Mass Evacuations From Aleppo, Fua and Kefraya Resume

Evacuations from eastern Aleppo resumed late Sunday night and Monday, with thousands of people transported out of rebel-held parts of the city, BBC News reported.

Buses and ambulances led 4,500 people from the embattled city to rebel-held parts of Aleppo and Idlib, and evacuations from two government-held towns in the neighboring Idlib province began early on Monday.

Two previous evacuation deals collapsed last week amid renewed fighting, as well as protests from Iran over the first deal brokered by Russia and Turkey. Evacuations were again postponed on Sunday after a group of armed men, thought to be members of the extremist group formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, set fire to five buses that were to be used to evacuate civilians from the rebel-held towns of Fua and Kefraya in Idlib.

Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution calling for “the U.N. and other relevant institutions to carry out adequate, neutral monitoring” of the evacuations. The vote for the resolution was unanimous, overcoming initial Russian protests over the use of international monitors.

Syria’s envoy to the U.N., Bashar Jaafari, accused council members of planning “to legitimize foreign interference, the changing of legitimate governments by force or even using military force.”

Russia, Turkey and Iran Discuss Syria in Moscow

Three of the Syrian war’s most prominent backers are meeting in Moscow on Tuesday to find a political solution to the six-year conflict, Reuters reported.

The foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey and Russia are meeting in the Russian capital, with the three countries’ defense ministers discussing the war in separate talks.

Russian experts have drafted a “Moscow Declaration” that maps the end of the Syrian crisis, said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, adding that Moscow hopes Tehran and Ankara will support the document.

“All previous attempts by the United States and its partners to agree on coordinated actions were doomed to failure. None of them wielded real influence over the situation on the ground,” said Shoigu. “The approval of the declaration at the level of defense and foreign ministers implies our readiness to guarantee and jointly address concrete questions related to resolve [the crisis in] Syria.”

Humanitarian Crisis for Palestinian Refugees Trapped in Syria

Aid organizations have warned that the lives of more than 6,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria’s Yarmouk camp are at risk, according to Al Jazeera.

The humanitarian situation “is going from bad to worse,” warned the U.K.-based Action Group for Palestinians of Syria.

Once home to nearly 200,000 Palestinians and Syrians, Yarmouk camp’s civilian population has dwindled to an estimated 6,250. Pro-government forces besieged Yarmouk four years ago, restricting humanitarian access and basic supplies.

The camp was invaded in March 2015 by ISIS, which still controls much of its territory. The rest is controlled by an assortment of fighters, including those from Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, the extremist group formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra.

Infighting between the armed groups and clashes with pro-government forces have further restricted humanitarian access, deteriorating the camp’s conditions.

RECOMMENDED READS:

• Muftah: We Must Understand Syria as a Popular Struggle Despite Its Complications
• Los Angeles Times: Residents Return to Recaptured Old City of East Aleppo. Except the City They Knew Is Gone
• New York Times: Turkey, Russia and an Assassination: The Swirling Crises, Explained
• Wall Street Journal: Russia Spins Tale of Success in Syria
• AFP: Seven-Year-Old Syria War Symbol Evacuated From Aleppo