Syria

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

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Obama Weighing Strike on Syria

President calls alleged chemical strike 'a big event of grave concern'

(Newser) - Top Obama administration officials met yesterday to discuss potential military responses to what may have been the worst chemical weapons attack in decades. Officials were "sharply divided" and emerged from three-and-a-half hours of discussions about Syria without reaching a decision, the New York Times reports; options on the table...

In Syria, Deadliest Chemical Weapons Possibly Used

Observed symptoms in Syria in line with nerve agent, say experts

(Newser) - Experts are inferring what they can from the reports and videos leaking out of Syria in the wake of a possible chemical weapons attack, and what they're saying isn't good. The Washington Post explains that there are seven types of chemical weapons, the deadliest of which are nerve...

Syrians Describe 'Sleeping Dead' After Alleged Gas Attack

UN to hold emergency meeting this afternoon

(Newser) - The UN Security Council will meet in an emergency session at 3pm Eastern today to discuss the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian army, reports the AP . The latest developments:
  • The US says it's "deeply concerned" at the reports, UN chief Ban Ki-moon says he's
...

Rebels: Syria Dropped Chemical Weapons on Us

Opposition says hundreds dead as regime denies use of toxic gas

(Newser) - Syrian opposition groups say hundreds of people— Reuters says nearly 500—were killed today in chemical weapons attacks on rebel-held suburbs of Damascus. Videos uploaded to YouTube by activists show people, including many children, being treated in makeshift hospitals, reports the BBC , which has been unable to fully verify the...

20K Syrian Refugees Flood Iraq in 4 Days

10K came yesterday alone

(Newser) - Here's some perspective on the 2,000 Syrian refugees the US has agreed to take in : since Thursday, 20,000 Syrian refugees have fled across the border into Iraqi Kurdistan—10,000 of them yesterday alone. The UNHCR doesn't know why the sudden exodus has occurred this weekend...

Syrian Group Hacks Washington Post Website

The Syrian Electronic Army may be sending political message

(Newser) - Hackers who support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hacked into the Washington Post today, redirecting its readers to the hackers' website, PC Mag reports. The Post and the Syrian Electronic Army disagreed about how the group accessed the site, but regardless it's up and running now. The upshot: After hacking...

UN Heads to Syria to Hunt Chemical Weapons

Officials to investigate weapons' use, but not who to blame

(Newser) - Following approval by Bashar al-Assad, a UN team is headed to Syria to investigate whether chemical weapons are being used in the country. "The departure of the team is now imminent," says a statement from secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon. Inspectors will remain in Syria "for a period of...

Coming Soon to US: Syrian Refugees

State Department agrees to allow 2K in 'major policy shift'

(Newser) - By most accounts, more than 2 million people have fled Syria in the last two years amid its civil war. In that time, the US has allowed maybe 90 of them to relocate to the US. Now, in what Foreign Policy describes as a "major policy shift," the...

Syria Rebels Make Major Gains
 Syria Rebels Make Major Gains 
Aug 5, 2013 11:29 PM CDT

Syria Rebels Make Major Gains

Villages in Assad heartland captured

(Newser) - After weeks of losing territory to Bashar al-Assad's forces, Syrian rebels have scored two major victories against the regime. In northern Syria, rebels captured a major air base after almost a year of trying, capturing tanks and soldiers despite air raids from government warplanes, reports the New York Times...

Syria &#39;Now 3 Countries&#39;
 Syria Is 'Now 3 Countries' 
Aug 5, 2013 12:32 AM CDT

Syria Is 'Now 3 Countries'

'As a distinct single entity, Syria has ceased to exist,' analysts say

(Newser) - As Syria's bloody civil war grinds on, the country is now split into three parts—each boasting its own flags, security agencies, and judicial system—and the longer the conflict lasts, analysts say, the more difficult it will be to piece together a coherent Syrian state from the wreckage....

White House: Assad's Instagram 'Despicable'

@StateDept will not be retweeting

(Newser) - Ever abreast of the big issues facing a war-torn country like Syria, the US State Department has delivered a stern rebuke against President Bashar al-Assad's Instagram account , labeling it "nothing more than a despicable PR stunt," ABC News reports. In a press briefing, a department spokesperson told...

As Thousands Die, Assad Takes Selfies

Syrian president joins Instagram; fails to capture civil war

(Newser) - Syria is in the middle of a bloody civil war—not that you'd know it from President Bashar al-Assad's new Instagram account , which features Assad and his wife shaking hands, hugging, and chatting with smiling constituents and cheering crowds, reports CNN . With 100,000 people now dead in...

Turkey Fires on Hundreds Fleeing Syria on Horseback

Forces try to combat smugglers; 1,500-2,000 fired on in another incident

(Newser) - Turkey's border with Syria isn't the most welcoming place right now. The military opened fire on between 300 and 350 people headed for the border on horseback today, turning them back, Reuters reports. In a separate, even larger confrontation, troops fired tear gas and warning shots to disperse...

US Plan to Arm Syria Rebels Gets a Boost

But Pentagon cites continuing concerns

(Newser) - Last month, the White House said it planned to arm Syrian rebels —but members of Congress haven't been thrilled with the idea. Now, however, Capitol Hill seems to be coming around, Reuters reports. Despite "strong reservations ... We got a consensus that we could move forward with the...

UN: Syria Is the New Rwanda
 UN: Syria Is the New Rwanda 
Jul 17, 2013 3:50 AM CDT

UN: Syria Is the New Rwanda

Refugee crisis worst since 1994

(Newser) - An average of 6,000 Syrians are fleeing their war-ravaged country every day, causing the world's worst refugee crisis since the Rwandan genocide, the United Nations warns. The UN's refugee chief says the outflow of refugees has escalated at "a frightening rate" since the beginning of this...

Syrian Rebels Turn on Each Other

Infighting breaks out amongst moderates and Islamic extremists

(Newser) - Syrian rebel groups are no longer just battling government forces; some are now fighting a second front: other rebel groups. Infighting has broken out amongst the rebels, with the Western-aligned Free Syrian Army clashing with al-Qaeda-aligned groups the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, reports the AP . There has been...

Congress Blocks US Arms for Syrian Rebels: Report

Sources say intelligence committees are freezing funding to send weapons

(Newser) - Both House and Senate intelligence committees have voted to stop sending military aid to Syrian rebels by freezing the funding intended to ship arms, sources say. According to the Hill , the decision was made last month, amid fears that the weapons would end up in the hands of Islamist militants....

After Huge Beirut Bombing, Rocks Fly at Minister

A hundred Hezbollah supporters march in protest

(Newser) - A car bomb rocked a stronghold of the Shiite militant Hezbollah group in a bustling suburb of Beirut today, setting several cars on fire and wounding 37 people in a major security breach of a tightly-guarded area, security officials said. When Interior Minister Marwan Charbel came to inspect the scene,...

Death of Michigan Woman in Syria Cloaked in Mystery

Nicole Mansfield's family says it still lacks answers

(Newser) - Nicole Mansfield died a month ago in Syria. Probably. A pro-Syrian government news agency reported the 33-year-old's death in May, but her family members have yet to receive confirmation that she was indeed killed in fighting; they've gotten no death certificate, no body, and few answers, cousin Deidra...

Newest Arab Idol Is Palestinian Refugee

Politics takes center stage on a very different version of 'Idol'

(Newser) - For all the tears shed by American Idol contestants over their emotional "journeys" and "struggles," America's wannabes have nothing on the winner of this year's Arab Idol: 22-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Assaf, who grew up in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. He had to...

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