Author | Lightnews

Reposted by Natacha Danon

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · 2d

Diminished by drought, the olive harvest is underway in Syria’s Kurdish-majority Afrin. Residents report fewer violations than in years past, but remain wary of the new authorities.

✍️ @natachadanon.bsky.social

syriadirect.org/with-olive-h...

With olive harvest underway, obstacles remain for Afrin residents

Diminished by drought, the olive harvest is underway in Syria’s Kurdish-majority Afrin. Residents report fewer violations than in years past, but remain wary of the new authorities.

syriadirect.org

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Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · 8d

Despite Russia's direct role in the Syrian conflict, Damascus and Moscow are seeking renewed ties based on mutual strategic interests in an international context where both have limited if any recognition from the West. My latest for @syriadirect.bsky.social.

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · 8d

🧵 Why is Damascus pursuing a rapprochement with Moscow despite its unpopularity, and how might it strike a balance between Syrian public opinion and strategic interests?

🔗 bit.ly/4qlY5pZ

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa walk towards each other toshake hands during their meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, 10/15/2025. They are in an ornate room with a highly decorated carpet and ceiling, and behind them stand Syrian and Russian officials, as well as a Syrian and Russian flag.

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Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · 17d

In Syria’s Hama province, thousands of displaced Alawites are unable to return to houses and lands now occupied by their former Sunni neighbors, whose own homes were destroyed. With property disputes unresolved and pistachio orchards neglected, social cohesion and the local economy risk collapse.

New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 17d

“We left without anything but the clothes on our back, and we returned to nothing.”

Natacha Danon reports on how reconciliation has faltered in Syria, leaving displaced Alawites barred from their homes and pistachio orchards sliding into ruin.

Stalled Reconciliation Leaves Hama’s Alawites in Limbo

As Syria’s sectarian wounds reopen in the wake of Assad’s fall, displaced families find themselves unable to return

newlinesmag.com

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Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · 22d

In my view, in addition to trying to get buy-in from Middle Eastern countries for the ceasefire agreement, Washington is also trying to pave the way for Ankara to play a more diplomatic role in the Syrian context without recourse to military action as it has long threatened.

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Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · 25d

“You get the sense that they’re just checking boxes,” Rana Ali, a feminist and human rights activist, told me. She was disqualified from running as a parliamentary candidate from her home district of Nabek on unknown grounds.

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · 25d

As Syria holds its first post-Assad parliamentary elections, some express support for the indirect electoral process, while others criticize its lack of transparency.

🔗 bit.ly/4pWMBZO

A member of Syria's local election committees in Damascus casts her vote in the country's selection process to designate an interim parliament, 5/10/2025 (Louai Beshara/AFP). The elector voting is a woman wearing glasses, a white hijab and long dark jacket. She inserts a paper ballot into a clear glass case. Men and women wearing red lanyards stand nearby, in front of a Syrian flag.

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Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · Sep 18

My latest for @thenewarab.bsky.social on the future of Palestinian factions in exile. As one former leader in Islamic Jihad told me, “resistance must come from within Palestine.”

The New Arab @thenewarab.bsky.social · Sep 18

The disarmament of factions in Lebanon and Syria could mark the end of a long legacy of resistance that once defined the Palestinian struggle in exile ⬇️

What is the future of Palestinian armed groups in exile?

The disarmament of factions in Lebanon and Syria could mark the end of a long legacy of resistance that once defined the Palestinian struggle in exile

www.newarab.com

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Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · Sep 10

My latest reporting from the Damascus suburbs of al-Somoriyeh on the controversial eviction of an Alawite slum, which will mark the first real test on property rights for the nascent Syrian administration. ⬇️

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · Sep 10

🧵 A violent eviction raid on the Alawite slum of al-Somoriyeh in late August was part of a deeper story: a longstanding property dispute with the neighboring Sunni town of Moadamiyat al-Sham, whose residents were expropriated under Hafez al-Assad.

🔗 bit.ly/3IgyyNz

A makeshift house in the Alawite-majority informal neighborhood of al-Somoriyeh, west of Damascus, marked with an “X” for eviction, 4/9/2025

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Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · Aug 5

My latest for @thenewarab.bsky.social on what the impacts of the latest sectarian violence in Sweida could mean for northeast Syria.

The New Arab @thenewarab.bsky.social · Aug 5

As the dust settles in Suweida, growing fears among Syria's Kurds may harden their demands for decentralisation and a refusal to surrender their weapons

Suweida’s shadow: Why Syria’s Kurds may rethink their future

As the dust settles in Suweida, growing fears among Syria’s Kurds may harden their demands for decentralisation and a refusal to surrender their weapons

www.newarab.com

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Reposted by Natacha Danon

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · Jul 25

🧵 Activists in Suwayda who were once open to the Damascus government weigh in on how their views have changed following a wave of sectarian violence—and whether any path forward remains.

🔗 bit.ly/4fb5NhB

An aerial view of Druze-majority Suwayda city in southern Syria, 18/7/2025

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Reposted by Natacha Danon

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · Jul 21

🧵 As Europe navigates Syria’s post-Assad reality, will it walk in the US’ footsteps or chart a course of its own?

🔗 bit.ly/3GVV25W

French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa attend a joint press conference in Paris during al-Sharaa’s first visit to Europe since overthrowing Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, 7/5/2025

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Reposted by Natacha Danon

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · Jul 9

🧵 In the ruins of what was once widely regarded as the capital of the Palestinian diaspora, returnees to Syria’s Yarmouk camp are doing what they can to rebuild their lives.

🔗 bit.ly/409e13q

Hassan Tamim, 52, looks out the window of his apartment at the skeletons of neighboring buildings in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, 30/4/2025. Tamim smokes a cigarette and wears a paint-flecked shirt.

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Reposted by Natacha Danon

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · Jul 4

🧵 President Donald Trump signed an executive order lifting most US sanctions on Syria this week, cementing a sea change in his country’s approach to Damascus. What explains the shift, and what could future US policy look like?

🔗 bit.ly/4kngqP0

A billboard in Damascus thanks Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and US President Donald Trump shortly after the latter announced his country would lift sanctions on Syria during a state visit to Riyadh, 14/5/2025

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Reposted by Natacha Danon

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · Jun 5

🧵 With dwindling aid and delays in registering informally with the UNHCR, tens of thousands of newly arrived Syrian refugees in Lebanon are largely on their own.

🔗 bit.ly/4kXhv0V

Syrians fleeing violence in Syria’s coastal provinces cross the Nahr al-Kabir river into northern Lebanon’s Akkar region, 11/3/2025. Men, women and children carry bags of their belongings while wading through a shallow river.

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Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · May 9

My latest reporting from Homs, which has become a hotspot for extrajudicial killings of former members of the regime and sectarian violence against civilians, with the participation of the state security services, according to eyewitnesses.

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · May 9

🧵 As transitional justice remains out of reach, hundreds of extrajudicial killings—predominantly of Alawites—have taken place in central Syria since the start of the year, with state security forces accused of involvement in some cases.

🔗 bit.ly/44BUs6Z

Members of the Syrian government’s general security forces stand guard at a checkpoint in Homs city, 8/1/2025. Two armed young men guns stand besinde concrete barriers. Both are dressed all in black. One gazes directly into the camera, while the other, his face covered with a scarf except for his eyes, stands with his left side to the camera.

Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · May 5

The story of farmers in southwest Syria, swathes of which Israeli forces have seized since the fall of the al-Assad regime, echoes that of Palestinian farmers across the border, as they fight for their lands and their livelihoods. My latest for @newlinesmag.

New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · May 5

NEW: Israel’s invasion of Syria’s south has given it greater control over vital water resources in the region, disrupting agriculture and farming in the Houran area, reports Natacha Danon for @newlinesmag.bsky.social.

newlinesmag.com/spotlight/is...

Israel Wages War for Land and Water in Syria's South

The invasion following the collapse of the Assad regime has had a devastating impact on locals’ livelihoods

newlinesmag.com

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Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · Apr 8

“The [Aleppo] agreement represents confidence-building between the Autonomous Administration and the government in Damascus,” said Ahmad Araj, the head of a party that is part of the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces. “It will cover all Autonomous Administration areas if it succeeds.”

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · Apr 7

🧵 An SDF-Damascus agreement is underway in Aleppo’s Kurdish neighborhoods, which could serve as a proving ground for the success of a broader agreement in northern Syria.

🔗 bit.ly/421ExwV

Kurdish fighters leave the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods of Aleppo city following a deal with Damascus. A line of five vehicles can be seen driving on the road, with men in camouflage riding in the back of two trucks. YPG flags fly from one of the trucks.

Reposted by Natacha Danon

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · Mar 28

📸 Syrian-Palestinians gathered in Yarmouk to commemorate the revolution and regime siege of the camp on Friday, then joined a demonstration in Umayyad Square to denounce Israel’s incursion and attacks in southern Syria.

✍️ @natachadanon.bsky.social

bit.ly/3Y43hSM

Residents gather to commemorate the revolution and siege of Yarmouk camp, 28/3/2025. Men, women and children stand in front of rows of plastic chairs on an asphalt surface. One person holds a Palestinian flag, while martyr posters hang on a damaged building in the background.

Posters hung in Yarmouk camp to remember those lost since the revolution began in 2011. They show (from left to right) Wasim Seyam, Ayman Joudah and Hassan Hassan, 28/3/2025.

A poster hung in Yarmouk during an event commemorating the Syrian revolution and the devastating siege of the camp reads: “We dared to dream and we will not regret dignity,” 28/3/2025 The image includes two raised fists, one holding a Syrian revolution flag and the other holding a Palestinian flag.

Protestors gather at Umayyad Square to denounce Israeli occupation and attacks in southern Syria. One sign (far right) reads: “From the Golan to Jerusalem, the occupation is temporary,” 28/3/2025. The Damascene sword monument can be seen in the background, behind a man holding up a Palestinian flag.

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Reposted by Natacha Danon

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · Mar 21

🧵 As Tel Aviv projects itself as the protector of Syria’s Druze, hate speech against the community has propagated, despite the stance of many Druze activists against Israel.

🔗 bit.ly/4ipdCRz

Syrians protest Israeli interference in Syria at a demonstration in Druze-majority Suwayda city. One demonstrator holds a sign reading “Netanyahu, you supporter of the [Assad] barrel bomb regime, leave the minorities alone." The Arabic separates Netanyahu's name into "Netan" and "Yahu," a play on words that could be translated as "Nasty [Netan]yahu."

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Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · Mar 11

Syrians in the Druze-majority province of Suwayda chant in support of Syrian unity following the conclusion of an agreement between Damascus and the US-backed SDF to integrate forces.

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Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · Mar 9

Syrians in the Druze-majority province of Suwayda gather in Dignity Square to denounce the killing of civilians on the Syrian coast over the weekend as former regime elements clashed with government security forces.

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Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · Feb 27

“The National Dialogue should not end today,” Sawsan Abu Zeineddin, executive director of the civil society network Madaniya, said. There should be “should be a dialogue process that extends over a sufficient period of time…to allow broader participation."

My latest for @syriadirect.bsky.social.

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · Feb 27

🧵 Syrian women who participated in this week’s national dialogue conference in Damascus reflect on the event, its outcomes and the women’s participation.

🔗 bit.ly/4gZXd4f

A handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa addressing representatives and dignitaries from across Syria during this week’s national dialogue conference, 25/2/2025

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Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · Feb 26

Syrians are forced to weigh between two difficult futures in Syria and Lebanon. Tens of thousands of Syrians who fled during Israel’s offensive are returning to Lebanon, alongside new arrivals, despite a growing crackdown on refugees.

My latest: bit.ly/4hT6VqD

Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · Feb 5

Among those most impacted by the #USAID funding freeze are organizations working on media, transitional justice and human rights, as they don't qualify for the humanitarian waiver issues by Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week.

Syria Direct @syriadirect.bsky.social · Feb 4

🧵 As the Trump administration slashes foreign aid, Syrian civil society is left reeling at a time when it's most needed.

🔗 bit.ly/4aJBYlI

Protestors gather outside of USAID headquarters in Washington, DC amid efforts to dismantle the aid agency by President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), 3/2/2025

Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · Jan 25

If HTS can prove itself to be a partner in the fight against ISIS, as recent intelligence sharing from the US to thwart an ISIS attack has indicated, there may be American pressure on the SDF - whose raison d'être in Washington's eyes is as a bulwark against ISIS - to negotiate with Damascus.

Natacha Danon @natachadanon.bsky.social · Jan 15

As Syrians flood the streets in celebration of the ceasefire in Gaza, a powerful message is being sent to Israel that it will never be able to divide and conquer the people of the region despite having co-opted their regimes.

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