March 2025 Recap: Violence in Syria, Russia Gains in Kursk, and the Gaza Ceasefire Collapses

Overview

In March 2025, with US military aid and intelligence frozen on orders by President Trump, Ukraine continued to lose territory in Kursk. In Turkiye, the PKK, a Kurdish militant organization, called a ceasefire with the Turkish government after decades of conflict. In Syria, in the wake of the toppled Assad government, new clashes erupted between new government forces and the Assad-loyalist Alawite community, killing over 1,300 over 3 days. Gaza’s future continued to hang in the balance as the Arab League proposed a postwar plan for the territory, including the removal of Hamas, and an ultimate state merged with the West Bank — which neither Israel nor Hamas publicly accepted.