Continued Violence in the Thirteenth Year of the Syrian War; At Least 4,360 Killed

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Sunday, January 1, that over 4,360 people were killed in the Syrian civil war in the year 2023, indicating an increase of 525 compared to the previous year. According to this UK-based organization that monitors developments in the Syrian war, 1,889 civilians, including 241 women and 307 children, were among the dead. The statistics provided by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights indicate that 900 government forces were killed this year, and the majority of other military casualties were from the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, groups loyal to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Islamist factions, jihadists affiliated with ISIS, and other foreign fighters. Thirteen years after the conflict began in Syria, which continues to blaze with the presence of armies from other countries, militias, and jihadist groups, over half a million people have been killed, millions have been displaced, and the country's infrastructure and industry have been devastated. In recent years, Bashar al-Assad's government, with extensive support from Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, has managed to regain many areas from its opponents, but large parts of northern and eastern Syria remain under the control of a wide range of opponents. Although frontline battles have calmed in recent years and annual death tolls have decreased to much lower levels, violence continues. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the bombing of "residential areas and a market" in the city of Idlib by Bashar al-Assad's government on Saturday resulted in the deaths of several people, including a fighter and a child. The "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham," previously led by the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, controls parts of the provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, Hama, and Latakia. Following the Syrian government's offensive in March 2020, a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey was established in Idlib, which has been repeatedly violated. The Syrian Democratic Forces, led by the Kurds and allied with the US-led coalition, control large areas of northern and northeastern Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the deaths of 25 militants affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran in an attack "likely" carried out by Israel on Saturday. According to this war-monitoring organization, five of the dead were Syrians, six were Iraqis, four were members of Hezbollah, and 10 were other non-Syrian fighters. Israel, which has carried out hundreds of attacks on Syrian territory since the war began, rarely comments on these attacks but has repeatedly stated that it will not allow the Islamic Republic to expand its presence in Syria. Israeli attacks on the positions of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and militias affiliated with the Islamic Republic, including Hezbollah, have intensified, especially after the terrorist attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 15, and during one of these attacks on Monday, January 1, "Seyed Reza Mousavi, known as Seyed Reza, a senior advisor of the IRGC in Syria," was killed. Saudi media reported on Friday, January 5, that 11 commanders and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed as a result of an Israeli attack on Damascus airport on Thursday night, which Ramadan Sharif, the IRGC spokesperson, denied. Syrian airports have become a focal point of confrontation between Israel and Iranian-affiliated groups. Reports indicate that at least ten members of the Islamic Republic's proxy groups were killed in eastern Syria. Six proxy fighters of the Islamic Republic were killed in airstrikes at the Syria-Iraq border. Turkey claims to have targeted 70 PKK-related bases in Syria and Iraq. The Turkish army stated that it "neutralized" 26 militants in retaliatory attacks in Syria and Iraq. Turkish warplanes targeted PKK positions in northern Iraq. Israel's response to missile attacks includes artillery strikes on Syrian military positions. The commander of CENTCOM went to Iraq and Syria to "assess conditions" at US bases. The Senate voted negatively on Senator Paul's proposal to withdraw US forces from Syria.