Syria President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) and Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, mark agreement in Damascus, March 10, 2025
Civilians Killed Amid Fighting Between Syria’s Security Forces and Pro-Assad Fighters
UPDATE 1026 GMT:
Israel responded to the Government-Kurds agreement by bombing positions across southern Syria and near Damascus.
The Israelis hit former army barracks and outposts in the Dara’a and Damascus Province and in al-Kiswah, around 13 km (8 miles) south of the capital.
There were no immediate reports on casualties or damage.
Israeli ground forces also reportedly deployed in the village of Maariyah on the western edge of Dara’a Province.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Syria’s government and the local Kurdish authority have agreed to integrate the northeast of the country into the post-Assad nation.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the commander of the US-supported, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, signed the agreement in Damascus on Monday.
The northeast will be under Government authority since a Kurdish adminstration gained autonomy in 2012 during the uprising against the Assad regime. The SDF will become part of the national army, and all public institutions, borders, airports, and oilfields will be controlled by Damascus.
The Government agreed to recognize Kurdish rights, banned under the Assad regime, including the Kurdish language in schools and Kurdish holidays. The document proclaimed that all Syrians can participate in the political process, regardless of religious or ethnic background.
Crowds took to the streets to celebrate throughout northeast Syria, including the region’s largest city Raqqa, and in Damascus.
A video shows massive celebrations in Raqqa city after an agreement between Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government.
People are chanting, “One one one, Syrian people are one…”
Via Mazen Hassoun.
x.com/HassounMazen…— Syria Notes (@syrianotes.bsky.social) March 10, 2025 at 8:02 PM
SDF commander Abdi posted:
In this sensitive period, we are working together to ensure a transitional phase that reflects our people’s aspirations for justice and stability. We are committed to building a better future that guarantees the rights of all Syrians and fulfills their aspirations for peace and dignity.
[Editor’s Note: Another opinion piece from an outlet supporting the Israeli Government]
Another Step On The Path To A New Dictatorial Rule: https://www.memri.org/reports/rage-syria-constitutional-declaration-approved-president-yet-another-step-path-new
“the Constitutional Declaration is nothing more than a vehicle by which to subordinate Syria to an autocracy led by the president”
[Editor’s Note: The author of this opinion piece is Ahmad Sharawi, who works with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank strongly supportive of the lines of the Israeli Government.]
Syria’s new strongman isn’t living up to his promises for reform: https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5232820-syrian-government-authoritarian/
“He has seized control of every pillar of government, stacking sensitive posts with loyalists and family. This culminated in mid-March with the imposition of an interim constitution granting him executive, legislative and judicial authority for five years. …Sharaa kept the defense, foreign affairs, interior and justice portfolios under the control of people connected (or formerly connected) to al Qaeda.”
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/is-syria-heading-for-a-fresh-dictatorship/
“Is Syria heading for a fresh dictatorship? Many in the country have already rejected it, claiming it gives the president too much power, promotes an Islamist agenda, and fails to address the concerns of religious and ethnic minorities. The new constitution claims it is ‘based on the principle of separation of powers’, but in practice, this does not appear to be the case. Al-Sharaa as interim president will wield the executive power. But he will also appoint a third of the parliament, while the other two-thirds will be selected by a committee. The members of this committee will also be chosen by al-Sharaa. Similarly, the members of the highest legislative body, the Supreme Constitutional Court, will be selected by the president too.”
IF this agreement holds, and is not just a gimmick to buy time and legitimacy for the HTS -led regime, then U.S troops should be pulled out in the coming months as Trump himself has indicated: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/dod-drafting-plans-withdraw-us-troops-syria-recent-trump-comments-rcna190726