The Obama administration and officials of some Arab and Western nations are discussing ways to place Syria’s highest-ranking military defector at the center of a political transition in the Arab state, according to U.S. and Middle East officials.
Arabs to push UN General Assembly for resolution on Syria
Arab nations announced plans Wednesday to go to the U.N. General Assembly and seek approval of a resolution calling for a political transition and establishment of a democratic government in Syria following the Security Council’s failure to address the escalating crisis.
Syria crisis: Stakes high for Hezbollah
Lebanon’s powerful Shi’ite militant group Hezbollah has publicly tied its future to Bashar al-Assad, but as the tide turns against the Syrian president it is silent on whether it will join the fight to support him. The stakes are high for the group which fears that toppling Assad will pave the way for increased Western […]
Syrian forces loyal to Assad close in on Aleppo
Syria sent thousands of troops towards Aleppo on Wednesday, where attack helicopters have been pounding rebel fighters, stepping up its assault on the country’s largest city to combat a growing revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.
14,000 killed in Syrian uprising, activists
More than half of the over 14,000 people killed since the Syrian began 16 months ago were slaughtered in the past four months, according to tallies from opposition activists. June was a particularly gruesome month, with 2,386 people killed compared to 1,196 in May, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.
Syrian activists hiding in Lebanon still at risk
An increasing number of Syrian activists have fled to Lebanon to seek refuge following the crackdown on protestors by the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Latest Syrian Defectors Are From Higher Ranks
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syria’s armed forces have been slowly bleeding defectors and deserters since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began 16 months ago. But now the military arrivals reaching Syria’s neighbors are more likely than ever to have stars on their epaulets.
Turkish Border Is Crucial Link in Syrian Conflict
ANTAKYA, Turkey — The onetime ragtag militias of the Syrian opposition are developing into a more effective fighting force with the help of an increasingly sophisticated network of activists here in southern Turkey that is smuggling crucial supplies
Syrian filmmaker Bassel Shehadeh killed in Homs shelling
Syrian activists paid tribute to a young filmmaker from Damascus who was killed in Homs on Monday night. Bassel Shahade reportedly returned to Syria from his studies in the United states at the start of the Syrian protests last year to document the uprising.
15 killed in Syria including girl, soldiers, activists say
Syrian activists say at least 15 people have been killed across Syria, including an 8-year-old girl and six soldiers. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the girl was among several people killed Thursday in Homs, which has become the epicenter of the uprising.