2024: Tuesday, August 13

THE WAR NEWSLETTER — AUGUST 13 2024

Good day - we’re almost halfway through August already. 

Welcome to your daily international conflict update.

First time reading? Sign up here to get our daily warfare updates.

1. Sporadic violence in Syria

2. Talks to reduce tension in Ethiopia

1 - SYRIA

The Syrian Civil War has been ongoing since 2011 when rebel groups began to resist the harsh government of Bashar Al-Assad, ruler of Syria since 2000.

There are many groups involved in the conflict, though it is largely split between Syrian-state-supported groups and rebel groups, including the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by the US-led Combined Joint Task Force, a coalition of more that 30 nations with the stated goal of destroying the Islamic State organization.

The war has been at a general stalemate for the past year, with only occasional outbreaks of violence. Last week, there were several attacks against opposition fighters, including a bomb attack killing nine people in Turkish-supported opposition territory. Additionally, the US Rumalyn Landing Zone base in eastern Syria was hit by a suicide drone attack.

Read more on AP or Guardian

2 - ETHIOPIA

After Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Ethiopia, Turkey organized a second round of talks aimed at easing tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia.

The situation has been tense since the signing of a memorandum of understanding in January, where Ethiopia agreed to recognize Somaliland as an independent nation in exchange for Somaliland leasing land between Ethiopia and the sea to set up a base. Somaliland remains unrecognized by the African Union and the UN, and Somalia continues to view it as part of its territory, despite Somaliland being self-declared independent for 30 years.

Read more on AP or BBC

THE REST OF THE WORLD…

• Israel armed forces on peak alert as attacks expected from Hezbollah, Iran [Times Of Israel]

• US Navy increases forces in Middle East [AP]

• Ukraine controls 350 sq miles of Russian territory after incursion across border [AP]

P.S. If you have a source, tip, or piece of information we missed, please reply to this email and tell us about it. Thank you!