Bashar al-Assad

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Syria Opposition Again Can't Form Government

Second attempt by Syrian National Coalition fails

(Newser) - Two months after Syria's fractious opposition movement came together to form the Syrian National Coalition , a second attempt to form a transitional government has failed. SNC leaders said Istanbul talks broke up with no agreement on an interim prime minister to run opposition-held areas, Reuters reports. It's yet...

106 Dead in New Syria Massacre

Burned bodies point to pro-Assad militia

(Newser) - Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appear to have carried out another massacre, killing 106 people in Homs this week, reports Reuters . While it is unclear whether the killings were done by the Syrian military or a militia loyal to Assad, activists pointed out Homs has been the center...

Report: US Suspects Syria Used Chemical Weapons

State Department cable makes the case, says 'Foreign Policy'

(Newser) - Did Bashar al-Assad already use chemical weapons on his own people? A secret State Department cable obtained by Foreign Policy makes the case that a Syrian tank fired a shell loaded with a poison gas known as Agent 15 during fighting in Homs on Dec. 23. Doctors say five people...

Dozens of College Students Killed in Syria Bombing

Blasts at university in Aleppo leave about 80 dead

(Newser) - The University of Aleppo had somehow managed to avoid much of the violence engulfing Syria—until today. At least two huge blasts struck the university as exams were beginning, reports the Wall Street Journal . Most accounts put the death toll at about 80, with another 150 or so wounded. Most...

Syria's Chemical Weapons Sparked Global Unity

'New York Times' takes a look at international response

(Newser) - The New York Times today takes a behind-the-scenes look at the Syria chemical weapons scare that erupted in early December . Israel first contacted the Pentagon in late November, concerned by satellite images showing Syrian troops likely making sarin gas bombs . That call sparked a rare show of cooperation between countries...

Syrians Ignore Assad's 'Peace Plan' Speech

And it could turn off UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi

(Newser) - Syria's civil war raged on today, without the slightest pause of acknowledgement for yesterday's rare Bashar al-Assad speech . It was billed as the unveiling of a "peace plan," but Assad offered essentially no concessions and spent much of the speech justifying his bloody crackdown. And there...

Assad Outlines Peace Deal, Blasts 'Terrorists'

Rebels blast speech as intended to derail diplomatic solution

(Newser) - Bashar al-Assad today took to Syria's airwaves to outline a new peace initiative that wasn't terribly likely to result in peace of any kind. Staunchly refusing to step down, Assad said he's now ready to negotiate with those "who have not betrayed Syria," dismissing rebels...

UN Envoy: Syria Faces 'Hell' Without Deal

Lakhdar Brahimi warns of dire consequences if solution isn't reached soon

(Newser) - UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is warning that a political solution must be reached in the Syrian crisis, lest the nation ravaged by a 21-month-old civil war tumble "into more and more chaos and perhaps a failed state." Speaking in Moscow where he's negotiating, Brahimi said the world...

Syria's Chief of Military Police Defects, Joins Opposition

Latest high-profile defection another setback to Assad regime

(Newser) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad suffered another high-profile defection last night, as the head of the Syrian military police declared he had switched to the rebels, reports the Guardian . Major General Abdul-Aziz Jassem al-Shallal said he was joining the "people's revolution" on al-Arabiya TV, although it was unclear when...

UN Envoy Worried After Talks With Assad

Brahimi doesn't appear to be making progress

(Newser) - The international envoy tasked with pushing to end Syria's civil war emerged from talks with Bashar al-Assad today saying that the situation was "worrying," and giving no indication of progress toward a negotiated solution to the conflict. "We hope that all the parties will go toward...

Syria Strike Kills Dozens: Activists

As Lakhdar Brahimi in Damascus for peace talks

(Newser) - A government airstrike killed dozens of people today in a town near the central city of Hama, anti-regime activists in Syria said. The attack came as main international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi was beginning talks in Damascus aimed at ending the civil war. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said...

Syrian Cluster Bombs Target Civilians

Explosives can cover hundreds of yards

(Newser) - As war rages on in Syria, Bashar al-Assad's government hasn't hesitated to direct its attacks at civilians. Just last week, a military plane used cluster bombs—explosives capable of blanketing hundreds of yards—against the small town of Marea, the New York Times reports. Four were killed and...

Syria VP: No One Can Win This War

Fighting approaches central Damascus

(Newser) - With fighting rattling Damascus, a leading voice in Syria says Bashar al-Assad can't win the war. But neither side will see a victory, says Farouk al-Sharaa, who has kept a low profile in the conflict and isn't involved in running the government's efforts. Sharaa's comments came...

Syria Bombs Refugee Camp
 Syria Bombs Refugee Camp 
Dec 16, 2012 8:42 AM CST

Syria Bombs Refugee Camp

Unknown number dead in Damascus refuge for Palestinians

(Newser) - Fighter jets belonging to the regime of Bashar al-Assad have bombed a Damascus refugee camp today amid heavy fighting with rebels. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights tells the BBC that at least eight are dead in the al-Yarmouk refugee camp, which is home to mainly Palestinian refugees; Reuters, meanwhile,...

Russia Admits Syria Regime Is 'Losing Control'

Opposition may win, deputy foreign minister says

(Newser) - For the first time, Russia—a staunch Syria ally—has admitted President Bashar al-Assad's government may fall. His forces are "losing more and more control and territory," Russia's deputy foreign minister said today. "Unfortunately, we cannot rule out the victory of the Syrian opposition."...

Scuds? Why Syria May Be Using the Missiles

It could be a not-so-subtle warning about chemical weapons

(Newser) - The New York Times broke the news earlier today that Syria's Bashar al-Assad has fired Scud missiles at rebel positions in northern parts of the country. The White House sees it as a "serious escalation," and the Washington Post explains that Scuds are an odd choice: They'...

Panetta Downplays Syria Chemical Weapons Fears

Says there's no new intelligence pointing to their preparation

(Newser) - Non-news has never been so satisfying: Leon Panetta this morning announced that there's no new indication that Bashar al-Assad is preparing to use chemical weapons, explaining that related intelligence has "really kind of leveled off. ... We haven't seen anything new indicating any aggressive steps to move forward...

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...

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...

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