a. General Syria News
Thousands of Syrians living in the north and east of Syria demonstrated on Friday to protest against the regime’s military campaign on the besieged city of Dara. Demonstrations were reported in HTS areas in Idlib and Aleppo, the Turkish-influence areas in Aleppo and Raqqa and in the SDF-held territories in Deir Ezzor and Raqqa.
On other hand, regime loyalists expressed their shock on social media on the reaction of the Assad forces in Dara. They were particularly puzzled with the failure of the regime’s army to quell armed revolts in Dara towns and villages. Some of them accused the army of deserting its positions to rebel fighters.
b. Regime-held Territory
Dara towns resumed their military revolt against the regime forces. In the Al Sanameyn city to the north of Dara, retired rebel fighters attacked the regime positions killing and wounding an unspecified number of the regime elements.
In the city of Al Harra, rebels attacked two regime’s military positions in the vicinity of the city. There were no reports of casualties.
c. HTS-held Northwest Syria (Idlib, Western Hama, Northern Latakia, western Aleppo)
Rebel groups in the “Al Fateh Al Mubin” operational room started a new operation on Friday in support of the “revolting,” city of Dara, as they said. The rebels fired rockets and heavy artillery on the regime positions in southern Idlib and western Hama areas. The rebel shelling targeted at least 12 positions, but there were no independent reports of casualties.
Regime forces responded by shelling the villages Zyara and Zeyzoun in western Hama. Two civilians were reported wounded. The regime shelling also targeted the villages of Al Bara and Binin in Jabal Al Zawya mountain, leaving massive damage in private property.
d. Turkish Influence Territory (Afrin, Azaz, Al Bab, Jarablus, Tal Abyad, Ras Al Ayn)
Mustafa Sejari, a commander in the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) criticized the American sanctioning of Ahrar Al Sharqia; one of the main groups in the SNA. Sejari considered the sanctions as biased, accusing pro-PKK lobbies in the US of being behind it.
On July 28, the Biden Administration added Ahrar Al Sharqya and some regime bodies and personnels on the American list of sanctions. That is the first time in which the United States government adds an opposition group to the list.
e. SDF-held Northeast Syria (Most of Raqqa and Hasaka, part of Deir Ezzor, parts of Aleppo: Manbij, Ayn Al Arab\Kobani, Tal Rifa’at.)
The SDF police known as Asayish said in a statement on Friday that they concluded a security campaign in Hasaka in which they arrested 42 men who were wanted for criminal offences. Weapons and ammunition were confiscated during the campaign. The Asayish police added that they started the campaign upon demands from local Sheikhs in the area.
On the other hand, the Syrian Network for Human Rights said in a report on Thursday that SDF is still providing the regime with oil, in a breach for the American sanctions on the regime under the Caesar Act. The network added that it detected that the flow of oil to the regime area continued nonstop since June 2020, when the American bill came into effect, till July 2021.