Syrian civil war

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Syria Using Militias for Mass Killings: UN

As more than 2.5M displaced by civil war

(Newser) - The latest travesty the Syrian government has been accused of: using local militias to carry out mass killings. UN human rights investigators say these "Popular Committees" commit killings that sometimes have "sectarian overtones," Reuters reports. (The rebels in Syria are mainly Sunni Muslims, while President Bashar al-Assad...

49 Syrian and Iraqi Troops Killed in Border Ambush

Fears increase that civil war will spill over into Iraq

(Newser) - At least 42 Syrian soldiers and seven Iraqi soldiers were killed in an ambush near a border crossing in Iraq today, sharpening fears that Syria's civil war could spill into Iraq and destabilize the region, the AP reports. The Syrian soldiers ( Reuters reports the group also included government...

In Sea Change, Saudis Arming Syrian Opposition

Plus, opposition agrees to attend international summit

(Newser) - A big shift in the Syrian conflict: Saudi Arabia is arming the opposition. It's a decidedly more activist approach than had previously been taken by regional and Western powers, the New York Times reports, and it signals an attempt to counter the weapons Iran is sending to Bashar al-Assad'...

Syrian Coalition OKs New Gov't, Rebels Grab Nuke Plant

Leader will be chosen within 10 days: coalition member

(Newser) - Syria's leading opposition group agreed today to establish a transitional government at the same time rebels said they had taken over the nuclear facility that Israel bombed in 2007, the Jerusalem Post reports. A top member of the Syrian National Coalition said the group will choose a leader within...

Huge Blast Rocks Damascus
 Huge Blast Rocks Damascus 
Feb 21, 2013 7:46 AM CST

Huge Blast Rocks Damascus

Kids dead, Russian embassy damaged

(Newser) - A powerful car bomb exploded in central Damascus today, blowing out the windows of the Russian embassy, and killing at least some children at a nearby school. The bomb detonated at a security checkpoint between the embassy and the Baath Party Headquarters, the BBC reports. Activists say at least 31...

65 Bodies Found With Hands Bound in Syria

Meanwhile, rebels take regime intelligence compound

(Newser) - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is reporting what it calls a "new massacre" near Aleppo. At least 65 people have been found dead, all apparently shot in the head, and all with their arms tied behind their backs, Reuters reports. The death toll could rise as high as...

Assad&#39;s Wife Pregnant
 Assad's Wife Pregnant 
Jan 29, 2013 12:37 AM CST

Assad's Wife Pregnant

Syrian leader's wife expecting 4th child, Lebanese paper says

(Newser) - Bashar al-Assad has taken time out of his schedule extinguishing thousands of lives to create a new one, at least according to a Lebanese paper sympathetic to the Syrian leader. The paper mentioned the pregnancy of Assad's wife, Asma, in an article that described the leader as confident of...

As Syria Unravels, Israel Threatens Hit on Chemical Weapons

Chemical arsenal won't be allowed to fall into Hezbollah's hands, officials warn

(Newser) - Israel has warned that it will launch a strike to prevent Syrian chemical weapons from falling into the hands of Hezbollah or other extremists, the AP reports. Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom told reporters that top security officials met last week to discuss the threat Syria's chemical weapons pose....

Syria Opposition Again Can't Form Government

Second attempt by Syrian National Coalition fails

(Newser) - Two months after Syria's fractious opposition movement came together to form the Syrian National Coalition , a second attempt to form a transitional government has failed. SNC leaders said Istanbul talks broke up with no agreement on an interim prime minister to run opposition-held areas, Reuters reports. It's yet...

106 Dead in New Syria Massacre

Burned bodies point to pro-Assad militia

(Newser) - Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appear to have carried out another massacre, killing 106 people in Homs this week, reports Reuters . While it is unclear whether the killings were done by the Syrian military or a militia loyal to Assad, activists pointed out Homs has been the center...

Rape a &#39;Weapon of War&#39; in Syria
 Rape a 'Weapon of War' in Syria 
Jan 14, 2013 7:32 AM CST

Rape a 'Weapon of War' in Syria

And a main reason people are fleeing the country, activist group says

(Newser) - Rape is "a significant and disturbing feature of the Syrian civil war," and a major reason refugees are fleeing the country, according to a report released today by a US-based activist group. The International Rescue Committee interviewed refugees in Lebanon and Jordan, and found that many identified rape...

Syria's Chemical Weapons Sparked Global Unity

'New York Times' takes a look at international response

(Newser) - The New York Times today takes a behind-the-scenes look at the Syria chemical weapons scare that erupted in early December . Israel first contacted the Pentagon in late November, concerned by satellite images showing Syrian troops likely making sarin gas bombs . That call sparked a rare show of cooperation between countries...

Nervous Israel Plans Syria Border Fence

Extremists moving to border area, Netanyahu warns

(Newser) - Israel is building a new security fence along the entire length of its disputed border with Syria in the Golan Heights, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced. With an election less than three weeks away, Netanyahu's Likud-Beiteinu ticket is losing votes to the far-right Jewish Home party and he...

UN: True Number Killed in Syria a 'Shocking' 60K

Dozens killed in gas station attack today

(Newser) - A new UN analysis finds that at least 60,000 people have died in the Syria conflict, a "much higher" number than was expected and one that is "truly shocking," says the UN human rights commissioner. The exhaustive, months-long study compiled data from seven sources to come...

UN Envoy: Syria Faces 'Hell' Without Deal

Lakhdar Brahimi warns of dire consequences if solution isn't reached soon

(Newser) - UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is warning that a political solution must be reached in the Syrian crisis, lest the nation ravaged by a 21-month-old civil war tumble "into more and more chaos and perhaps a failed state." Speaking in Moscow where he's negotiating, Brahimi said the world...

Syria's Chief of Military Police Defects, Joins Opposition

Latest high-profile defection another setback to Assad regime

(Newser) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad suffered another high-profile defection last night, as the head of the Syrian military police declared he had switched to the rebels, reports the Guardian . Major General Abdul-Aziz Jassem al-Shallal said he was joining the "people's revolution" on al-Arabiya TV, although it was unclear when...

Syria Bombs Refugee Camp
 Syria Bombs Refugee Camp 
Dec 16, 2012 8:42 AM CST

Syria Bombs Refugee Camp

Unknown number dead in Damascus refuge for Palestinians

(Newser) - Fighter jets belonging to the regime of Bashar al-Assad have bombed a Damascus refugee camp today amid heavy fighting with rebels. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights tells the BBC that at least eight are dead in the al-Yarmouk refugee camp, which is home to mainly Palestinian refugees; Reuters, meanwhile,...

Russia Admits Syria Regime Is 'Losing Control'

Opposition may win, deputy foreign minister says

(Newser) - For the first time, Russia—a staunch Syria ally—has admitted President Bashar al-Assad's government may fall. His forces are "losing more and more control and territory," Russia's deputy foreign minister said today. "Unfortunately, we cannot rule out the victory of the Syrian opposition."...

Syrian Rebels Overrun Aleppo Base

35 troops killed in latest rebel advance

(Newser) - Syrian rebels are now in full control of a sprawling military base they stormed two days earlier and have killed 35 government troops in the fighting, an activist group says. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the battle for the Sheik Suleiman base near the northern city of...

How Weapons Went to Libya Radicals—With US OK

US gave Qatar approval to arm rebels, but...

(Newser) - Weapons shipped by Qatar to rebels in Libya—with US approval—also made their way into the hands of radical Islamic militants during last year's uprisings, reports the New York Times . US officials grew concerned as evidence mounted that Qatar was also delivering weapons to extremists, and officials say...

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