Syria

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

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Turkey Deploys Tanks as Syria Tension Continues

PM accuses UN of repeating Bosnia mistakes

(Newser) - Tension between Turkey and Syria continues to increase, and yesterday Turkey moved tanks and missile-defense systems to the border hills overlooking Syria, Bloomberg reports, citing state-run media. Turkey had earlier scrambled jet fighters when a Syrian helicopter got close to the border. "Turkey will retaliate if Syria violates its...

Rebels, Jihadists Capture Syrian Air Base

Following the deadliest day regime forces have yet suffered

(Newser) - Syrian rebels, fighting alongside Islamist militants, captured a regime air defense base near Aleppo today after an overnight battle, Haaretz reports. The group, dubbed Jabhat al-Nusra, has ties to al-Qaeda, and has claimed responsibility for a number of bombings since the uprising began. Rebels were also fighting today to hold...

Turkey Forces Syrian Jet to Land

Passengers detained briefly over suspected military cargo

(Newser) - Relations between Syria and Turkey got even more volatile today when Turkish fighter jets forced a Syrian passenger plane to land in Ankara, reports the BBC . Turkish officials detained the plane and passengers briefly and confiscated suspected military cargo. They wouldn't specify what came off the plane, which was...

2 Detained Brits May Have Helped Syrian Extremists

Two 20-somethings arrested at Heathrow

(Newser) - Two 26-year-old Brits detained at Heathrow last night may have been involved in the kidnapping of two journalists in Syria, authorities say. Both are being held on suspicion of supporting terrorist activity, report the BBC and the Guardian . Another intriguing detail from Sky News : One of them is reportedly a...

Eyes on Syria, US Military Now in Jordan

Outpost is closest American presence to Syria

(Newser) - The US military now has a presence in Jordan, less than 35 miles from the Syrian border, that it secretly set up this summer; more than 150 specialists are stationed there. Right now, the mission is focused on helping Jordan deal with tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, but it'...

NATO Ready to Defend Turkey in Syria Conflict

Border conflict continues for sixth day

(Newser) - As Turkey continued firing back at Syria for a sixth day today after a Syrian shell crossed the border and killed five civilians last week, NATO says it is prepared to defend Turkey. The alliance has "all necessary plans in place to protect and defend Turkey if necessary,"...

Romney on Middle East: 'Hope Is Not a Strategy'

Candidate attacks Obama in 'major' foreign policy speech

(Newser) - Seeking to shore up his foreign policy credentials, Mitt Romney delivered a major speech today in Virginia attacking President Obama's performance overseas and outlining his own plans. "The president hopes for a safer, freer, and a more prosperous Middle East," Romney declared, according to the Washington Post...

Turkey Tells Syria: We're Close to War

But analysts doubt PM Erdogan will go that far

(Newser) - After two days of shelling Syria, Turkey rattled its sabers today with a warning that full-out war was around the corner, Reuters reports. "We are not interested in war, but we're not far from war either," Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told a crowd in Istanbul. "...

Turkey OKs Military Ops in Syria as Shelling Continues

Syria apologizes for civilian deaths

(Newser) - Turkey continued shelling Syria for a second day today, reportedly killing several government soldiers, after Syrian shells killed at least five civilians in a Turkish border town yesterday. In what a prime minister's aide calls a warning to Syria, Turkey's parliament today authorized military operations inside Syria, even...

Turkey Shells Syria After Border Town Gets Hit

Turkish official calls it 'last straw' as NATO prepares to meet

(Newser) - Syria has all it can do to keep rebels at bay, but its problems may have just gotten bigger. Turkey today said it launched artillery attacks on Syrian targets after Syrian shells struck a Turkish border town and killed at least five civilians, reports al-Jazeera . "The latest event was...

Four Blasts in Aleppo Kill 40
 Four Blasts in Aleppo Kill 40 

Four Blasts in Aleppo Kill 40

Explosions only minutes apart rock volatile Syrian city

(Newser) - Four separate explosions rocked the Syrian city of Aleppo today, claiming at least 40 lives and wounding more than 90 others in a government-controlled district where rebels have been clashing with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, reports Reuters by way of the country's state-run news agency. Three of...

Missing US Reporter Surfaces in Video

Presumed hostage Austin Tice marched up hill by masked crew

(Newser) - A US journalist missing for close to two months in Syria has appeared in a video apparently showing him being held hostage by a gang of masked gunmen. The 47-second clip, posted on YouTube, opens with shaky footage of a convoy of three vehicles in mountain terrain, then cuts to...

Syria Bulldozes Homes in Hama

Thousands forced out; clashes continue in Damascus

(Newser) - Syrian government forces are bulldozing large swaths of homes in Hama in a sweep that's uprooting thousands of residents, according to new videos. "So far they have razed 120 buildings," says one local. City blocks are being plowed over as officials go door-to-door asking residents to leave,...

Syria Fire Ravages Centuries-Old Market

Aleppo's medieval shops going up in flames

(Newser) - Fires sparked by clashes between government troops and rebels raged through the medieval marketplace of Aleppo today, destroying hundreds of shops lining the vaulted passageways where foods, fabrics, perfumes, and spices have been sold for centuries. Some described the overnight blaze as the worst blow yet to a historic district...

Reporter Killed by Sniper in Syria During Live Broadcast

As military HQ is hit by 2 explosions

(Newser) - Damascus has been rocked by bombings for the past two days, with at least two large blasts hitting Syria's military headquarters there this morning. The Free Syrian Army claimed responsibility for the attack, said to be the largest since July explosions killed President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law and other...

Syrian Regime Attacks Schools, Tortures Kids: UN

Meanwhile, Iran allegedly used Iraqi airspace to send weapons to Assad

(Newser) - Forces for the Syrian regime have attacked schools, tortured and sexually assaulted children, and denied boys and girls access to hospitals, the UN's envoy for Children and Armed Conflict told the Security Council yesterday—adding that the torture and sexual violence can go for weeks, CNN reports. Rebels aren'...

Syrian Jets Hit Lebanon
 Syrian Jets Hit Lebanon 

Syrian Jets Hit Lebanon

Worst cross-border violation since unrest began

(Newser) - Missiles fired by Syrian warplanes hit Lebanese territory today in one of the most serious cross-border violations since Syria's crisis began 18 months ago, security officials in Beirut and Lebanese state media said. The officials said four missiles fired by two Syrian jets hit a rugged and remote area...

In Beirut, Benedict Pleads for Syria Peace

'I appeal to you all to be peacemakers,' pontiff tells restive region

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI made a sweeping appeal today for peace in Syria and the Middle East, decrying the violence "which generates so much suffering." Speaking at an open-air Mass before a huge crowd in Beirut, he urged the international community and Arab countries in particular to find a...

Romney Aides Lay Out Tough Foreign Policy

And imply Obama is responsible for ambassador's death

(Newser) - Mitt Romney's aides are using the crisis in the Middle East as a backdrop to flesh out their candidate's foreign policy, and it's a hawkish one, the New York Times reports. Aides said that if Mitt Romney had been president over the past four years…
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Al-Qaeda to All Muslims: Overthrow Assad

Zawahiri video says al-Qaeda should focus on Palestinian plight

(Newser) - Ayman al-Zawahiri has issued a video commemorating the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, in which he renews his call for all Muslims to support the revolution in Syria, and accuses the US of propping up Bashar al-Assad's regime. "Supporting jihad in Syria to establish a Muslim state...

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