Bashar al-Assad

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Kerry: We Can't Be 'Spectators'

Hagel tells lawmakers of 'risks with inaction'

(Newser) - John Kerry and defense chief Chuck Hagel were on Capitol Hill today making the case for a military strike on Syria. "This debate is about the world's red line," said Kerry. It is "a red line that anyone with a conscience ought to draw." Some...

Syria Readies for US Strike
 Syria Readies for US Strike 
Sep 3, 2013 7:59 AM CDT

Syria Readies for US Strike

Which Congress won't vote on til next week

(Newser) - If you spent your Labor Day weekend in a news-free zone, here's the biggest detail you missed: President Obama on Saturday announced he would seek congressional approval before striking Syria, which means nothing will happen until Congress returns Monday. Except, of course, there's a flurry of activity already...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

Necessary or Foolish? Pros, Cons of Syria Strike

Pundits makes their cases for and against

(Newser) - As the US considers what to do about Syria, there's no shortage of advice on the pros and cons:
  • Pro-strike: Nicholas Kristof is generally wary of the "military toolbox," but it's important here to "reinforce the international norm against weapons of mass destruction," he
...

Obama: Syria Used Chemical Weapons

But US hasn't made a decision on military action

(Newser) - John Kerry said it . Joe Biden said it . But now the person who truly matters has said it: President Obama has concluded that Syria used chemical weapons, he tells PBS NewsHour . Obama, however, said he has not made a decision about a possible military strike. The president said it's...

US Evidence of Syria's Guilt: 'Panicked' Phone Calls

White House set to release evidence of nerve gas attack

(Newser) - A US government report to be released as soon as tomorrow will provide one of the final pieces of groundwork ahead of an expected strike on Syria, reports the Washington Post . The report will set out the timeline of how Bashar al-Assad's regime used chemical weapons in last week'...

N. Korea Tried to Ship Gas Masks to Syria: Report

Turkey intercepted them, says Japan newspaper

(Newser) - One of the world's veteran pariah nations reportedly tried to help out one of its newer ones: A Japanese newspaper says North Korea got caught trying to ship gas masks to Syria this spring. The report in the Sankei Shimbun says Turkish officials acting on a tip from the...

Kerry: Syria's Chemical Weapon Attack a 'Moral Obscenity'

Says chemical weapon use is 'undeniable,' accuses Assad of trying to cover it up

(Newser) - John Kerry says it's "undeniable" chemical weapons were used in Syria and is accusing President Bashar Assad of destroying the evidence. Ratcheting up criticism of Syria's alleged chemical weapons use, Kerry called last week's attack a "moral obscenity" that should shock the conscience of the...

Snipers Shoot at UN Team in Syria

Chemical weapons investigation not off to a stellar start

(Newser) - Syria may have given UN inspectors the OK to access the site of last week's alleged chemical weapons attack , but inspections are not off to a great start. A UN rep confirms that one of the team's vehicles was "deliberately shot at multiple times" by unidentified snipers...

Is This Man the Key to Taking Down Assad?

Assad warns US intervention will fail 'like Vietnam'

(Newser) - As the US weighs military action in Syria , the Saudis have put one of the Arab world's canniest geopolitical operators in charge of their attempts to oust Bashar al-Assad, the Wall Street Journal finds. Prince Bandar bin Sultan—the kingdom's current intelligence chief and its ambassador to the...

Syria Grants UN Access to Alleged Chemical Site

Both sides working to nail down details of visit

(Newser) - Syria will allow UN inspectors access to the site of last week's alleged chemical weapons attack , the country's deputy foreign minister tells CNN , effective immediately, though the AP adds that both sides are working to settle the exact date and time of the visit. The move comes amid...

Now Syria Accuses Rebels of Chemical Attack

Allegations come as UN arrives to press Assad on investigation

(Newser) - Syria is making chemical-weapons claims of its own. State media today accused rebels of using chemical arms against government troops trying to storm a contested neighborhood of Damascus. State TV broadcast images of plastic jugs, gas masks, vials of an unspecified medication, explosives, and other items that it said were...

American: I Escaped 7 Months' Captivity in Syria

Matthew Schrier tells 'NYT' he was robbed, beaten by Syrian rebels

(Newser) - Matthew Schrier was a freelance photographer covering his first war when he was abducted by Syrian rebels. Now back in the US after seven months of captivity, Schrier, 35, gives a jarring and incredibly rare firsthand account of the dangers foreigners face among some anti-Assad forces. Schrier tells the New ...

Syrians Describe 'Sleeping Dead' After Alleged Gas Attack

UN to hold emergency meeting this afternoon

(Newser) - The UN Security Council will meet in an emergency session at 3pm Eastern today to discuss the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian army, reports the AP . The latest developments:
  • The US says it's "deeply concerned" at the reports, UN chief Ban Ki-moon says he's
...

UN Heads to Syria to Hunt Chemical Weapons

Officials to investigate weapons' use, but not who to blame

(Newser) - Following approval by Bashar al-Assad, a UN team is headed to Syria to investigate whether chemical weapons are being used in the country. "The departure of the team is now imminent," says a statement from secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon. Inspectors will remain in Syria "for a period of...

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