Aid

The Syrian government announced on November 13 the renewal of the three-month authorisation for the United Nations to send aid through the Bab Al-Salameh and Al-Rai border crossings into the northwest.

Syria recorded an annual inflation rate of 84.9 percent in 2022, compared to an average of 5.1 percent in the rest of Arab countries and 8.5 percent recorded globally, according to the Annual Bulletin of the Syrian Centre for Policy Research, published on October 12. The hike in prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages contributed to 41.3 percent of last year’s general inflation, followed by the housing, water, electricity and gas category, then transportation and health.

The UN Humanitarian Air Service has been temporarily halted in Syria after several Israeli airstrikes left Damascus and Aleppo airports out of service.

In an escalation of hostilities unseen in northwest Syria since 2019, the Syrian regime and Russian forces targeted 2,300 locations in Idlib and the Aleppo governorate in October.

Syria’s 2024 budget is expected to grow 115 percent in nominal terms (without adjusting for inflation) but to fall by 25 percent in U.S. dollar terms.

The Israeli retaliation after the Hamas’ attack on October 7 has led to violent echoes in the region: from deadly flare-ups in the Lebanese-Israeli border, exchange of fire in southern Syria, Israel’s airstrikes at Damascus and Aleppo airports, to U.S. bases in Syria and Iraq targeted in drone attacks by Iranian affiliated groups. The announced Israeli ground invasion of Gaza could be an important turning point with regards to regional escalation as Iran and Hezbollah made the potential invasion their main red line.