The penultimate article is "‘So that we can safeguard your lives’: the Jews of Aleppo between colonialism, nationalism, and Zionism, 1918–1946" by @joelveldkamp.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

CSI is calling on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to declare his support for Armenians from #NagornoKarabakh/#Artsakh to “be allowed home,” just as he has declared his support for Palestinians from #Gaza to be allowed to return and rebuild.

www.csi-int.org/news/starmer...

In all seriousness, not clear that Trump knows US troops remain in Syria.

Prior to the election he claimed to have pulled them out during his first term.

Syria policy in Trump 2.0 may depend in part on whether he finds out they’re still there.

www.nytimes.com/2024/12/10/u...

Lulz at President Biden (www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-roo...) and Brett McGurk (www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-roo...) taking credit for the fall of Assad as some policy win, as if that was an outcome the administration actually wanted.

Many of the sanctions-related challenges now facing Syria are the same ones that faced the country two weeks ago: Humanitarian exemptions are not sufficient – aid alone cannot feed and sustain Syria's people. They need a functioning economy and public institutions. Need sanctions relief ASAP.

After the fall of a brutal dictatorship, the West needs a plan for sanctions relief. #Syria is one of the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world. Leaving severe #sanctions in place will be like pulling the rug out from under Syria just as it tries to stand. 🧵1/

In a statement on the situation in Syria, Biden claims credit for ousting "Bashir al-Assad." www.c-span.org/video/?54046...

In lieu of having something intelligent to say, let me once again make this recommendation:

If you want to learn Syrian Arabic (and really, why wouldn’t you???) Real Syrian Arabic is an outstanding program, produced by an outstanding young Syrian medical student.

sites.google.com/view/realsyr...

54 years of Assad family rule, 61 years of Baath Party rule. And now it's over.

#SYRIA: Friday, the jihadist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham ( #HTS) conquered Syria's second biggest city, #Aleppo.

Today, they conquered its fourth biggest city - #Hama.

Read our backgrounder on HTS' history with #Christians and religious minorities.

www.csi-int.org/news/syria-w...

In the 7th, "‘So that we can safeguard your lives’: the Jews of Aleppo between colonialism, nationalism, and Zionism, 1918–1946", @joelveldkamp.bsky.social traces how ordinary Syrian Jews negotiated the complex politics of the mandatory period:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

SYRIA:

CSI continues to receive daily updates from our contacts in #Aleppo. The situation in the city is calm. Few Russian or government airstrikes have been observed, and there are no credible reports of jihadists harming Christians, other religious minorities, or civilians.

#ChristiansinAleppo

UPDATE: Overnight, #Aleppo was totally occupied by jihadist forces backed by Turkey.

CSI's contacts in the city tell us that they are sheltering indoors. It is not possible for civilians to leave the city, as the main highway is blocked by fighting. They ask for prayers.

#ChristiansinAleppo

SYRIA: Turkish-backed jihadists linked to al Qaeda have launched a major offensive on #Aleppo.

Our contacts in Aleppo tell us that today, four university students were killed when bombs launched by the rebels hit the university dorm.

For two days, the sound of bombing has been heard continuously.

Which is more baffling:

• That an exile guy in UK has super-secret sources who always give him—and only him, in the world—inexplicably detailed info on everything everywhere in Syria?

or

• That global news agencies (here, AFP) have cited his press releases without asking questions for 13 years?