Syrian Reporter

Rubble recycling is the future and Damascus is taking the lead on this. With Saudi support, 1,000s of tons of rubble are now being turned into construction materials, incl. concrete blocks & interlocking paving stones. The Daraya recycling unit was inaugurated as part of a broader project, following the removal of ~85,000 m³ of rubble from Douma & Daraya. ~30% of the material was identified as suitable for reuse under technical standards. Sorting & crushing operations began last Summer. Daraya project is currently the most advanced in #Syria in terms of rubble recycling (a Turkish-financed project is also underway in Homs). While most efforts are still focused on removing & dumping rubble, Daraya project shows the way forward. Syria has an estimated 50 million m³ of rubble: Daraya project represents just 0.17% of the total. Progressively helping Syria secure the equipment needed to recycle even 10% of this rubble into construction materials would provide a resource capable of supporting reconstruction for years to come - while significantly reducing the need for corresponding imports.

The Interior Ministry announced the cell which attempted to target #Homs refinery is linked to Hezbollah. This is the 9th Hezbollah-linked cell dismantled by #Damascus since July 2025. Homs refinery processes crude oil into fuel & other petroleum products for the domestic market - meaning ordinary Syrians. This ins't a randomly chosen target: hitting a vital facility like Homs refinery while Syria is already dealing with the fallout of the international oil market crisis would have further strained fuel supplies & raised costs for everyone - from households to businesses.

A resident who recently returned to #Saraqeb found an archaeological treasure looted by pro-Regime fighters. Saraqeb is just few km from a major Syrian archaeological site, Ebla - but the artifacts don't appear to originate from there, as most of Ebla's remains date to the Bronze Age. The collection of 40 artifacts found by a resident & stockpiled in his house, mostly consists of items dating to Roman & Byzantine eras. Some can be identified: an inscribed stele, sculpted column bases, capitals & more surprisingly equipment that appears to have belonged to a bakery: 4 basalt grain mills (pistrinae) - typically operated by animals. It remains unknown how these artifacts were collected - during illegal excavations or while digging tunnels under the town, as documented after Assad's fall. The capture of Saraqeb on 29th November 2024 happened so quickly that pro-Assad forces couldn't take the artifacts with them. The resident handed over all 40 artifacts to the local authorities, who then transferred them to #Idlib Antiquities Department. This exceptional case highlights both the immense damage inflicted on Syrian heritage by the war but also the remarkable integrity of some individuals - over the past months, several people returning to their homes handed over artifacts they safeguarded for years.

Last night's attack on the Coast highlights a new pattern of attacks in #Syria, with October seeing an unprecedented number of incidents targeting Customs & Road Safety patrols. 5 attacks carried out this month left 6 dead & 10+ wounded in 3 provinces (see map) - none was claimed, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the perpetrators' identities. Most took place overnight in rural areas, a typical tactic to avoid detection. Local sources claimed 2 gunmen involved in Bosra attack were arrested (October 25), but the Interior Ministry hasn't communicated on the matter. The most complex attack was carried out in the E. Hama countryside (October 13), where an unusually large number of gunmen (up to 8) was involved & attacked at least 2 targets. The Director of Customs attributed last night's ambush on a patrol to "Regime remnants" - it was carried out near #Tartus. However, Alawite insurgents didn't previously attack this type of target, while the other suspect - #ISIS - has no verified presence on the Coast since Assad's fall. Did Alawite insurgents carry out their first deadly attack of the year? Or did another party try to exploit the choice of location, perfectly knowing the finger would automatically be pointed at "Regime remnants"? IS officially claimed 5 attacks against Customs & Road Safety targets between December 2025 & March 2026, leaving a total of 9 dead in Idlib, Aleppo & Deir Ezzor provinces - this suggests IS is certainly behind at least some of this month's attacks. Of all the attacks, the one on the Coast is certainly the most noteworthy, as identifying those responsible will help determine if it constitutes a shift in the security threat. The Interior Ministry now faces difficult investigations to uncover & dismantle the cells behind these 5 attacks - all targeted MoI units with a similar profile.