Syria

16 April 2025

By the end of March 2025, one million IDPs and 400,000 Syrian refugees from neighbouring countries, such as Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Türkiye, had returned to their hometowns since the fall of the Al Assad regime on 8 December 2024. Returns will likely continue, with an additional two million IDPs and 1.5 million refugees estimated to return by the end of 2025. Their immediate needs include shelter, livelihoods, protection, legal aid, mental health support, and mine awareness. They also face challenges with livelihood and reintegration and need long-term assistance to regain access to essential services, housing, and livelihoods. They are returning to areas with destroyed infrastructure, a collapsed economy, and insecurity, conditions making it difficult for many to rebuild their lives. The 14-year conflict has left 90% of Syrians dependent on aid, with 16.7 million requiring humanitarian assistance in 2025 and over 7.4 million displaced. (UNHCR 11/04/2025, UN 11/04/2025, Al Hurra 10/02/2025)

27 March 2025

The US funding freeze announced in January 2025 and subsequent cuts have severely affected humanitarian operations, particularly in informal settlements and IDP camps across Syria. The cuts have reduced people’s access to essential services, including healthcare, water, and food, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks, food insecurity, and social instability. In northwestern Syria, over 430,000 people across 247 locations, including 195 in Idlib governorate, have limited access to clean water and sanitation after NGO shutdowns. In Sarmada town in Idlib, ten clinics have closed, limiting healthcare access for 35,000 people. In northeastern Syria, at least seven displacement camps have faced food disruptions, with bread distribution halted since 14 February. In Al Hol camp where people highly depend on aid and have no other means to access services, NGO staff have been ordered to cease operations, reducing water, sanitation, and security services and likely triggering riots and breakout attempts. (UN 20/03/2025, TNH 17/02/2025, Reuters 14/02/2025)

12 March 2025

Between 7–10 March 2025, clashes erupted between forces of the Syrian caretaker government and supporters of the previous regime of Bashar Al Assad in Northwest Syria. The violence killed an estimated 1,000 people in the affected areas of Latakkie and Tartous governorates and displaced at least 45,000, who need shelter, food, medical aid, and protection. Insecurity restricts humanitarian access to the conflict area as aid workers fear abduction and physical threats. The fighting damaged six hospitals, several ambulances, and power lines. Many people have crossed to Akkar and Tripoli governorates in Lebanon, including at least 10,000 to Akkar. They take informal routes, as Israeli air strikes damaged the official border crossing during the escalation with Hezbollah in 2024. Issues include a lack of formal registration among new arrivals, a lack of organised aid, and heavy reliance on individual initiatives to provide aid for the new arrivals. (UN 10/03/2025, Sari Global 10/03/2025, TNA 09/03/3035)

19 February 2025

Since early December 2024, clashes in Menbij district in Aleppo governorate have been damaging the Tishreen Dam, rendering it non-operational. This has severely limited access to clean water and electricity for approximately 413,000 residents in Menbij and Kobani districts since 10 December. The dam and surrounding areas became a conflict hotspot after the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army initiated Operation Dawn of Freedom in early December, aiming to seize the area and the dam from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces given its economic and strategic significance. Following the recent conflict escalation between the two groups, people in Menbij are experiencing limited access to basic services and essential goods, such as fuel, bread, and flour. Urgent needs also include the repair of the dam, as the risk of structural failure could cause catastrophic flooding that would affect over 40 downstream villages, especially if the dam sustains further attacks. (OCHA 12/02/2025, TNA 21/01/2025, CNN 13/12/2024)

04 December 2024

By 4 December 2024, hostilities between the Syrian army and opposition armed groups, notably Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, had intensified for a seventh consecutive day. Opposition armed groups have captured Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, and are advancing into Hama city. Main routes in northwestern Syria are blocked, hindering humanitarian access and trapping civilians in conflict zones. The hostilities involve bombing and shelling, as well as Russian air strikes supporting the Syrian army, resulting in civilian casualties. Initial estimates indicate that at least 11,100 families (approximately 68,000 people) had been displaced by 2 December, though specific numbers remain unverified. Essential services such as healthcare, food, and water supply have been disrupted in Aleppo, Hama, and Idleb governorates. Humanitarian operations in those areas have also been severely disrupted. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent and Syrian Civil Defence (White Helmets) continue to provide assistance in their respective operational areas. (UNSC 03/12/2024, SARD 03/12/2024, OCHA 02/12/2024)

31 October 2024

Since October 2023, Turkish air strikes against Kurdish-led armed groups in northern Syria have intensified. Some have repeatedly targeted essential infrastructure, such as power and fuel plants, medical facilities, and agricultural resources. The latest series of significant attacks from 23–24 October 2024 in Al Hasakeh, Al Raqqa, and Aleppo governorates resulted in fatalities and extensive damage to critical infrastructure, affecting water and electricity access for over one million people. Around 1.2 million people in Al Hasakeh, 0.7 million people in Al Raqqa, and 3.5 million people in Aleppo are estimated to need humanitarian assistance throughout 2024. Overall, the intensification of attacks is affecting access to essential services and aggravating humanitarian needs, especially for WASH, health, and food. (NES NGO Forum 31/10/2024, HRW 26/10/2023, OCHA 03/03/2024)

22 October 2024

By 20 October 2024, intensified Israeli bombardments since 23 September had led approximately 425,000 individuals to flee to Syria from Lebanon, primarily via the Jdaidet Yabous border point on the road connecting Beirut and Damascus. The majority were women and children. An estimated 70% of the arrivals were Syrian, while 30% were Lebanese. Most of the displaced have settled in local reception centres or with host communities in Damascus, Homs, Rural Damascus, and Tartous governorates. Their immediate needs include free transportation from the border to the governorates, mobile clinics in areas of arrival, and essential supplies, such as food, water, and hygiene kits. In the coming months, the distribution of winter items and the provision of livelihood support will be crucial to help these refugees and returnees meet their basic needs. (UNHCR 20/10/2024, UNHCR 21/10/2024, Bahar 21/10/2024)