Luna Al-Shibl is the owner of Nash Kray, a fine dining restaurant in Damascus. She also serves as a personal adviser to President Bashar Assad. Shibl belongs to the Druze ethnic and religious minority and hails from Sweida. Both Sweida and Daraa belong to the Druze majority and are sites of fierce resistance to the Assad regime.
Filet mignon is especially delicious in Nash Clay (Russian for “our country”) in Damascus’ upscale district, according to Syrian restaurant recommendations. The fish carpaccio with caviar is also recommended. A filet mignon is $16. Add a first course of imported cheese platters (about $5) and a nice dessert and customers can expect to pay about $30 including tip. Very cheap by Israeli standards, especially for someone who only dreamed of eating falafel in Damascus.
From there, ISIL launched a series of successful operations in both Syria and Iraq, expanding to control a wide swath of territory straddling the Iraq-Syria border.
On August 8 the United States launched air strikes in Iraq to prevent ISIL from advancing into the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq and to shield Christian and Yazīdī communities there.
The strikes slowed the group`s advance, but a series of videos showing ISIL fighters beheading Western aid workers and journalists amplified fears that the group posed a global threat.On September 23 the United States and a coalition of Arab states expanded the air campaign to strike ISIL targets in Syria.
In the summer of 2015, Russia began to take a more-active role in the conflict, deploying troops and military equipment to an air base near Latakia.In September Russia launched its first air strikes against targets in Syria.Russian officials originally claimed that the air strikes were targeting ISIL, but it quickly became clear that they were targeting mostly rebels fighting against Assad, with the intention of bolstering their ally.
Explore the imposing ancient citadel of Aleppo and observe the damage wrought to it by the Syrian Civil WarExplore the imposing ancient citadel of Aleppo and observe the damage wrought to it by the Syrian Civil WarSee all videos for this article
After a short cease-fire between Russian and Syrian government forces and Western-backed rebels collapsed in September 2016, Russia and the Syrian government forces turned their focus to the rebel-held eastern part of Aleppo, unleashing a fierce bombing campaign.
Russian and Syrian forces made no attempt to avoid causing civilian casualties in their efforts to subdue the rebels; warplanes dropped indiscriminate munitions such as cluster bombs and incendiary bombs and targeted medical facilities, search and rescue teams, and aid workers.
By 2016 ISIL, which only a few years earlier had appeared to be nearly unstoppable in northern and eastern Syria, was beginning to collapse under the strain of its simultaneous confrontations with three rival coalitions—Kurdish forces and their American allies, pro-Assad Syrian forces supported by Iran and Russia, and a Turkish-backed coalition of rebel groups.
In the north, Kurdish and Turkish-supported forces gradually consolidated their hold on the areas along the Turkish border, depriving ISIL of a strategically important territory.
In June 2017 the mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launched an assault on Al-Raqqah, ISIL`s de facto capital in Syria, with support from U.S. air power and special forces.
A year later, after the Syrian government used chemical weapons in Douma, U.S., British, and French forces launched more than 100 strikes targeting chemical weapons facilities near Damascus and Homs.After Iran shelled the Golan Heights in response, Israel launched its heaviest barrage in Syria since the civil war began.
In June 2018, having solidified their hold on the areas around Damascus and Homs, Syrian government forces began a campaign to recapture rebel-held territories in the southwest province of Darʿā, later expanding into Al-Qunayṭirah province.
As the success of the government operation became clear, a deal was brokered with the help of Russia that allowed rebels
