Recent developments across Syria
May 26, 2021
Regime-controlled areas
-SOHR activists have documented an IED explosion near a house in al-Assad square in Darra
-Unknown persons, on the early hours of Wednesday, have targeted one of the presidential elections balloting stations with a hand-made bomb in Namer neighborhood in Darra. Syrian Observatory activists also have reported that unknown persons have sate fire in a municipal building, that worked as a center for voting, in west al-Maliha neighborhood eastern Darra. Other regime forces-held posts and barriers have been targeted by bombs and weapons in the early hours of Wednesday in the neighborhood of al-Taybah, al-Herak, Nahtah, Al-Karaq, al-Sahouah, al-Naiemah, Jasem and Namer, while different areas in western and eastern Darra countryside have seen a public strike for the second day in a row, to express the people rejection to the presidential election show in Syria that has been kicked off on Wednesday morning.
-SOHR activists in Darra province, the “Cradle of the Syrian Revolution”, reported rising tensions amid ongoing general strikes for the second day in a row in several cities and villages in condemnation and rejection for the Syrian presidential election farce show. The protests took place in the areas of al-Mulayha al-Sharqiyyah, al-Mulayha al-Gharbiyyah, al-Gharaya al-Sharqiyyah, al-Gharaya al-Gharbiyyah, Tafas, Inkhil, Da’el, al-Mazaireb, Tel Shehab, al-Shajarah, Nafaa, Jaleen, Jomlah, Al-Qousir, al-Muzayri’ah, Saham al-Golan, Abdeen, Al-Naiemah, al-Sahwah, Jasem, Kaheel and other areas. SOHR sources also monitored a protest in al-Jiza, where the demonstrators demanded the toppling of al-Assad and expressed rejection of the presidential election, amid rising tensions in Nawi city where the regime security services attempted to put an end to the strike by forcing the strikers to open their shops. Moreover, the exchange of fire took place between security members and militants inside the city, amid reports of an attack on a regime security service’s car carrying a ballot box.
-Syrian Observatory activists have reported that unknown gunmen attacked a house in al-Muqawas neighbourhood in al-Suwaidaa. However, two of the attackers were killed when the house’s inhabitants opened fire on them. Meanwhile, one of the attackers threw a grenade on the house which injured several inhabitants and caused material damage.
-The Syrian Observatory has obtained voice notes by the chief of al-Rastan Municipality, Hassan al-Tibani, asking bread bakeries’ contractors to bring 15 people each in order to participate in the presidential election. The municipality’s chief has threatened to stop bread supplies to these bakeries if the contractors refused his request, as he said “if there is no vote, there is no bread”. This development comes as a part of the procedures followed by regime affiliates to enhance the success of the “farcical show” of the presidential election in Syria.
-Russian military jets have continued to air strikes operations on ISIS-held areas in the Syrian desert. SOHR activists have reported, 70 air raids were shelled by the Russian warplanes, yesterday, targeting the frontline of Athria in eastern Hama countryside and the desert of al-Rasafah in Raqqa countryside, and around Jabal al-Boushra at the administrative border between Raqqa and Deir Ezzor. It has been confirmed that five belonging to ISIS militiamen were murdered in the shelling operation and others were wounded amid continuous Russian jets have been hovering.
Aleppo
-SOHR activists have documented the death of a displaced man from Aleppo city affected by the injuries he had in the IED explosion which hit Afrin city this evening. The explosion also resulted in the injury of five other people at least.
“Peace Spring” areas
SOHR source have reported, on Wednesday morning, the murder of a militiaman of “Osoud al-Sunna” Turkish-backed faction, and his wife was wounded in a shooting that took place after unknown persons stormed his house in the neighborhood of Silouk al-Waqiah in the north of Raqqa under the operation of the “Peace Spring”.
SDF-held areas
-SOHR sources have reported that “al-Shabiba al-Thawriyah” (the Revolutionary Youth) has kidnapped a minor girl from al-Tawrat village in al-Darbasiyyah countryside in al-Hasakah, while she was at school. The girl was taken to headquarters of “al-Shabiba al-Thawriyah” outside the city. It is worth noting that “al-Shabiba al-Thawriyah” continues recruiting children to its military formations and exerts pressure on the children’s families in order not to call for the return of their children.
“De-escalation zone”
-Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activists have reported a large number of protesters flocked to the al-Sabah Harat square in Idlib. Hundreds of the neighborhood inhabitants and the displaced civilians from all the Syrian provinces took part in the demonstrations to express their rejection of the Syrian presidential elections. The protesters chanted slogans demanding the ouster of the regime and his head and called for releasing the detainees in the security regime prisons.