For today, links to six reports: from the Cradle, Anadolu Ajansi, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA 7-19-25 is HERE, or scroll down. GAZA, IRAN, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM
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Israeli army closes in on Damascus as Baku talks aim to ‘reshape’ southern Syria. From the Cradle. As diplomatic negotiations seek to determine the future of southern Syria, Israeli military operations are intensifying around Suwayda and the outskirts of Damascus. A new round of talks, reportedly set to take place in Azerbaijan’s capital . . . READ MORE . . .
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Syria sets up new committee to probe Suwayda killings after whitewashing Alawite massacres. From the Cradle. Syria’s Ministry of Justice today announced the formation of a special investigative committee to examine the recent deadly violence in the Suwayda Governorate, following a week of armed clashes between local Druze factions and government-aligned Bedouin tribes. READ MORE . . .
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Israel’s intervention in Syria ‘complicates matters’: U.S. envoy, by Efe Ozkan and Hakan Copur | Anadolu Ajansi WASHINGTON / ISTANBUL — Israel’s intervention in Syria does not help the country’s stability, Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy for Syria and ambassador to Ankara, said today. READ MORE . . .
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FROM JULY 31 Syrian forces tortured eight detainees to death in July: SOHR. From the Cradle. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Thursday a sharp rise in the number of detainees tortured to death in prisons and detention centers controlled by the Syrian interim government in July, reflecting a disturbing pattern of systematic abuse and impunity by security forces. READ MORE . . .
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FROM JULY 30 Syrian ceasefire tests the loyalties of Druze communities in Golan Heights. Reported by Emily Feng | NPR A fragile ceasefire between Druze fighters and armed Bedouin clans in Syria has brought an uneasy pause in the violence there but a strain on Syria’s interim government, and tested the loyalties of the Druze communities across the border in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Click HERE to listen and read.
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FROM JULY 24 An ammunition depot explosion in Syria kills at least 7 people and injures scores. From AP. DAMASCUS — An explosion at an ammunition depot in northern Syria’s Idlib province on July 24 killed at least seven people and wounded scores, rescuers and monitors said. Officials did not say what caused it. READ MORE . . .
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FROM JULY 30 How Washington serves Tel Aviv: A reassessment of a risky intervention, by Timothy Hopper | Middle East Monitor Since June 2025, the Middle East has appeared more unstable than ever. READ MORE . . .
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