Pentagon Central Command forces carried out multiple air-strikes against Houthi weapons facilities in Yemen on Nov. 9 and 10. Both Air Force and Navy aircraft, including F-35C fighter jets, were involved in the strikes, which were in response to Houthi attacks on commercial ships and US-led coalition military vessels in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden. CentCom also conducted strikes against targets at two locations "associated with Iranian groups in Syria" on Nov. 11. The strikes were in response to drone and artillery attacks on US personnel that took place the previous day at Mission Support Site "Green Village" in northeast Syria. (DOD News)

Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a report released Oct. 2 raised concerns over the forcible recruitment of children into a youth group associated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), through which they are directed into armed activity.

HRW interviewed multiple families whose children were taken by the Revolutionary Youth Movement of Syria, or Tevgera Ciwanên Şoreşger. The report revealed that in the vast majority of cases, the families' teenaged son or daughter "simply left home one day, and never returned." In some instances, parents were able to locate their children by contacting local militia forces, who sometimes confirmed the presence of their children in the SDF youth group. Investigations revealed that members of the SDF often recruited children via social media or phone. Typically, recruitment took place by promising youth educational, cultural or vocational opportunities, constituting "covert recruitment."

Iran launched scores of ballistic missiles into Israeli territory on Oct. 1, in what it described as an exercise of its "legitimate right to self-defense under the UN Charter." The attack came hours after Israel announced a ground incursion into Lebanon, and as UN experts warned of the dire consequences of regional hostilities.

A group of 40 rights organizations issued a joint statement Sept. 6 calling on authorities in Saudi Arabia to release all those unfairly jailed for their online activities before Riyadh hosts the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in December. The organizations stated that the detentions contradict the IGF's stated values of advancing human rights and inclusion in the digital age. They charged that Saudi authorities are subjecting citizens to unprecedented repression, including decades-long prison sentences for expressing critical views online.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Lebanon and Cyprus of violating the human rights of Syrian refugees with indirect financial support from the European Union (EU). In a report released Sept. 4, HRW detailed how both countries have intercepted and forcibly returned refugees to Syria in a coordinated effort to prevent them from seeking asylum in Europe.

Flooding in Yemen's coastal Hodeidah province has killed at least 30 people, while floods in the inland district of Taizz killed 15. The World Health Organization reports severe damage to homes and infrastructure, with contaminated water worsening the cholera outbreak in the country. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch said in a newly released report that authorities across Yemen have "obstructed aid" to stricken areas, and "failed to take adequate preventative measures to mitigate the spread of cholera." The report especially criticizes such obstruction by the Houthi forces, who have for years maintained a siege of Taizz. (TNH)

Clashes broke out Aug. 12 between Syrian regime forces and militia of the Kurdish-led Rojava autonomous administration near the Euphrates River in eastern Deir ez-Zor governorate. The clashes centered around the towns of Shuheil and Bukrus, southeast of Deir ez-Zor city. The fighting began after regime forces west of the Euphrates launched surface-to-surface attacks on Kurdish-held towns across the river. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the principal Kurdish-led military formation, said in a statement that an operation against regime positions was carried out "in retaliation for the blood of the martyrs" killed "by artillery shelling from the Syrian regime and National Defense Force mercenaries." The NDF is a pro-regime militia. The violence has displaced dozens of families along the conflict line. (ANF, AA, AP)

Ukrainian special forces under command of Kyiv's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) carried out an operation against Russian forces in Syria, according to a video released by the agency. First reported by the Kyiv Post July 31, the raid by the "Khimik" elite unit is said to have targeted Kuweires airbase outside Aleppo, which is used by both Russian and Assad regime forces. Drone strikes followed by a ground attack are said to have destroyed a Russian "electronic warfare complex" at the base,  along with other "military objects." The report said the operation was conducted in cooperation with Syrian "insurgents," although it didn't make clear which faction. The strike was reportedly carried out the day after a meeting in the Kremlin between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on July 24. In May 2023, HUR chief Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov promised to "destroy Russian war criminals anywhere in the world they may be."