Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made a rare public speech Sunday, again calling for a political solution to the civil war while denouncing opposition forces as “terrorists.” In his first national speech since June, Mr. Assad told a crowd of loyalists at the Damascus Opera House that he is prepared to hold a national reconciliation conference […]
Syria’s Assad Offers Dialogue, Slams Rebels in Rare Public Speech
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 4:25 pm (UTC-5)
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Egypt’s Morsi Expands Brotherhood Influence in Cabinet
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 1:05 pm (UTC-5)
Egypt’s Islamist President Mohamed Morsi has expanded the number of Muslim Brotherhood ministers in his Cabinet as part of a reshuffle aimed at improving the government’s handling of an economic crisis. Ten Egyptian ministers were sworn in on Sunday, three of them members of Mr. Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement. A Brotherhood spokesman said the reshuffle […]
Syria’s Assad Offers Dialogue, Slams Rebels in Rare Speech
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 11:25 am (UTC-5)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has made a rare public speech reiterating support for a political solution to his country’s civil war, while also denouncing opposition forces as “terrorists” and urging his people to fight them. In his first national address since last June, Mr. Assad appeared at the Damascus Opera House on Sunday, telling a […]
Iranian Lawmakers Demand Special Probe of Blogger’s Death
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 10:35 am (UTC-5)
Iranian lawmakers have called for a special investigation into the death of a dissident blogger detained by the country’s cyber police last year. In a report published Sunday, Iran’s parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy said a new investigation is needed because of signs that Sattar Beheshti died of shock and other wounds […]
Syria’s Assad Offers Dialogue, Slams Rebels in Rare Speech
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 9:30 am (UTC-5)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has made a rare public speech reiterating support for a political solution to his country’s civil war, while also denouncing opposition forces as “terrorists” and urging his people to fight them. In his first national address since last June, Mr. Assad appeared at the Damascus Opera House on Sunday, telling a […]
Israel to Build Syrian Border Fence
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 7:10 am (UTC-5)
Israel’s prime minister has proposed construction of a security fence in the Golan Heights to separate territory controlled by Israel from Syria. Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday at the weekly cabinet meeting the new fence is needed because “the Syrian army has backed off and global jihad operatives have taken its place.” The prime minister said […]
Syria’s Assad Gives First Speech in Months
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 6:30 am (UTC-5)
Syria’s president has called for national mobilization to fight against rebels he says are “al-Qaida terrorists.” Bashar al-Assad said Sunday in his first speech in months that there is “no joy while security and stability are absent” on Syrian streets. Mr. Assad, who spoke at the opera house in central Damascus, said Syrian forces are […]
Syria’s Assad to Address Nation Sunday
Posted January 5th, 2013 at 2:55 pm (UTC-5)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is set to deliver a speech Sunday, in a rare address to his embattled nation. The state-run news agency SANA said Mr. Assad will “speak about the latest developments” in Syria — a country wracked by a near two-year civil war that analysts say has killed more than 60,000 people. The […]
Fatah Holds First Rally in Gaza Since 2007
Posted January 4th, 2013 at 1:35 pm (UTC-5)
Tens of thousands of Palestinians from the Fatah faction held a mass rally in Gaza Friday for the first time since the rival Islamic militant group Hamas seized control of the territory in a brief civil war in 2007. The more moderate Fatah rules the West Bank, but as peace talks with Israel have deadlocked, […]
Explosions Rock Damascus Neighborhoods
Posted January 4th, 2013 at 7:15 am (UTC-5)
Opposition activists say Syrian warplanes bombed targets near Damascus on Friday, a day after an explosion in the capital left at least nine people dead. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says government shelling is underway in areas including Douma, a rebel stronghold. The state-run SANA news news agency says “terrorists” detonated explosives at […]
