Syria

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

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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 

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 

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

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

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...

15 Dead After Warplanes Hit Near Aleppo Hospital

Was one of the last remaining sources of medical help for civilians there

(Newser) - Syrian warplanes flattened a building next to a hospital last night, killing at least 15 people and damaging one of the last remaining sources of medical help for civilians in Aleppo, activists said. Once a private clinic owned by a businessman loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, the Dar al-Shifa became...

Turkey Ready for Those Border Missiles

Germany expects request to be made to NATO today

(Newser) - Turkey said it wanted Patriot missiles along its border with Syria, and it's set to make that request official today by formally asking NATO for said missiles, Germany's defense minister says. Germany, the Netherlands, and the US are the only countries within NATO that could provide the weaponry,...

Iran Building $10B Pipeline to Syria

It will be completed next year, news agency claims

(Newser) - In a sign that international sanctions must be biting hard, Iran has announced a plan to revitalize its energy sector—with a pipeline to war-torn Syria. Semi-official news agency Fars says work on the 750-mile natural gas pipeline, which will pass through Iraq, has already begun, the AP reports. The...

Securing Syria&#39;s Chemical Arms Will Take 75K Troops
Securing Syria's Chemical Arms Will Take 75K Troops
pentagon says

Securing Syria's Chemical Arms Will Take 75K Troops

White House worries terrorists, Syrian gov't eyeing chemical stores

(Newser) - As Syria's brutal civil war beats on, the White House is growing ever more concerned about the country's large chemical weapon stash falling into terrorist hands—especially Hezbollah, which has set up training camps close to some storage sites. But if the United States wants to secure those...

Turkey Recognizes Syria Rebels

It's a major boost for new coalition, though US is still wary

(Newser) - The newly formed rebel coalition in Syria got another major boost today: Turkey announced its formal support, days after France became the first Western nation to do so, reports the Voice of America . The Syrian National Coalition is "the sole legitimate representative of the people of Syria," said...

US Pledges $30M More in Syria Aid

France formally recognizes opposition coalition

(Newser) - Two pieces of good news this week for the newly-formed Syria opposition coalition : France became the first Western country to officially recognize it as the only valid representative of the Syrian people, and the US pledged $30 million in humanitarian aid. Hillary Clinton pledged the additional aid today at a...

Gulf States: We Support Syria's New Opposition

The Gulf Cooperation Council backs newly forged group

(Newser) - The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council recognized the new broad-based Syrian opposition group today as the legitimate representatives of the Syrian people, the first formal endorsement of the opposition group that seeks to topple President Bashar Assad. Syrian anti-government groups struck a deal yesterday after more than a week of meetings...

Israel Trumpets 'Direct Hits' on Syrian Targets

As Syrian warplanes attack rebel town within yards of Turkish border

(Newser) - Following a warning missile yesterday, Israel has launched further attacks on Syria in response to Syrian mortar rounds that strayed across the border. Israel says its tanks managed "direct hits" on "Syrian mobile artillery" today, the AP reports. Meanwhile, dozens of Syrians have fled into Turkey after a...

Israel Fires Warning Shot at Syria

First foray into fighting after mortar shells hit Golan Heights

(Newser) - The Israeli military has fired a missile into Syria, the first time Israel has been drawn into the fighting in the neighboring country. The military said it fired the missile as a warning shot today after a stray mortar from Syria hit a military post in the Golan Heights. The...

Syrian Rebels Form Coalition
 Syrian Rebels Form Coalition 

Syrian Rebels Form Coalition

Deal announced after week of talks in Qatar

(Newser) - After a week of talks, Syria's fractious opposition movement has agreed on one thing: Get Bashar al-Assad out. The rebels announced they had formed a coalition today in Doha, Qatar, reports the BBC , after significant international pressure to unite. "An initial deal has been signed," says a...

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