier and European naval flotillas will patrol strategic Middle East waters that are critical to the global oil trade.
Washington escalates Mideast war threat with strikes on Iraq, Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 31 December 2019
Sunday’s airstrikes are part of an increasingly reckless US imperialist intervention in the region directed against Iran.
New WikiLeaks documents expose doctoring of chemical weapons report to justify 2018 US attack on Syria
By Niles Niemuth, 28 December 2019
Just as extraordinary as the leaks themselves is the complete blackout observed by the mainstream media in the United States and Europe.
Trump issues hypocritical threat over Syrian offensive
By Bill Van Auken, 28 December 2019
Syrian government troops backed by Russian air power have advanced on the last redoubt of Al Qaeda-linked militias in Idlib province.
New WikiLeaks documents expose phony claims of 2018 Syria chemical weapons attack
By Niles Niemuth, 16 December 2019
The latest round of revelations makes clear that the US-led regime change operation in Syria has been based on a pack of lies.
Pentagon chiefs say US troops to stay in Syria for years
By Bill Van Auken, 13 December 2019
Less than two months after Trump’s demagogic announcement of a full withdrawal from Syria, the US military has made clear that it has no plans to leave.
Leaked email on alleged chemical attack shows 2018 strikes against Syria based on lies
By Niles Niemuth, 25 November 2019
A whistleblower’s memo establishes that the July 2018 OPCW report on the alleged chemical attack in Douma falsified the findings of investigators to justify the attack on Syrian government forces carried out by the US, the UK and France.
Israeli airstrikes on Syria threaten wider Mideast war
By Bill Van Auken, 21 November 2019
The air raids follow by barely a week a bombing campaign against Gaza that killed 34, including an entire family of eight.
Democratic Socialists of America “International Committee” denounces “reckless” withdrawal of US troops from Syria
By Genevieve Leigh, 9 November 2019
The response of the DSA to Trump’s announced troop withdrawals from Syria is indistinguishable from that of the Democratic Party and Trump’s critics within the military and intelligence apparatus.
US seizure of oil fields escalates tensions in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 8 November 2019
Russia has issued a warning that it will not cooperate with US forces in the region, raising the threat of a military clash.
Germany’s grand coalition extends military operations in Syria and Iraq
By Johannes Stern, 2 November 2019
Eighty years after the end of the Second World War, leading politicians from all parties openly advocate policies of war and military violence.
Washington threatens to fight Syria and Russia for oil
By Bill Van Auken, 31 October 2019
The restatement of US objectives in seizing Syria’s oil fields came amid border clashes between Turkish and Syrian troops.
Trump shifts from ending “forever wars” to sending tanks into Syria’s oil fields
By Bill Van Auken, 26 October 2019
While pitched as a defense against ISIS, the proposed occupation of the oil fields is aimed at denying vital resources to Syria’s government.
No to the German-European security zone in Syria!
By Johannes Stern, 24 October 2019
The call by German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer for an international security zone in northern Syria marks a new stage in the revival of German militarism.
Germany, US threaten war amid Russia-Turkey summit on Syria
By Alex Lantier, 23 October 2019
German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer called for a massive European Union (EU) force to occupy northern Syria, involving up to 40,000 troops.
US troops withdraw across Syrian border into Iraq
By Patrick Martin, 22 October 2019
While Trump has sought to strike a phony antiwar posture with his pullout order, the troops leaving Syria will remain in the Middle East.
Military brass denounce Trump’s withdrawal of troops from Syria
By Barry Grey, 21 October 2019
The extraordinary intervention of high-ranking retired generals is a breach of the core constitutional principle of the subordination of the military to civilian authority.
Fighting continues in wake of US-Turkish agreement on northern Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 19 October 2019
The “ceasefire” deal has only intensified opposition within US ruling circles, where the withdrawal of US troops from Syria is seen as strengthening Russia’s hand in the Middle East.
US claims “ceasefire” deal in Turkey’s invasion of Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 18 October 2019
After US Vice President Pence and Turkish President Erdogan met Thursday, Turkish officials bragged that Ankara got everything it wanted.
A rare moment of truth on the US support for Al Qaeda
By Patrick Martin, 17 October 2019
Representative Tulsi Gabbard described the terrorist group as the “ground force” for the American “regime-change” operation in Syria.
Trump defends US pullback in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 17 October 2019
Amid mounting opposition from within Congress and the military, Trump defended his order to withdraw a small contingent of US special forces from northeastern Syria.
The Democrats support the “Forever War”
By Bill Van Auken, 16 October 2019
The Democratic Party’s saber-rattling response to the Syrian fiasco helps Trump fraudulently posture as an opponent of war.
Syrian army, Iran threaten counterattack against Turkish invasion of Syria
By Alex Lantier, 14 October 2019
A large-scale Middle East war could strangle the world's oil supply and escalate into a war between nuclear-armed powers. The working class is coming face to face with the real possibility of a Third World War.
Oppose the Turkish military offensive in Syria!
the International Committee of the Fourth International, 14 October 2019
As Ankara seeks a militarist solution to ethnic and class conflicts inflamed by decades of imperialist interventions, the Middle East and the world are on the brink of all-out war.
Crisis mounts over Turkish offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 11 October 2019
Trump’s green light for the Turkish invasion has prompted heated condemnations from his Republican allies as well as within the US military.
Turkey launches US-backed offensive targeting Kurdish forces in Syria
By Alex Lantier, 10 October 2019
Turkish air raids and artillery bombardments hit cities and military and civilian targets along approximately 100 kilometers of the Turkey-Syria border.
Washington green lights Turkish attack on Kurdish forces in Syria
By Alex Lantier and Ulaş Atesci, 8 October 2019
Trump abandoned to their fate Kurdish nationalist militias that have fought since 2015 as Washington’s main proxy force in the NATO war for regime change in Syria.
Turkish government prepares to deport Syrian refugees living in Istanbul
By Çetin Akın and Ulas Atesci, 24 July 2019
Ankara has announced that Syrian refugees not registered in Istanbul have until August 20 to return to the cities in Turkey where they are registered or face deportation.
Germany’s Grand Coalition intensifies war policy in the Middle East
By Johannes Stern, 12 July 2019
The German government wants to step up the German army’s war mission in Syria.
The German government prepares military intervention in Syria
By Peter Schwarz, 31 May 2019
Military support of a “safe zone” in northern Syria would mean a massive escalation of Germany’s participation in the Syrian war.
Leaked OPCW engineering report concludes alleged 2018 chemical attack in Syria was staged
By Paul Bond, 28 May 2019
The Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media research group conclude that its findings “establish beyond reasonable doubt that the alleged chemical attack in Douma… was staged.”
Washington revives Syria chemical weapons propaganda as pretext for war
By Bill Van Auken, 23 May 2019
The threat of a new US attack on Syria follows a report exposing the last chemical weapons incident attributed to the Syrian government as a staged provocation.
Washington threatens new attack on Syria amid US war buildup in Persian Gulf
By Bill Van Auken, 22 May 2019
With the Trump administration threatening a new attack on Syria on the pretext of chemical weapons, Democrats signed a letter urging an even more aggressive policy.
War by other means: US/EU sanctions aimed at crippling Syria
By Jean Shaoul, 27 April 2019
Washington is seeking to crash the Syrian economy to create the conditions for a rebellion so as to impose a pro-US regime in Damascus.
New study documents over 1,600 killed in US siege of Raqqa, Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 26 April 2019
The killings in Raqqa, like those in Mosul, Iraq, constituted massive war crimes committed in the so-called war against ISIS.
As Washington hails victory over ISIS, media ignores massive human toll
By Bill Van Auken, 30 March 2019
The Pentagon’s admission of 1,250 civilians killed in four years of bombardment of Iraq and Syria is a vast underestimate of the real death toll.
Trump recognizes Israeli annexation of Golan Heights: Green light for global war
By Bill Van Auken, 26 March 2019
Trump’s recognition of Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights sets the stage for far greater crimes by both Israel and its US imperialist patron.
Killing of US troops in Syria feeds furor over withdrawal
By Bill Van Auken, 17 January 2019
The suicide bomb attack took place in Manbij, the flashpoint in the multi-sided conflict created by the US intervention in Syria.
US ratchets up threats against Iran, Turkey amid Syria withdrawal plans
By Bill Van Auken, 15 January 2019
While the timetable for US troops to pull out of Syria remains unclear, Washington is steadily escalating tensions in the region.
US-Turkish tensions rise over Syria withdrawal plan
By Bill Van Auken, 9 January 2019
Turkey’s president denounced statements by national security adviser John Bolton on the Syrian Kurds after refusing to meet with a US delegation.
Bolton walks back Trump’s Syria troop withdrawal
By Bill Van Auken, 8 January 2019
Whatever the intent of Trump’s demagogic promise to “bring the troops home,” the ruling establishment is determined to continue the US wars for hegemony in the Middle East.
Trump says there is no set date for Syria troop withdrawal
By Bill Van Auken, 4 January 2019
While Trump bemoaned Washington’s “never-ending war,” his acting Defense Secretary told the Pentagon to focus on “China, China, China.”
Syrian government troops deployed to flashpoint city of Manbij
By Bill Van Auken, 29 December 2018
Turkey and Russia are staging high-level talks on the future of Syria’s northeast following the US troop withdrawal.
Trump stages visit to Iraq amid mounting crisis over Syria troop withdrawal
By Bill Van Auken, 27 December 2018
The surprise visit appeared aimed at mollifying sections of the military-intelligence apparatus and reasserting Trump's commitment to US militarism in the Middle East.
European powers condemn Trump’s withdrawal from Syria
By Johannes Stern, 24 December 2018
Trump’s planned withdrawal of US troops from Syria and the subsequent resignation of defence secretary James Mattis have provoked a fierce response from European leaders.
The resignation of General Mattis and America’s crisis of class rule
By Bill Van Auken, 22 December 2018
The panic and hysteria over the resignation of the former Marine Corps general reflects a deep-going crisis within the US ruling establishment.
Defense Secretary Mattis resigns amid Washington backlash over Syria troop withdrawal
By Bill Van Auken, 21 December 2018
Driving the outrage of Republicans, Democrats, Washington think tanks and major media are the imperialist interests underlying the Syrian intervention.
Trump’s Syrian withdrawal order sparks political firestorm in Washington
By Bill Van Auken, 20 December 2018
The announcement follows discussions between Trump and Erdogan, who has threatened to send Turkish troops into the northeastern Syrian region where US troops are based.
Turkey threatens to invade Syria amid tensions with Washington
By Barış Demir, 20 December 2018
Trump’s call yesterday for a US withdrawal from Syria reflected growing conflicts between Ankara and Washington over the bloody proxy war in Syria.
Rohini Hensman’s Indefensible: The ISO discovers its muse—the CIA—Part 1
By Alex Lantier, 14 December 2018
Hensman’s arguments tend inescapably in one direction: That US wars have been the main liberating force over the last quarter century.
Civilian death toll mounts as US escalates offensive in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 16 November 2018
The so-called campaign against ISIS is aimed at carving out a US-controlled zone in eastern Syria and ultimately overthrowing the Damascus government.
US, Turkey risk direct military clash as they escalate war in Syria
By Barış Demir, 8 November 2018
Ankara is threatening an outright military occupation of large parts of Syria, which could provoke a direct clash with US forces.
Turkish president brands Khashoggi killing a premeditated murder
By Peter Symonds, 24 October 2018
While Erdogan had promised to expose the “naked truth,” his less-than-full account of the killing indicates that he is exploiting the issue to further Turkish interests in the Middle East.
Iran fires missiles at Islamist “rebels” as US vows to remain in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 2 October 2018
Washington and Tehran, already at odds over escalating US sanctions, are coming into increasing conflict over military operations in Syria.
Moscow blames downing of Russian plane near Syria on Israeli “provocation”
By Bill Van Auken, 19 September 2018
The killing of 15 Russian military personnel off the coast of Latakia has ratcheted up dangerous military tensions in Syria.
Russian aircraft shot down during Israeli missile attack on main Syrian government port
By Bill Van Auken, 18 September 2018
Russian sources have reported that they tracked missiles launched by a French frigate at the time their aircraft was attacked.
Israel bombs target near Damascus as Syrian war threatens to escalate
By Jordan Shilton, 17 September 2018
Washington supports Israel's aggression in Syria as part of its strategy to drive back Iranian influence in the country and throughout the Middle East.
Russia postpones Syrian offensive in Idlib as NATO threatens escalation
By Alex Lantier, 15 September 2018
Turkey and the major NATO imperialist powers made clear that they are ready to counterattack against Syrian and Russian forces in Idlib.
Seventeen years after 9/11: From “war on terror” to “great power conflict”
By Andre Damon, 12 September 2018
On the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, Washington is on the verge of launching a massive new Syrian offensive in defense of Al Qaeda-linked forces.
German government plans combat mission against Syria
By Johannes Stern, 12 September 2018
Behind the backs of the German people, the Grand Coalition government is preparing a massive combat mission against the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
US Marines deploy to Syria for live fire exercise
By Jordan Shilton, 10 September 2018
The drill, which included air assaults backed by artillery fire, underscores that the seven-year war in Syria could rapidly escalate into a direct clash between the major powers.
Syriza jails Syrian swimmer Sara Mardini for helping refugees in Greece
By Kumaran Ira, 10 September 2018
This blatant attempt to criminalize humanitarian aid to refugees is a devastating exposure of the European Union and Greece’s Syriza government.
Report by Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media undermines claims of chemical attack in Douma
By Paul Bond, 6 September 2018
In the face of the orchestrated attack on the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media as “Apologists for Assad,” the careful work by Paul McKeigue, Jake Mason, David Miller and Piers Robinson is all the more noteworthy.
Washington escalates threats over Syria as Russia bombs Al Qaeda positions
By Bill Van Auken, 5 September 2018
Claims of “humanitarian” concerns and warnings over the use of chemical weapons signal a growing threat of US intervention in defense of the “rebels.”
Is Washington on the brink of a major attack on Syria?
By Bill Van Auken, 28 August 2018
Threats against the Assad government over the use of chemical weapons have set up the pretext for a sharp escalation of US military intervention.
Washington allies with ISIS as great power conflict trumps “war on terror”
By Bill Van Auken, 7 August 2018
In at least three countries where US forces are engaged in combat operations, the Pentagon and its local proxies are allying themselves with ISIS and Al Qaeda in pursuit of strategic interests.
Lafarge investigation exposes US-French collusion with ISIS in Syria
By Francis Dubois, 3 August 2018
Former Foreign Secretary Laurent Fabius claimed to know nothing about it, but ties between terrorist groups and the former Socialist Party government are rapidly coming to light.
Israel shoots down Syrian jet over occupied Golan Heights
By Bill Van Auken, 25 July 2018
The shoot-down is part of the escalation of both Israeli and US aggression aimed at Syria and Iran.
Israel intervenes to extract US-UK-backed White Helmets from Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 23 July 2018
The Israel Defense Forces were sent into Syria at Washington’s request to rescue hundreds of White Helmets, a group funded by the US and UK to further regime change.
Tensions over Syria deepen following Helsinki summit
By Bill Van Auken, 18 July 2018
The Trump administration has signaled that US troops will remain in Syria to confront Iran.
US war crimes in Syria exposed
By Niles Niemuth, 7 June 2018
Unlike the hysteria generated over the fake gas attack in Douma earlier this year, the revelations of massive US war crimes in Raqqa have been treated as a non-event by the media.
Amnesty International report finds US guilty of war crimes in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 6 June 2018
The report documents the deaths of hundreds of civilians in the US siege of Raqqa last year, including the massacre of entire families.
Germany’s Left Party demands independent German-European imperialist policy
By Johannes Stern, 16 May 2018
Like the Greens 20 years ago, the Left Party now stands ready to paint the return of German imperialism to the world stage “in the brightest possible colours.”
The ISO and the imperialist politics of the pseudo-left
By Barry Grey, 16 May 2018
The International Socialist Organization is concerned that politically radicalized students and youth who are attracted to socialism are hostile to American military interventions in Syria and elsewhere.
Israel marks 70th anniversary amid war crimes and deepening social crisis
By Bill Van Auken, 14 May 2018
Washington’s ripping up of the Iran nuclear treaty and moving of its embassy to Jerusalem have given the Israeli state a green light for war with Iran and violent suppression of the Palestinians.
For a working-class strategy against the imperialist repartition of the Middle East!
By Keith Jones, 11 May 2018
In Iran, as around the world, the struggle against imperialist aggression and war must be founded on the independent political mobilization of the working class and the perspective of Permanent Revolution.
Middle East teeters on brink of region-wide war after US withdrawal from Iran deal
By Jordan Shilton, 10 May 2018
After Israeli war planes targeted Iranian personnel in Syria for the third time in less than a month, Iranian Quds forces reportedly launched rockets into northern Israel.
US relaunches Second Fleet in war preparations against Russia
By Bill Van Auken, 7 May 2018
The revival of the fleet, which was mothballed in 2011, was described by the US Navy as an implementation of a new national security doctrine focused on “great power competition.”
Israel denounces Iran nuclear deal after new missile strikes on Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 1 May 2018
Netanyahu’s bellicose speech indicting Iran, following on the heels of missile strikes on Syria, underscores the growing threat of a region-wide war.
In Washington, Macron calls for renegotiation of nuclear deal with Iran
By Alex Lantier, 25 April 2018
Paris is joining Washington in telling Iran it must comply with US dictates or face the renewal of trade sanctions and the possibility of military attack.
Thousands of Syrians buried in the rubble six months after US destruction of Raqqa
By Will Morrow, 25 April 2018
The same media and governments endlessly denouncing Syrian and Russian government atrocities ignore the US war crimes in Raqqa.
US-led strike on Syria inflames tensions over Korea
By Alex Lantier, 21 April 2018
If his summit with the North Korean leader goes ahead, Trump will undoubtedly use every means at his disposal, including military threats, to try to bludgeon Pyongyang into accepting US demands.
US military-intelligence apparatus presses for further strikes on Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 20 April 2018
Fresh reporting from the scene of the alleged chemical weapons attack that was the pretext for the April 14 missile strikes on Syria has further exposed it as a fabrication.
After Syria strikes, drumbeat grows for wider US war
By Will Morrow, 19 April 2018
A campaign is underway in the American political and military-intelligence establishment for a major escalation in Syria and confrontation with Iran and Russia.
Murdoch’s Times witch-hunts academics for questioning UK government’s Syria lies
By Julie Hyland, 19 April 2018
Under conditions where the imperialist powers are dragging humanity towards a third world war, the ruling elites can no longer countenance critical opinion.
As lies on Syrian gas attack unravel, US and UK shift to claims of Russian “cyber war”
By Will Morrow, 18 April 2018
An on-the-spot report from Douma by veteran journalist Robert Fisk further exposes the chemical gas pretext for the illegal US-UK-French bombing of Syria.
UK government rejects Corbyn’s demand for parliament to vote on war
By Chris Marsden, 18 April 2018
Amid mass anti-war sentiment, Jeremy Corbyn is seeking to prop up the tattered reputation of the Labour Party by claiming that it can serve as a check on the May government.
Protesters in Britain speak out against air strikes in Syria
By our reporters, 18 April 2018
The World Socialist Web Site spoke to protesters in London and Bristol.
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