Thousands Evacuated from Besieged Damascus Suburb

The Syrian army has evacuated thousands of people from eastern Ghouta, a rebel-held suburb of Damascus that has been under government siege for nearly two years, AFP reports.

The mass evacuation of 1,687 people on Saturday, and 2,112 people on Sunday, who have suffered from a lack of food supplies and medical aid because of the army siege, was reported by the State Agency SANA.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the report, saying former rebels granted amnesty by the government had facilitated negotiations to evacuate civilians from the area.

Eastern Ghouta has been under siege for nearly two years as the army has tried to recapture key rebel bases around the capital, “which is frequently the target of opposition rockets fired from the outskirts of the city.

“In December, the Syrian army gave 31 families safe passage from several parts of eastern Ghouta, but activists expressed fear that those leaving could be detained or pressed into military service,” the AFP writes.

Israeli Strikes in Syria Kill Hezbollah Fighters

An Israeli strike in Syria on Sunday killed at least five Hezbollah fighters including Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of top Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated in 2008 in Damascus.

One member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has died, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The attack could incite tension between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite Movement and political party.

The attack on two vehicles traveling in the Syrian Golan Hights came days after Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said Syria and its allies had the right to respond to what he called repeated Israeli attacks inside Syria.

Hezbollah has been a longtime ally of President Bashar al-Assad, benefitting strategically and tactically from its Syrian alliance.

Following the strike, Hezbollah’s television network, al-Manar, said Israel was “playing with fire that puts the security of the whole Middle East on edge.”

In December, the Syrian military accused Israel of carrying out two airstrikes near the Damascus international airport and the town of Dimas, the BBC reported.

Israel has conducted several airstrikes on Syria since 2011, mostly destroying weaponry believed to be destined for Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon.

Syrian Kurds Battle with Regime Forces in Syrian City of Hassakeh

Syrian Kurds battled with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad over the weekend, potentially opening up a new front between the two sides.

At least 18 people were killed when clashes broke out between Syrian government soldiers and Kurdish fighters in the northeastern city of Hassakeh, according to AFP.

Violence broke out after Kurdish forces detained army soldiers they accused of taking control of building in an area that both sides agreed would stay demilitarized.

“There is now fighting in many areas of Hassakeh,” said the head of Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdulrahman.

Under a deal reached last year, the YPG and the government had divided into a power sharing agreement, with the YPG holding around 30 percent of Hassakeh’s Kurdish and mixed Kurdish-Arab districts, and regime forces retaining most of the city’s majority Arab neighborhoods.

“Damascus has promoted its ties with the Kurds, saying that it provides military support to Kurdish forces to help them battle the Islamic State, although the PYD denies that it cooperates with the central government,” Reuters reports.

Recommended Reads:

• Al Jazeera: The Exiled Generation
• AFP: Thousands Evacuated from Syrian Rebel Area
• AP: Israeli Strikes Kill 6 Hezbollah Fighters in Syria
• Reuters: Kurds Battle Assad’s Forces in Syria, Opening Up New Front
• BBC: Army ‘Plane Crash’ Kills 35 Soldiers
• AFP: Kobane Setback Puts Brakes on IS Syria Ambitions
• Al Jazeera: U.S. Senators in Saudi Arabia to Discuss Syria
• NPR: Syria Opposition Groups Wary of Russia’s Invitation to Moscow