Syria

... of the Syrian people continues to flow from Damascus to Homs, there are greater and louder calls for the United States to intervene. The arguments for intervention against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime are rooted in a moral obligation to ...  

AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian opposition leaders and the West have scorned a new offer by President Bashar al-Assad to hold multi-party elections, as his troops mounted more attacks on rebel-held areas.  

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad offered on Wednesday to hold multi-party elections within four months, while his troops attacked city districts held by rebels trying to oust him.  

The Obama administration has dismissed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's call for a constitutional referendum in late February as a bad joke. "It's actually quite laughable.  It makes a mockery of the Syrian revolution," Jay Carney, the White House press ...  

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad today offered to hold multi-party elections within four months as his troops assaulted city districts held by rebels trying to oust him.  

Syria's state-run news agency said that President Bashar al-Assad has set February 26 as the date for a national referendum on the country's new draft constitution. Parliamentary elections will be held within 90 days of the approval of the ...  

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has announced a February 26 referendum on a new draft constitution that would allow the "people to govern the people" and introduce a multi-party political system, state news media reported Wednesday.  

The US called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s offer to hold a referendum on a new constitution “laughable” on Wednesday, as his troops continued to assault cities held by rebels trying to oust him.  

As unrest in Syria erupted into public demonstrations and a bloody crackdown that has claimed over 6,000 lives in the last year, the regime of Bashar al-Assad sought to neutralize one of the most potent tools in the protesters’ arsenal: text messages sent via mobile phones.  

BEIRUT - The assault on Homs and Hama cities by government forces continued Wednesday as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad chose February 26 to hold a referendum on a new constitution that would pave t  

Watching the Syrian Army pummel the Syrian town of Homs to put down the rebellion there against the regime of President Bashar Assad is the remake of a really bad movie that starred Bashar’s father, Hafez, exactly 30 years ago this month.  

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Arab delegations have dismissed as unacceptable Russian amendments aimed at weakening a draft U.N. General Assembly resolution that backs an Arab plan for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step aside ...  

Syrian government forces attacked the opposition strongholds of Homs and Hama on Wednesday and also raided a district of Damascus in the closest military operation to the capital's centre since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad broke out 11 months ago.  

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has ordered a constitutional referendum later this month that he says would end nearly five decades of single-party rule, as government troops continued to assault rebellious areas nationwide. If approved ...  

Like many around the globe, George Washington High School juniors Obadah Moushmoush ... Last year the Syrian people rose up against the ruling regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The nation's Army soon deployed tanks and snipers against the protestors ...  

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has scheduled a popular vote on a new constitution that would expand political pluralism but retain sweeping powers for the president, a move that seems unlikely to defuse the country’s rapidly escalating crisis.  

Beirut - Embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday ordered a referendum on a draft constitution that would allow political parties other than his Baath Party to run in elections as his troops pursued a crackdown on dissent.  

President Bashar al-Assad says Syria will hold a referendum on a new constitution ... Assad's forces even raided neighborhoods in Damascus. France is negotiating a new U.N. resolution that would create humanitarian corridors to aid civilians ...  

Telegraph.co.ukSyria: White House labels Assad's referendum promise 'laughable'Telegraph.co.ukSyria's President Bashar al-Assad has promised to deliver a referendum on a new constitution within two weeks and democratic elections within months even as his forces launched fresh attacks on civilians in rebel cities.Assad Calls for Syria Vote, but Steps up AssaultABC NewsAssad announces reforms as crackdown continuesFinancial TimesUN General...  

Syria on Tuesday rejected UN charges of crimes against humanity, as monitors accused President Bashar al-Assad's forces of launching one of their heaviest assaults yet on the protest city of ...  

BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- Embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad announced his nation will hold a referendum on a draft of a new constitution that will allow for multi-party participation in government, CNN reported Wednesday. The new constitution will also reportedly ban parties or political gatherings based on religious, ethnic, or regional affiliation, CNN added. The announcement comes after months of sustained pressure by the...  

The United Nations General Assembly will vote Thursday on a new resolution calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to put a stop to deadly attacks on civilians, The Telegraph ...  

Thomas Friedman, New York TimesWatching the Syrian Army pummel the Syrian town of Homs to put down the rebellion there against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad is the remake of a really bad movie that starred Bashars father, Hafez, exactly 30 years ago this month. I know. I saw the original.It was April 1982 and I had just arrived in Beirut as a reporter for The New York Times. I quickly heard terrifying stories about an uprising that...  

As Syrian forces have stepped up their assault on rebellious cities, President Bashar Assad ordered a referendum on a new constitution that would create a multiparty system in a country that has been ruled by his autocratic family dynasty for 40 years.  

BEIRUT — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has scheduled a popular vote on a new constitution that would expand political pluralism but retain sweeping powers for the president, a move that seems unlikely to defuse the country’s rapidly escalating crisis. Read full article >>  

DAMASCUS, Syria -- The Syrian government announced Wednesday that a promised referendum on a new constitution will take place Feb. 26, which it said would deliver new freedoms but the US previously dismissed as "a piece of paper." "President Bashar al Assad issued today [Wednesday] a decree setting Sunday, Feb...  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, fighting an 11-month uprising against his rule, has ordered a referendum on a new constitution on February 26, state television reported on Wednesday. The president, under pressure from protests against ...  

DAMASCUS — Syria’s President Bashar Al Assad has decreed to hold a referendum for a new constitution on February 26, the official SANA state news agency reported on Wednesday. ‘President Bashar Al Assad issued today a decree setting Sunday ...  

Deaths took place in Idlib, Homs, Daraa, Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Hama, Damascus ... Bashar al-Assad's government was crucial. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe announced a national decision to establish an emergency relief fund for Syria ...  

Syrian President Bashar Assad ordered has a referendum on a new constitution later this month that could allow the existence of other parties besides his ruling Baath Party. The Syrian opposition was quick to reject Assad's move, declaring that Syrians in the uprising would accept nothing less than his ouster. Amendments to the constitution used to be a key demand by the opposition in the early stages of the Syrian uprising, but after the...  

AS THE Syrian military besieged rebel strongholds yesterday, the President, Bashar al-Assad, ordered a referendum for later this month on a new constitution that would open the way to political parties other than his ruling Baath Party.  

BEIRUT—Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has ordered a referendum on Feb. 26 on a new constitution that would open the way to political parties other than the ruling Baath Party, the state news agency said Wednesday. Amendments to Syria's ...  

The GuardianSyria: is it possible to rename streets on Google Maps?The GuardianIn their struggle to free Syria from the clutches of President Bashar al-Assad, anti-government activists have embarked on a project to wipe him off the map. Literally. On Google Maps, major Damascus thoroughfares named after the Assad family have ...Syria's Assad calls for national vote, but steps up assault on uprisingWashington PostUS: Syria constitution...  

Egypt has backed Arab League resolutions demanding President Bashar al-Assad step aside but diplomats say it is wary of a diplomatic push from Gulf states, whose latest plan to end the crisis could open the door to arms shipments to the opposition.  

A young woman who fled the city, Syria’s third-largest ... League and Western nations almost two weeks ago that would have required President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Speaking to a French radio station, he said moves were under way ...  

Syria's president, who is fighting an Arab Spring-inspired ... A day after rejecting UN allegations of crimes against humanity, Bashar al-Assad called the referendum for February 26, in a move aimed at placating growing global outrage over the bloodshed.  

Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt called for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to step down when delivering the government's annual statement of foreign policy on Wednesday, which also prompted a heated debate about the recognition of a Palestinian state.  

Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Syrian unrest is giving Saudi Arabia an opportunity to weaken rival Shiite Iran, which has been closely allied with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Saudi Arabia is taking steps to force regime change in Syria ...  

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has called for a referendum on a new national constitution, despite the fact there's been no let up in the fighting in the city of Homs. Syrian state TV announced that al-Assad received a draft of the new constitution from a committee that was set up to respond to demands from activists seeking changes. However, any amendment to the constitution are unlikely to ...  

[JURIST] Syrian President Bashar al-Assad [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] on Wednesday ordered a referendum on a new constitution. The new constitution reportedly omits a clause [RFE/RL report] in the old document that describes the ruling Ba'ath Party as the "leader of the nation and society." The expressed intent of that omission is to open the country up to a multiparty political system. The order for a referendum comes as the country is...  

Syrian President Bashar Assad ordered a referendum for later this month on a new constitution that would allow political parties other than his ruling Baath Party, the centerpiece of reforms he has promised to ease the crisis, even as the Syrian military on Wednesday besieged rebellious areas.  

Syrian troops continued to pummel rebel-held areas of Homs and extended their assault to the city of Hama early Wednesday as diplomatic efforts to end the crisis stalled. Communications networks in both cities have been nearly cut off, activists say.  

Although Bashar al-Assad said he would reform ... workers are the government's most important sources of foreign exchange. Syria has three international airports (Damascus, Aleppo and Lattakia), which serve as hubs for Syrian Air and are ...  

The embattled Syrian president announced a constitutional referendum Wednesday as his forces pummeled Homs and other towns where people cried out for his regime to end. President Bashar al-Assad set a February 26 date for the vote on a draft constitution, hailed by the his government as an important reform initiative. But analysts and demonstrators sloughed off the effort as "window dressing" and the latest in a series of superficial...  

CBS News - Found 25 minutes ago(CBS/AP)  ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE - The White House is strongly criticizing an announcement from Syrian President Bashar Assad that he's ordered a referendum on a new constitution as part of promised reforms. Press secretary Jay Carney calls the move "quite laughable" in light of ongoing brutality by ... As violence continues, Syria to hold referendum - USA Today...  

• Regime forces shell Hama overnight• Explosion causes huge fire at Homs pipeline• Britain continues to sell arms to Bahrain9.21am: Syrian government forces are operating closer and closer to Bashar al-Assad and his presidential palace.This morning, elite troops backed by armoured personnel carriers stormed part of Damascus, in what Reuters quotes activists and residents as saying is the closest to the centre of the capital that troops have...  

As Syrian forces stepped up their assault Wednesday on rebellious cities, President Bashar Assad ordered a referendum on a new constitution that would create a multiparty system in a country that has been ruled by his autocratic family dynasty for 40 years. Such a change would have been unheard of a ...  

BEIRUT - As Syrian forces stepped up their assault Wednesday on rebellious cities, President Bashar Assad ordered a referendum on a new constitution that would create a multiparty system in a country that has been ruled by his autocratic family ...  

REPORTING FROM BEIRUT -- Syrian President Bashar Assad declared Wednesday that his violence-torn nation will vote on a new draft constitution later this month, but a thick plume of black smoke over the embattled city of Homs highlighted anew the ...  

Syrian President Bashar Assad ordered a referendum for later this month on a new constitution that would allow political parties other than his ruling Baath Party, the centerpiece of reforms he has promised to ease the crisis, even as the Syrian military ...  

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations General Assembly will vote Thursday on a new resolution calling on Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to put a stop to deadly attacks on civilians, diplomats said.  

On Wednesday, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and other officials hailed the arrival of a new constitution, slated to go up for a referendum later this month, but the Obama administration didn’t greet the news with much credulity or enthusiasm. Meanwhile, a fuel pipeline was the target of an explosion in the embattled Syrian city of Homs.  —KA AP via Google News: Press secretary Jay Carney calls the move “quite laughable” in light of...  

The United Nations General Assembly will vote on Thursday on a new resolution calling on Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to put a stop to deadly attacks ... though they carry less weight. Diplomats said the measure was almost sure to pass.  

BEIRUT -- Syrian President Bashar Assad has ordered a referendum on Feb. 26 on a new constitution that would open the way to political parties other than the ruling Baath Party, the state news agency said Wednesday. Amendments to Syria's ...  

As Syrian forces stepped up their assault Wednesday on rebellious cities, President Bashar Assad ordered a referendum on a new constitution that would create a multi-party system in a country that has been ruled by his autocratic family dynasty for 40 years.  

Hundreds have been killed and injured amid the Syrian army's continued shelling of civilian neighbourhoods in Homs. February 15, 2012 International At least 377 civilians have been killed in Homs in recent days as Syrian security forces escalated their shelling of civilian neighbourhoods in the besieged city, according to information received by Amnesty International.On Wednesday, reports also...  

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — The White House is strongly criticizing an announcement from Syrian President Bashar Assad that he's ordered a referendum on a new constitution as part of promised reforms.Press secretary Jay Carney calls the move "quite laughable" in light of ongoing brutality by the Syrian military. He says it "makes a mockery" of the Syrian uprising.The new constitution would allow participation by political parties other than...  

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — The White House is strongly criticizing an announcement from Syrian President Bashar Assad that he’s ordered a referendum on a new constitution as part of promised reforms. Press secretary Jay Carney calls the move ...  

The White House is strongly criticizing an announcement from Syrian President Bashar Assad that he's ordered a referendum on a new constitution as part of promised reforms. Press secretary Jay Carney calls the move "quite laughable" in light of ongoing ...  

(Updates with Russian Foreign Minister’s comments in 15th paragraph, expulsion of Syrian ambassadors from GCC in 17th.) Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has turned to his father’s playbook as he seeks to end an uprising ...  

Five months ago he fled with his wife and their eight-month-old baby daughter their home in the southern province of Daraa, cradle of 11 months of protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. “I left my country to avoid my ...  

Syria (MNN) -- The U.N. human rights chief Monday urged that Syria's dictator Bashar al-Assad be referred to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, according to NBC news. Dozens of nations have called for Assad to end violence or to step down. As violence continues to rattle Syria, it's becoming clearer and clearer that a transition away from Assad's regime will need to be made one, way or another. "We can't see...  

In the southern province of Daraa, cradle of an 11-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's iron-fisted rule, security forces killed one civilian in the town of Nimir. And in Damascus province, an army deserter died in clashes with the military ...  

Here's a Fox News interview with Jonathan Schanzer about the implications of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's fate for Iran.Let's go to the videotape.Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com  

Activists claimed the bombardment was the heaviest shelling in days. Forces loyal to hated president Bashar al-Assad have been attacking the city for more than a week. Hundreds are believed to have been killed since last Saturday, taking the death toll ...  

"That is our lovely city of Hama," he told me calmly. "It's perfectly peaceful. You should visit it someday." He knew that I knew this neighborhood had been leveled to the ground. Back then, under the regime of Hafez al-Assad, there was no Internet or ...  

During the early days of the revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government ... as a way to break the so-called Tehran-Damascus axis and as a means of weakening Hamas, the armed Palestinian group that maintained political ...  

Even as visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping got the red-carpet treatment from President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, the White House on Tuesday accused China and Russia of effectively giving Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a "license ...  

A small group of Iranian protesters gathered Tuesday outside China's consulate in Los Angeles, protesting China and Russia's recent veto of a U.N. Security Council effort to condemn Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. About a dozen men waved ...  

Iran has significantly increased its involvement in Syria over the past few days, Ynet learned Monday. The presence of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah operatives assisting Syrian President Bashar Assad's in his brutal crackdown of protesters now ...  

The Turks are essentially actors in a proxy conflict as hosts to Syrian dissidents, and they are also trying to amass pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad and deliver aid to Syrian civilians. Some dissidents suggest a buffer zone with foreign ...  

Our War Party has been temporarily diverted from its clamor for war on Iran by the insurrection against the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad. Estimates of the dead since the Syrian uprising began a year ago approach 6,000. And responsibility for ...  

Paris had previously proposed "humanitarian corridors" with Syrian approval or with an ... to alleviate civilian suffering while Damascus cracks down on an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. Foreign Minister Alain Juppe met humanitarian ...  

In the southern province of Daraa, cradle of an 11-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's iron-fisted rule, security forces killed one civilian in the town of Nimir. And in Damascus province, an army deserter died in clashes with the military ...  

Syrian government forces attacked opponents of President Bashar al-Assad in cities and towns across the country on Tuesday and Arab officials confirmed that regional governments would be ready to arm the resistance if the bloodshed did not cease.  

Five months ago he fled with his wife and their eight-month-old baby daughter their home in the southern province of Daraa, cradle of 11 months of protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. “I left my country to avoid my brother’s ...  

The following editorial appeared in the Los Angeles Times on Friday, Feb. 10: Given the continued carnage in Syria, and given Russian and Chinese obstruction of a plan to have Syrian President Bashar Assad step aside, the Arab League, Western nations and ...  

Last week, al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri added to his ever-growing video collection, with an eight-minute lecture supporting the Syrian opposition against President Bashar al-Assad ... The first was in Damascus in late December, when ...  

Simon Assaf examines the regime of Bashar al-Assad and the nature of the revolt against it For Western rulers Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has gone from reformer to war criminal. At the same time his repression of protests against his regime is ...  

(Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images) BEIRUT (AP) - As the Syrian military besieged rebellious areas Wednesday, President Bashar Assad ordered a referendum for later this month on a new constitution that would open the way to political parties other than his ...  

Sydney Morning HeraldSyrian kids join rebel forcesYnetnewsOnline video shows group of kids of Idlib region declare they are joining Free Syrian Army. 'We are leaving our games to protect our people in the face of the world's helplessness,' their leader says Syrian opposition activists posted a video online on ...Syria plans vote on constitution, says state mediaBBC NewsRussian foreign minister says West 'slammed door' on Syria UN...  

The UN human rights chief accused Syrian president Bashar al-Assad of launching an "indiscriminate attack" on civilians to end pro-democracy protests and said he had been emboldened by the failure of the Security Council to condemn him.  

By Erika Solomon and Angus MacSwan BEIRUT Feb 14 (Reuters) - Government forces and opponents of President Bashar al-Assad clashed in cities and countryside across Syria on Tuesday and Arab officials confirmed that regional governments would be ready to arm the resistance if the bloodshed did not cease. The western city of Homs, heart of the uprising against Assad's 11-year-rule, suffered a bombardment of pro...  

Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- A top-level Russian delegation sought to prod President Bashar al-Assad toward a political settlement after Russia shored up the Syrian leader by blocking United Nations action over his 11-month-old crackdown. Foreign ...  

Despite the widespread international denunciation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the government in Damascus continues to crack down hard on the country’s growing domestic opposition. “They are moving in a direction that completely shows that they ...  

In 1982, I interviewed Syrian Information Minister Ahmed Iskander in Damascus ... Back then, under the regime of Hafez al-Assad, there was no Internet or Skype to send out pictures of carnage. No journalists were allowed near Hama; the ...  

For instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser, please click here. The Arab League may soon have a partner as it tries to intervene between the Syrian people and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The Arab League’s secretary general ...  

AMMAN/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The UN human rights chief accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of launching an “indiscriminate attack” on civilians to end pro-democracy protests and said... View full article at stabroeknews.com  

The report passed in the HRC with 37 votes in favor, four against, and six abstentions. Meanwhile, Bashar Ja'afari, permanent representative of Syria to the UN, said here Monday that the international community is failing to respect principles of national ...  

A week ago Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution seeking the end of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's rule. Now the Arab League has passed its own resolution calling for UN peacekeeping troops to be stationned in Syria. Once again the plan faces Russian and Chinese opposition, while westerners are wary of sending troops to the powderkeg middle east.  

Faced with evil, Americans always want to be on the side of the angels. So American interventionists, hawks, and human-rights types are banding together, as they did in Libya, to stop President Bashar al-Assad from killing his people. But when interventionists become avenging angels, they blind themselves and the nation, and run dangerously amok. They plunge in with no plans, with half-baked ...  

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary general of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, said he remained involved in "quiet diplomacy activities" with Syrian President Bashar Assad over the power struggle that has cost more than 5,000 lives over the ...  

Syrian unrest is giving Saudi Arabia an opportunity to weaken rival Shiite Iran, which has been closely allied with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Saudi Arabia is taking steps to force regime change in Syria, while seeking to thwart any Arab ...  

The revolt against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has struck a chord with Sunni tribes in Iraq's border provinces of Anbar and Ninawa, where strong family ties across the poorly guarded frontier have long favoured contraband and trafficking.  

The revolt against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has struck a chord with Sunni tribes in Iraq's border provinces of Anbar and Ninawa, where strong family ties across the poorly guarded frontier have long favored contraband and trafficking. Iraq ...  

"That is our lovely city of Hama," he told me calmly. "It's perfectly peaceful. You should visit it someday." He knew that I knew this neighborhood had been leveled to the ground. Back then, under the regime of Hafez al-Assad, there was no ...  

UNITED NATIONS — Syrian unrest is giving Saudi Arabia an opportunity to weaken rival Shiite Iran, which has been closely allied with Syrian President Bashar Assad. Saudi Arabia is taking steps to force regime change in Syria, while seeking to ...  

As the Syrian opposition abandons non-violent protest for armed resistance, many people think this means that President Bashar al-Assad and his Baathist regime are in even deeper trouble than before. On the contrary, it means that Assad is winning.  

As the violence in Syria intensifies and the world community takes steps to peacefully force President Bashar al-Assad to step down, we must stand back and reflect on what the United States’ goal in Syria should be. It is the responsibility of world leadership in Syria not solely to facilitate the peaceful transition of power, but also to establish a stable, democratically elected government. In order to achieve this end, the United States and...  

The fog of war over Syria - in reality, more of a man-made smog - is fed by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and its foreign-backed opponents alike. Ambiguity cloaks both gut-wrenching scenes of human catastrophe and nauseating global indifference ...  

Last week, al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri added to his ever-growing video collection, with an eight-minute lecture supporting the Syrian opposition against President Bashar al-Assad. It was the latest example of al-Zawahiri's growing focus on ...  

Troops loyal to President Bashar Assad have been shelling Homs for more than a week to retake parts of the city captured by rebel forces. Hundreds are believed to have been killed since last Saturday, and the humanitarian conditions in the city ...  

As unrest in Syria erupted into public demonstrations and a bloody crackdown that has claimed over 6,000 lives in the last year, the regime of Bashar al-Assad sought to neutralize one of the most potent tools in the protesters’ arsenal: text messages sent via mobile phones. Bloomberg reports. The Syrian government has ordered blocks on text messages when they contain politically sensitive terms such as “revolution” or “demonstration...  

Syrian troops launched a new assault to retake rebel-held areas of Homs on Tuesday, a day after the UN rights chief warned that crimes against humanity "are likely to have been committed" since the anti-regime uprising began in March last year.  

Telegraph.co.ukSyria ignores Arab plan to stop bloodshedHerald SunSYRIAN troops pounded the protest hub of Homs, as an Arab League peacekeeping plan for the country went ignored and the UN rights chief said crimes against humanity had probably been committed. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad swiftly rejected the Arab ...Analysis: Syrian onslaught in Homs appalls UNNational PostUN says Syria encouraged by Russia, China vetoReuters AfricaUN...  

Syrian government forces attacked opponents of President Bashar al-Assad on several fronts today, sending residents fleeing from one town near the capital and bombarding the city of Homs for an 11th day running, activists said. Related StoriesSyria's wounded lay blame on Mossad or MI6 – but never AssadIsrael blames Iran for embassy bomb attacksIsrael rejects Palestinian hunger-striker's appealBahrain set for fresh protests on revolt...  

Others collected money to send aid and weapons to the fighters opposing President Bashar al-Assad's government ... a peacekeeping mission to Syria, and it called on Arab nations to sever diplomatic relations with Damascus to pressure the ...  

After a bruising meeting in a five-star Cairo hotel, Arab foreign ministers led by Gulf states hinted to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that unless he halts his violent crackdown, some Arab League members might arm his opponents.  

Even as the U.S. administration dismisses military action against the Syrian regime, a major effort is now under way to collect all possible intelligence on the plans and operations of the Damascus ... Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's own ...  

AMMAN/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of launching an "indiscriminate attack" on civilians to end pro-democracy protests and said he had been emboldened by the failure of the Security Council to condemn him.  

Even as visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping got the red-carpet treatment from President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, the White House on Tuesday accused China and Russia of effectively giving Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a "license to kill" the critics of his regime by vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at ending bloodshed in Syria. Obama press secretary Jay Carney did not use the incendiary...  

Syrian government forces attacked opponents of President Bashar al-Assad in cities and towns across the country on Tuesday and Arab officials confirmed that regional governments would be ready to arm the resistance if the bloodshed did not cease.  

AMMAN/UNITED NATIONS, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of launching an "indiscriminate attack" on civilians to end pro-democracy protests and said he had been emboldened by the failure of ...  

AMMAN/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of launching an "indiscriminate attack" on civilians to end pro-democracy protests and said he had been emboldened by the failure of the Security Council to condemn him.  

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief ramped up the pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday, accusing his government of launching an "indiscriminate attack" on civilians and other grave human rights violations in ...  

The UN human rights chief accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of launching an "indiscriminate attack" on civilians to end pro-democracy protests and said he had been emboldened by the failure of the Security Council to condemn him. read more  

Syrian forces resumed their bombardment of the city of Homs today after Arab countries called for UN peacekeepers and pledged their firm support for the opposition battling president Bashar al-Assad.  

The latest from you know who... The United States should arm and assist Syrian opposition forces working to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said Sunday. Lieberman, who chairs the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, said the Pentagon is putting plans together and that it is time to "help the brave Syrian freedom fighters." "Medical help first, and then I'd give them training. I'd give...  

An oil pipeline in the central Syrian city of Homs was attacked Wednesday, setting off a huge blaze, while regime troops stormed several residential neighborhoods in the nearby city of Hama, activists said.The Local Coordination Committees and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Homs pipeline was in the rebel-held neighborhood of Baba Amr, which has been shelled by regime troops for the past 12 days.The Observatory...  

Reuters - The U.N. human rights chief ramped up the pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday, accusing his government of launching an "indiscriminate attack" on civilians and other grave human rights violations in its suppression of pro-democracy protests.  

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief ramped up the pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday, accusing his government of launching an "indiscriminate attack" on civilians and other grave human rights ...  

Citizens of Homs - Syria’s third largest city with ... He also posted a satellite image on the embassy’s Facebook account claiming to show the extent of the attacks by the Syrian regime against civilians in Homs. Fair Use Notice This site ...  

AMMAN/BEIRUT Feb 13 (Reuters) - Syrian forces bombarded districts of Homs and attacked other cities on Monday after Arab states pledged support for the opposition battling President Bashar al-Assad and called for international peacekeepers to be ...  

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, fighting an 11-month revolt against his rule ... The news came as elite Syrian forces backed by armoured personnel carriers stormed part of Damascus on Wednesday, firing machine guns in the air, in the closest deployment ...  

The Syrian army resumed Tuesday its attack on the rebel city of Homs. “The bombing of Homs which began at dawn is the most violent in the past five days. On average, two rockets fall every minute,” stated Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian ...  

Syrian forces resumed their bombardment of the city of Homs on Monday after Arab countries called for U.N. peacekeepers and pledged their firm support for the opposition battling President Bashar al-Assad. Opposition campaigners said tank fire was ...  

Beirut - Syrian forces continued their assault on the country's most restive areas on Monday, as the diplomatic spotlight turned to New York, where the United Nations General Assembly was told that President Bashar al-Assad was behind 'crimes ...  

Syrian forces resumed their bombardment of the city of Homs on Monday after Arab countries called for U.N. peacekeepers and pledged their firm support for the opposition battling President Bashar al-Assad. Opposition campaigners said tank fire ...  

The U.N. human rights chief blamed disagreement in the Security Council on Monday for encouraging the Syrian government to step up attacks on opposition strongholds in its campaign to crush an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s 11-year rule.  

Syrian forces launched a new assault on the restive city of Homs on Monday, a day after the Arab League called for the first time on its member states to aid opposition fighters seeking the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.  

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Homs is now a war zone, a city under siege by the army of Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad. It is a city where rebel ... More from GlobalPost: Mass killings uncovered near Damascus Haidar said he moved to Nuzha for “social ...  

AMMAN/BEIRUT Feb 13 (Reuters) - An Arab League proposal to boost support for the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and to send in foreign peacekeepers drew a guarded international response on Monday and showed little sign of ...  

Reuters - The U.N. human rights chief blamed disagreement in the Security Council on Monday for encouraging the Syrian government to step up attacks on opposition strongholds in its campaign to crush an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's 11-year rule.  

CAIRO/AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian forces resumed their bombardment of the city of Homs on Monday after Arab countries called for U.N. peacekeepers and pledged their firm support for the opposition battling President Bashar al-Assad. Opposition ...  

After scrapping its own monitoring team, the Arab League on Sunday asked the U.N. Security Council to assemble a joint Arab-U.N. peacekeeping force to end the 11-month campaign of brutal repression by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that has ...  

(CNN) -- Independent Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut called Sunday for the United States to provide direct assistance to the Syrian people in their struggle to oust President Bashar al-Assad. "It's time to try to help the brave Syrian freedom fighters ...  

CAIRO,  (Reuters) - The Arab League threw its support yesterday firmly behind the opposition mounting an uprising against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, and called for the U.N. Security Council... View full article at stabroeknews.com  

Dubai Syrian forces continued to bombard Homs yesterday as Iraq claimed jihadists are crossing into Syria and weapons are being sent to opponents of President Bashar Al Assad’s regime ... from Iraq to Syria. In Damascus, Brigadier General Eisa Al ...  

The Arab League wants a joint Arab-UN peacekeeping mission to end the 11-month conflict in Syria. Damascus "categorically rejected" the resolution. The League's move comes one week after Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step aside. Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, tells...  

Last week the United States evacuated its remaining diplomats in Syria amid fears of increasing violence closing in on the capital, Damascus. U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford took to Facebook last Friday calling on the Bashar al-Assad regime ...  

And given Russian and Chinese support for Damascus, that prospect isn't looking so promising. Plus, it goes without saying that a peackeeping force would need the buy-in from President Bashar ... in Syria and increase pressure on the al-Assad ...  

Leslie Gelb, NewsweekFaced with evil, Americans always want to be on the side of the angels. So American interventionists, hawks, and human-rights types are banding together, as they did in Libya, to stop President Bashar al-Assad from killing his people. But when interventionists become avenging angels, they blind themselves and the nation, and run dangerously amok. They plunge in with no plans, with half-baked plans, with demands to supply...  

Syrian forces bombarded districts of the city of Homs in their drive to crush a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad... "Tens of shabbiha (militiamen loyal to Assad) along with army snipers and two tanks have deployed at the citadel and they ...  

Russia’s continued support of Bashar Al-Assad has provoked ... and approvingly noted that the Bahraini crown prince had been disinvited from the royal wedding in an April blog post. As best I can gather from scouring the intertubes, that’s all she ...  

(CNN) – Independent Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut called Sunday for the United States to provide direct assistance to the Syrian people in their struggle to oust President Bashar al-Assad. "It's time to try to help the brave Syrian ...  

Homs, Syria's third-largest city, has become the center of the current uprising against the government of President Bashar al-Assad. It has also borne the brunt of his regime's retaliation against the insurgency. RFE/RL takes a closer look at the city in the center of the battle for Syria.  

The Arab League has thrown its support firmly behind the opposition mounting an uprising against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, and called for the UN Security Council to send peacekeepers to halt bloodshed. read more  

ARAB nations have called for a joint United Nations peacekeeping force to be sent to the country. At a crisis meeting in Cairo, the Arab League agreed to take exceptional measures to halt President Bashar al-Assad's violent repression of civilian protesters.  

WASHINGTON -- The Iraqi branch of al-Qaida, seeking to exploit the bloody turmoil in Syria to reassert its potency, carried out two recent bombings in the Syrian capital, Damascus ... to verify Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's charges of al-Qaida ...  

(AP) – Al-Qaeda's chief has called on Muslims from other countries to support rebels in Syria seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, saying they cannot depend on the West for help. Ayman al-Zawahri, in a videotaped statement released ...  

The bombardment of the city of Homs by Syrian forces, an offensive that has killed hundreds, is a key part of President Bashar al-Assad's attempt to crush an 11-month-old insurgency against his ...  

Large demonstrations in support of the Syrian government of President Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus, the capital, on March 29, 2011. The president addressed parliament on March 30 and denounced the foreign plot against the country., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.Syria, battlefield for global rivalrySeyyed Mohiyeddin Sajedi Sun Feb 12, 2012 7:12PM GMTpresstv.irThe balance in the internal scene has tempted some of the...  

The Arab League threw its support Sunday firmly behind the opposition mounting an uprising against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, and called for the U.N. Security Council to send peacekeepers to halt bloodshed.  

HOMS, Syria -- Syria's army killed at least six civilians Tuesday, in the heaviest shelling of Homs for several days, monitors said. The assault has been heaviest in the central city of Homs, which has been under a relentless barrage of heavy machine-gun fire, tank shells, mortars and rocket-propelled...  

CAIRO/AMMAN (Reuters) - Arab ministers stepped up diplomatic efforts to end the bloodshed in Syria on Sunday and Saudi Arabia advocated giving all forms of support to opponents of President Bashar al-Assad. At a Arab League meeting in Cairo ...  

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian activists say government forces have renewed their assault on the rebellious city of Homs as the U.N. human rights chief raised fears of civil war.The Local Coordination Committees activist group said Homs was under "brutal shelling" on Tuesday.Syrian forces have been shelling the city for more than a week. The latest onslaught began last Saturday to retake parts of the city captured by rebel forces.With diplomatic...  

Carney says the focus now is on pressuring Syrian President Bashar Assad (bah-SHAR' AH'-sahd) to stop a military campaign against protesters and give up power. He called the government attack on civilians "disgusting." With diplomatic efforts bogged down ...  

Syrian government forces renewed their assault on the rebellious city of Homs on Tuesday, activists said, as the U.N. human rights chief raised fears of civil war. Troops loyal to President Bashar Assad have been shelling Homs for more than a week to ...  

Shelling has begun in Homs again as Saudi Arabia ratcheted up the diplomatic pressure on Syrian president Bashar al Assad at the UN. Mortars fell on the Homs neighbourhood of Baba Amr on Saturday, activists said. On Friday activists told Sky News' Stuart ...  

Jihadists are moving from Iraq to Syria, as are weapons being sent to opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, Iraq's deputy interior minister said on Saturday. Assad has been attempting to crush an uprising against his rule since ...  

This warning came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on February 7 and afterward said that his message to Assad about the need to end the violence “has been heard.” But Assad has apparently ...  

Jihadists are moving from Iraq to Syria, as are weapons being sent to opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Iraq’s deputy interior minister told AFP on Saturday. Assad has been attempting to crush an uprising against his ...  

"The population, particularly the wounded and sick, are bearing the brunt of the violence," the ICRC chief in Damascus ... The Assad family, from the minority Alawite sect, have ruled Syria for the past 42 years. Bashar al-Assad took over ...  

BAGHDAD  - Jihadists are moving from Iraq to Syria and arms are also sent across the border to opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Iraq’s deputy interior minister said in an interview with AFP on Saturday. Adnan al-Assadi also called private security firms “a danger to security,” and said that Iraq wants to reduce their number — which ...  

His visit is part of an international effort to organize an effective response to the Syrian carnage after the veto of a United Nations resolution last week calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step aside.  

Baghdad (AFP) Feb 11, 2012 Jihadists are moving from Iraq to Syria and arms are also sent across the border to opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, Iraq's deputy interior minister said in an interview with AFP on Saturday. Adnan al-Assadi also called private security firms "a danger to security," and said that Iraq wants to reduce their number - which currently stands at 109 companies - and will n  

AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian forces bombarded districts of Homs city on Saturday in a campaign to crush a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, whose ally Russia said it would not support an Arab peace plan circulating at the United Nations.  

In mid-December, the U.S. State Department’s point man on Syria, Frederic Hof,  described the government of President Bashar al-Assad as ‘the equivalent of a dead man walking.” On February 6, President Barack Obama followed up by saying the fall of ...  

The United States and its allies are bringing "pressure to bear" on Syria, White House chief of Staff Jacob Lew said Sunday, predicting the efforts would lead to the end of Bashar al-Assad's rule. "Since August, we have been bringing pressure to bear," Lew ...  

Independent Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut called Sunday for the United States to provide direct assistance to the Syrian people in their struggle to oust President Bashar al-Assad. "It's time to try to help the brave Syrian freedom fighters to carry out a fair fight," he said on CNN's "State of the Union." U.N. officials estimate 6,000 people have died since protests seeking political reforms in Syria began nearly a year ago. So...  

Nicholas Noe With Syria rapidly descending into civil war and UN action blocked by recent Russian and Chinese vetoes, opponents of the murderous Bashar al-Assad regime face a critical turning point in their almost one-year long struggle to unseat him. Unfortunately, though, in western capitals, among supportive regional states and within the Syrian opposition itself, practically the only ...  

By protecting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the former superpower wants to prevent a repeat of the Libyan scenario. The fall of Tripoli was brought about by the relentless NATO onslaught, and with Moscow’s implicit consent ...  

As U.N. diplomats make another attempt to condemn Syria's massacre of civilians, one resident in the besieged city of Homs pleaded for President Bashar al-Assad's regime to have mercy on the most innocent victims. ...  

Only a year ago, Asma al-Assad, the wife of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was described in Vogue magazine as “a rose in the desert.” Now, as the native Londoner watches her husband brutally suppress a Syrian uprising, she has become a thorny question.  

April 22 - Security forces and gunmen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad kill at least 100 protesters ... January 28 - Arab League suspends its monitoring mission in Syria in worsening violence, Damascus criticises this as an attempt to ...  

On a political talk show on Al-Jazeera TV this month ... There is an equally deep hatred of Syrian President Bashar Assad among Lebanese who fear Damascus is still calling the shots in their country. The two sides are the legacy of, and backlash ...  

BEIRUT - A spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army blamed the regime of President Bashar al-Assad for carrying out two deadly car bomb attacks in Aleppo on Friday, in a telephone interview with AFP. "This criminal regime is... carrying out bomb ...  

Activists said seven people were killed in the latest attacks in a week-long government siege of Homs, a battered city at the heart of the uprising to oust President Bashar al-Assad. Mohammed Hassan, one opposition campaigner in Homs, told Reuters by ...  

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - Two people were killed and at least eight wounded in street battles in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli Saturday, a security source said, during a second day of clashes between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.  

As U.N. diplomats make another attempt to condemn Syria's massacre of civilians, one resident in the besieged city of Homs pleaded for President Bashar al-Assad's regime to ... was killed Saturday in suburban Damascus, according to the Syrian ...  

No one in Syria is laughing. In the past 11 months, President Bashar al-Assad has promised reforms ... A few weeks ago, al-Assad made a show of the presence of his wife and children in Damascus. There have been periodic rumors over the past eleven months ...  

Margaret C. from Albany, NY writes in with this question on Syria and a potential successor to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: How can the Obama administration be keen on Syrian President Assad stepping down when they have not once mentioned ...  

CAIRO - The Arab League called on Sunday for the UN Security Council to send a joint UN-Arab peacekeeping mission to Syria and decided to scrap its own monitoring team, according to a resolution approved by ministers and obtained by Reuters. Arab ministers met in Cairo to revive diplomatic efforts after Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution that called for President Bashar al-Assad to step ...  

The Government wants to help the bitter fight to topple tyrannical President Bashar al-Assad with "non-lethal aid", it emerged yesterday. The equipment would be used to help coordinate attacks on regime forces. Communications technology will also help the ...  

Sky NewsSyria: Gunmen Assasinate General In DamascusSky NewsThe killing of Brig Gen Issa al Khouli in the Syrian capital came as shells once again rained down on the city of Homs, the epicentre of the uprising against president Bashar al Assad's regime. SANA said three gunmen opened fire at al Khouli in the ...Syria draft resolution heads to UN General AssemblyBBC NewsSyria forces shell Homs, Saudis push UN resolutionReutersSyrian rebels blame...  

AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least 28 people were killed in two bomb attacks in Syria's second city Aleppo on Friday while in besieged Homs, opposition neighborhoods endured another day of bombardment by President Bashar al-Assad's troops.  

Brussels (AFP) Feb 12, 2012 Despite the escalating violence in Syria, Western powers refuse to unleash a Libya-type operation against a regime backed by a much bigger army and powerful allies. In Washington, Paris, London and NATO headquarters, leaders have sharpened their tone against President Bashar al-Assad but they have refrained from beating the war drums, favouring instead the path of sanctions and diplomacy.  

Syrian forces continued with their deadly bombardment of Homs Saturday, bringing the number of people killed in the week-long assault to at least 300. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has put a draft peace plan to the UN General Assembly.  

Russia faced a barrage of condemnations after it joined China over the weekend in vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to step aside, but Russia has stood resolutely behind its decision. Why?.  

As U.N. diplomats make another attempt to condemn Syria's massacre of civilians, one resident in the besieged city of Homs pleaded for President Bashar al-Assad's regime to have mercy on the most innocent victims. "We just want from Assad to give us ...  

In another video, protesters are seen marching in the Damascus district of Al-Aassali carrying banners which said: "We will only kneel before God," and "Long live Syria, down with Bashar al-Assad." In Lebanon, a 17-year-old girl was among three people ...  

Syrian refugees and residents living in Jordan chant slogans during a demonstration against President Bashar al-Assad outside the Syrian ... and despotism of the Ba'athist regime in Damascus; I want Assad out - as all democrats and ...  

There is a palpable sense of "fear and foreboding" across Syria as the regime of President Bashar al-Assad continues its assault on the country, Ambassador Robert Ford said. Ford, who evacuated Syria earlier this week with the remainder of the ...  

The U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, on Friday said he posted satellite imagery on Facebook to show proof of President Bashar al-Assad's forces attacking residential neighborhoods. Ford, speaking to NBC News from ...  

Dubai Syrian forces bombarded protest hubs with rockets and shells in a sustained assault yesterday, killing 50 people as the US closed its embassy in Damascus in an escalation of pressure on President Bashar Al Assad to give up power. Britain, meanwhile ...  

"We see this as a humanitarian effort." [Escalation: Senators Call for U.S. Military Action in Syria.] Sen. Joseph Lieberman said during a television interview Sunday that the Pentagon is drawing up plans for some kind of intervention in Syria..  

Beirut - An explosion ripped through an area in the northern port city of Tripoli late Friday, causing panic hours after clashes broke out between armed Lebanese over Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, a security source said. The blast occurred ...  

President Barack Obama's chief of staff says it's only a matter of time before the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad collapses. Jacob Lew says the U.S. and its allies have brought "serious financial pressure" on Syria and that Assad's ...  

China will come under renewed pressure to give ground next week, when its leader-in-waiting, Vice President Xi Jinping, visits Washington, facing calls to accommodate Western powers who want Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to abandon power. Going forward ...  

Elements of al-Qaeda’s affiliates in Iraq have been moving into Syria to distribute weapons to the opposition and to carry out attacks against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials. These terrorists, often ...