U.S. President-Elect Causes Rebels Concern, Government Optimism

The Syrian government welcomed the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president, while rebels were wary, Reuters reported.

Rebels have criticized the Obama administration for what they see as insufficient backing in their fight against the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Trump’s statements so far have been more supportive of Russia, a key backer of the Syrian government, giving rebels cause for concern. Trump has also said that defeating the so-called Islamic State is a higher priority than ousting Assad.

“I think things will become difficult because of Trump’s statements and his relationship with Putin and Russia. I imagine this is not good for the Syrian issue,” Zakaria Malahifji, a rebel leader, told Reuters.

A prominent member of the political opposition, George Sabra, indicated skepticism about the U.S. “We do not expect much from the new American administration,” he told Reuters, “but we hope that the face of President Donald Trump is totally different to the face of Mr. Donald Trump the candidate,” he said.

A member of parliament in Damascus hoped the new U.S. administration would shift its foreign policy toward the Syrian government. “We must be optimistic, but cautiously optimistic,” Sherif Shehada said.

U.S. Military Says Its Airstrikes Killed 64 Civilians in Syria and Iraq

A new statement from the U.S. military said its airstrikes in Syria and Iraq killed 64 civilians between November 20, 2015, and September 10, 2016, Reuters reported.

“In each of the cases released today, the assessment determined that although all feasible precautions were taken and strikes complied with laws of armed conflict, civilian casualties unfortunately did occur,” said Colonel John Thomas, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command.

This latest disclosure from the Pentagon, which does not take into account U.S. airstrikes on Manbij in July, brings the total number of civilian deaths for which the U.S. has claimed responsibility since 2014 to 119.

“Mitigating civilian casualties is a key component of the counter-ISIL [ISIS] air campaign, and we’ve applied lessons learned to reduce the likelihood of future civilian casualties,” Col. Thomas said.

Nearly 300 civilians have been killed in U.S. airstrikes in the past two years in Syria and Iraq, according to an Amnesty International report issued last month.

Israel Strikes Syria After Mortar Shell Hits Golan Heights

The Israeli military hit a Syrian army artillery position on Wednesday after a mortar shell fired from Syria hit Israeli-occupied parts of the Golan Heights, the Associated Press reported.

The original attack did not cause any casualties, and was likely errant fire, according to a statement from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the Times of Israel reported. “The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm the sovereignty of the State of Israel or the security of its citizens,” the IDF statement said. It claimed it hit “artillery positions belonging to the Syrian regime in the northern Syrian Golan Heights.”

The Syrian military warned Israel “against the repercussions of repeating such an attack,” according to the state-run news agency, SANA.

Clashes between the Syrian government and armed opposition groups were reported in the town of Beit Jinn near the Syrian border with Israel, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Israel has largely stayed on the sidelines during the neighboring six-year war, but has occasionally fired back after errant fire and targeted arms convoys for the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, a backer of the Syrian government.

Recommended Reads:

• Middle East Eye: Russia ‘Forces’ NATO Submarine Away From Battle Fleet Heading to Syria
• Los Angeles Times: Trump Promised to Be ‘Unpredictable’ in Foreign Policy. How Will That Work?
• The National: Trump’s Victory Has Grave Consequences for Syria
• The New York Times: My Journey Into Aleppo: Watching a Moonscape of War Turn Into a Functioning City
• Syria Direct: Syrian Perspectives on U.S. Elections: ‘Trump’s Term Will End Before the Crisis Does’