Syria

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

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McCain: Rejecting Syria Strike Would be 'Catastrophic'

Expresses cautious support for Obama's plan

(Newser) - President Obama got some conditional support for military intervention in Syria today from two key Republican foreign policy hawks: John McCain and Lindsey Graham. The pair met with Obama yesterday to express their concerns that US military action that was too limited, and would do little to change the course...

'Syrian' Hackers Strike Again: Deface Marine Corps Site

Call Obama 'traitor'; implore Marines to 'refuse orders'

(Newser) - Fresh from taking down the New York Times website last week, the pro-Assad Syrian Electronic Army has apparently hit another target: the US Marine Corps. The Marines' recruiting website, Marines.com, was attacked earlier today, replaced with a page calling Obama a "traitor" and arguing that the Syrian government...

France: 'Massive Use of Chemical Agents' in Syria

Assad: Mideast is a 'powder keg' that would blow in event of Western strike

(Newser) - As promised , France has unveiled its Syria intel estimate today, and it's squarely blaming the Assad regime with the "massive use of chemical agents" in the Aug. 21 attacks that claimed hundreds of lives. The nine-page report says that Bashar al-Assad could carry out similar attacks in...

Conflict Has Displaced 1 in 3 Syrians: UN

7M have been uprooted; 2M of those have fled country

(Newser) - Seven million Syrians, or nearly one-third of the population, have been displaced by the civil war that has ravaged the nation since 2011, but international aid has been a "drop in the sea" of humanitarian need, a top UN official said today. The funding gaps remain wide, with donor...

When Has Congress Declared War?

Hill hasn't formally declared war since 1942

(Newser) - With President Obama turning to Congress for a decision on Syria, BuzzFeed offers a quick Hill history lesson. Congress hasn't formally declared war since 1942, the site notes. But before that, it wasn't such a rare move:
  1. Congress backed war against Britain in 1812, by way of a
...

Russia Not Buying Syria Strike Evidence

Congress 'split 5 ways' on military action

(Newser) - Russia has seen some of the evidence that the US has gathered on Syria's chemical weapons strike—and calls it "absolutely unconvincing," the AP reports. The country's foreign minister says the evidence is "not specific"—it has "no geographic coordinates, no names, no...

US Strike Group Headed to Red Sea, Syria

Major naval force assembling in eastern Med

(Newser) - While President Obama waits for Congress to vote on a strike on Syria , the US is building up its naval force in the region. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its strike group are now moving toward the Red Sea to be in place if it is needed, Reuters...

Brothels and Pizza Joints: Inside a Syrian Refugee Camp

A visit to Jordan's Za'atari, the 2nd-largest refugee camp in the world

(Newser) - Though the world's focus is squarely on Syria right now, journalist David Remnick shifts his focus outside the country, which over 2 million Syrian refugees have fled since the civil war began. In the New Yorker, Remnick visits the world’s second-largest refugee camp, Jordan's Za'atari. The...

McCain: Great, &#39;Red Line&#39; Needs Congress&#39; OK?
 McCain: Great, 
 'Red Line' Needs 
 Congress' OK? 
TALK SHOW ROUNDUP
Sep 1, 2013 1:31 PM CDT

McCain: Great, 'Red Line' Needs Congress' OK?

Outspoken White House critic blasts Obama's '11th-hour' waffling on Syria

(Newser) - Never one to shy away from bashing the White House over its Syria policy , John McCain was out in full force today, warning that "the whole region is going to be engulfed" and blasting President Obama thusly: "When the president of the United States said that it was...

Kerry Confirms Sarin; Assad 'Joins List of Hitler, Saddam'

Says 'case is building'

(Newser) - The Syrian regime used sarin gas on its own people, John Kerry confirmed today, saying that blood and hair samples from first responders in Damascus had tested positive for the chemical agent and that the evidence had come to the United States independently, and not via the UN. "Bashar...

Syria Paper: Obama Starting 'Historic American Retreat'

Assad boasts Syria can deal with 'any external aggression'

(Newser) - President Obama has started a "historic American retreat" in seeking Congress' approval to strike Syria , according to a gloating state-run newspaper. "Whether the Congress lights the red or green light for an aggression, and whether the prospects of war have been enhanced or faded, President Obama has announced...

Emotional Francis on Syria: 'War Brings on War!

Says he's 'deeply wounded,' calls for day of fasting

(Newser) - Pope Francis abandoned his normal Sunday themes today, and instead spoke emotionally and at length about Syria, calling for a day of fasting and prayer for peace. "My heart is deeply wounded by what is happening in Syria and anguished by the dramatic developments," he said, as per...

Obama Came This Close to Striking Syria Alone: Officials

Senior officials say he decided to seek Congress' OK at last minute

(Newser) - President Obama announced today that he would seek Congress' OK before launching a military attack on Syria—but that wasn't his original plan, say anonymous senior administration officials. The president had originally planned to strike without first getting approval, but changed his mind last night after a long discussion...

Obama Will Wait for Congress on Syria

He backs idea of military action, but will hold off until vote

(Newser) - Hold your fire, troops: President Obama made his strongest case yet for a military strike on Syria today—but he also said he would seek the authority of Congress before launching it, reports AP . Obama made clear in his afternoon press conference that he believes the US must act to...

Putin Blasts US Claims on Syria as 'Nonsense'

UN inspectors have left the country to begin preparing report

(Newser) - John Kerry says he has "high confidence" in US intelligence reports that Syria used chemical weapons. Vladimir Putin has two much different words on the subject: "utter nonsense." The Russian leader used the phrase in urging the US to hold off on any military action until the...

Public: Obama Needs Congress' Blessing on Syria

80% say White House shouldn't go it alone

(Newser) - The American people aren't excited about the prospect of attacking Syria, and they overwhelmingly believe that President Obama should get congressional approval before doing it. In a new NBC News poll, a whopping 80% said the White House should get the OK from Congress before attacking. While the Constitution...

Obama's About to Ditch His Doctrine for Nothing

Jeffrey Goldberg thinks Obama is about to cross a line—without going far enough

(Newser) - Foreign policy experts who complain that Barack Obama doesn't have a Middle East strategy are wrong. "There is, in fact, an Obama doctrine," Jeffrey Goldberg argues at Bloomberg . And for the first time, he "seems poised to violate it in an irredeemable way." Goldberg calls...

Kerry: Assad Must Be Punished
 Kerry: Assad Must Be Punished 
Aug 30, 2013 12:30 PM CDT

Kerry: Assad Must Be Punished

He says the US has 'high confidence' Syria used chemical weapons

(Newser) - John Kerry said today the US is sure that Bashar al-Assad gassed his own people in Syria, and that letting him go unpunished would set too dangerous a precedent for the world. The secretary of state said the US has "high confidence" in its intelligence and urged people to...

Lawmakers Unswayed by White House Syria Case
Lawmakers Unswayed by White House Syria Case 
UPDATED
Aug 30, 2013 7:58 AM CDT

Lawmakers Unswayed by White House Syria Case

When strike would occur remains unclear

(Newser) - The specifics of President Obama's plans for Syria don't seem much clearer after a conference call with Congressional leaders. The call didn't include information on when a strike would occur, Politico notes, nor did it appear to sway lawmakers who had doubts about military action. During the...

Assad's Son, 11, May Be Taunting US on Facebook

Page apparently 'liked' by regime figures

(Newser) - Bashar al-Assad's son Hafez is only 11 years old—but he's already making some pretty bold political statements, if his supposed Facebook page is to be believed. In a post noted by Foreign Policy and the New York Times , Hafez purportedly writes, "America doesn't have soldiers,...

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