- Pro-Assad forces execute dozens in Aleppo in “complete meltdown of humanity”
- Report: It’s going to be very hard to truly defeat ISIS
Dozens of people were executed by Syrian government loyalists sweeping through the remaining opposition-held districts of Aleppo, where rebels are battling for survival after being pushed into a last sliver of territory, the United Nations has said. – Washington Post
Pro-government forces retaking the eastern neighborhoods of the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo have killed at least 82 civilians, the United Nations estimated on Tuesday, in what one official called “a complete meltdown of humanity.” – New York Times
On Sunday, Russian state-run television ran a segment showing what appears to be one of Russia’s most elite military units fighting in Syria, putting an often secretive Special Operations detachment in the limelight, albeit briefly. – Washington Post’s Checkpoint
An untold number of Syrians trapped in an ever tightening patch of rebel territory in Aleppo are desperately seeking a way to safety as the opposition’s final foothold in a major city looked on the verge of collapse. – Financial Times
The Syrian army and its allies have taken full control over all the Aleppo districts abandoned by rebels during their retreat in the city, a Syrian military source said on Tuesday. - Reuters
The commander of a rebel group in Aleppo is urging the United States and Turkey to move quickly to save civilians in what remains of the opposition's eastern Aleppo enclave from an assault by the government and its allies. - Reuters
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there had been a suspected gas attack in Islamic State-held territory near Palmyra on Monday, amid heavy aerial bombardment of the same area which together killed at least 53 people. - Reuters
Editorial: Mr. Ayrault called Russia policy in Syria one of “permanent lies,” which is an understatement. Donald Trump should understand the kind of dictator he wants to cut a deal with. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Faysal Itani writes: The war on Aleppo has been a showcase for boundless human suffering and Western impotence for so long one almost longs for it to end. In Syria, however, all safety is fleeting for those branded enemies of the state. Aleppo’s destruction will bring them little relief. If the international community won’t act to impose a cease-fire in Syria or take in more refugees, perhaps it is time to finally create safe havens in Syria for the displaced from Aleppo and elsewhere, including the more than one million who are still living under siege. It would be small compensation for the destruction of their cities, homes and families, but it is preferable to their open-ended nightmare. – New York Times