Data Update (January 6-13, 2026)
Conflict in Aleppo triggers surge in overall violence -- but elsewhere, deadly violence almost stopped altogether, as vigilantism declines.
The overall level of violence spiked in Syria last week, as government forces and the SDF engaged in major hostilities in Aleppo city between January 6-10, with at least 91 people (68 civilians & 23 combatants) confirmed killed there. That eruption of conflict and the potential for it to expand to Aleppo’s eastern countryside is alarming and potentially highly significant as we assess the prospects for Syria’s political transition in 2026.
For a comprehensive look at the past week’s violence in Aleppo, read:
How Damascus & the SDF came to blows in Aleppo — and what might come next
and Monday’s newsletter, containing a ‘SPECIAL’ detailing developments day-by-day.
But notwithstanding the dramatic events in Aleppo, what was equally notable last week was the fact that elsewhere in Syria, deadly conflict incidents almost stopped altogether, with just one fatal incident recorded nationwide over 7 days — in Homs, when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a group of medical workers leaving the al-Kindi Hospital in Homs on the evening of January 8, killing 4. This precipitous decline in deadly violence is an anomaly when placed in the wider context of violence across Syria as measured by Syria Weekly. However, it does come amid a broader trend of substantial de-escalation in late-2025, and on the heels of a near all-time low of violence the week prior (when a total of 15 violent deaths were confirmed: December 30-January 6).
Additional takeaways:
