Bashar al-Assad

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Syrian Forces Pound Aleppo, Damascus

Government wants to retake two most important cities

(Newser) - The UN General Assembly may have formally condemned the violence in Syria yesterday, but today Bashar al-Assad's regime made clear what it thinks of the rebuke: Not much. Government forces are reportedly waging a fierce assault on rebel positions in Aleppo, and they've also launched an attack on...

Britain: We'll Boost Support for Syria Rebels

Regime's arsenal looks shaky

(Newser) - With Kofi Annan stepping down from his diplomatic post, Britain is trying to pick up the slack in Syria. Foreign Secretary William Hague today promised more "practical but non-lethal support to the opposition," citing "communications" as an example, Reuters reports. "We don't give up on...

Assad AWOL as Executions Rumored in Aleppo

Free Syrian Army gains anti-aircraft missiles

(Newser) - As the battle for Aleppo grinds on in Syria, President Bashar al-Assad's location remains a big question mark. Today, to mark Armed Forces Day, Assad published a message in the military's magazine encouraging his troops. But, though the president has been seen on TV, he has not appeared...

Panetta: Aleppo Attack Is 'Nail in Assad's Coffin'

Hundreds of thousands flee onslaught

(Newser) - As brutal fighting continued for control of Syria's largest city, a furious Leon Panetta vowed that the regime's assault on Aleppo would be a "nail in the coffin" of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Some 200,000 residents have fled the besieged city as rebels battle to hold...

29 Dead in 'Fierce' Syrian Assault on Aleppo

Ground troops enter nation's biggest city

(Newser) - Syrian troops have bombed and strafed rebels in the key city of Aleppo for days now in preparation for a major assault—and that assault is under way, report al-Jazeera and the BBC . Ground troops and tanks that had been massing on the city's outskirts poured in today, according...

Syria: Here's When We'd Use Chemical Weapons

Not against rebels, but possibly against 'external aggression': official

(Newser) - Despite recent reports that Syria may be preparing to use its chemical weapons, a foreign ministry spokesperson today tried to assure the world that they will not be used on the Syrian people—officially acknowledging for the first time that the country actually has such weapons, reports Reuters . "Any...

Arab League to Assad: 'Safe Exit' If You Go Now

US, meanwhile, steps up non-military efforts against Assad

(Newser) - The UN Security Council may be preventing nations from becoming involved in Syria's civil war, but the US is increasingly pushing secret, non-military efforts to hurt Bashar al-Assad's regime, reports the Wall Street Journal . And the Arab League is trying to shoo him out the door. The main...

Syria Sees Deadliest 2 Days Since Uprising Began

More than 550 reported killed as fighting continues in key city

(Newser) - Fighting continues for the second straight day in the strategically important Syrian city of Aleppo, reports AP and al-Jazeera . Syria's "second city," which is heavily populated by elites who have benefited from the regime of Bashar al-Assad, has largely avoided violence until now. Anti-government troops are apparently...

Syrian Rebels Seize Border Outposts

Thousands flee fighting in Damascus

(Newser) - Syrian rebels seized control of all four of the country's border crossings with Iraq and two with Turkey yesterday as the military concentrated on the battle for Damascus. The rebels also claimed to have gained control of part of the capital, although government forces are fighting back fiercely and...

Russia, China, Veto Syria Sanctions

As Bashar al-Assad swears in new defense minister

(Newser) - Russia and China once again thumbed their nose at international pressure and vetoed a UN Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on Syria today. The move drew instant criticism from Western officials; Britain's UN ambassador accused them of putting "their national interests ahead of the lives of millions...

US Prepares for Assad&rsquo;s Fall
 US Prepares for Assad’s Fall 
Jul 19, 2012 7:51 AM CDT

US Prepares for Assad’s Fall

Panetta: Syria 'spinning out of control'

(Newser) - Describing the suicide blast that killed Bashar al-Assad's security chiefs yesterday as a turning point, American officials are now getting ready for the Syrian regime's collapse, reports the New York Times . Pentagon officials have urged the Israelis not to attack Syrian weapons facilities, fearing that such a move...

Suicide Blast Kills Syria Defense Minister
 Suicide Blast Kills 
 Key Assad Henchmen 
UPDATED
Jul 18, 2012 7:43 AM CDT

Suicide Blast Kills Key Assad Henchmen

State TV reports that more officials seriously wounded

(Newser) - A regime-shaking suicide attack on the National Security building has killed Bashar al-Assad's defense minister and brother-in-law, according to the country's state-run TV. The New York Times calls the death of defense minister Daoud Rajha the "first assassination of a prominent official" in the entirety of the...

Assad Willing to Use Chemical Weapons
 Assad Willing to Use 
 Chemical Weapons 
defector speaks
Jul 17, 2012 7:48 AM CDT

Assad Willing to Use Chemical Weapons

Indeed, defector Nawaf Fares thinks he may have already

(Newser) - Bashar al-Assad is a "wounded wolf and cornered," and hence is ready, and probably willing, to use his stash of chemical weapons , according to Nawaf Fares, Syria's ex-ambassador to Iraq and its highest-level official to defect so far. "There is information, unconfirmed information of course, that...

Russia: The West Is Blackmailing Us
 Russia: The West 
 Is Blackmailing Us 
Syria Roundup
Jul 16, 2012 12:59 PM CDT

Russia: The West Is Blackmailing Us

In other developments, European firms sent equipment to Assad

(Newser) - Kofi Annan traveled to Moscow today to try to persuade one of Bashar al-Assad's most persistent allies to put more pressure on the regime, but Russia doesn't appear to be softening its stance. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today accused the West of using "elements of blackmail" to...

Assad's Damascus Onslaught Most 'Intense' Yet

50 reported killed yesterday

(Newser) - Neighborhoods across Damascus are facing a second day of regime attacks, and it has "never been this intense," says a leading activist. The army has been firing mortar rounds into areas held by the opposition Free Syrian Army, Rami Abdel Rahman notes. "The security forces are attempting...

Red Cross: Syria Now a Civil War

Move comes as regime denies using heavy weapons on civilians

(Newser) - The International Committee of the Red Cross says it now considers the conflict in Syria a civil war, meaning international humanitarian law applies throughout the country. The Geneva-based group's assessment is an important reference that helps parties in a conflict determine how much and what type of force they...

US: Syria Mobilizing Chemical Weapons

It's unclear why, but intelligence says part of its stockpile is on the move

(Newser) - Syria is pulling many of its chemical weapons out of storage facilities, for reasons that aren't entirely clear, US officials tell the Wall Street Journal . Some believe Assad is simply moving the weapons to a safer location, or attempting to spook rebel-friendly Sunnis. But others believe he intends to...

Opposition: New Syria Massacre Kills 200

Most of the victims in Hama said to be civilians

(Newser) - Opposition forces in Syria are reporting a new massacre by government troops, and this one might be the worst yet. Activists tell Reuters that more than 200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the village of Tremseh in central Hama province. They cite a familiar pattern : strafing by helicopters and...

Syria's Ambassador to Iraq: I'm Joining the Revolution

Diplomat urges his countrymen to abandon Assad

(Newser) - The Syrian ambassador to Iraq has defected, becoming the most senior diplomat to abandon the regime during its bloody 16-month uprising. "I'm announcing from this moment on that I'm siding with the revolution in Syria," Nawaf Fares said in a statement broadcast on al-Jazeera yesterday, denouncing...

Chavez Powering Syria&#39;s Tanks
 Chavez Powering Syria's Tanks 
Jul 10, 2012 10:24 AM CDT

Chavez Powering Syria's Tanks

Venezuela sending diesel fuel to Assad regime

(Newser) - Syria's latest ally: Venezuela. President Hugo Chávez is sending diesel fuel to Syria in order to help Bashar al-Assad sidestep those pesky sanctions, the Wall Street Journal reports. And the fuel is a big deal: It's powering the tanks and vehicles currently bearing down on rebels in...

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