Zack, Jenn, and Alex talk about perhaps the single worst humanitarian crisis in Syria’s civil war — the ongoing situation in Idlib, where 3 million people are trapped in a province under assault by Bashar al-Assad and his allies. They explain how we got to this point, why the situation is so dangerous, and what could happen next.

References:

Our colleague Jen Kirby wrote a great explainer on the conflict in Idlib.

Jen mentioned the book Assad, or We Burn the Country, which you can find here.

Alex reported on Assad’s “siege, starve, and surrender” strategy as his forces overtook Eastern Ghouta.

Turkey does want to send Syrian refugees to a “safe zone” in northern Syria.

Turkey invaded northern Syria to fight US-allied Kurds near its border.

Charity Navigator has a guide on the best places to donate support to people in Syria.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

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