Facing a United Nations commitment to start airdropping aid to civilians in rebel-held areas, the Syrian government eased some limits on humanitarian truck convoys on Wednesday and allowed one into a deprived Damascus suburb blockaded since 2012. – New York Times
Although U.S. officials said they would continue to prepare for international food delivery by air, in case the access ends, the convoys to Darayya, and to the similarly besieged city of Moadamiya, appear to have averted the latest potential escalation in Syria’s years-long civil war. But they accomplished little to change a situation in which maintaining the status quo now seems the most optimistic outcome in the near term, and perhaps for the remainder of Barack Obama’s presidency. – Washington Post
The potential seizure of the Syrian city of Manbij by U.S.-backed forces is only likely to set off a new battle for control—this time pitting Arabs against Kurds. – The Daily Beast
A coalition of Syrian-American organizations blasted the United States, Russia, and the United Nations on Wednesday for failing to drop food into besieged areas of Syria following Damascus’s refusal to provide unfettered ground access to humanitarian aid organizations. – Foreign Policy
The Turkish army killed five Islamic State militants in Syria in cross-border shelling, Turkish military sources said on Thursday, hitting positions west of where an offensive on militants was launched by Syrian fighters with U.S. backing. - Reuters
Syria's main opposition has proposed a nationwide Ramadan truce, opposition delegate Basma Kodmani said on Wednesday. - Reuters
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have attacked armed groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad and sometimes appear to have interests aligned with the Syrian government, a Syrian opposition negotiator said on Wednesday. - Reuters
Eli Lake reports: In this turbulent election year, one constant theme for leaders of both major parties is a desire to build a global coalition against the Islamic State. Now a relatively unknown group is taking that message literally – Bloomberg View
The U.S.-supported push by the mostly-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces has drawn Islamic State forces away from fronts in western Syria, allowing Russian-backed Assad regime forces to press their advantage and make gains in Raqqa province. The United States exchanges information with Russia to deconflict its operations in Syria, but U.S. officials deny coordinating directly on the offensive. "In terms of direct coordination of activities on the ground, that is not happening," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told reporters. "I know there have been discussions about changing that, but at this point, our position is the same."