Syria

Read recent Syrian news stories and current events on Newser.com

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Syrian Rebels Overrun Aleppo Base

35 troops killed in latest rebel advance

(Newser) - Syrian rebels are now in full control of a sprawling military base they stormed two days earlier and have killed 35 government troops in the fighting, an activist group says. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the battle for the Sheik Suleiman base near the northern city of...

Rebels Warn: Damascus Airport a 'Legit Target'

Russia poised to 'brainstorm' with US, envoy

(Newser) - Syrian rebels have issued a warning to civilians and airlines: Damascus International Airport is now a "military zone" to be approached at locals' "own risk." "The airport is now full of armored vehicles and soldiers," says a spokesman for rebels, who call the spot a...

How Weapons Went to Libya Radicals—With US OK

US gave Qatar approval to arm rebels, but...

(Newser) - Weapons shipped by Qatar to rebels in Libya—with US approval—also made their way into the hands of radical Islamic militants during last year's uprisings, reports the New York Times . US officials grew concerned as evidence mounted that Qatar was also delivering weapons to extremists, and officials say...

Chemical Weapons Reports Part of US Conspiracy: Syria

Country fears West trying to create 'pretext for intervention'

(Newser) - Syria believes a US/European "conspiracy" is afoot. The country's foreign minister alleged today that the West is fanning fears that Syria is preparing to use chemical weapons to justify an invasion, reports Reuters . "Syria stresses again, for the tenth, the hundredth time, that if we had such...

Report: Syria Preparing Chemical Weapons

Assad orders military to be ready to use sarin, says NBC

(Newser) - Syria's Bashar al-Assad is edging closer to using chemical weapons against his own people, reports NBC News . It quotes US officials as saying that Syria's military has begun loading the necessary components for sarin gas into bombs. The good news is that the bombs have not been loaded...

NATO: Patriot Missiles Are Going to Turkey

(Newser) - Now it's official: NATO agreed today to send Patriot anti-missile systems to Turkey to protect against attacks from war-torn Syria, the AP reports. The systems—which include radars, missiles, and other facilities—will be programmed only to fend off the Syrian shells and mortar rounds that have already killed...

Amid Setbacks, Assad's Grip Loosens

NATO set to approve Patriot missiles for Turkish border

(Newser) - Bashar al-Assad's regime has survived many claims of being near collapse during Syria's 20-month uprising, but a series of setbacks has left the Syrian leader more isolated than ever, the New York Times reports. Rebels are gaining ground in multiple areas and President Obama has sternly warned the...

Obama Warns Syria Not to Use Chemical Weapons

White House, allies weigh options to secure stockpiles

(Newser) - President Barack Obama warned Syria today that the use of chemical weapons would be "totally unacceptable" and that the country's leaders would be held accountable. Backing up earlier comments by Hillary Clinton, Obama said that if Syrian President Bashar Assad made the "tragic mistake" of deploying chemical...

UN Yanking Staff From Syria
 UN Yanking Staff From Syria 
Dec 3, 2012 12:44 PM CST

UN Yanking Staff From Syria

While US says it is 'planning to take action' if chemical weapons threat materializes

(Newser) - The UN is yanking "all non-essential international staff" out of Syria in response to the escalating violence there, it announced today. Up to a quarter of its 100 foreign staffers may leave within the week, the BBC reports. The UN has also temporarily forbidden all field trips into Syria...

Syria May Be Prepping Chemical Weapons

US official says activity suggests they may intend to use weapons

(Newser) - Syria and chemical weapons: Words you don't want to hear in the same sentence, but ones that are once again making headlines. The New York Times reports that the regime appears to be moving its chemical weapons again , according to intelligence out of Syria. But the most recent reports...

Internet Back Up in Syria's Capital

It was down for two days amid heavy fighting around Damascus

(Newser) - Syria's Internet blackout has lifted in the capital of Damascus and other key cities, at least for the time being, reports the BBC and al-Jazeera . Access went down two days ago across the nation, with most observers blaming the government. The blackout has made reports sketchy, though rebels cite...

US May Soon Recognize Syrian Opposition

Phones, Internet still cut off

(Newser) - Syria's new opposition coalition is working toward a transitional government—and if it achieves the goal soon, formal US recognition may not be far behind. Britain, France, Turkey, and the Gulf Cooperation Council recognize the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, as it's formally called, but...

Syria Turns Off the Internet
 Syria Turns Off the Internet 
Nov 29, 2012 12:57 PM CST

Syria Turns Off the Internet

Meanwhile, rebels block off airport

(Newser) - Someone appears to have completely cut off Syria's Internet access, two US-based monitoring companies reported today. Landlines and mobile phone signals have been cut off as well in at least some parts of Damascus, another activist tells the Guardian . The government has cut off phone and Internet access in...

US Rethinks Role in Syria


 US Rethinks Role in Syria 
Nov 29, 2012 9:57 AM CST

US Rethinks Role in Syria

White House considering more involvement to aid rebels

(Newser) - With the US election over and Syrian rebels seemingly gaining momentum, the Obama administration is taking a fresh look at its own potential involvement in the conflict, the New York Times reports. First, Washington must consider whether NATO should install surface-to-air missiles in Turkey, which some see as a deterrent...

Kim Jong Un Keeps the Illegal Weapons Flowing

Shipments to Burma, Syria have been blocked this year

(Newser) - Dear ol' Dad may be dead and gone, but his illegal-weapons-exporting ways live on under the watch of Kim Jong Un, reports the Wall Street Journal , which spoke with officials who verify that ships and planes en route to Syria and Burma from North Korea and laden with missile technology...

2 Car Bombs Kill Dozens in Damascus

Twin bombs went off in a parking lot between two commercial buildings

(Newser) - Twin car bombs ripped through a Damascus suburb today, killing at least 34 people and leaving dozens critically wounded, according to state media and hospital officials. State news agency SANA said two cars packed with explosives detonated within five minutes of each other early in the morning just before employees...

Syria Wipes Out 10 Kids on Playground: Report

Activists say cluster bomb caused fatalities

(Newser) - The death toll in Syria has hit 40,000 , but the 10 latest reported deaths stand out: children killed on a playground by a cluster bomb yesterday, according to opposition activists. Videos of the carnage in Deir al-Asafir were posted online, reports the BBC , and show a woman weeping over...

Why Syria Is More Important Than You Think

 Why Syria Is 
 More Important 
 Than You Think 
Condoleezza Rice
Nov 24, 2012 1:50 PM CST

Why Syria Is More Important Than You Think

Condoleezza Rice: The Mideast 'as we know it' is at stake

(Newser) - Syria isn't just another domino in the Arab Spring revolution, and its civil war presents far more than a humanitarian crisis for the world, writes Condoleezza Rice in the Washington Post . What's happening there jeopardizes the entire "Middle East as we know it," she argues. If...

At Camp for Syrians, Foreign Suitors Seek Brides

Relief officials say matchmakers are preying on desperation

(Newser) - Many of the Syrians flooding into a refugee camp in Jordan are war widows with young children, a phenomenon that has attracted hordes of matchmakers and older Arab men from other countries looking for brides, reports the Washington Post . Some see it as a blessing—one 19-year-old, for example, accepted...

Syria Death Toll: 40K

 Syria Death 
 Toll: 40K 
says monitor
Nov 23, 2012 10:11 AM CST

Syria Death Toll: 40K

Half were civilians, rights group says

(Newser) - The Syrian conflict has raged for 20 months now, and 40,000 lives have been lost in the process, a monitoring group tells Reuters . About half of the dead were civilians, while a quarter were rebel fighters and a quarter government troops, says the head of the Syrian Observatory for...

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