05/12 • SYRIA

Though the war has been dormant for many years, peace is not the absence of conflict, and the simmering tensions have never been properly resolved. 

Significant missile strikes by Syrian Government and Russian forces on the city of Idlib have killed eight civilians and wounded more than 50, while a swift campaign spearheaded by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has retaken the city of Aleppo. This occurs 8 years after opposition forces were driven from Aleppo by al-Assad's Syrian Army forces and international allies, marking a key turning point in the Syrian Civil War.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 618,000 lives have been lost, and nearly 6 million people have been displaced during this conflict. President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to spare no quarter against Syrian rebels, stating: “terrorists only know the language of force and it is the language we will crush them with.” Idlib remains a stronghold for 3+ million Syrians refusing to live “...under the authoritarian rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad”. The humanitarian crisis and impact on people’s lives is still severe. 

In testament to a close alliance, Iran is openly backing Syria’s counterattack against the Islamist forces, who, after wresting power in Aleppo, are advancing south to Hama. For the residents of Aleppo however, life appears to have stopped mid-tick. The city’s borders are being stressed by a massive exodus of people fearful of being caught in the crossfire. These are the very people who bear scars from the last Russian-led bombing before insurgents were routed from the area. 

With Russia focused on the war in Ukraine and Iran preoccupied on war with Israel, HTS has been able to take advantage of a vacuum of attention from Syrian Government forces. As Syria becomes yet another flashpoint in the Middle East, the UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has warned of the dangers of simply managing the conflict rather than resolving it. “No Syrian party or existing grouping of actors can resolve the Syrian conflict via military means.” 

Upon hearing news like this, hoping for peace might seem as futile as finding a needle in a haystack, but Jesus teaches us that prayer has power (Matthew 21:22). In these trying times, we must lend whatever support we can to the innocent people of Syria.