Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Syria



apr 29


  • It was the first time that the Brotherhood, ruthlessly crushed along with secular leftist movements under the rule of late President Hafez al-Assad, had called directly for protests in Syria since pro-democracy demonstrations against Assad 's son, President Bashar al-Assad, erupted six weeks ago. Reuters International
  • The only clouds on the horizon: the threat of rain and the intrusion of politics, with the British government revoking an invitation to Syria 's ambassador to condemn a deadly crackdown on protesters that has left hundreds dead. Orange County Register
  • Deraa is the southern city in which political protests began in Syria six weeks ago. BBC Top Stories
  • The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday that a target destroyed by Israeli warplanes in the Syrian desert in 2007 was a covertly built nuclear reactor, countering assertions by Syria. New York Times, World
  • in intervening in Libya and calling for Muammar Gaddafi to step down from power, he has not done the same in Syria. Daily Beast Blogs and Stories
  • And they have to do this while winding down two very expensive wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, trying to help finish the mission in Libya, preparing for possible conflicts anywhere from Syria to North Korea, all the while trying to figure out how things will settle down in the Mideast. CNN Most Popular
  • Hundreds of Syrian women and children have crossed into northern Lebanon, fleeing violence in Syria. LA Times World News
  • Syria: Britain on Thursday revoked its royal-wedding invitation to Syrian Ambassador Sami Khiyami because of the violent attacks on protesters by the government back home in Syria. Seattle Times full feed
  • More than 450 people have been killed across Syria and hundreds detained since the popular revolt against President Bashar Assad began in mid-March. Seattle Times


  • jun 5


  • As pro-democracy activists begin their fourth month of protests in Syria, a movement that began in the relative daylight of the Internet is increasingly taking the form of older insurrections, characterized by secrecy and suspicion. Daily Beast Blogs and Stories
  • In 1967, war erupted in the Mideast as Israel raided military aircraft parked on the ground in Egypt; Syria, Jordan and Iraq entered the conflict. Washington Post National
  • Borders with Syria, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank were quiet in the early morning, and over the weekend, Palestinians in Syria and Lebanon canceled plans to march to their frontiers with Israel. AP Top Headlines
  • Borders with Syria, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank were quiet in the early morning, and over the weekend, Palestinians in Syria and Lebanon canceled plans to march to their frontiers with Israel. Fox News Top Headlines
  • Borders with Syria, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank were quiet in the early morning, and over the weekend, Palestinians in Syria and Lebanon canceled plans to march to their frontiers with Israel. MSNBC Top Headlines
  • Israeli forces opened fire on Sunday as Palestinian protesters in Syria approached an Israeli border fence on the occupied Golan Heights, a Reuters witness said. Reuters Top News
  • Borders with Syria, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank were quiet in the early morning, and over the weekend, Palestinians in Syria and Lebanon canceled plans to march to their frontiers with Israel. Fox News Top Headlines
  • 10.19am: Some other news just coming in: Reuters reports that Israeli security forces have shot dead two Palestinian protesters near the border with Syria. Guardian World
  • Sunday 's unrest came on the anniversary of the 1967 Mideast war, in which Israel captured the Golan from Syria, along with the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. ABC News Top Stories
  • MAJDAL SHAMS, Golan Heights ( Reuters ) - Israeli forces opened fire on Sunday as Palestinian demonstrators in Syria neared an Israeli border fence on the Golan Heights in a protest marking the 44th anniversary of the 1967 Middle East war. Reuters International
  • Israeli soldiers have opened fired on pro-Palestinian protesters in Syria as they marched on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. BBC Top Stories
  • Israeli forces fired on Palestinian protesters in Syria as they approached the border fence on the Golan Heights on Sunday. Daily Beast Cheat Sheet


  • aug 8


  • Saudi king recalls ambassador and demands end to Syria bloodshed Guardian World
  • Credit: Reuters CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT OF THE VIDEO FROM WHICH THIS STILL IMAGE WAS TAKEN Protesters march while holding banners in Qamishli, northeast Syria, in this undated still image taken from amateur video, made available to Reuters on August 5, 2011. Reuters International
  • The Syrian military launched another assault on the country 's most restive locales Sunday, deploying dozens of tanks and armored vehicles into parts of a city in eastern Syria that it had long feared provoking, said activists and residents. Seattle Times full feed
  • Both groups condemned the violence in Syria for the first time over the weekend. LA Times World News
  • Protesters march while holding banners in Qamishli, northeast Syria, in this undated still image taken from amateur video, made available to Reuters on August 5, 2011. Reuters International
  • Syria 's Arab neighbors have forcefully joined the international chorus of condemnation against the regime for the first time. Fox News World
  • No outside enemy could do as much damage to Syria as Bashar Al-Assad has done. Huffington Post Full Feed
  • But in a sign of growing outrage, Syria 's Arab neighbours joined that chorus of criticism, voicing their concerns of a crackdown that intensified o the eve of the holy month of Ramadan, a time of introspection and piety characterized by a dawn-to-dusk fast. CBC Top Stories
  • The city is in an oil-rich, but largely impoverished region of Syria known for its well-armed clans and tribes whose ties extend across eastern Syrian and into Iraq. NPR News Headlines


  • aug 19


  • Syrian President Bashar Assad addresses a meeting of his Baath Party in Damascus, Syria, on Aug. 17. NPR News Headlines
  • Friday protests expected in Syria after world leaders call for Bashar al-Assad to step down. Guardian World
  • ( Bassem Tellawi / Associated Press ) - In this photo taken on a government-organized tour, Syrian soldiers atop armored personnel carrier cheer on their way out of the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, Syria, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011. San Diego Union Tribune
  • Syrian President Bashar Assad addresses a meeting of his Baath Party in Damascus, Syria, on Aug. 17. NPR News Headlines
  • Demands by U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders that Syria 's president step down seem to have failed to halt the violence with reports Friday that security forces have killed two people and started a new campaign of arrests. CBC Top Stories
  • There has been no official reaction from Syria, though the state-controlled media has derided the move - often without making explicit reference to the call itself, our correspondent says. BBC Top Stories


  • nov 13


  • By suspending Syria, Arab League finally breaks from its past Washington Post Opinions
  • Now in an almost equally dramatic step, the League has voted to suspend Syria from its work in response to the continuing violence in the country. BBC World
  • Syria 's embattled regime called for an urgent Arab summit as it faced growing isolation Sunday, not only by the West but by its neighbors, over its bloody crackdown against an eight-month uprising. Boston Herald
  • Former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said the United States “should be working with Israel right now to do what they did in Syria, what they did in Iraq, which is take out that nuclear capability before the next explosion we hear in Iran is a nuclear one and then the world changes.” ABC News Top Stories
  • Syria 's leadership is under mounting pressure from other Arab states to halt its continuing violent repression of pro-democracy protests. BBC Top Stories
  • The suspects were carrying documents and a laptop " containing sensitive security information and details about some places and vital establishments in Bahrain, as well as airline bookings to Syria, " the spokesman 's statement said. CNN Most Popular
  • The suspects were carrying documents and a laptop " containing sensitive security information and details about some places and vital establishments in Bahrain, as well as airline bookings to Syria, " the spokesman 's statement said. CNN Top Stories
  • Pro-government demonstrations in Syria have brought thousands of people onto the streets to protest against its suspension from the Arab League. BBC Top Stories
  • The poison of weapon development has spread from North Korea to Libya, even to Syria, all regimes with the blood of their citizens on their hands. Guardian World
  • Syria called on Sunday for an emergency summit of Arab League heads of state, in an apparent attempt to thwart its decision to suspend Damascus for violently cracking down on protests. Toronto Sun News
  • TEHRAN ( Reuters ) - Iran said Sunday the Arab League 's decision to suspend Syria was unhelpful and played into the hands of foreign countries at a time when President Bashar al-Assad 's reforms should be given a chance. Reuters International


  • nov 14


  • Syria 's suspension from the Arab League leaves Assad isolated Guardian World
  • Iraq 's foreign minister on Monday insisted his country was not pressured into abstaining from a vote to suspend Syria from the Arab League, saying Baghdad does not take orders from others. Seattle Times full feed
  • Eighteen of the Arab League 's members voted on Saturday to suspend Syria over its failure to rein in the violence. CNN Top Stories
  • Tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees live in Syria, having fled Iraq during the years after the U.S.-led invasion when sectarian violence was rampant. Fox News World
  • Lavrov also said that Russia was against the Arab League 's decision to suspend Syria over attacks on protesters opposed to President Bashar Assad 's regime. Fox News World
  • Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem speaks during a press conference, in Damascus, Syria, on Monday Nov. 14, 2011. Seattle Post Intelligencer


  • nov 19


  • The Arab League plan, drawn up earlier this month, calls on Syria to withdraw tanks from restive cities, cease its attacks on protesters and engage in dialogue with the opposition within two weeks. BBC Top Stories
  • Hezbollah, also closely allied to Syria, boasts a heavy arsenal of rockets capable of reaching deep inside Israel. Fox News Top Headlines
  • The attacks on the town of Shezar in the central province of Hama and the restive Jabal al-Zawiya region near the Turkish border came a day after Syria agreed in principle to allow Arab observers into the country to oversee a peace plan proposed by the 22-member Arab League. Fox News World
  • Demonstrators against Syria 's President Bashar al-Assad take part in a march after Friday prayers in Kafranbel near Adlb November 18, 2011. Reuters International
  • " As you can see in the Arab states and also in Syria, there is some turmoil. Reuters International
  • Juppe said Paris is preparing to submit a resolution to the United Nations Security Council that would condemn Syria and possibly pave the way for increased sanctions. VOA News
  • " As a presidential candidate in 2008, he pledged to talk without preconditions to authoritarian regimes, but the approach has failed to yield benefits in Iran, Cuba, North Korea and Syria. LA Times World News
  • The Saudis were decisive backers of last weekend’s Arab League decision to suspend Syria’s membership (though they also supported the organization’s waffling decision Wednesday to send another mediation team to Damascus). Washington Post Opinions
  • Demonstrators across Syria chanted antigovernment slogans and called on foreign nations to expel Syrian ambassadors, a move that would further isolate Assad. LA Times World News
  • For Obama, Myanmar may represent the best hope for success in his policy of engagement with traditional U.S. foes, which has hit a brick wall with Iran, North Korea and Syria. Reuters Politics
  • Syria agreed in principle Friday to allow dozens of Arab observers into the country to oversee an Arab League peace plan that calls on the government to stop attacking demonstrators, pull tanks out of cities and begin negotiations with the opposition. Huffington Post Full Feed


  • nov 20


  • Syria's foreign minister has attacked the Arab League following its suspension of Damascus and says the organization is being used as a "tool" to take the Syrian crisis to the U.N. Security Council. The Guardian
  • Pro-Syrian regime protesters carry a huge portrait of Syrian President Bashar Assad during a demonstration to show their solidarity with their president, in Damascus, Syria, on Sunday Nov. 20, 2011. Boston Globe
  • A crackdown continues in Syria. NPR News Headlines
  • Condoleezza Rice: Syria 's Assad 'Is No Friend Of The United States' Huffington Post Full Feed
  • Insurgents in Syria have launched the most brazen attack yet on the seat of power in the capital Damascus, targeting the offices of the ruling Ba'ath party. Guardian World


  • nov 27


  • Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jasim, right, and Arab League secretary-general Nabil al-Arabi Nabil, left, chair the Arab League emergency session on Syria at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011. Huffington Post Full Feed
  • Syria 's pre-Assad past could be a reassuring omen for its future Guardian World
  • Arab League approves unprecedented sanctions on Syria over its crackdown on 8-month uprising. Seattle Times full feed
  • In this photo taken during a government-organized tour for the media, Syrian army officers carry the coffin of one of the 17 army members, including six elite pilots and four technical officers who the military said were killed in an ambush on Thursday during their funeral procession, in Homs province, Syria, on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011. Boston Globe
  • The Arab League overwhelmingly approved sanctions Sunday against Syria to pressure Damascus to end its deadly eight-month crackdown on dissent, an unprecedented move by the League against an Arab state. ABC News World
  • Then, the BBC takes us to Syria, where we get an exclusive look inside the armed uprising. ABC News Politics
  • The Arab League has approved sanctions against Syria to pressure the regime to end its deadly eight-month crackdown on dissent. NPR News Headlines


  • dec 3


  • Violence sweeping across Syria killed 25 people on Saturday, most of them in a battle between troops and a growing force of army defectors who have joined the movement to oust the autocratic ruler, President Bashar Assad, activists said. Huffington Post Full Feed
  • BEIRUT ( Reuters ) - Overnight clashes between security forces and army defectors in northern Syria left 12 soldiers and defectors and three civilians dead early on Saturday, activists said. Reuters International
  • Pro-Syrian regime protesters gather during a protest against sanctions, in Damascus, Syria, on Friday Dec. 2, 2011. ABC News World
  • He has urged Turkey to impose new sanctions on Iran, while praising Ankara for its role in pressuring Syria to stop its deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters. Boston Globe
  • Tunisia 's revolution inspired revolutions which ousted entrenched rulers in Libya and Egypt, as well as upheavals in Syria and Yemen. Reuters International
  • " Democratic revolutions, like the ones in Tunisia, in Egypt and Libya, and the ones still unfolding in Syria and Yemen are imbued. Reuters Politics
  • At least 18 people have been killed in Syria in further clashes between security forces and military defectors, according to an opposition group. Guardian World
  • BEIRUT ( Reuters ) - At least 15 people died in fierce fighting between security forces and army rebels in northern Syria early on Saturday, activists said, as violence intensified in the eighth month of unrest against President Bashar al-Assad. Reuters Top News


  • dec 7


  • File this under dictators in denial: Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad claims he isn’t responsible for Syria’s bloody crackdown, telling Barbara Walters a leader would have to be ‘crazy’ to kill his own people and that he doesn’t ‘feel guilty’ for what has happened. Daily Beast Most Recent
  • A defiant President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, speaking in a rare television interview broadcast on Wednesday, denied ordering the bloody crackdown that has convulsed his land for the past nine months and disputed a United Nations estimate that 4,000 people had been killed as protesters took to the streets of cities across his land demanding that he step down. New York Times, World
  • He described Syria 's membership of the UN as " a game we play ". BBC Top Stories
  • There are more reports of violence in Syria, the Arab League has requested that observers be allowed into the country CNN Top Stories
  • Assad, whose regime has been condemned by the West, the Arab League and former allies, dismissed suggestions that he step down and scoffed at sanctions being imposed on Syria. ABC News Top Stories
  • Syria 's president has denied he ordered the deadly crackdown on a nearly 9-month-old uprising, claiming he is not in charge of the troops behind the assault. ABC News World
  • Home: World: Syria 's Assad denies ordering deadly crackdown CTV News Latest
  • Another conservative daily, Mellat, said Iran may transfer intelligence from the drone to regional allies Syria and Lebanon 's militant Hezbollah group. CTV News Latest
  • There are more reports of violence in Syria, the Arab League has requested that observers be allowed into the country CNN Most Popular
  • Demonstrators protesting against Syria 's President Bashar al-Assad display a 1961-63 Syrian flag during a march through the streets after Friday prayers in Adlb December 2, 2011. Reuters Top News


  • dec 14


  • Army defectors have opened fire on a military convoy in central Syria, in retaliation for a deadly attack on a car carrying civilians, activists say. BBC Top Stories
  • Ms. Pillay briefed the 15-nation Security Council in a private session Tuesday on the latest developments in Syria and her comments deepened divisions between Western countries and Russia and China over how to respond to Mr. New York Times, World
  • The two satellite channels, owned by conservative Saudi and Qatari investors, have devoted elaborate coverage to uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria, in contrast with demonstrations closer to home in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Reuters Lifestyle
  • Demonstrators against Syria 's President Bashar al-Assad gather in Homs December 13, 2011. Reuters Top News
  • On President Obama 's watch, the Maliki government struck hundreds of opposition Parliamentary candidates off the ballot; violated the Iraqi Constitution 's principle that the party gaining the most Parliamentary seats has the right to form a government; kept the country in a state of suspended animation without a government for seven months; refused a non-sectarian coalition choosing instead coalition with the virulently anti-American Muqtada al-Sadr; has not appointed either a minister of defense or a minister of the interior, preferring to hold those powers himself; declined to join in Arab League sanction of Syria 's government; looked the other way as Shi-ia militia emerged that, according to GEN Austen, the commander in Iraq, parallel Hezbollah in Lebanon; and now has arrested hundreds of Sunni " coup plotters. NPR Opinion
  • The magazine mentions uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Britain, Spain, Greece—and of course, the U.S.’s own Occupy movement. Daily Beast Cheat Sheet
  • In this image taken from amateur video made available by Sham News Network in Syria on Tuesday Dec. 13, 2011, show burning cars after being attacked by Assad supporters in Homs Syria, on Tuesday. Huffington Post Full Feed
  • A Jordanian official says Syria 's rebel forces are " not active " inside the kingdom or along Jordan 's northern border with Syria. Seattle Times full feed
  • Dec. 12: This image from amateur video made available by the Ugarit News group purports to show a man being kicked by a group of soldiers in Hama, Syria. Fox News World
  • Gunmen believed to be army defectors opened fire on a military convoy in central Syria on Wednesday, killing eight soldiers in a retaliatory ambush after troops destroyed a civilian car, an activist group said. Seattle Times full feed
  • The departure of American forces this month also leaves Iraq vulnerable to threats from its neighbors - Iran to the east, Turkey to the north and Syria to the west. Seattle Times full feed


  • dec 26


  • Videos posted by activists on the Internet showed bodies in the rubble of buildings and mortar shells striking apartment buildings in Syria. NYTimes Front Page
  • Now many fear Syria is sliding toward a sectarian war that pits the Sunni Muslim majority, the driving force of the protest movement, against minorities that have mostly stayed loyal to the government, particularly the Alawite sect to which Assad belongs. Huffington Post Full Feed
  • Syria 's story does not have to follow the Libyan script | Guardian World
  • It is not possible to independently verify casualty figures in Syria because the government bars international journalists from operating freely in the country. CBC Top Stories
  • UNITED NATIONS - Arguing over a resolution on Syria, Russia and the United States indulged in barbs that resulted in a U.S. cartoon of the " Grinch Who Stole Christmas " adorned with the face of the Vitaly Churkin, Russia 's U.N. ambassador. Huffington Post Full Feed
  • The stepped up crackdown, including what activists said was a " massacre " in one town where 110 people were mowed down in several hours last week, brought a new round of international condemnation of Syria. Seattle Times full feed
  • U.N.: More than 5,000 people dead in Syria; more than 250 children killed CNN Most Popular