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Damascus – The UK Foreign Office has issued its 2025 Syria Security Assessment Report, updated on 16 September 2025. The report assesses whether the security situation amounts to a real and serious threat to civilian lives due to indiscriminate violence in an internal or international conflict. It also examines the ability of the state or quasi-state bodies to provide effective protection, the possibility of internal relocation to avoid persecution or serious harm, and the likelihood that a rejected asylum claim will be classified as “manifestly unfounded.” The report emphasizes that each case must be examined individually according to its specific circumstances.
The report relies on data on victims, arrests, and human rights violations in Syria from both the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) and the Conflict and Event Data Project (ACLED), which also relies on a significant portion of its data from the SNHR, based on our partnership and cooperation spanning several years. Other UN and international organizations are also referenced in the report.
The report asserted that, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, there are insufficient grounds to believe that there is a real and substantial threat to civilian lives due to indiscriminate violence in an armed conflict, under paragraphs 339C and 339CA(iv) of the UK Immigration Rules, unless the individual proves otherwise. Although the Syrian war has lasted 14 years and left hundreds of thousands of victims and millions displaced, the level of violence gradually declined after Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized power. Even with the temporary increase in the death toll before and after Assad’s fall, the current level of violence is insufficient to demonstrate a comprehensive threat to civilians simply because they are inside the country. The report also indicates that the remaining fighting is concentrated in limited areas, namely the outskirts of Deir ez-Zor, southern Raqqa, eastern Aleppo, and the occupied Golan Heights, and is described as limited and intermittent.
The report indicated that the sectarian violence that occurred on the Syrian coast between March 6 and 9, 2025, and which claimed the lives of approximately 800 civilians, was not classified as random violence, as it specifically targeted the Alawite sect. It emphasized that each asylum application must be considered on its own merits, with reference to asylum regulations relating to humanitarian protection and groups at additional risk.
The report added that the Syrian state is unable, in individual cases where indiscriminate violence is proven to be occurring within an armed conflict, to provide effective protection against serious violations of the right to life or inhuman or degrading treatment in a manner that violates Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It also reminded decision-makers to refer to the Asylum Instructions on Credibility Assessment and Refugee Status for further guidance on assessing a state’s capacity to provide protection.
The report concluded that Syria remains an extremely difficult humanitarian environment, which may make internal relocation a reasonable option for reaching another region. However, it may not be reasonable to expect a person to remain there without a support network to meet their basic needs.
The British Foreign Office report can be viewed via the following link
