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Syria

Syrian Arab Republic: Flash Update No. 11 on the Recent Developments in Syria (as of 13 January 2025) [EN/AR]

Attachments

Highlights

• The security situation remains volatile in parts of Syria, with reports of hostilities, conflict-related violence, movement restrictions and other incidents in Aleppo, Coastal Areas, Dar’a, Hama, Homs, Quneitra and other governorates over the past week.

• Water supply to Aleppo city remains low, with the Al Khafsa water station operating at half capacity since 3 January due to a shortage of operators and difficult access caused by near-daily clashes.

• The number of people newly displaced in Syria has remained at some 627,000 people – the same number reported on 2 January. Departures from camps in the north-west remain minimal with 12,000 people leaving in one week.

• In north-east Syria, over 68,700 children are out of school due the usage of 133 schools as emergency collective centers hosting internally displaced people (IDPs). Education partners warned that children could lose access to school for an entire academic year without additional support.

• The first UN cross-border aid delivery of 2025 from Türkiye took place on 9 January. Twenty-three trucks carrying 200 metric tons of medical, health, hygiene and education supplies, provided by WHO and UNICEF, crossed the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing into Idleb.

Situation Overview

The security situation remains volatile in parts of Syria, with reports of hostilities, conflict-related violence, movement restrictions and other incidents in Aleppo, Coastal Areas, Dar’a, Hama, Homs, Quneitra and other governorates over the past week. Between 5 to 11 January, at least three civilians were injured in Dar’a and Aleppo by hostilities, including two staff of the Al-Khafsa water station, according to local sources and partners. Israeli incursions also continued over the past week in Quneitra Governorate, affecting the Mantara Dam, Mount Hermon and children’s access to schools in at least two villages.

There have been increased reports of criminal incidents in the Coastal Areas, Homs City, northern and southern rural Hama, while movement restrictions have been tightened in eastern Homs City since 10 January. Additionally, demonstrations took place across several areas, with people voicing concerns over delays in public salary payments, increased customs fees and dismissal of health workers, among other issues.

Civilian infrastructure has also been affected over the past week. Between 8 and 11 January, hostilities impacted eight water treatment plants in Deir-ez-Zor city, preventing humanitarian access and reducing water supply. On 12 January, a communication and internet blackout was recorded in Dar’a after a main cable in Rural Damascus and the cable linking Dar’a and As-Sweida were severed.

Unaddressed explosive ordnance (UXO) contamination remains a fatal threat across the country. On 11 January, two civilians were killed, and one other wounded, by UXO explosions in Aleppo Governorate, according to the White Helmets. Protection partners reported that at least 25 people were killed by UXO incidents, and 50 others injured, in the first week of January alone, with children being particularly vulnerable. Most incidents occurred in Deir-ez-Zor, Idleb, Aleppo, Rural Damascus, Hama, As Sweida and Dara’a. Health partners warned that remnants in former frontline areas of north-west Syria are impeding the movement of medical personnel and supplies, causing delays in response efforts and limited treatment availability.

Since 26 November, explosive ordnance disposal teams have identified 120 landmine fields and points of presence of mines in Idleb, Aleppo, Hama, Deir-ez-Zor, and Lattakia, and carried out 516 clearance operations disposing of 914 explosive ordnance items.

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