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Protests in Southern Syria Call for 'Civil Disobedience'

Protests erupt in the city of As-Suwayda, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Protests erupt in the city of As-Suwayda, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
    Daraa – Riad al-Zain
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Protests in Southern Syria Call for 'Civil Disobedience'

Protests erupt in the city of As-Suwayda, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Protests erupt in the city of As-Suwayda, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Protesters in As-Suwayda governorate, southern Syria, blocked a pivotal street in the provincial capital at the Al-Mashnaqa roundabout, and set tires ablaze as they carried out a demonstration against worsening living conditions.

They raised slogans calling for the trial of the corrupt and urged civil disobedience to fight deteriorating conditions across Syria.

The group of protesters delivered a statement in which they said they will use civil disobedience in As-Suwayda until their legitimate demands are achieved.

Their demands included the removal of security services that protect drug dealers in the governorate, the exit of Iranian militias and Hezbollah from As-Suwayda, and the improvement of living and economic conditions in the region.

In their statement, they accused the Syrian authorities of carrying out a siege on As-Suwayda.

Journalist Suleiman Fakhr, director of the local Al-Rased network in As-Suwayda, revealed that the local community had conflicting opinions regarding the demands of protesters.

According to Fakhr, the number of protesters was not large.

Demonstrators did not find popular support as their demands went beyond service matters to talk about expelling security services and accusing the regime of being behind the spread of drugs in the province, Fakhr explained to Asharq Al-Awsat.

These protesters have intentions to escalate and are different from the protesters who carried out a silent protest earlier this week.

On Monday, a group of demonstrators raised political, social, and economic slogans and announced their decision to hold a silent sit-in every Monday.

Fakhr added that the protests came in the context of a major economic crisis that the Syrian country is experiencing.

The crisis has led to the deterioration of living conditions in As-Suwayda and the whole of Syria.

Features of the crisis include fuel shortages, complete paralysis of services in As-Suwayda, and a significant decline in the value of wages and salaries.

As-Suwayda governorate has been embroiled in continuous protests calling for improvement in economic, living, and political conditions. Demonstrators often blame the Syrian government for the deterioration of the situation in Syria.

Meanwhile, dozens of protesters gathered in the main square in the center of Jassem city in the northern countryside of Daraa governorate, demanding the release of the detainees.

Demonstrators urged the people to endorse demands for releasing the detainees in Daraa, saying that the file has not been dealt with seriously even after the settlement agreement and the intervention of the Russian side.

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Arab World

Türkiye Bans Protests in Province Bordering Syria

Pro-Kurdish protesters tear down a border fence as they attempt to cross to the Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli during a demonstration in support of Syrian Kurds and against recent military clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Nusaybin, southeastern Türkiye, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Ensar Ozdemir
Pro-Kurdish protesters tear down a border fence as they attempt to cross to the Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli during a demonstration in support of Syrian Kurds and against recent military clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Nusaybin, southeastern Türkiye, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Ensar Ozdemir
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Türkiye Bans Protests in Province Bordering Syria

Pro-Kurdish protesters tear down a border fence as they attempt to cross to the Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli during a demonstration in support of Syrian Kurds and against recent military clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Nusaybin, southeastern Türkiye, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Ensar Ozdemir
Pro-Kurdish protesters tear down a border fence as they attempt to cross to the Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli during a demonstration in support of Syrian Kurds and against recent military clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Nusaybin, southeastern Türkiye, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Ensar Ozdemir

Turkish officials in the southeastern Mardin province bordering Syria on Monday announced a six-day ban on gatherings following an outpouring of anger over an offensive against Kurdish fighters across the border.

Türkiye's Kurdish community has denounced the government's support for a Syrian offensive against a semi-autonomous northeastern region under Kurdish control.

During a protest to denounce the operation last week, over 1,000 people attempted to breach the border crossing into Syria from the town of Nusaybin.

The ban on gatherings in Mardin is in place until Saturday evening.

"With the exception of events deemed appropriate ... any action intended to be carried out in open spaces (gatherings, marches, press conferences, hunger strikes, sit-ins, the setting up of stands, the pitching of tents, the distribution of leaflets/brochures, the posting of posters/banners, etc.) is prohibited," the Mardin governorate said in a statement.

Türkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM party had called a protest on Tuesday in Nusaybin, which is across the border from the Syrian city of Qamishli.

The call came despite the ceasefire currently in effect in northern Syria.

Türkiye already banned outdoor gatherings in Diyarbakir, the main city in the predominantly Kurdish southeast, between Friday and Monday evening.

The Turkish government has launched a peace process with the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), but the clashes in northern Syria threaten to derail negotiations.

Arab World

Iraqi Hezbollah Calls for 'Total War' in Support of Iran amid Coordination Framework's Refusal

An Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah fighter. (X)
An Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah fighter. (X)
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Iraqi Hezbollah Calls for 'Total War' in Support of Iran amid Coordination Framework's Refusal

An Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah fighter. (X)
An Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah fighter. (X)

Secretary-General of Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi called on Sunday so-called "mujahideen" fighters to prepare for "total war" in support of Iran amid the rising tensions between Tehran and the United States.

Officials acknowledged the arrival of a US aircraft carrier to the region Monday. President Donald Trump ordered the carriers to move to the Middle East as he threatened military action over Iran's crackdown on nationwide protests.

The entire region is mired in a tense waiting game to see if Trump will strike.

Kataib Hezbollah sat out from Israel's 12-day war on Iran in June that saw the US bomb Iranian nuclear sites. The hesitancy to get involved shows the disarray still affecting Iran's self-described “Axis of Resistance” after facing attacks from Israel during its war on Hamas in Gaza.

Al-Hamidawi's call was the first by Iran-aligned factions in Iraq in wake of the latest tensions, while the Baghdad government and majority of political parties have kept silent. Baghdad is embroiled in the process of forming a new government and naming a new prime minister.

In a statement, al-Hamidawi called on "mujahideen across the land to prepare for total war in support of" Iran that has "for over four decades stood by the weak, without discrimination over sect, race or color."

He said "Zionists across the earth are trying to destroy Iran", calling on members of the Axis to support it with whichever means they can.

"We affirm to the enemies that the war on Iran will not be a picnic; rather, you will taste the bitterest forms of death, and nothing will remain of you in our region," he declared.

Washington had previously designated as terrorist four Iraqi armed factions, including Kataib Hezbollah. It accused Iran of supporting "these militias in planning or facilitating attacks" across Iraq.

The US has for months been pressuring Iraqi authorities to limit the possession of weapons to the state and bring under control armed factions that operate independently of the armed forces and that have carried out attacks against Washington's interests in Iraq.

Meanwhile, an official source in the pro-Iran Coordination Framework distanced the coalition from al-Hamidawi's statement.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, the source said the Kataib Hezbollah's "behavior and statements at this time are inappropriate and only further complicate the situation in Iraq."

"Political forces in Iraq are preoccupied with the formation of a new government that has several problems to deal with, including the dire economy," added the source on condition of anonymity.

"The government is not prepared to join any war with any party," it stressed.

It doubted that al-Hamidawi's call to fight will be heeded by other factions "because they are aware that they cannot confront the US, just as they were aware during the 12-day war that they did not join."

The majority of the factions prefer to stand on the sidelines than join a war that may perhaps destroy or weaken them, it went on to say.

Moreover, the Coordination Framework leaderships refuse to embroil Iraq in a new war, it added.

Arab World

UN Aid Convoy Delivers Supplies to Besieged City in Northeast Syria as a Shaky Ceasefire Holds

TOPSHOT - Members of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive at the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobani on January 23, 2026, after they withdrew from the Al-Aqtan prison in the Raqa province of Syria. (Photo by AFP)
TOPSHOT - Members of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive at the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobani on January 23, 2026, after they withdrew from the Al-Aqtan prison in the Raqa province of Syria. (Photo by AFP)
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UN Aid Convoy Delivers Supplies to Besieged City in Northeast Syria as a Shaky Ceasefire Holds

TOPSHOT - Members of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive at the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobani on January 23, 2026, after they withdrew from the Al-Aqtan prison in the Raqa province of Syria. (Photo by AFP)
TOPSHOT - Members of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive at the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobani on January 23, 2026, after they withdrew from the Al-Aqtan prison in the Raqa province of Syria. (Photo by AFP)

A United Nations aid convoy unloaded humanitarian supplies in the besieged enclave of Kobani in northeast Syria, officials said Monday.

It was the first aid convoy to reach the area since fighting kicked off between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces earlier this month.

The government launched an offensive in which it seized much of the territory previously held by the SDF, leaving pockets of Kurdish-majority areas under SDF control.

A ceasefire that was announced Tuesday and then extended on Saturday for 15 more days appeared to be mostly holding, although sporadic skirmishes have been reported, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

Residents of Kobani, which is surrounded by government-held territory, have reported electricity and water cuts and shortages of essential goods, including bread, The Associated Press said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement Monday that 24 trucks carrying supplies including fuel, food, medical and winterization kits delivered their cargo and exited the enclave. The trucks entered Kobani the day before.

The fighting in northeast Syria has displaced more than 173,000 people, according to the International Organization for Migration. As the situation has remained calm in most areas since the ceasefire, some have begun to return to their homes.

Syria’s interim government signed an agreement last March with the SDF for it to hand over territory and to eventually merge its fighters with government forces. In early January, a new round of talks failed to make progress over the merger, leading to renewed fighting between the two sides.

A new version of the accord was signed last weekend, and a four-day ceasefire was declared Tuesday. Part of the new deal is that SDF members will have to merge into the army and police forces as individuals.

The ceasefire was extended Saturday to give US forces a chance to transfer accused ISIS group militants who had been held in prisons in northeastern Syria to detention centers in Iraq.

Some 7,000 out of a total of 9,000 accused ISIS members held in Syria are to be moved to Iraq, amid fears they could escape if fighting resumes between government forces and the SDF.

Once in Iraq, prisoners accused of terrorism will be investigated by security forces and tried in domestic courts, Iraqi officials have said.