Bashar al-Assad

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Russia Halting Arms Exports to Syria

Meanwhile, Annan and Assad 'agree on approach' to conflict

(Newser) - Russia will stop selling weapons to Syrian authorities until the conflict in the country simmers down, a senior official says. So far, he tells Russian news agencies, Moscow has simply been sending spare parts to the Syrian army and helping with repairs, not sending fighter planes or helicopters. From here...

Annan in Syria for Talks With Assad

UN envoy arrives as Clinton warns time is running out

(Newser) - Kofi Annan is on the ground in Syria, with a spokesman confirming that the UN special envoy has arrived in Damascus and will meet with embattled President Bashar al-Assad. Annan's arrival comes a day after he admitted to Le Monde that his six-point peace plan "had failed,"...

Clinton: Russia, China 'Should Pay a Price' on Syria

She calls for Beijing, Moscow to get involved at 'Friends of Syria' meeting

(Newser) - At a "Friends of Syria" meeting today in Paris, Hillary Clinton called in strong terms for Russia and China to "get off the sidelines" and intervene in Syria. "I don’t think Russia and China believe they are paying any price at all for standing up for...

Member of Assad's Inner Circle Defects

General's defection a sign regime may be falling apart

(Newser) - Is Bashar al-Assad's regime starting to crumble? The Syrian leader's staying power has been credited to the resilience of his inner circle (in contrast to Moammar Gadhafi's), but one of the regime's main figures has reportedly defected to Turkey. Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass is a close...

WikiLeaks Dumps 2.4M Syria Emails

Emails come from politicians, companies, government ministries

(Newser) - The latest from WikiLeaks: some 2.4 million Syrian emails that, the organization says, "shine a light on the inner workings of the Syrian government and economy" while also revealing "how the West and Western companies say one thing and do another." CNN notes that the emails,...

Fires Blaze Along Syria-Turkey Border

Turkish state TV accuses Syrian forces of starting them

(Newser) - The latest trouble to hit Syria: Fires, apparently started deliberately, are blazing along the border with Turkey. Turkish firefighters are battling the flames as strong winds caused them to cross the border and spread into Turkey, the AP reports. Turkey's state-run TV blames Syrian forces for starting the fires...

Downed Turkish Pilots Found in Seabed

Discovered by US deep-sea exploration vessel

(Newser) - The bodies of two pilots whose jet was shot down by Syria have been found in the seabed, according to Turkey's military. State-run TRT television says a US deep-sea exploration vessel found the bodies in the eastern Mediterranean today. Sky News notes that the Turkish military is currently working...

Syria Running 'Torture Archipelago': Rights Group

Detainees beaten, burned, electrocuted, sexually assaulted

(Newser) - Bashar al-Assad's regime has been running a "torture archipelago," Human Rights Watch alleged today, documenting vicious abuses at a string of 27 Syrian detention facilities. The New York-based group interviewed more than 200 former detainees and Syrian defectors, who say prisoners were routinely beaten with batons and...

Assad on Turkish Jet: 'I Wish We Did Not Shoot It Down'

Syrian president calls event an 'isolated incident'

(Newser) - Apparently Bashar al-Assad isn't relishing his standoff with Turkey. In an interview published in a Turkish newspaper today, Assad said he "100%" regretted shooting down a Turkish jet and would "not allow" the incident "to turn into open combat," the BBC reports. He said the...

Syrian General, 84 Soldiers Defect to Turkey

Arab League urges opposition to unite at Cairo conference

(Newser) - A Syrian general and 84 other soldiers have fled to Turkey in one of the largest mass defections since the Syrian uprising began. The group, which has joined some 2,000 other former members of the Syrian military in a refugee camp in southern Turkey, included a colonel, lieutenant colonel,...

World Powers Approve 'Last-Ditch' Syria Plan

President Bashar al-Assad could be part of transitional government

(Newser) - Delegates from world powers approved a plan today to end fighting in Syria and support a transitional government that may or may not include President Bashar al-Assad, CNN reports. The first step: Both sides in the Syria conflict will be asked to recommit to a ceasefire. Then the UN and...

US Intel on Downed Jet: Turkey's Story Rings False

US finds plane was likely shot down while still in Syrian airspace

(Newser) - Turkey is sticking to its story: Syria shot down one of its jets on June 22 in international airspace, and did so far enough from Syria that the plane couldn't have been felled by an antiaircraft gun. US intelligence, however, indicates the very opposite may have happened, reports the...

190 Killed in Syria Uprising's Bloodiest Day

As tanks mass on the border with Turkey

(Newser) - As many as 190 are believed to have been killed in Syria yesterday, including up to 139 civilians, in what activists said was deadliest day of the uprising so far. Casualties poured in from across the country as Bashar al-Assad's forces clashed with the opposition Free Syrian Army, but...

Turkey Deploys Troops to Syrian Border

As Russia denies reports it wants Bashar al-Assad out

(Newser) - Turkey is apparently not turning the other cheek, with the country's media today reporting that a military deployment is en route to its border with Syria. A dozen trucks and short-range antiaircraft missiles are making their way toward the south-central Kilis Province, which contains both a military base and...

Assad: Syria Is in State of 'Real War'

3 killed as gunmen storm pro-Assad TV station

(Newser) - After more than a year of describing the uprising against his rule as the work of scattered militant groups, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad now says the country is at war. "We are in a state of real war, in every aspect of the words, and when we're in...

Assad May Be Offered Clemency Deal

Syrian leader could get invite to Geneva peace talks

(Newser) - To end the conflict in Syria, American and British officials are considering offering Bashar al-Assad safe passage to peace talks in Geneva and a chance to avoid being prosecuted for his regime's crimes against civilians if he gives up power, according to the Guardian . "It is hard to...

Cameron Says Putin Ready to Ditch Assad, But...

...Russians say PM's remarks 'don't correspond to reality'

(Newser) - After a G20 meeting with Vladimir Putin, Brit Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters that the Russian leader had made it "explicit" that he's ready for Bashar al-Assad to go. There are "differences over how the transition should take place," but "it is welcome that...

Obama, Putin: Syria Violence Must End

Two leaders meet on sidelines of the G20

(Newser) - President Obama and Vladimir Putin agreed today on the need for a political process in Syria to prevent civil war in the violence-torn country in a much-awaited one-on-one meeting at the G20. The two leaders met for two hours, and emerged emphasizing their commonalities. Highlights:
  • On Syria: Obama said that
...

Russian Warships Head to Syria
 Russian Warships Head to Syria 

Russian Warships Head to Syria

Sent to protect local Russian nationals: insider

(Newser) - Russia is planning to send a pair of warships to Syria "outside of their schedule," according to Russian news; their reported aim is to protect Russian nationals. The ships will journey to the port city of Tartus, home to a Russian naval base, the AFP reports. On board...

11 Dead as Syria Shells Homs
 11 Dead as Syria Shells Homs 

11 Dead as Syria Shells Homs

'Clear escalation' since UN pullout, say activists

(Newser) - A day after the UN abandoned its mission in Syria , Bashar al-Assad's troops are turning up the heat in Homs, riddling the city with shelling that activists say has killed at least 11 so far. "Around 85% of Homs is now under shelling or bombardment with mortar rounds...

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