Activists say that more than 200 people kidnapped recently by gunmen from opposing Sunni and Shiite villages in northern Syria have been released, temporarily easing local tensions.
Israel agrees to a deal to end Palestinian strike
An Egyptian official says Israel has agreed to a proposal that would end a mass hunger strike by Palestinians in Israeli jails.
Lebanon releases Israeli prisoner who floated across border
The International Red Cross said Wednesday it was set to return an Israeli who has been held in Lebanon after crossing the border a few months ago. It was not clear whether the man, Ahmed Jamal Daif, accidently wandered across the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon while diving, or whether he purposefully swam over.
Syria releases 553 prisoners ahead of Eid
The Syrian government released on Saturday a total of 553 prisoners arrested during the seven-month-long unrest on the occasion of the Muslim holiday of Eid-ul-Adha, the state-run TV reported. The released prisoners did not commit homicide crimes, the TV said, adding that another 119 detainees have been recently released, reported Xinhua.
Assad must go !
Michael Young, opinion editor of The Daily Star newspaper wrote in special article for CNN that the U.S. sanctions that have just been imposed on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are useful, but not enough and the time has come to ask him to leave office
Syrian president: Security forces made mistakes
Beirut, Lebanon- Syria’s president says the country’s security forces have made mistakes during the uprising against his regime and that thousands of police officers are receiving new training. Assad’s comments were carried by the private Al-Watan daily on Wednesday. They came as a human rights activist said Syrian troops have used heavy machine-guns to bomb […]
Tanks shell Syrian town
Tanks bombarded a Syrian border town for the fourth day on Wednesday in a military campaign to crush protests against President Bashar al-Assad, under mounting Western pressure to stop his violent repression of demonstrators.
Syrian regime bracing for more protests this Friday
Another Friday is around the corner and authorities in Syria are reportedly bracing for the possibility of huge protests throughout Syria as more than 800 protesters have been killed and tens of thousands have been jailed since the uprising began about 8 weeks ago .
Kerry: Assad obviously is not a reformer now
Now that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has proven that he has no problem killing peaceful protesters in the streets, some of the most prominent advocates of engaging with his government are rethinking their views. That list now includes Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who told The Cable that he no longer believes […]
Syria: A regime’s defiance fails to conceal its weakness
In the face of overwhelming odds, the popular revolt against the Assad regime continues. Many hundreds have been killed, and thousands more, maybe tens of thousands, have been rounded up. Yesterday, tanks shelled residents in Homs, Syria’s third largest city, and protest continues in half a dozen or more towns across the country.