Kerry Pushing Al-Assad to Find Peace in Syria
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images(AMMAN, Jordan) — Secretary Of State John Kerry is sending a message to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: either find a peaceful solution to the two-year civil war or be prepared to deal with the international community boost…
Grisly Execution Videos Show Growing Brutality in Syria
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(RAQQA, Syria) — The camera pans up from three blindfolded men with their hands bound to a rebel fighter speaking into a megaphone. He stands by a white pickup truck, his face covered with a white and red checkered scarf.In classic…
Grisly Execution Videos Show Growing Brutality in Syria
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(RAQQA, Syria) — The camera pans up from three blindfolded men with their hands bound to a rebel fighter speaking into a megaphone. He stands by a white pickup truck, his face covered with a white and red checkered scarf.In classic…
Syria Warns Israel of ‘All Possibilities’ After Strikes
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(DAMASCUS, Syria) — Syria responded angrily to the overnight air strikes on military targets that it accused Israel of carrying out, warning that the attack “opens the door to all possibilities.”
Israel has not claimed responsibili…
Bill Richardson: U.S. Military Strikes Against Syria are ‘In the Cards’
Kris Connor/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — In an appearance on ABC’s This Week, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said that American military strikes against Syria are likely, an opinion echoed by several other officials.
“I think [Presid…
Amid New Reports of Massacres, Israel Strikes Syria
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TEL AVIV, Israel) — Israeli warplanes struck weapons inside Syria that were bound for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, American and Israeli officials say.The attack, which reportedly took place Friday morning, was the seco…
Obama Ramps Up Support for Syrian Opposition
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — President Obama has directed his national security team to identify ways to significantly increase U.S. support of the opposition forces battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.Among the options u…
Chemical Weapon Use in Syria Challenges Obama’s ‘Red Line’
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Pressure is mounting for the Obama administration to act after obtaining evidence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons on his own people, an act that crossed what Obama had previously called &l…
Evidence of Chemical Weapons in Aleppo
DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty Images(ALEPPO, Syria) — Lying in a hospital bed north of Aleppo in Afrin, Yasser hasn’t been told that his wife and children are dead, as his doctors don’t think he can handle the shock in his fragile state. His home wa…
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…
UN to Investigate Possible Chemical Weapons Use in Syria
ABC News(ALEPPO, Syria) — U.S. officials do not believe that chemical weapons were used in Tuesday’s attack in Aleppo, Syria. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon announced on Thursday that the U.N. will investigate possible use of chemical weapons in t…
Report: Syrian Children Deeply Affected by Conflict
BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images(AMMAN, Jordan) — “Childhood Under Fire” may unfortunately be a very appropriate title for a report about what is happening to the youngest victims of Syria’s two-year conflict.According to statistics compiled by the chari…
US Intelligence Chief Warns of Desperation Moves by Syria
Mark Wilson/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. director of national intelligence warned on Tuesday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be preparing to use chemical weapons in a last-ditch effort to hold onto power.James Clapper told the Senate …
UN Group Says Syria Using Militia to Incite Sectarian Warfare
JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images(GENEVA) — A United Nations inquiry team has charged that the Syrian government is staging sectarian warfare by utilizing local militias called Popular Committees.In a statement Monday, commission head Paulo Pinheiro declare…
Britain to Provide Armored Vehicles to Syrian Rebels
Scott Peterson/Getty Images(LONDON) — While stopping short of offering weapons, Britain has announced its intention to provide non-lethal support to the rebels battling government forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.The millions of dollars’ wor…
Syrian Rebels Detain Twenty UN Peacekepers
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(JAMLAH, Syria) — Twenty U.N. peacekeepers on the Syrian side of Golan Heights have been detained by a group of armed rebel fighters, the United Nations said today.A spokeswoman for Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said in a statement…
One Million Syrians Have Fled Country, UN Says
BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images(GENEVA) — As expected, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on Wednesday that the number of Syrians who have fled the country, which has been embroiled in a bloody two-year civ…
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…
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Warns of ‘Unmanagable Crisis’ in Syria
BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The UN High Commission on Refugees chief António Guterres spoke to the UN Security Council on Wednesday and warned that a “moment of truth” was approaching in Syria.
Noting that the refugee …
US to Send Direct Aid to Syrian Rebels
Scott Peterson/Getty Images(ROME) — For the first time, the United States will provide direct support to Syrian rebel fighters, Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Thursday.”I am proud to announce that the United States of America will be provi…