Syria’s capital city, Damascus, fell to jihadist forces on December 8, 2024. CSI is monitoring the situation closely; we will post updates from our contacts in Syria here.
The citadel in Aleppo city. csi
Early Sunday morning, the Syrian government was overthrown by a rebel coalition headed by the jihadist group HTS. President Bashar al-Assad has fled to Moscow. HTS forces seem to be in control of Damascus. We have not received any credible reports of Christians or other religious minorities being harassed or attacked by rebel forces; all of our contacts report that they are safe and that the rebels are treating people well. In Aleppo, there is a curfew after 6 pm.
But grave dangers lie ahead. HTS remains committed to implementing Islamic law in Syria. HTS and its leaders have a track record of persecuting religious minorities in Syria. It is unclear if HTS’ coalition will hold together. Turkish-backed forces, especially the “Syrian National Army,” an Islamist coalition built and directed by Turkey, are attacking Kurdish-held areas in the northeast. Economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies are still impoverishing the country and preventing its reconstruction after 13 years of war. All of these developments pose serious, even existential, threats to Christians and other religious minorities living in Syria.
CSI remains committed to standing in solidarity with the Christians of Syria and with all the people of Syria. Our project partners in Syria are continuing their work, even as they evaluate the new situation.
CSI continues to receive daily updates from our contacts in Aleppo. The situation in the city is calm – very few Russian or government airstrikes have been observed, and there are no credible reports of jihadists harming Christians, other religious minorities, or civilians. The jihadist force in charge in Aleppo, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (Organization for the Liberation of the Levant), appears to be maintaining very tight discipline, in hopes of winning popular and international support for their campaign against the Syrian government. However, most Christians do not believe they will be safe under HTS rule in the long-term. There are currently around 20,000 Christians in Aleppo, down from 200,000 before the beginning of the civil war in 2011.
It is currently not safe to leave the city. The main highway going south from Aleppo has been blocked by fighting since Friday. An alternate route going to the east through Khanasser was open. Tens of thousands of people fled this way over the weekend, creating massive traffic jams and turning what is normally a two-hour drive to the city of Homs into a twelve hour drive. But since Sunday, fighting has blocked all of the routes out of the city.
Useful links (in French):
Syrie: les djihadistes ont pris Alep, «les habitants ont la trouille» – Portail catholique suisse
Syrie : à Alep, la communauté chrétienne une nouvelle fois entre deux feux | Les Echos
Vincent Gelot : « À Alep, la minorité chrétienne risque de disparaître »
Statement on the Fall of Aleppo – Christian Solidarity International (30 November 2024)
Overnight, Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, was totally occupied by jihadist forces backed by Turkey.
CSI’s contacts in the city tell us that they are sheltering indoors. It is not possible for civilians to leave the city, as the main highway is blocked by fighting. They ask for prayers.
Turkish-backed jihadists linked to al Qaeda have launched a major offensive on Aleppo city in northern Syria.
CSI’s contacts in Aleppo tell us that today, November 29, four university students were killed when bombs launched by the rebels hit the university dorm.
For two days, the sound of bombing has been heard continuously in Aleppo.
Syria’s long civil war pits a secular dictatorship against a coalition of Islamist rebels backed by the United States, Turkey, and the Gulf states. Since the beginning of the civil war, Christians in Syria have been bombed, kidnapped, and driven from their homes by jihadist forces. All Syrians have suffered enormously due to the war and economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies.
The Syrian government drove the rebels out of Aleppo in 2016, after a four-year battle. This the largest rebel offensive since 2020.
For 11 years, CSI has been working with Christian NGOs in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria to support people affected by the war and economic sanctions.
CSI is monitoring the situation closely. We encourage our supporters to pray for peace and protection for Aleppo and its people. We call on church leaders to engage with their counterparts in Syria, and to show solidarity with the church in Syria.
