The admin of Bab al-Hawa crossing -- the sole route open for UN aid to NW #Syria -- confirms that 3 days in, zero aid has arrived from the international community.

#Assad's regime is getting aid from the @UN + #Russia, #Egypt, #Algeria, #UAE, #Saudi, #Tunisia, #Iraq & #Iran.
@UN In NW #Syria, financial donations are coming in from abroad, but nothing in terms of real-world assistance.

They need manpower, fuel, equipment, food, shelter etc.

#Egypt managed to get a team of rescue specialists in to aid @SyriaCivilDefe, but it's unclear how they got there.
@UN @SyriaCivilDefe The earthquake + @UN inaction/risk aversion has achieved what #Assad's regime never managed:

-- NW #Syria is now fully under siege; from the south (regime areas) & the north (via disaster-hit #Turkey).

Only concerted international action will see this siege ended.
@UN @SyriaCivilDefe There has been a serious push, by #Syria's opposition & the US-UK-Germany-France to see Bab al-Salameh, Jarablus, al-Rai and Bab al-Hawa crossings *all* opened for external aid into NW #Syria.

#Ankara has signaled that it's willing, but we still need the aid & implementers.

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More from @Charles_Lister

Feb 9
Amid years of criticism, @UN officials constantly reiterate their commitment to "the humanitarian imperative" in #Syria.

But let's be honest: that's BS.

The @UN is more concerned about managing their relations in #Damascus than prioritizing the lives of those in the northwest.
@UN Leadership at @UN HQ has consistently kowtowed to #Assad regime demands; allowed the systematic weaponization of aid & failed to crackdown on regime-fueled corruption within the aid system.

Investigations into all these issues -- & CWs too -- are often squashed or kept private.
@UN In the wake of the earthquake, #Assad's regime said *at the @UN* that disaster relief should *only* come via #Damascus.

Then the @UN claimed that road damage was why relief to the NW wasn't coming via the #Turkey border.

As time passes, that reasoning just isn't adding up.
Read 6 tweets
Feb 8
#Assad's regime, its supporters & a plethora of uninformed commentators are driving a call for punitive sanctions on the regime to be removed to facilitate aid delivery to #Syria.

This is absolute nonsense.

It has no basis in facts.

It's nothing but a regime talking point.
Let’s start with some facts:

- 90% of the multi-billion dollar aid effort that goes through #Damascus comes from the U.S, U.K, E.U. & #Canada -- who also happen to be the x4 sanctioning entities.

In all cases, humanitarian waivers are in place to ensure the free flow of aid.
The West has consistently funded & backed the free-flow of aid across all of #Syria & its *our* money that's paid for it.

It’s #Assad's regime that has systematically weaponized aid since 2011 -- diverting it away from opposition communities as part of its siege & starve agenda.
Read 10 tweets
Feb 7
* Let me make this concretely clear:

Punitive sanctions on #Assad's regime have zero effect on the influx of aid into regime-held areas of #Syria.

Moreover, the x3 sanctioning entities (U.S., E.U. & #Canada) provide 90% of the ~$5bn aid program directed through #Damascus.
That UN aid program in #Damascus is an enormous effort -- & without Western funding, it'd vanish almost instantly.

Our governments continue to fund it to help those in need, in regime areas, *despite* the #Assad regime's systematic manipulation & diversion of the aid for 12yrs.
We continue to fund the UN's aid program in #Damascus, even despite the #Assad regime's policy of enforcing manipulated exchange rates upon its in-flows -- meaning that 51 cents of every single $1 sent in, is stolen by the regime.

Removing sanctions *only* benefits #Assad. Only.
Read 4 tweets
Feb 6
Northwestern #Syria#Idlib & #Aleppo in particular — have suffered 12yrs of brutal conflict. More than 65% of the basic infrastructure of the area is destroyed or heavily damaged.

Tonight’s earthquake couldn’t have hit a more vulnerable region.

An absolute disaster.
Utterly horrific reports coming from all across NW #Syria - every town I’ve heard from has dozens of buildings flattened. People stuck under the rubble.

Any many, many casualties — including children.

@SyriaCivilDefe will be heroes tonight, working amid heavy rain & sleet.
I’ve heard from x3 hospitals in #Idlib & N. #Aleppo — all are full, every bed taken by emergency cases following tonight’s earthquake.

As rescuers & civilians seek to extract people & belongings from rubble, there’s mass panic about aftershocks.

@SyriaCivilDefe stretched thin.
Read 34 tweets
Feb 3
According to recent leaks, #ISIS's evolved administrative structure is ruffling some internal feathers in the #MiddleEast.

The crux of internal tensions lies in the increasingly blurry lines of authority over operations, leadership succession & resource use in #Iraq & #Syria.
Leaks claim #ISIS's "Ardh al-Mubarakah" office manages operations in #Syria, #Lebanon & #Turkey, while the Bilad al-Rafidayn office runs #Iraq.

The latter was also running ops in #Iran -- until recently at least, when #Iran was folded into the #Afghanistan "Al-Siddique" office.
These recent leaks - from normally reliable sources - claim Abu al-Hassan's succession in March 2022 was decided by the Ardh al-Mubarakah office, without any consultation with the Bilad al-Rafidayn office in #Iraq.

He then risked locating to #Daraa, also without any consolation.
Read 7 tweets
Feb 3
أمر ما يجب أن نقدّمه لسوريا -- 13 عاما من الأزمة المستمرة تتجه نحو انهيار حتمي

- مقالتي الجديدة في @ForeignPolicy:

* whia.us/?p=9046 (عربي)

* foreignpolicy.com/2023/02/01/som… (الإنجليزي)
الأزمة #السورية ستدخل عامها الـ 13 في مارس/آذار القادم، ورغم أن مستوى العنف في جميع أنحاء البلاد منخفض الآن نسبيا مقارنة بالسنوات الماضية، فإن الأزمة ما زالت بعيدة جدا عن نهايتها، وفقا للأكاديمي تشارلز ليستر:

aja.me/9037gj
نشرت مجلة "فورين بوليسي" مقالا لمدير برامج #سوريا ومكافحة الإرهاب والتطرف في معهد الشرق الأوسط ،(@MiddleEastInst) تشارلز ليستر، قال فيه إن الوضع الراهن في البلاد غير مستدام على الإطلاق وسيتغير لا محالة.

arabi21.com/story/1491686/…
Read 4 tweets

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