Syria

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

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Syria's Chemical Arsenal: Bigger Than Thought?

Intelligence officials worry they can't secure it all

(Newser) - It's no secret that Syria's Bashar al-Assad has stockpiled a major cache of chemical weapons, but the Washington Post suggests that Assad has an ever bigger arsenal than previously thought. Two officials who have seen new intelligence reports tell the newspaper that the stockpile is not only bigger,...

Putin Explains Why Group Sex Is Great

 Putin Explains Why 
 Group Sex Is Great 
Interview
Sep 6, 2012 10:15 AM CDT

Putin Explains Why Group Sex Is Great

...something about not having to 'hit the ball all the time'

(Newser) - Ladies of Russia, take note: Vladimir Putin might just be into orgies. In an interview with Russia Today , Putin threw out an off-handed comment on the upside of group sex while discussing Pussy Riot, the Telegraph notes. Putin says that Pussy Riot—which he faults for making "everyone say...

US to Iraq: Inspect Iranian Planes en Route to Syria

Officials say planes are carrying weapons for regime

(Newser) - If Iraq is going to let Iran fly over its airspace to get to Syria, then it's going to have to inspect Iranian planes to ensure they're not smuggling weapons to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops, the Obama administration said yesterday. American officials tell the New York ...

Iran Supplying Syrian Regime via Iraq Airspace

Flights continue despite US objections

(Newser) - The Iraqi government is doing nothing to stop Iran from using its airspace for flights to supply the Syrian regime, reports the New York Times . Flights paused for a while earlier this year after the US pressured Iraq, but they resumed in July and have continued since, despite objections from...

Assad Backers Hack al-Jazeera

Hackers slam news agency for 'spreading lies'

(Newser) - Al-Jazeera's website got hacked today by loyalists to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, opposition activists say. The hackers posted a Syrian flag on the site, blaming the Qatar-based news agency for backing "armed terrorist groups and spreading lies and fabricated news." The website appeared to be back up...

Record 100K Fled Syria Last Month: UN

And that's just the registered asylum seekers

(Newser) - Not only was August Syria's deadliest month yet , it was also the month that saw the highest number of refugees fleeing the country since the uprising began. Some 103,416 people "sought asylum in neighboring countries" last month, according to the UN, bringing the total number of registered...

5K Die in August, Syria's Deadliest Month Yet

Gov't use of air power greatly stepped up violence, say rebels

(Newser) - With the Syrian government now using air power against rebels, the civil war keeps getting bloodier: Anti-regime activists say about 5,000 people were killed in August alone, reports the AP . Another report by UNICEF put the death toll at 1,600 just for last week, the worst single week...

Is This the Moment for a Greater Kurdistan?
Is This the Moment
for a Greater Kurdistan?
OPINION
Sep 2, 2012 3:03 AM CDT

Is This the Moment for a Greater Kurdistan?

Unrest in Syria strengthening Kurds position around region

(Newser) - With Syria mired in civil war, Iraq still unstable, and Iran and Turkey watching warily, could this be the last, best chance for a "Greater Kurdistan?" asks Pepe Escobar at al-Jazeera . The two major Kurdish parties in Syria have already come together to run the country's northeast, in...

Syria Holding US Journalist in Custody

Freelancer Austin Tice got captured two weeks ago

(Newser) - A freelance US journalist who has been reporting from Syria since May has been in the custody of Syrian troops for about two weeks, reports the Washington Post . Austin Tice, 31, apparently got captured near Damascus, though Syrian officials haven't responded to US inquiries. The Czech government's ambassador...

Angered by Egypt, Syrians Storm Out of Summit

Mohamed Morsi praises Syrian uprising at Nonaligned Movement Summit

(Newser) - Egypt's new president arrived in Iran today for a historic visit, the AP reports—and he promptly sparked a walkout at the Nonaligned Movement Summit. Mohamed Morsi, the first Egyptian leader to visit Iran since Tehran cut diplomatic relations with Egypt in 1979 over its peace treaty with Israel,...

Assad Rains Leaflets on Damascus: 'Surrender or Die'

In interview, he suggests he's dug in for the long haul

(Newser) - Syrian government helicopters rained fliers across Damascus yesterday telling rebels to surrender or "die a dishonorable death." One of the fliers was a "safe passage card," promising humane treatment for fighters who showed up at a checkpoint unarmed, the Washington Post reports. Rebels fear the fliers...

Hundreds of Iranian Soldiers Bound for Syria: Sources

As Syrian jets strike Damascus suburbs

(Newser) - Egypt's new president, Mohamed Morsi, has joined the growing global calls for regime change in Syria. "Now is the time to stop this bloodshed and for the Syrian people to regain their full rights and for this regime that kills its people to disappear from the scene,"...

Hollande to Syria Rebels: Form a Gov't

France will recognize provisional body in move to oust Assad

(Newser) - French President Francois Hollande urged Syria's divided opposition today to form an "inclusive and representative" provisional government, promising that France would recognize it in hope of accelerating the departure of President Bashar Assad's regime as violence escalates. "We are including our Arab partners to accelerate this...

&#39;Smell of Death&#39; Permeates Daraya

 'Smell of Death' 
 Permeates Daraya 
syrian uprising
Aug 27, 2012 8:28 AM CDT

'Smell of Death' Permeates Daraya

Meanwhile, rebels say they shot down government copter as revenge

(Newser) - A government helicopter crashed today in Damascus, with rebel groups claiming they shot it down. "It was in revenge for the Daraya massacre," a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army told AFP . A video posted online shows the burning helicopter falling to the ground, reports the AP . Syria'...

Syrian Rebels Report New 200+ Massacre

More than 200 executed by Syrian forces in Daraya

(Newser) - Another grisly massacre is being reported from Syria today, with activists saying that more than 200 bodies killed execution-style have been discovered in Daraya, a blue-collar Sunni town southwest of Damascus, reports Reuters . Government tanks swept into Daraya on Aug. 23 , killing many, and were apparently followed by house-to-house raids...

Damascus Wakes Up to Bodies in Street
 Damascus Wakes Up 
 to Bodies in Street 
Syrian Uprising
Aug 24, 2012 10:31 AM CDT

Damascus Wakes Up to Bodies in Street

Fighting intense in capital

(Newser) - Syrian regime tanks swept into a Damascus suburb yesterday, killing 25 people and wounding 200 more, opposition activists said today. Government forces met with little resistance there, Reuters reports; rebels had already cleared out of the town. Damascus isn't getting as much press as Aleppo , but it's become...

Why US Special Ops Might Enter Syria

If regime falls, they're part of Pentagon plan to secure chemical weapons

(Newser) - If the Syrian regime falls, the US plans to deploy troops to stop its chemical weapons from becoming a first-come, first-served bonanza for insurgent groups, senior officials say. Plans are in place to secure the sites if necessary, a move that would probably involve teams of special forces operatives entering...

Obama: Chemical Weapons a 'Red Line' in Syria

He also defends tax return attacks on Romney as 'standard stuff'

(Newser) - President Obama gave perhaps the strongest indication yet today that the US is prepared to use military force in Syria. In a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room, Obama said he has not ordered military action "at this point," but that he hadn't ruled it...

UN Observers Leave Syria
 UN Observers Leave Syria 
Aug 20, 2012 7:52 AM CDT

UN Observers Leave Syria

Four-month mission a bust, and violence continues

(Newser) - The UN's Syria observer mission officially ended last night, and monitors were seen leaving today after their four months in the country failed to bring an end to the violence. The last monitors should be out by Friday, leaving just a small liaison office in Damascus, Reuters reports. But...

Air France Crew to Fliers: Could You Chip in for Gas?

Air France plane makes unscheduled Syria landing

(Newser) - Travel nightmare No. 1: Your flight out of Paris makes an unscheduled stop in the volatile capital of ... Syria. And No. 2: Your crew asks passengers to help cover the cost of refueling. That's what happened to Air France Flight 562 on Wednesday, when tensions near its destination—the...

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