Syria opposition

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UN Observers Leave Syria
 UN Observers Leave Syria 
Aug 20, 2012 7:52 AM CDT

UN Observers Leave Syria

Four-month mission a bust, and violence continues

(Newser) - The UN's Syria observer mission officially ended last night, and monitors were seen leaving today after their four months in the country failed to bring an end to the violence. The last monitors should be out by Friday, leaving just a small liaison office in Damascus, Reuters reports. But...

UN Panel: Syria Has Committed War Crimes

Rebels have too, but on a smaller scale, panel concludes

(Newser) - As violence continues to pummel Syria, a UN panel has concluded that President Bashar Assad's forces have carried out war crimes and crimes against humanity, and that the highest levels of government have likely been involved in the murders, torture, sexual violence, and other atrocities. Specifically, it blames the...

Ex-PM: Assad Only Controls 30% of Syria

'The regime is falling apart,' Riad Hijab says

(Newser) - Bashar al-Assad's days sound awfully numbered if you listen to ex-Prime Minister Riad Hijab. "The regime is falling apart morally, materially, economically," the defector told reporters in Jordan today. "Its military is rusting and it controls only 30% of Syria's territory." Hijab wasn't...

Libyan Veterans Lend Syrians a Hand

Fighter says rebels hamstrung by lack of no-fly zone

(Newser) - Rebels battling Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria are getting assistance from people who might know a thing or two about getting rid of dictators: Reuters sits down with Hussam Najjar, a Libyan-Irish sniper, who says he is among many veterans of last year's Libyan conflict helping train Syrian...

Syrian Rebels: We Need a No-Fly Zone

20 killed near Damascus yesterday

(Newser) - As clashes continue in Aleppo and Damascus, a Syrian rebel leader is reaching out to the West for help: It's time for a no-fly zone, says Syrian National Council head Abdelbasset Sida. The opposition is making gains, "but the problem is the aircraft, in addition to the artillery...

Syrians' New Woe: Soaring Crime

Ban Ki-moon warns: No one will win this war

(Newser) - As the Syrian conflict rages on, police officers have abandoned their stations and the civilian infrastructure has all but disappeared. The result: soaring crime. Despite rebel attempts to monitor the situation, kidnapping and theft have become commonplace, the New York Times reports, relaying the tale of a kidnapped businessman (released...

Fight for Aleppo Intensifies as Both Sides Claim Advantage

Assad appoints new PM

(Newser) - Syrian government troops launched a fresh ground assault to retake Aleppo yesterday, and shelling continues today, but conflicting reports on the state of the fight persist. State media claims "huge numbers" of rebels have been killed and that Bashar al-Assad's forces control the particularly strategic Salah al-Din district,...

Angry Syria Rebels to US: 'All We Get Is Words'

America should be offering more help, they say

(Newser) - Anti-American sentiment is growing in Syria, where rebels are increasingly frustrated that the US is not giving them more support. "All we get is words," says a Free Syrian Army spokesperson. The Syrian opposition says it does not want direct military intervention, but it has asked many times...

As Aleppo Shelling Continues, Rebels Get More Daring

But Syrian rebels may be making progress

(Newser) - The battle for Aleppo has been going on for more than two weeks now, and the fighting spread to new parts of Syria's biggest city today. Government troops have been shelling the parts of the city the rebels control, but the opposition continues to attempt to expand its hold,...

Syrian PM Defects: Rebels
 Syrian PM Defects: Rebels 
Aug 6, 2012 6:19 AM CDT

Syrian PM Defects: Rebels

But government claims Riad Hijab was fired

(Newser) - The Syrian opposition is claiming a big defection to its side: Prime Minister Riad Hijab. Hijab, who became prime minister two months ago, would be the highest-level defection of the uprising so far, the AP reports. An opposition source tells CBS that Hijab and his family are already out of...

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...

Syrian Rebels Hold Off Regime, But Onslaught Continues

Rebels say international community bears responsibility if they're defeated

(Newser) - Government tanks, artillery, and helicopters continued to pound rebel-held Aleppo today, in what could be one of the biggest battles of the Syrian uprising yet, reports the AP . Rebels have so far managed to keep government forces at bay, but the cost has been high, with 29 killed in Aleppo...

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...

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'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...

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...

Russia Halting Arms Exports to Syria

Meanwhile, Annan and Assad 'agree on approach' to conflict

(Newser) - Russia will stop selling weapons to Syrian authorities until the conflict in the country simmers down, a senior official says. So far, he tells Russian news agencies, Moscow has simply been sending spare parts to the Syrian army and helping with repairs, not sending fighter planes or helicopters. From here...

Annan in Syria for Talks With Assad

UN envoy arrives as Clinton warns time is running out

(Newser) - Kofi Annan is on the ground in Syria, with a spokesman confirming that the UN special envoy has arrived in Damascus and will meet with embattled President Bashar al-Assad. Annan's arrival comes a day after he admitted to Le Monde that his six-point peace plan "had failed,"...

Clinton: Russia, China 'Should Pay a Price' on Syria

She calls for Beijing, Moscow to get involved at 'Friends of Syria' meeting

(Newser) - At a "Friends of Syria" meeting today in Paris, Hillary Clinton called in strong terms for Russia and China to "get off the sidelines" and intervene in Syria. "I don’t think Russia and China believe they are paying any price at all for standing up for...

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