Syria

Read recent Syrian news stories and current events on Newser.com

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US' New Plan: Burn Syria's Weapons at Sea

Or rather, it might have someone else do it

(Newser) - Countries all over the world want Syria's chemical weapons destroyed—just not on their soil. Albania turned down a request to destroy the weapons there last week, after thousands of people took to the streets in protest, and Norway begged off an earlier request. So the US is pitching...

Twin Bombs Hit Iran Embassy in Beirut, Kill 23

Al-Qaeda-linked group claims responsibility for Beirut blast

(Newser) - An al-Qaeda-linked group has claimed responsibility for twin suicide bombings that struck outside the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, killing 23 people, including an Iranian diplomat. The obscure Abdullah Azzam Brigades said in online posts that it carried out the mid-morning bombings today in a southern Beirut Hezbollah stronghold. The group...

'Very, Very Important' Syrian Rebel Leader Killed

Abdulkader al-Saleh led Qatar-backed force

(Newser) - The New York Times describes Abdulkader al-Saleh as a Syrian rebel leader "who brought together one of the most effective and organized factions" against Bashar al-Assad. No wonder, then, that his death is being described as a major setback for the rebels. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights today...

Syrian Rebels Accidentally Behead a Syrian Rebel

Al-Qaeda linked group apologizes

(Newser) - Everybody makes mistakes at work. Here at Newser, that means making a typo. For fighters in al-Qaeda-affiliated rebel groups, it means beheading the wrong guy. Militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria posted a video online recently in which they showed off a severed, bearded head, saying it...

NC Man Charged With Trying to Join al-Qaeda in Syria

Pakistani native had online relationship with undercover FBI worker

(Newser) - A North Carolina man was on his way to Lebanon to join an al-Qaeda-linked group when he was arrested, federal prosecutors say; his father says there's "no truth" in the allegations. Pakistan-born Basit Javed Sheikh, 29, is a legal permanent US resident, the News & Observer reports. He...

Syrian Rebels Recruit New Fighters at Refugee Camp

Jordan and the UN claim they're unaware

(Newser) - Syrain rebels in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan freely acknowledge recruiting fighters in the camp, trying to bolster rebel ranks in the face of stepped up offensives by President Bashar al-Assad's forces just across the border in southern Syria. Recruiting is banned in Zaatari, and the rebel activities...

Syria's Polio Threatens Europe, Warn Doctors

Refugees could inadvertently spread the disease

(Newser) - Polio might just be looking at a comeback tour, thanks to the Syrian civil war. There's a significant risk that the now-rare disease could spread from Syria to Europe, as refugees seek asylum there, a group of German scientists warned in The Lancet today. The danger is that many...

Hurdle in Destroying Syria's Chemical Weapons: Money

OPCW needs more of it

(Newser) - Here's something you may not know about the effort to rid Syria of its chemical weapons: The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons isn't just tasked with making that happen —it also has to raise the money needed to do the job. And the roughly $13....

Israel Strikes Syria Base: US Official

Warplanes hit Russian missiles: reports

(Newser) - Israeli planes struck a Syrian military base housing missiles, a White House official tells CNN ; Israel was reportedly concerned the missiles—which the AP says were of Russian origin—could be passed to Hezbollah. Israel's government hasn't confirmed the attack, though regional reports pointed to a blast at...

Deadline Met: Syria's 'Critical' Equipment Destroyed

All production, mixing facilities destroyed or inoperable: OPCW

(Newser) - All the chemical weapons production and mixing facilities declared by Syria have been either destroyed or made inoperable, in advance of tomorrow's UN deadline, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said today. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization's teams still have not been able to visit two...

Syria Fires Official After He Met With US

While peace talks become increasingly less likely

(Newser) - Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil was yesterday given the boot for holding meetings "without coordinating with the government," the New York Times reports. The meetings in question? The one he had with the US ambassador to Syria on Saturday may be at the top of the list;...

Was Tiananmen Crash a Suicide Attack?

Death toll hits 5; police eye Xinjiang region

(Newser) - The death toll following yesterday's SUV crash in Tiananmen Square has climbed to five, with two tourists—a Chinese man and a Filipina woman—dead along with the vehicle's occupants. "It looks like a premeditated suicide attack," says a Reuters source. If so, it would be...

WHO Confirms Polio Outbreak in Syria

Finds 10 cases in first outbreak in 14 years

(Newser) - WHO has confirmed it: Syria is experiencing its first polio outbreak in 14 years. The UN body has confirmed 10 cases in the country so far, and another 12 potential cases are being investigated, the BBC reports. Most victims are under two years old and likely were never vaccinated, a...

Syria Chemical Weapons Team Can't Reach 2 Key Sites

First weapons deadline may be missed

(Newser) - The Nobel Peace Prize-winning group tasked with inspecting Syrian chemical weapons sites and destroying production equipment may miss the first major deadline of its mission. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons says it has visited 21 of 23 sites disclosed by the Syrian government, but security concerns have...

Angry Over Syria, Saudis Back Away From US

Intelligence chief wants more aggressive approach against Assad

(Newser) - Following his country's decision to reject a UN Security Council seat , Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief is edging away from the US specifically: Prince Bandar bin Sultan al-Saud told European officials that his country will reduce its secret work with the CIA on training Syrian rebels, reports the Wall ...

Syria's New Woes: Polio, Flesh-Eating Parasites

Vaccination program breaks down

(Newser) - Syria's clerics last week gave the starving people of Damascus the OK to eat dog , and the bad news has not ended there. The World Health Organization now suspects polio has returned to the country. If verified, these would be the first recorded cases there since 1999. And it'...

Clerics: Desperate Syrians May Eat Dogs

Damascus suburbs being starved out

(Newser) - The days of dogs and cats living in Damascus or its hard-hit suburbs might be numbered, at least according to local clerics. With reports surfacing of regime loyalists using starvation tactics against rebel-held areas like Muadhamiya, Syrian clerics have issued a fatwa telling the faithful that is OK to eat...

Funny Time for Assad: I Deserved the Nobel


 Assad Makes 
 a Funny: 
 I Deserved 
 the Nobel 
WORST JOKE EVER
Oct 14, 2013 12:51 PM CDT

Assad Makes a Funny: I Deserved the Nobel

Meanwhile, terrible things continue happening in Syria

(Newser) - That Bashar al-Assad sure is a kidder. When asked today to comment on the Nobel Peace Prize—which was awarded to the UN group currently working to dismantle his chemical weapons arsenal—the Syrian ruler quipped that it "should have been mine," the AFP reports. The comment came...

Syria Inspectors: We Need Hours-Long Ceasefires

OPCW is having trouble getting to some suspected production sites

(Newser) - One week ago, Ban Ki-moon told the UN Security Council that the toughest part in the process of wiping out Syria's chemical weapons would come next month, when the actual destruction begins, reports the New York Times . Tougher than this, apparently: The Nobel Prize-winning Organization for the Prohibition of...

7 Red Cross Workers Kidnapped in Syria

Team was trying to bring medical aid to dangerous rebel-controlled area

(Newser) - Another high-profile kidnapping in Syria's civil war: Gunmen have abducted a team of seven workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross, after stopping their convoy early today in northern Syria, according to an ICRC spokesman. The abduction took place near the town of Saraqeb in Idlib province...

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