Syria burns again: MEMO in Conversation with Hussam Hammoud

Middle East Monitor Conversations

For many, the civil war in Syria has been a distant memory, but that all changed when in a sudden turn of events, rebel groups captured the country's second largest city, Aleppo, and began to move towards other northern cities. But why is all this happening now? Syrian journalist Hussam Hammoud joins us to explain.

What a difference a few days make. Up until the end of November 2024, Syria's second largest city Aleppo was firmly under the control of President Bashar Al-Assad and to many outsiders the Mediterranean country's civil war was a distant memory. Many assumed the war was either over or at least frozen and then in the space of a few days Syrian rebels, who are opposed to the rule of Al-Assad, launched a lightning offensive and captured Syria's second city. Fighting is now taking place in different parts of the Levantine country, but what is actually happening? Why is it happening now? And who are those involved? In this MEMO in Conversation special we are joined by Hussam Hammoud to delve into events in Syria.

Hammoud is a Syrian journalist who specialises in the Syrian conflict and beyond. He is known for his field reporting and focus on human rights, highlighting stories from war zones and displacement crises in both Syria and Ukraine. His work has mostly appeared on the European Cultural Chanal ARTE.