Syria: Economic Crisis Exhausts Damascus, Regime Blames 'Autonomous Administration'

Syrian schoolchildren walk as US troops patrol near Turkish border in Hassakeh, Syria Nov. 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo
Syrian schoolchildren walk as US troops patrol near Turkish border in Hassakeh, Syria Nov. 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo
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Syria: Economic Crisis Exhausts Damascus, Regime Blames 'Autonomous Administration'

Syrian schoolchildren walk as US troops patrol near Turkish border in Hassakeh, Syria Nov. 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo
Syrian schoolchildren walk as US troops patrol near Turkish border in Hassakeh, Syria Nov. 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo

Markets in Damascus registered a decrease in the exchange rate of the Syrian pound against the US dollar, a few hours after the explosion of one of the branch gas lines in Al-Sukhnah in the desert of Homs, on the administrative borders of Deir Ezzor governorate.

The USD exchange rate in Damascus hit SYP 3040 on Saturday, while in Aleppo it reached SYP 3030, amid the exacerbation of the fuel and bread crises in the regime-controlled areas.

In parallel, the Syrian Jazira region saw the eruption of chaos. A video broadcast by Kurdish activists in the city of Hassakeh showed the police chasing a number of civilian demonstrators, who were protesting against a security siege imposed on the neighborhoods of the city center, which is controlled by the Syrian regime.

On the other hand, the imam and preacher of the Great Mosque in Hassakeh, Ahmed Ismail, called on the “international community and humanitarian organizations” to convey the voice of the people to the world, and to shed light on the “harsh siege” imposed by the Syrian Democratic Forces on the people of the cities of Hassakeh and Qamishli.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the Syrian regime forces and their security apparatus continue to impose a blockade on areas controlled by the Kurdish forces within the towns and villages of the northern countryside of Aleppo, “where the Fourth Division checkpoints prevent the entry of flour, fuel, and medicine.”

The neighborhoods of Hassakeh are witnessing an unprecedented military mobilization on both sides, with military skirmishes recorded despite Moscow’s efforts to reduce the escalation.



Syria's Sharaa Skips Iraq Summit After Firestorm Over Invitation 

French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) receives Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 07 May 2025. (EPA)
French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) receives Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 07 May 2025. (EPA)
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Syria's Sharaa Skips Iraq Summit After Firestorm Over Invitation 

French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) receives Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 07 May 2025. (EPA)
French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) receives Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 07 May 2025. (EPA)

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will not attend the Arab League Summit in Baghdad this weekend, Syrian state media said on Monday, after Iraq's invitation spurred criticism from pro-Iran groups.

Syria's delegation to Saturday's summit will be headed by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, state-owned Ekhbariya TV reported, without providing a reason for Sharaa's absence. The summit is expected to focus on Gaza reconstruction and the Palestinian issue.

Sharaa's decision highlighted Syria's mixed results establishing ties across the region after former President Bashar al-Assad's ouster last year. Sharaa has made rapid inroads with Gulf Arab states Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but has tread more carefully with others where Iran has had strong influence, like Iraq.

Several influential Iraqi politicians had voiced opposition to Sharaa's visit.

They include former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, a leading member of Iraq's main pro-Iran coalition that holds a parliamentary majority.

Armed groups aligned with Tehran had also joined the call against Sharaa, including the Kataeb Hezbollah faction, which previously fought in Syria alongside Assad's forces.

Sharaa fought with Al-Qaeda in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003. He was imprisoned there for more than five years, then released for lack of evidence in 2011, according to a senior Iraqi security official.

Several Iraqi security sources told AFP that an old arrest warrant for Sharaa from his time as a member of Al-Qaeda remains in place.

However, authorities seek good relations with Syria's new leadership to help maintain regional stability, the sources said.

Sunni politicians largely welcomed Sharaa's participation in the summit as a step towards pulling Iraq away from Iran and towards the Arab fold.

"There are elements... working against Iraq's progress to reclaim its rightful place within the Arab community," said Raad al-Dahlaki, head of Azm Alliance, a major Sunni bloc in Iraq's parliament.