Syria’s economy is in a tailspin, and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad is increasingly struggling to find resources to quash the four-year-old rebellion, analysts say. The government has had to scale back subsidies for citizens for goods ranging from water to heating oil over the last six months. That has angered Syrians, who already […]
Ukraine is ‘ready for total war’ with Russia says Petro Poroshenko
Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko claimed his country was “prepared for total war” as fighting continued around the pro-Russian rebel stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Fresh volleys of artillery fire were heard across many parts of Donetsk yesterday (local time), fuelling fears of a military build-up amongst rebel forces. The latest clashes come amid a […]
UNSC split over Syria war crimes
The UN Security Council is split over whether to refer reports of war crimes in Syria to the International Criminal Court, with some members arguing that such a move would encourage President Bashar Assad’s regime to dig in and resist to the end in a conflict that has claimed at least 60,000 lives.
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal ends exile, visits Gaza strip
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal ended decades of exile on Friday with a triumphal first ever visit to the Gaza Strip that underscored the Islamist group’s growing confidence following its latest conflict with Israel. After passing through the Egyptian border crossing, Meshaal knelt and touched the ground with his
Explosion heard in Tel Aviv; Hamas says fired rocket
Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv on Friday and an explosion was heard, witnesses said, and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip said they had fired a rocket at Israel’s commercial centre.
Gaza: Twitter War Erupts Between Israel and Hamas
As the Israeli Defense Forces waged a military campaign on Hamas targets in Gaza today, a different kind of war unfolded on Twitter between the two groups.
Turkey vows more force against Syria if shelling continues
A news agency says Turkey’s military chief has vowed to respond “with more force” against Syria if shelling from the country continues. The Dogan news agency says Gen. Necdet Ozel made the comments Wednesday during a visit to a town where shelling from Syria killed five civilians last week. The attack sparked a week of […]
Turkey unlikely to invade Syria despite the saber rattling
Even as Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pushed a bill through parliament on Thursday authorizing his armed forces to conduct operations across the border in Syria, both countries played down the possibility of a war that could oblige NATO to Turkey’s aid.
Gasmasks in demand as Israel tracks Syria chemical arms
The Syrian government is still in full control of its chemical weapons stockpiles, Israeli defense officials said on Tuesday, in an apparent bid to calm fears that a non-conventional war could be looming. Syria’s 16-month-old conflict has spread concern that the chemical arsenal, acknowledged by Damascus for the first time on Monday, could fall into […]
Bread queues, destruction as war comes to Damascus
MASNAA, Lebanon (AP) — After a bloody, weeklong siege in the Syrian capital, residents who stayed behind are facing hours-long lines for gasoline and bread, stinking piles of garbage in the streets and scenes of destruction unimaginable in a city that had long been spared the worst ravages of the country’s uprising.