Senior Cleric Killed in Damascus Suicide Bombing
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(DAMASCUS, Syria) — A deadly suicide bombing inside a Damascus mosque on Thursday killed senior cleric Mohammad Said Ramadan al-Bouti, one of the most notable Sunni supporters of the current regime.According to the New York Times…
President Assad: Only the Syrian People Can Tell Me to Step Down
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(LONDON) — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is rejecting calls from many members of the international community that he should step down to facilitate the end of a bloody two-year civil war in his country that has cost more…
Al-Assad Shows Willingness to Talk Directly with Armed Opposition
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — There were a couple of key developments on Monday that could finally put Syria on the path to ending the bloody two-year conflict that has cost more than 70,000 lives and threatens to further destabilize the Midd…
Syrian President Sees Political Solution to End Conflict
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(BEIRUT) — At least one person thinks a political solution can be reached to end the two-year conflict in Syria. That’s Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.Lebanon’s The Daily Star reported on Tuesday that al-Assad, who …
Is Syrian President’s Wife Pregnant?
MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images(BEIRUT) — Amid all the instability in Syria comes word that President Bashar al-Assad’s wife is pregnant.If the report in the Beirut-based al-Akhbar newspaper is true, it would be the fourth child for the president and A…
Bashar Al-Assad’s Mother Leaves Syria
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) — Will Syrian President Bashar al-Assad soon follow his mother out the door?According to various foreign published reports, his mother, Anisa Makhluf, has gone to live with al-Assad’s only sister, Bushra a…
Russia Wants World to Hear Out Syrian President
ABC News/Rob Wallace(MOSCOW) — Russia is asking the world not to dismiss Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s purported “roadmap” for peace out of hand.Earlier this week, the embattled Syrian leader made a fiery speech in which he vowed no surrender to …
US Mocks Syrian President’s Latest Speech
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. State Department took issue with Syria President Bashar al-Assad’s supposed “roadmap” for peace, and said his recent public speech was nothing more than a desparate attempt to cling to power.Spokeswo…
Syrian President Vows No Retreat, No Surrender in Speech to Nation
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) — In a fiery speech televised to his nation on Sunday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed “the enemies of God will go to hell” — a further sign that there will be no quick end to the 22-month civil wa…
Russia Contends Al-Assad Won’t Be Pushed Out of Syria
ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — Moscow appears unwilling to convince Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that he should forget about trying to hold on to power for the good of his country, which has been embroiled in a nearly two-year-long c…
UN Envoy to Syria Holds Talks with Both Sides in Conflict
ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/GettyImages(DAMASCUS, Syria) — Special United Nations envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi met with President Bashar al-Assad and a dissident group over a 24-hour period to try and craft a resolution to the 21-month conflict that has cost …
UN Envoy to Meet with Syrian President
ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) — United Nations Special Envoy on Syria Lakhdar Brahimi is making another attempt at trying to end the bloody 21-month-long conflict that has roiled the Middle East by meeting with Syrian President Basha…
Russia Preparing Massive Evacuation in Syria?
Alessio Romenzi/AFP/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — Russian warships are headed to Syria but apparently not to help prop up the government of ally President Bashar al-Assad.In what seems like reading the handwriting on the wall, Moscow is preparing to evacuate…
Russia Acknowledges Syrian President May Fall
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — For the first time, Syria’s most powerful ally is acknowledging that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad is cracking under the force of a strong rebellion.Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia’s top envoy for Midd…
Russia Says It Will Not Seek Syrian President’s Ouster
ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — If Secretary of State Hillary Clinton thought her meeting last week in Ireland with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss ways to resolve the civil war in Syria would prompt Moscow to push for S…
John McCain Wants Patriot Missiles to Build No-Fly Zone over Syria
Mark Wilson/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Speaking at a forum in Washington, D.C., Sen. John McCain talked about the current situation in Syria, speculating that President Bashar al-Assad would ultimately lose his battle to stay in power.However, the Ari…
Islamic Militant Groups Oppose New Syria Coalition
Scott Peterson/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) — The new Syria opposition coalition endorsed by the U.S., Turkey and Arab countries is getting the cold shoulder from extremist Islamist groups fighting in Syria.Formed last week, the National Coalition of…
Syria’s New War Strategy Could Involve Israel
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appears to be taking steps to expand the 20-month-long conflict in his country to include a once-bitter enemy, Israel.Last weekend, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired …
New Syrian Coalition Named
Scott Peterson/Getty Images(DOHA, Qatar) — There’s a new main opposition group seeking the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.After meeting for days in the Qatari capital of Doha, a new coalition called the National Coalition for Opposition…
Great Britain Offers a Way Out for Syrian President
NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images(LONDON) — Britain’s prime minister is telling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to get out of the country while he still can.Al-Assad appears more determined than ever to stick out the conflict until the bitter end …