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…
Syrians in Exile Can Have Passports Renewed
BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) — Millions of Syrians living abroad have also been affected by the two-year conflict going on in their homeland.Since the violence started, the expatriates have been unable to have their passports renewed…
US Says Iraq Looking the Other Way as Iran Ships Weapons to Syria
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The U.S. is losing patience with Baghdad for allegedly permitting Iran to use its airspace for flights to Syria.An unidentified American official complained that Iranians are supplying weapons to government forces in…
Obama Administration Expected to Directly Aid Syria’s Rebels
Scott Peterson/Getty Images(ROME) — Secretary of State John Kerry will meet on Thursday with leaders of Syria’s opposition council and other nations that have been supporting the opposition at the Friends of Syria meeting in Rome. The outcome of…
Former Gen. Cartwright Says US Should Be Wary of North Africa
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — While John Kerry is making Syria the focus of his first international trip, the newly-minted secretary of state has likely already discovered that Syria is only one among many volatile situations around the w…
John Kerry and Russian Counterpart Discuss Syrian Conflict
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images(BERLIN) — Secretary of State John Kerry held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Berlin on Tuesday regarding the conflict in Syria.Washington and Moscow have long been at odds at how to best end the two-year…
Syrian Refugees Flood Lebanon to Escape Civil War
ABC NewsBy Bob Woodruff
(NEW YORK) — With no safe haven, more than 1,200 Syrian refugees pour into Lebanon daily. Most of them are mothers and children with no idea where they will live. Because there are no refugee camps in Lebanon, the government is…
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…
Main Syria Exile Group Won’t Take Part in Talks to End Conflict
Scott Peterson/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) — Syria’s main exile opposition group is angry that the international community has not spoken up about government Scud missile strikes on civilians in the northern city of Aleppo.The U.S. State Department …
Dozens Killed, Scores Injured in Syrian Capital Bomb Attack
LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) — What was believed to be an enormous car bomb explosion on Thursday left dozens dead and more than 235 people wounded in Syria’s capital of Damascus.Most of those killed, according to Syria’s official n…
Multiple Explosions Rock Syrian Capital
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(DAMASCUS, Syria) — A car bomb exploded early Thursday afternoon in Syria’s capital city of Damascus, killing at least 31 people, according to activists.Video from the scene shows burning cars and several charred bodies, bu…
Moscow Seeks Dialogue to End Syrian Conflict
ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — Russia’s top diplomat said on Wednesday that Syria’s warring sides run the risk of “mutual destruction” if they don’t soon reach a settlement to end their conflict that began in March 2011.After talks with …
An Attempt at Normalcy as Damascus Finds Itself Caught in the Crosshairs
ABC NewsABC News’ Terry Moran and his team take a rare and dangerous journey into the embattled Syrian capital of Damascus for the special report: Inside Syria: The Battle for Damascus.By Terry Moran(DAMASCUS, Syria) — It’s just an o…
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 …
US Increases Humanitarian Funding to Syria
Scott Peterson/Getty Images(GENEVA, Switzerland) — The State Department announced Tuesday that the United States is giving an additional $19 million in humanitarian assistance funding for the Syria crisis, bringing the total amount the U.S. is contrib…
Damascus Holds Its Breath as Syrian Civil War Reaches Its Door
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(DAMASCUS, Syria) — The chaos engulfing Syria threatens to spill over into Iraq on one side, and Israel and Lebanon on the other. The United Nations now estimates that 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting — but no…
Top Iranian General Killed in Syria
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TEHRAN, Iran) — Iran says one of its senior commanders of the country’s elite Revolutionary Guard was killed on Thursday while attempting to enter Lebanon from Syria.The Iranian semi-official Mehr news agency quoted a Revolution…
Secretary of State John Kerry Has New Ideas for Syria Crisis
Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Newly-confirmed Secretary of State John Kerry says he plans to use his first overseas trip to promote new ideas about how to convince Syrian President Basher al-Assad to agree to a political transition tha…
Syrian Conflict Death Toll Nears 70,000
Scott Peterson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The death toll from the two-year-long conflict in Syria is apparently higher than previously thought, with the United Nations putting the number of fatalities at close to 70,000.It was just last month that the U…
Several Killed in Car Bomb Blast Near Turkish Border Crossing
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(ANKARA, Turkey) — Turkish officials say that at least 13 people were killed on Monday when a minibus loaded with explosives detonated near their country’s border with Syria.As many as 30 people were also wounded in the powerful …