Syria

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Stories 1021 - 1040 | << Prev   Next >>

Lebanese Protesters Riot at Funeral for Slain Official

Beirut unrest escalates amid funeral of intel chief

(Newser) - Lebanese soldiers have fired machine guns and rifles into the air and lobbed volleys of tear gas at hundreds of angry protesters who are trying to storm the Lebanese government headquarters in Beirut. The chaotic scene in Lebanon's capital today comes in the midst of a funeral for a...

Damascus Blast Kills 10
 Damascus Blast Kills 10 
Oct 21, 2012 5:52 AM CDT

Damascus Blast Kills 10

Explosion in Christian area comes as UN envoy visits

(Newser) - An explosion hit the Old City of Damascus today, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens of other civilians, Syrian activists said. It came as President Bashar al-Assad discussed the civil war in his country with visiting UN peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. The blast targeted a police station in...

Syria Booby-Traps Rebels&#39; Ammo
Syria Booby-Traps
Rebels' Ammo
Oct 20, 2012 10:39 AM CDT

Syria Booby-Traps Rebels' Ammo

New York Times reports on 'dirty trick' of war

(Newser) - Syria has resorted to what the New York Times calls "one of the dirty tricks of the modern battlefield"—booby-trapping ammunition used by rebels. As war correspondent CJ Chivers explains, the government puts the sabotaged ammo on the black markets where the rebels get their weaponry. It's...

Captured Syrian Pilot: I Just Followed Orders

Video: He says pilots were unaware they were hitting civilians

(Newser) - A Syrian fighter pilot shot down by rebels has a simple explanation for why he and other pilots have had no qualms about bombing civilian targets: He swears they didn't know civilians were present. The imprisoned Roni Ibrahim, who got shot down outside al-Bab, tells Al Jazeera that the...

Now Syrian Rebels Have Missiles

Meanwhile, war reaches Damascus, the wealthy

(Newser) - This could change things: Some Syrian rebels now have antiaircraft missiles, rebels and regional officials say. Video footage appears to show the rebels using such weapons, which have been smuggled into the country, the Wall Street Journal reports. Rebels say they downed a military helicopter yesterday, one of at least...

Forget Libya. Syria Is Obama's Top Screw-Up

President's miscues have created a strategic disaster, Jackson Diehl argues

(Newser) - The Romney campaign is eager to attack President Obama over the attack on the US consulate in Libya. But that was ultimately the result of "poor security decisions by mid-level State Department officials, not policy choices by Obama," writes Jackson Diehl of the Washington Post . If you want...

Turkey Forces Another Plane Bound for Syria to Land

And White House finds most arms sent to rebels end up in jihadists' hands

(Newser) - Turkey forced another Syria-bound plane to land today, but the Armenian plane was allowed to continue to Syria after its cargo—humanitarian aid—was searched, Reuters reports. Last week, Turkey forced down a jet en route to Syria from Russia, claiming it held weapons for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's...

Rights Group: Syria Dropping Cluster Bombs in Civilian Areas

Widely banned munitions pose long-term risk

(Newser) - Human Rights Watch today blasted Syria, saying it has new evidence that the Assad regime is dropping cluster bombs into populated areas, reports the AP . "Syria's disregard for its civilian population is all too evident in its air campaign, which now apparently includes dropping these deadly cluster bombs...

Turkey Bans Syrian Civil Flights

Suspects regime smuggling military equipment

(Newser) - Turkey's foreign minister says the country has barred its airspace to Syrian civilian flights. Ahmet Davutoglu said today that Turkey had made the decision because the Syrian regime, which is battling an insurgency, was "abusing" civilian flights by transporting military equipment. He says Syria's government was notified...

Turkey Deploys Tanks as Syria Tension Continues

PM accuses UN of repeating Bosnia mistakes

(Newser) - Tension between Turkey and Syria continues to increase, and yesterday Turkey moved tanks and missile-defense systems to the border hills overlooking Syria, Bloomberg reports, citing state-run media. Turkey had earlier scrambled jet fighters when a Syrian helicopter got close to the border. "Turkey will retaliate if Syria violates its...

Rebels, Jihadists Capture Syrian Air Base

Following the deadliest day regime forces have yet suffered

(Newser) - Syrian rebels, fighting alongside Islamist militants, captured a regime air defense base near Aleppo today after an overnight battle, Haaretz reports. The group, dubbed Jabhat al-Nusra, has ties to al-Qaeda, and has claimed responsibility for a number of bombings since the uprising began. Rebels were also fighting today to hold...

Turkey Forces Syrian Jet to Land

Passengers detained briefly over suspected military cargo

(Newser) - Relations between Syria and Turkey got even more volatile today when Turkish fighter jets forced a Syrian passenger plane to land in Ankara, reports the BBC . Turkish officials detained the plane and passengers briefly and confiscated suspected military cargo. They wouldn't specify what came off the plane, which was...

2 Detained Brits May Have Helped Syrian Extremists

Two 20-somethings arrested at Heathrow

(Newser) - Two 26-year-old Brits detained at Heathrow last night may have been involved in the kidnapping of two journalists in Syria, authorities say. Both are being held on suspicion of supporting terrorist activity, report the BBC and the Guardian . Another intriguing detail from Sky News : One of them is reportedly a...

Eyes on Syria, US Military Now in Jordan

Outpost is closest American presence to Syria

(Newser) - The US military now has a presence in Jordan, less than 35 miles from the Syrian border, that it secretly set up this summer; more than 150 specialists are stationed there. Right now, the mission is focused on helping Jordan deal with tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, but it'...

NATO Ready to Defend Turkey in Syria Conflict

Border conflict continues for sixth day

(Newser) - As Turkey continued firing back at Syria for a sixth day today after a Syrian shell crossed the border and killed five civilians last week, NATO says it is prepared to defend Turkey. The alliance has "all necessary plans in place to protect and defend Turkey if necessary,"...

Romney on Middle East: 'Hope Is Not a Strategy'

Candidate attacks Obama in 'major' foreign policy speech

(Newser) - Seeking to shore up his foreign policy credentials, Mitt Romney delivered a major speech today in Virginia attacking President Obama's performance overseas and outlining his own plans. "The president hopes for a safer, freer, and a more prosperous Middle East," Romney declared, according to the Washington Post...

Turkey Tells Syria: We're Close to War

But analysts doubt PM Erdogan will go that far

(Newser) - After two days of shelling Syria, Turkey rattled its sabers today with a warning that full-out war was around the corner, Reuters reports. "We are not interested in war, but we're not far from war either," Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told a crowd in Istanbul. "...

Turkey OKs Military Ops in Syria as Shelling Continues

Syria apologizes for civilian deaths

(Newser) - Turkey continued shelling Syria for a second day today, reportedly killing several government soldiers, after Syrian shells killed at least five civilians in a Turkish border town yesterday. In what a prime minister's aide calls a warning to Syria, Turkey's parliament today authorized military operations inside Syria, even...

Turkey Shells Syria After Border Town Gets Hit

Turkish official calls it 'last straw' as NATO prepares to meet

(Newser) - Syria has all it can do to keep rebels at bay, but its problems may have just gotten bigger. Turkey today said it launched artillery attacks on Syrian targets after Syrian shells struck a Turkish border town and killed at least five civilians, reports al-Jazeera . "The latest event was...

Four Blasts in Aleppo Kill 40
 Four Blasts in Aleppo Kill 40 
Oct 3, 2012 6:41 AM CDT

Four Blasts in Aleppo Kill 40

Explosions only minutes apart rock volatile Syrian city

(Newser) - Four separate explosions rocked the Syrian city of Aleppo today, claiming at least 40 lives and wounding more than 90 others in a government-controlled district where rebels have been clashing with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, reports Reuters by way of the country's state-run news agency. Three of...

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