Snow, Ukraine War Pile Misery on Refugees in Northern Syria

A Syrian refugee woman removes snow from her tent in al-Mahatta camp, north of Aleppo. (White Helmets)
A Syrian refugee woman removes snow from her tent in al-Mahatta camp, north of Aleppo. (White Helmets)
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Snow, Ukraine War Pile Misery on Refugees in Northern Syria

A Syrian refugee woman removes snow from her tent in al-Mahatta camp, north of Aleppo. (White Helmets)
A Syrian refugee woman removes snow from her tent in al-Mahatta camp, north of Aleppo. (White Helmets)

The suffering for people in Syria’s northwest has worsened as the prices of goods and oil shot up, with some commodities missing from markets due to the war on Ukraine. Refugee camps are also witnessing ongoing humanitarian crises brought about by harsh weather.

Since Sunday, snow and severe cold have swept Syria’s northwest.

Volunteers from the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, are visiting refugee camps to provide first aid to civilians and the elderly most affected by the drop in temperatures amid a scarcity of heating material and difficulty in accessing hospitals and clinics due to the accumulation of snow.

Moreover, these camps suffer from a drop in the volume of humanitarian aid donated by international and local organizations.

So far, harsh winter conditions have damaged at least 44 refugee camps in northern Syria.

As for price hikes, they mostly affected cooking oils, sugar, and flour.

The Salvation Government in Idlib has vowed to confront price increases and help locals overcome the economic crisis.

Abu Saeed, 55, said that he had to walk more than two hours on Sunday to find sugar in the area’s markets. At the end of his tiresome journey, he was able to only buy half a kilo of sugar for 20 Turkish liras.

A kilo of sugar used to sell for 8 Turkish liras.

Abu Saeed believes that the sugar price hike is essentially the result of traders’ monopoly that is solely aimed at maximizing profits.



Houthis in Yemen Say They Won’t End Support for Gaza

 Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
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Houthis in Yemen Say They Won’t End Support for Gaza

 Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

A top leader of the Iran-backed-Houthi militias in Yemen said they will keep up their support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip until Israeli “aggression stops, and the siege is lifted.”

“Our operations in support of Gaza will not cease, no matter the sacrifices,” said Mahdi al-Mashat in a statement Wednesday.

The Houthis are the last militant group in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” that is capable of regularly attacking Israel.

They have been firing long-range missiles at Israel in the months since it resumed the war in Gaza, setting off air raid sirens but generally causing few casualties. They have also been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.