Syria
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.Saturday 30 March, 2013 13:51:19
Syria rebels take strategic Aleppo area
Syrian rebels have taken control of at least part of a strategic neighbourhood in the northern city of Aleppo after days of heavy fighting, activists said today.Friday 29 March, 2013 09:41:38
Rebels capture town on Syria-Jordan border
Syrian rebels have captured a strategic town near the border with Jordan after a day of fierce battles that killed 38 people, activists say.Tuesday 26 March, 2013 10:55:53
Syria forces retake rebel area in Homs
Government forces have seized control of an area of the central city of Homs which is a symbol of opposition to President Bashar Assad’s regime, Syrian activists said today.Sunday 24 March, 2013 14:28:52
Syrian opposition leader resigns
The leader of the Western-based Syrian opposition coalition has resigned, citing frustrations with the body’s ability to advance the fight against President Bashar Assad.Tuesday 19 March, 2013 11:51:38
Chemical weapons reported in Syria
Both sides in the Syrian conflict have blamed the other for firing a chemical weapon at a village killing 16 people.Saturday 16 March, 2013 09:53:00
Syrian army 'using more cluster bombs'
The Syrian regime is expanding its use of widely banned cluster bombs, an international human rights group said in a report today as the deadlocked conflict entered its third year.Friday 15 March, 2013 13:28:49
Syria clamps down on anniversary
Syrian authorities have beefed up security measures in Damascus as rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad urged supporters to mark the second anniversary of the country’s uprising by stepping up attacks against the regime.Saturday 09 March, 2013 14:34:30
Rebels free UN peacekeepers in Syria
Syrian rebels have freed 21 UN peacekeepers and have handed them to Jordanian authorities, according to an international peace envoy.Saturday 09 March, 2013 10:48:53
Peacekeepers rescue bid continues despite complications in Syria
Clashes between Syrian rebels and regime forces erupted today near a village where UN peacekeepers are being held hostage, an activist said, possibly complicating efforts to free them.Thursday 07 March, 2013 17:31:39
Abducted UN peacekeepers 'safe'
Several United Nations peacekeepers from the Philippines who were abducted by Syrian rebels said in videos posted online today that they are safe and sound.Wednesday 06 March, 2013 16:45:20
Arab League makes offer to Syrian opposition
Arab foreign ministers have offered the Syrian opposition coalition the country’s seat at the Arab League on condition that it first forms a representative executive council.Wednesday 06 March, 2013 12:13:08
Syrian rebel army chief in arms plea
The chief of staff of the rebel army in Syria has travelled to Brussels to plead with the international community to supply it with arms and ammunition so it can resist attacks by the regime of Syria’s President Bashar Assad.Sunday 03 March, 2013 11:10:30
Syria and Iran condemn US rebel aid
Iran and Syria condemned a US plan to help rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad and signalled that he intended to stay in power at least until the 2014 presidential election.Friday 01 March, 2013 17:05:00
Syrian rebels in 'desperate' need of guns, chief says
The chief of Syrian rebel forces says his fighters are in “desperate” need of weapons and ammunition rather than the food supplies and bandages that the US now plans to provide.Thursday 28 February, 2013 12:26:58
US provides Syria with additional $60m in aid
The United States will provide the Syrian opposition with an additional $60m (€45.8m) in assistance and will for the first time provide non-lethal aid like food and medical supplies to rebels fighting to oust President Bashar Assad.Thursday 28 February, 2013 07:48:27
Needy Syrians 'outstripping aid'
The United Nations’ humanitarian chief has warned that the growing number of Syrians fleeing the country’s increasingly brutal conflict – now four million and rising every day – is outstripping the international community’s ability to help.Monday 25 February, 2013 09:58:28
Syrian President willing to enter talks with rebels
Syria's President, Bashar al-Assad, and his supporters have signalled they are ready to enter talks with all parties in a bid to bring an end to the conflict in the war-torn country.Sunday 24 February, 2013 14:25:52
Syrian rebels target police academy
Syrian rebels used captured tanks to launch a fresh offensive on a government complex housing a police academy near Aleppo today, and clashed with government troops protecting the strategic installation.Sunday 24 February, 2013 10:23:03
Boy from Navan school killed in Syria clashes
A boy who attended school in Navan has been killed in violent clashes in Syria.Friday 22 February, 2013 12:43:03
Clashes erupt near Damascus airport
Syrian warplanes and artillery have hit targets near Damascus International Airport, following a bloody day of attacks in the Syrian capital that killed dozens and struck deep into President Bashar Assad’s seat of power.Thursday 21 February, 2013 18:18:43
Dozens die in Damascus car bombing
A car bombing near Syria’s ruling party headquarters in Damascus has killed 53 people, according to state media, while mortar rounds exploded near the army’s central command in the city.Thursday 21 February, 2013 11:10:08
Deadly car bomb hits Damascus
A car bomb has exploded at a security checkpoint near the headquarters of Syria’s ruling Baath party and the Russian Embassy in the capital Damascus, killing at least four people, reports say.