Syrian fighter jets bombed the Damascus suburbs Sunday, killing at least nine people, including a number of children, in a government offensive to dislodge rebels from strategic areas around the capital. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the deaths occurred when a shell exploded in the eastern Ghouta district on the outskirts of […]
Russia Stops Short of Urging Syria’s Assad to Step Down
Posted January 12th, 2013 at 10:25 am (UTC-5)
Russia is calling for a political transition process in Syria but has stopped short of saying President Bashar al-Assad should relinquish power as part of a deal to end the country’s conflict. In a statement Saturday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry reiterated Moscow’s long-held position that only Syrians can decide their future without outside interference. The statement […]
U.S., Russia to Discuss Stalemate on Syria
Posted January 11th, 2013 at 2:00 am (UTC-5)
United Nations-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is set to meet Friday in Geneva with U.S. and Russian officials to discuss finding a political solution to the conflict in Syria. The United States is among members of the U.N. Security Council who back a political transition plan for Syria that includes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad […]
Syrian Rebels Free Iranians in Prisoner Exchange
Posted January 9th, 2013 at 7:15 am (UTC-5)
Syrian rebels have freed 48 Iranians in exchange for the Syrian government releasing more than 2,000 prisoners. Turkish aid group IHH says it helped coordinate the swap, and that the prisoners released by Syria include nationals from Turkey and other countries. Rebels captured the Iranians in August in Damascus, alleging they were part of Iran’s […]
Syrian Rebels Free Iranians in Prisoner Exchange
Posted January 9th, 2013 at 6:50 am (UTC-5)
Syrian rebels have freed 48 Iranians in exchange for the Syrian government releasing more than 2,000 prisoners. Turkish aid group IHH says it helped coordinate the swap, and that the prisoners released by Syria include nationals from Turkey and other countries. Rebels kidnapped the Iranians in August in Damascus, alleging they were part of Iran’s […]
Syrian Rebels Free Iranians in Prisoner Exchange
Posted January 9th, 2013 at 6:25 am (UTC-5)
Syrian rebels have freed 48 Iranians in exchange for the Syrian government releasing more than 2,000 prisoners. Turkish aid group IHH says it helped coordinate the swap, and that the prisoners released by Syria include nationals from Turkey and other countries. Rebels kidnapped the Iranians in August in Damascus, alleging they were part of Iran’s […]
Syria’s Assad Offers Dialogue, Slams Rebels in Rare Public Speech
Posted January 7th, 2013 at 12:55 am (UTC-5)
The United States says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s plan for a national reconciliation conference is “detached from reality” and is an attempt to “cling to power.” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in statement following a rare speech by Mr. Assad Sunday that the Syrian leader has lost legitimacy. She repeated calls for him to […]
Syria’s Assad Offers Dialogue, Slams Rebels in Rare Public Speech
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 4:25 pm (UTC-5)
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 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 […]
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 […]
