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Executive Summary for March 22nd

We review key developments in Syria, including 33 people killed in what is believed to have been a U.S.-led airstrike on Raqqa, rebels renewing an offensive on Damascus and Israel saying it will not change its policies in Syria.

Published on March 22, 2017 Read time Approx. 2 minutes

At Least 33 People Killed in Airstrike on School Outside Raqqa

At least 33 people were killed in an airstrike near Raqqa on Monday night, Reuters reported.

The airstrike, believed to have been carried out by the U.S.-led coalition, hit a school in the village of al-Mansoura, according to the United Kingdom-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The village is located west of Raqqa, the so-called Islamic State’s de facto capital.

The school was sheltering displaced people. The U.S.-led coalition has not commented on the reported attack, but said it conducted 19 airstrikes near Raqqa on Monday, according to BBC News.

Rebels and Allied Jihadists Renew Attack on Damascus

Rebels and allied jihadists launched another attack on the Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday, BBC News reported.

On Sunday, pro-government forces were able to push back a surprise rebel offensive launched the same day. A rebel official said they had gained ground in Jobar neighborhood, in the eastern outskirts of Damascus. Syrian state-run media denied the claim, saying they had stopped the “infiltration attempts.”

Warplanes have carried out dozens of airstrikes on rebel-held areas within and outside the capital since Monday. At least 38 pro-government fighters and 34 jihadists and rebels have been killed since the weekend, according to SOHR.

Rebels launched their attack on Tuesday with a car bomb, according to the head of SOHR, and the government responded with raids on opposition areas. Rebels shelled the Abbasiyin and Tijara neighborhoods in Damascus.

Israel Says It Will Not Change Attitude in Syria Despite Reports of Russian Pressure

Israel will continue to conduct airstrikes in Syria to target Hezbollah weapon convoys, said Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Haaretz reported.

Netanyahu insisted that Israeli policy on Syria would not change, challenging reports from Syrian officials that claimed Russia will no longer allow Israel to operate without restrictions in the country’s airspace. Moscow is a key ally of the Syrian government, as is the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.

“We have a policy on this matter, and it won’t change,” Netanyahu said. “If there’s intelligence and operational feasibility, we strike and we will continue to do so.”

Israeli jets targeted a position in Syria on Friday, and Syria responded with anti-aircraft missiles. The Israeli ambassador to Moscow was summoned to a meeting with the Russian Foreign Ministry on Sunday, and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad said on Monday that Moscow “can play an important role in preventing a military conflict between Israel and Syria.”

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