Syria

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

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White House Watched as Syria Stockpiled Chemicals

Leaked cables document Syria importing ingredients from Europe, US

(Newser) - It may have taken a while to convince President Obama that Assad had used chemical weapons, but it was no revelation that he had them. Leaked US diplomatic cables and declassified intelligence records show the White House had long been tracking the growing chemical arsenal being amassed by the Syrian...

Brawl Over Syria an 'Uphill Slog,' 'Amateur Hour'

White House tries to make its case as GOP roars

(Newser) - It was all Syria, all the time on the Sunday talk circuit today, with White House chief of staff Denis McDonough hitting all five networks in making the administration's case for action. "The question is very simple for Congress this week... Not a single (member of Congress) rebuts...

US Releases Videos of Syria Attack

'These are real human beings,' Kerry says as White House makes its case

(Newser) - The White House is releasing videos of the Aug. 21 chemical attack in Syria, John Kerry announced in Paris today, and they show people exhibiting what appears to be the effects of nerve gas. "Those videos make it clear to people that these are real human beings, real children,...

Assad to Charlie Rose: 'No Evidence' I Gassed My People

Syrian strongman hints he'll retaliate if US strikes

(Newser) - Bashar al-Assad "denied that he had anything to do" with the chemical attack that killed nearly 1,500 of his countrymen, he tells Charlie Rose in an interview that airs tomorrow on PBS. "He basically said, ' There has been no evidence that I used weapons against my...

Syria's History of Chemical Warfare Is 1.7K Years Old

Archaeological evidence indicates invading Persians used it in AD 256

(Newser) - Amid all the uproar over chemical weapons in Syria comes this surprising revelation: What could be the earliest archaeological evidence of chemical weapons was uncovered in the country—and it is some 1,700 years old. A mixture of sulfur and pitch combined with fire was the first way humans...

100K Throng Vatican for Francis' Syria Vigil

'War is always a defeat for humanity,' pope says during 4-hour vigil

(Newser) - Tens of thousands filled St. Peter's Square for a four-hour Syria peace vigil late yesterday, answering Pope Francis' call for a grassroots cry for peace that was echoed by Christians and non-Christians alike in Syria and vigils around the world. The Vatican estimated about 100,000 took part in...

EU: Assad Is Likely Guilty, But Wait for UN Report

Representative calls chemical attack a 'war crime'

(Newser) - The European Union officially weighed in on Syria today, and Reuters uses a very common phrase of late to describe its statement: "carefully worded." It says that, yes, a chemical weapons attack occurred, and yes, all the available information "seems to indicate strong evidence that the Syrian...

Obama: This Is 'Not Another Iraq or Afghanistan'

Presses case against Syria in weekly address

(Newser) - President Obama didn't exactly return from the G20 summit with a ringing international endorsement to take action against Syria, but he continued making his case before his own nation this morning via his weekly radio address. Obama hit familiar themes, ones he will surely revisit in his speech to...

Syria Vote Unites Far Left, Far Right

In House, liberals join libertarians in opposition

(Newser) - When President Obama addresses the nation on Tuesday about Syria, he'll no doubt be hoping to sway members of Congress, too. Just how tricky that will be is made clear by the Washington Post , which reports that opposition to any such military strike has managed the rare feat of...

2 Opposing Views on Syria From the Right
2 Opposing Views on Syria From the Right
OPINION
Sep 6, 2013 1:48 PM CDT

2 Opposing Views on Syria From the Right

Bill Kristol is a yes, Peggy Noonan a no

(Newser) - As the ongoing debate in Congress makes clear, the decision on whether to strike Syria isn't the usual bipartisan one. Here are two voices on the right who come to very different conclusions:
  • Peggy Noonan, opposed: What's the strategy again? "A small, limited strike will look merely
...

Putin, Obama Meet, Agree to Disagree

Meanwhile, US orders embassy personnel out of Lebanon

(Newser) - Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin had a surprise one-on-one meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit today, hashing out their disagreements on Syria without coming to any real conclusion. Obama described it as a "candid and constructive conversation" and Putin called it "substantial and constructive," according...

Kenneth Cole Tweets Tactless Wordplay ... Again

Defends himself, says he's provoking 'dialogue about important issues'

(Newser) - It appears Kenneth Cole didn't learn his lesson when he sent a very questionable tweet out into the world to promote his brand back in 2011. He's done it once again, this time using the situation in Syria, rather than Egypt, for inspiration, Gawker notes. "'Boots...

Iran Is Orchestrating Syria Revenge: US

If US strikes, Iran wants Shiite militias in Iraq to strike back

(Newser) - As Congress debates a strike on Syria, the regime and its allies have been given plenty of time to prepare strikes of their own, American officials warn. The US has intercepted an order from Iran to Iran-supported Shiite militias in Iraq to launch attacks on the US Embassy and other...

Obama, Putin Meet ... for All of 15 Seconds

They have a brief greeting at G20 summit

(Newser) - They were originally supposed to have a separate summit of their own. But instead, Vladimir Putin and President Obama managed all of 15 seconds of "tight smiles and a businesslike handshake" as Obama arrived in Russia for the G20 summit, reports Reuters . It might be all the face time...

Obama's Making His Biggest Mistake Yet

Andrew Sullivan hopes Congress rejects Syria action

(Newser) - Noted Barack Obama superfan Andrew Sullivan thinks that the president's attempt to launch an attack on Syria is "impulsive, foolish, reckless" and "easily his biggest misjudgment since taking office," he writes at the Dish . Yesterday's narrow Foreign Relations Committee vote proved that even if Obama...

Why Congress Is Divided on Syria

Extremist rebels, regime atrocities leave lawmakers no easy options

(Newser) - Congress is decidedly skittish about the prospect of military action against Syria—sources tell Politico's Playbook that if the vote were held today, it would fail—and the reason why has a lot to do with the thought of potentially bolstering men like Abdul Samad Issa, aka "The...

US Intel on Syria's Planned Gas Attack Sat Unprocessed

We pieced everything together after the fact

(Newser) - When the US learned of plans for past chemical strikes, it was able to warn potential victims, but Washington didn't find out about the Aug. 21 attack in Syria until after it occurred. "Let's be clear, the United States did not watch, in real time, as this...

Rand Paul Says He Won't Stage Syria Filibuster

He blames media for 'misinterpretation'

(Newser) - Rand Paul wants the US to steer clear of Syria, but he says he's not planning any filibusters to make that happen, reports the Huffington Post . Paul today blamed reports to the contrary on a "misrepresentation from the media." Here's the quote from yesterday, via the...

10-7: Senate Panel OKs Force in Syria

Full chamber votes next week

(Newser) - A Senate panel has voted to give President Obama the authority to use military force against Syria in response to a deadly chemical weapons attack. The tally in the Foreign Relations Committee was 10-7, setting up a vote in the full Senate next week. The resolution would permit Obama to...

We Must Not Intervene in Syria Without UN Vote
We Must Not Intervene in Syria Without UN Vote
opinion
Sep 4, 2013 1:40 PM CDT

We Must Not Intervene in Syria Without UN Vote

Columnists weigh in on Syria situation

(Newser) - The big topic on today's opinion pages: Syria. A sampling of what's out there:
  • We absolutely cannot intervene in Syria without UN Security Council authorization, write Oona A. Hathaway and Scott J. Shapiro in the New York Times . There is no direct threat to any NATO member, so
...

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