Syrian civil war

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Syria Rebels Make Major Gains
 Syria Rebels Make Major Gains 
Aug 5, 2013 11:29 PM CDT

Syria Rebels Make Major Gains

Villages in Assad heartland captured

(Newser) - After weeks of losing territory to Bashar al-Assad's forces, Syrian rebels have scored two major victories against the regime. In northern Syria, rebels captured a major air base after almost a year of trying, capturing tanks and soldiers despite air raids from government warplanes, reports the New York Times...

Syria &#39;Now 3 Countries&#39;
 Syria Is 'Now 3 Countries' 
Aug 5, 2013 12:32 AM CDT

Syria Is 'Now 3 Countries'

'As a distinct single entity, Syria has ceased to exist,' analysts say

(Newser) - As Syria's bloody civil war grinds on, the country is now split into three parts—each boasting its own flags, security agencies, and judicial system—and the longer the conflict lasts, analysts say, the more difficult it will be to piece together a coherent Syrian state from the wreckage....

As Thousands Die, Assad Takes Selfies

Syrian president joins Instagram; fails to capture civil war

(Newser) - Syria is in the middle of a bloody civil war—not that you'd know it from President Bashar al-Assad's new Instagram account , which features Assad and his wife shaking hands, hugging, and chatting with smiling constituents and cheering crowds, reports CNN . With 100,000 people now dead in...

UN: Syria Is the New Rwanda
 UN: Syria Is the New Rwanda 
Jul 17, 2013 3:50 AM CDT

UN: Syria Is the New Rwanda

Refugee crisis worst since 1994

(Newser) - An average of 6,000 Syrians are fleeing their war-ravaged country every day, causing the world's worst refugee crisis since the Rwandan genocide, the United Nations warns. The UN's refugee chief says the outflow of refugees has escalated at "a frightening rate" since the beginning of this...

4 Reasons Why You Should Care About the G8

7-1 split on Syria looms large as summit opens

(Newser) - It's OK, you can admit it: The G8 summit begins in Northern Ireland today and you didn't exactly wake up with thoughts of "it's G8 week!" (Our first thought: Rain again?) But the two-day summit in Northern Island is worth a few moments of your...

Obama's Weapons Won't Do Enough In Syria

Michael Weiss and Elizabeth O'Bagy say it's time to unleash the MANPADs

(Newser) - The Obama administration is at last willing to send weapons to Syrian rebels —but it looks like neither the president, nor anyone else in Washington, is willing to go far enough to actually help, write Michael Weiss and Elizabeth O'Bagy at the Atlantic . "Even the most hawkish...

Syrian Refugees Could End Up in US

State Department 'ready to consider the idea,' official says

(Newser) - Thousands of Syrian refugees could end up living in America, as Washington and other international capitals consider a resettlement plan to help relieve the Middle Eastern countries that have so far taken in 1.6 million refugees. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees has not yet made...

Syria, Hezbollah Grab Key Town From Rebels

Fall of Qusair a huge setback for rebels

(Newser) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops, backed by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, regained control today of the strategic town of Qusair where fighting has raged with rebels for nearly three weeks, according to state TV. The capture of the town near the Lebanese border solidifies some of the regime's recent...

Hezbollah, Assad Make Massive Push Into Key Town

Israel threatens more strikes as battle for Qusair rages

(Newser) - Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon have taken their most prominent role yet in the Syrian civil war, fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad's forces as the military attempts to regain control of a strategic rebel-held city near the Lebanese order. Activists say at least 23 members of the Iran-backed militant group have...

Russia, US Agree to Try to End Syria War

John Kerry, Sergei Lavrov announce peace conference

(Newser) - Russia and the US haven't exactly been on the same page when it comes to dealing with Syria. That appears to have changed: John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced at a midnight press conference that their respective countries have agreed to hold a peace conference "...

UN Suspects Syrian Rebels Used Nerve Gas

'Strong suspicions' but no proof yet, top investigator says

(Newser) - Another game-changer? One of the United Nations' chief investigators says evidence is building that sarin gas was used in the Syrian conflict—but by rebels, not Bashar al-Assad's regime. "Our investigators have been in neighboring countries interviewing victims, doctors, and field hospitals" and "there are strong, concrete...

Insiders: Obama Ready to Arm Syrian Rebels

President planning more aggressive Syria policy, officials say

(Newser) - President Obama may not have sounded very threatening during yesterday's White House press conference , but senior administration officials say he is planning a much more aggressive line on Syria, the Washington Post reports. The president is planning to supply the Syrian opposition with lethal weaponry for the first time,...

Syria PM Survives Assassination Attempt

He escapes blast in central Damascus

(Newser) - Syria's prime minister escaped an assassination attempt today when a bomb went off near his convoy in Damascus in the latest attack targeting a top regime offical, state media reported. Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi was unhurt in the bombing in the capital's western neighborhood of Mazzeh, according to...

Hagel: Syria Likely Used Chemical Weapons

Defense secretary says sarin gas probably used on 'small scale'

(Newser) - Have we crossed the red line? US intelligence has concluded with "some degree of varying confidence" that Bashar al-Assad's regime has used chemical weapons, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters in Abu Dhabi today, per the AP . The determination apparently came within the past day, and the White...

Gunmen Seize 2 Syrian Bishops
 Gunmen Seize 2 Syria Bishops 
Apr 23, 2013 2:48 AM CDT

Gunmen Seize 2 Syria Bishops

Prominent Christian clerics abducted in rebel-held region

(Newser) - Unknown gunmen abducted two prominent Syrian bishops as they traveled through rebel-held territory from the Turkish border, according to both state media and the opposition leadership. Christians make up around 10% of Syria's population and the kidnapped pair—the Syriac Orthodox and Greek Orthodox archbishops of Aleppo, Yohanna Ibrahim...

US, EU Ready to Step Up Aid to Syrian Rebels

But President Obama insists on keeping aid 'non-lethal' for now

(Newser) - The United States and several leading EU states appear poised to increase non-lethal aid to Syrian opposition groups, adding equipment such as body armor and night-vision goggles, reports the Wall Street Journal . Arms, however, remain off the table, as President Obama fears they could fall into the hands of al-Qaeda-affiliated...

6K Dead Make March Syria's Bloodiest Month

Death rate hits 200 per day as conflict grinds on

(Newser) - The death rate in Syria's civil war is accelerating, with more than 6,000 deaths making March the deadliest month of the conflict that began more than two years ago. The deaths include hundreds of women and children as well as a large number of rebel fighters and government...

Syria Fires Rockets at Lebanon
 Syria Fires Rockets at Lebanon 
Mar 18, 2013 9:00 AM CDT

Syria Fires Rockets at Lebanon

No injuries reported as empty buildings are hit

(Newser) - Syria fired three rockets into Lebanon today, as it threatened to do last week . The jet-fired rockets hit empty buildings in the border town of Arsaal, CNN reports. Syrian officials claim armed terrorists have infiltrated Syria from Lebanon, and the UN has voiced concern over the growing tension and cross-border...

Syria Warns It May Strike Lebanon

Assad's regime says rebels are crossing back and forth over border

(Newser) - With Syrian militants crossing back and forth across the northern Lebanon border, the Syrian foreign ministry has told Lebanon to put a stop to it or else face military strikes, reports Reuters via the Christian Science Monitor . "Syrian forces have so far exercised restraint from striking at armed gangs...

Fearing Syria Spillover, CIA Ups Iraq Presence

Al-Nusra Front and al-Qaeda in Iraq closely tied, experts say

(Newser) - The US military may have pulled out of Iraq in December 2011, but now the CIA is going back in, reports the Wall Street Journal . In a series of secret decisions in 2011 and 2012, the White House directed US intelligence to take over from the military in supporting Iraq'...

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