Syria
Monday 17 June, 2013 07:56:40
Twenty dead in Damascus car bomb
A car bomb targeting a checkpoint near a military airport in Syria’s capital has killed or wounded more than 20 soldiers, activists said today.Monday 17 June, 2013 07:23:07
Syria, trade to dominate G8 summit
David Cameron is today hoping to kick off the G8 summit in Northern Ireland with progress on a free trade deal between Europe and the US which he believes could “turbo-charge the transatlantic economy”.Saturday 15 June, 2013 12:33:44
Russia questions Syrian chemical claims
Russia’s foreign minister has said the evidence put forward by the United States of chemical weapons use in Syria apparently does not meet stringent criteria for reliability.Friday 14 June, 2013 15:45:29
Syrian government dismiss US claims on chemical weapons as 'lies'
President Barack Obama has decided to authorise lethal aid to Syrian rebels but US officials are still grappling with what type and how much weaponry to send the opposition forces and how to ensure it stays out of the hands of extremists battling for control of Syria.Friday 14 June, 2013 12:27:01
Clashes in Aleppo after US side with rebels in Syrian conflict
Syrian troops and rebels fought the heaviest battles in months in Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, today.Friday 14 June, 2013 07:05:27
Obama provides arms for Syrian rebels
President Barack Obama has authorised sending weapons to Syrian rebels for the first time, US officials have said.Thursday 13 June, 2013 22:44:26
US: Assad used chemical weapons
The US has conclusive evidence that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime has used chemical weapons against opposition forces seeking to overthrow the government, crossing what President Barack Obama has called a “red line” that would trigger greater American involvement in the crisis, the White House said tonight.Wednesday 12 June, 2013 08:22:44
Syrian rebels kill 60 in village
Syrian rebels have attacked a village in the country’s east, killing dozens of Shiites, mostly pro-government fighters, activists said.Thursday 06 June, 2013 15:15:41
Al-Qaida calls for troops to fight in Syria
Al-Qaida’s leader has urged Sunni Muslims to spare no effort to join the battle in Syria, overthrow President Bashar Assad and set up Islamic rule in the country.Thursday 06 June, 2013 11:01:12
Syrian rebels seize border crossing with Israel
Rebel forces in the Syrian civil war have seized a border crossing with Israel in the Golan Heights.Wednesday 05 June, 2013 07:23:05
Syrian army 'in control' of Qusair
President Bashar Assad’s army is now in full control of the embattled border town of Qusair where fighting raged with rebels for nearly three weeks, Syrian state TV said today.Tuesday 04 June, 2013 18:29:05
France: Sarin gas used in Syria
Tests have confirmed that sarin gas has been used multiple times in Syria, according to France’s foreign minister.Tuesday 04 June, 2013 12:23:52
UN: Evidence needed on use of chemicals in Syria
There are “reasonable grounds” to believe that limited quantities of toxic chemicals have been used as weapons in at least four attacks in Syria’s civil war, a UN report said, but more evidence is needed to determine the precise chemical agents and who used them.Sunday 02 June, 2013 13:46:48
Syrian fighting spreads to Lebanon
Hezbollah fighters and Syrian rebels have exchanged fire in a remote area of eastern Lebanon overnight, leading to a number of deaths on both sides, according to a Lebanese security official.Sunday 02 June, 2013 11:24:51
Russia 'blocks UN Qusair criticism'
A UN diplomat says Russia has blocked a Security Council declaration that would have criticised the Syrian regime’s offensive against the rebel-held town of Qusair.Thursday 30 May, 2013 09:31:06
Assad: Russia has sent missiles to Syria
Syrian president Bashar Assad has been quoted by a Lebanese TV station as saying a shipment of Russian air defence missiles has arrived in his country.Wednesday 29 May, 2013 08:23:19
Syrian rebels seek weapons from EU
Syria’s main opposition bloc has urged the European Union to quickly supply rebels fighting president Bashar Assad’s forces with sophisticated weapons and help them overthrow his regime.Tuesday 28 May, 2013 13:05:16
Russia threatens to aid Assad over EU 'double standards'
Russia has responded to a European Union move to lift its arms embargo for Syrian rebels by considering giving president Bashar Assad more high-powered missiles – raising the prospect of a new foreign-fed arms race in the Middle East.Tuesday 28 May, 2013 07:17:37
US, Russia discuss Syria peace plan
US and Russian diplomats met yesterday to try to accelerate frustratingly slow peace efforts in Syria, where the signs point only to a worsening conflict.Monday 27 May, 2013 10:15:27
Hague: Syria situation 'creating extremism'
Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague has warned that extremism in Syria could flourish if the European Union refuses to ease an arms embargo preventing the supply of weapons to rebels opposed to Bashar Assad.Monday 27 May, 2013 07:15:31
UK pushing for end to Syria arms ban
The UK will push for the European Union’s arms embargo on Syria to be lifted to enable the potential supply of weapons to forces opposed to Bashar Assad’s regime.Saturday 25 May, 2013 18:46:31
Hezbollah leader vows to help Assad
The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah has warned that the fall of Syrian president Bashar Assad’s regime would give rise to extremists and plunge the Middle East into a “dark period”.Monday 20 May, 2013 07:52:41
Syrian troops push into rebel territory
Syrian troops pushed into a rebel-held town near the Lebanese border yesterday, fighting house-to-house and bombing from the air.Saturday 18 May, 2013 19:21:46
Assad: I will not flee from my responsibilities
Syrian president Bashar Assad said he will not step down before elections are held in his war-ravaged country.Wednesday 15 May, 2013 14:57:44
Syrian rebels launch assault on Aleppo's main prison
Syrian rebels have launched a coordinated assault on the main prison in the northern city of Aleppo in an attempt to free hundreds of regime opponents believed to be held there.Wednesday 15 May, 2013 08:47:44
UN to improve Syria legislation
The UN General Assembly is poised to approve an Arab-backed resolution calling for a political transition in Syria and strongly condemning president Bashar Assad’s regime for its escalating use of heavy weapons, UN diplomats said.Tuesday 14 May, 2013 10:39:53
Syria ponders call for talks
Syria’s information minister has said Damascus needs more details about a proposed US-Russian initiative before it decides whether to attend.Tuesday 07 May, 2013 11:35:09
Kerry asks Putin for tougher stance on Syria
US Secretary of State John Kerry has asked Russian president Vladimir Putin for a tougher stance on Syria at a time when Israeli air strikes against the Middle Eastern nation have added an unpredictable factor to the talks.Monday 06 May, 2013 13:47:11
'42 soldiers' killed in Damascus attack
Israel’s weekend airstrike on a sprawling military complex near the Syrian capital killed at least 42 Syrian soldiers, an activist group has said.
Monday 06 May, 2013 11:13:32
Syria rebels shoot down military helicopter
Syrian rebels have shot down a military helicopter in the country’s east, killing eight government troops on board.Sunday 05 May, 2013 14:42:01
Israeli attack on Syria 'a declaration of war'
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has referred to Israel's attack on a military research facility a "declaration of war".Sunday 05 May, 2013 10:45:20
Israel missiles strike Damascus
Israel launched an airstrike in the Syrian capital Damascus today.Saturday 04 May, 2013 20:57:20
Thousands flee Syrian town amid massacre reports
Thousands of Sunni Muslims fled a Syrian coastal town today, a day after reports circulated that dozens of people, including children, had been killed by pro-government gunmen in the area, activists said.Saturday 04 May, 2013 09:09:54
Israel launches airstrike in Syria
Israel launched an airstrike into Syria, apparently targeting a suspected weapons site, US officials have said.Friday 03 May, 2013 12:31:25
Assad gunmen blamed as 'women and children killed in village massacre'
President Bashar Assad’s regime has committed a “large-scale massacre” in a Sunni village near the Mediterranean coast, killing at least 50 people, according to activists.Tuesday 30 April, 2013 13:31:20
Powerful blast kills 13 in centre of Damascus
At least 13 people have been killed and scores injured in a powerful explosion which hit the heart of Damascus.Monday 29 April, 2013 16:46:58
Syria PM escapes assassination attempt
Syria’s Prime Minister has escaped an assassination attempt after a bomb exploded near his convoy in Damascus.Sunday 28 April, 2013 13:24:05
Fierce fighting in Syria
Syrian rebels seeking to topple President Bashar Assad fought intense battles with his troops today at two military air bases in northern Syria, activists said.Saturday 27 April, 2013 08:26:32
Syrian rebels plead for action over claims of use of chemical weapons
Syrian opposition groups called yesterday for international action after the Obama administration said US intelligence indicates President Bashar Assad’s regime has used chemical weapons. Friday 26 April, 2013 14:42:07
Chemical arms claims are 'lies', Syria says
Syrian officials have denied US claims that government forces have used chemical weapons against rebels.Friday 26 April, 2013 12:44:35
Syria has no need for chemical weapons, says government official
Two Syrian officials have denied that their government has used chemical weapons against rebel forces, saying the regime had no need for them.Friday 26 April, 2013 11:47:03
Cameron points to 'growing' evidence of chemical weapons in Syria
There is "limited but growing evidence" that chemical weapons have been used in Syria's civil war, British Prime Minister David Cameron said today.Thursday 25 April, 2013 16:54:26
Syria 'may have used poison gas'
The Syrian regime is likely to have used chemical weapons on a “small scale”, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel says.Tuesday 23 April, 2013 11:46:27
Syria chemical-weapons claim could pressure West to intervene
A senior Israeli military intelligence official has claimed Syrian President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons last month in his battle against insurgent groups.Monday 22 April, 2013 14:26:46
Fears for 250 lives in Damascus
Six days of fighting in a Damascus suburb has killed more than a hundred people and possibly many more, activists said today, in what the government also acknowledged may be a dramatic spike in the rising death toll in Syria.Sunday 21 April, 2013 10:05:37
US doubles aid to Syrian rebels
The US said today that it will double its assistance to Syria’s opposition as the rebels vowed to step up their two-year battle to oust President Bashar Assad’s regime.Thursday 18 April, 2013 09:21:58
Syria rebels capture most of military base
Syrian rebels have captured large parts of a military base in the strategic central Homs province, near the border with Lebanon, according to activists.Wednesday 17 April, 2013 09:48:22
Seven killed in Syrian rocket attack
At least seven people have been killed in a rocket attack by government forces on a village near the central city of Homs, Syrian activists said today.Saturday 13 April, 2013 15:11:51
12 Syrian rebels die in checkpoint ambush
Syrian government troops trying to relieve a besieged military base in the country’s north-west ambushed a rebel checkpoint today, killing at least 12 opposition fighters, activists said.Monday 08 April, 2013 18:17:21
Fifteen killed by Syrian suicide bomb
A suicide bomber has detonated a car packed with explosives in a busy residential and financial district of Damascus, killing at least 15 people.