TheRepublic.com - Syria government News

Hezbollah pulled more deeply into Syria civil war

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:48:25 -0400

BEIRUT - Hezbollah was pulled more deeply into Syria's civil war as 28 guerrillas from the Lebanese Shiite militant group were killed and dozens more wounded while fighting rebels, Syria activists said Monday.

US slams Russian anti-ship missiles going to Syria

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:38:34 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration denounced Russia on Friday for providing Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime with anti-ship missiles, saying the weapons would only worsen a war that Washington and Moscow have been promising to work together on stopping.

Syrian hackers compromise FT blog, Twitter feeds

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:46:08 -0400

LONDON - A clutch of Twitter accounts and a blog maintained by the Financial Times were hacked Friday, the latest in a series of cyberattacks claimed by the Syrian Electronic Army, a pro-government group which has regularly targeted media organizations it sees as sympathetic to the country's rebels.

Rights groups: Syria holds thousands incommunicado

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:46:44 -0400

BEIRUT - About 30 security agents showed up just after midnight, breaking down the door to an apartment in the town of Daraya near the Syrian capital of Damascus. They grabbed a 24-year-old university student and drove off.

Syrian troops flush out rebels from prison

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:35:29 -0400

BEIRUT - Syrian government troops on Thursday flushed out rebels who had stormed a prison compound in the northern city of Aleppo in a bid to free hundreds of political prisoners inside.

US sanctions on 4 Syrian ministers, rebel leader

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:47:52 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration has added four Syrian government ministers to a U.S. terror blacklist as well as the leader of an al-Qaida-linked organization fighting President Bashar Assad's (bah-SHAR' AH'-sahd) regime.

Turkish PM talks Syria with Obama at White House

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:33:17 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said Thursday that the U.S. and Turkey will keep ramping up pressure to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad from power, but there's "no magic formula" to stop his violence.

Kerry expects Syrians to attend transition talks

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:20:25 -0400

STOCKHOLM - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry issued a stern warning Tuesday to Syria's government, saying that new help will be given to opposition forces should President Bashar Assad's regime decide to back out of upcoming negotiations aimed at ending Syria's two-year war.

Obama: UK should seek EU changes, not 'break' ties

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:05:46 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama waded into British politics Monday, suggesting that the United Kingdom seek to reform its relationship with the European Union before it decides to simply break away from it.

Putin and Netanyahu to discuss Syrian conflict

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:27:54 -0400

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin's talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Russia on Tuesday will focus on the situation in Syria, the Kremlin said, amid growing concerns that Moscow may soon provide Damascus with an advanced anti-aircraft weapon.

White House: Syria's future can't include Assad

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:28:21 -0400

WASHINGTON - The White House says that Syria's future cannot include President Bashar Assad.

Analysis: Syria has limited response options

Tue, 07 May 2013 17:21:41 -0400

BEIRUT - The Syrian regime on Tuesday dispatched an obscure proxy, a Damascus-based Palestinian militant group, to threaten retaliation for two Israeli airstrikes over the weekend.

Corker: US moving closer to arming Syrian rebels

Tue, 07 May 2013 08:25:08 -0400

WASHINGTON - A Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is predicting the U.S. will soon be "arming the rebels" seeking to overthrow Syria's Bashar Assad.

Turkey criticizes Israeli airstrikes on Syria

Tue, 07 May 2013 06:34:16 -0400

ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey's prime minister has denounced Israeli airstrikes on Syria, saying the attacks help strengthen Syrian President Bashar Assad's hand.

Conn.'s Murphy skeptical of US military in Syria

Mon, 06 May 2013 17:26:35 -0400

HARTFORD, Connecticut - Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy says he's not convinced the U.S. military should get involved in the Syrian conflict, after returning from a trip to the Syrian border where he and other members of Congress met with opposition leaders.

Senate chairman pushed for arming Syrian rebels

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:24:31 -0400

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is calling for the United States to provide weapons to vetted Syrian opposition groups battling President Bashar Assad's forces in the 2-year-old civil war.

A look at reasons for Israeli airstrikes in Syria

Sun, 05 May 2013 15:22:41 -0400

BEIRUT - A look at the reasons for and possible implications of the escalation of Israel's involvement in Syria's civil war.

Israeli raids in Syria highlight Arab conundrum

Sun, 05 May 2013 12:54:00 -0400

CAIRO - Five weeks ago, the head of the Arab League capped a summit in Qatar with an impassioned appeal to strengthen the rebel fighters trying to bring down Syrian President Bashar Assad. On Sunday, he denounced Israeli's airstrike into Assad's territory as a dangerous threat to regional stability.

Obama doesn't foresee US ground troops in Syria

Fri, 03 May 2013 20:52:29 -0400

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - President Barack Obama said Friday he doesn't foresee any circumstance requiring the U.S. to send ground troops into Syria, even as Washington pursues more evidence about the regime's purported use of chemical weapons.

Obama doesn't foresee ground troops in Syria

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:56:19 -0400

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - President Barack Obama says he doesn't foresee sending U.S. ground troops into Syria.

Amnesty: Syrian government, rebels hunt reporters

Thu, 02 May 2013 19:40:26 -0400

LONDON - Amnesty International said Friday that Syria's government and elements of its rebel movement are deliberately targeting journalists, releasing a report which had blame for both sides in the country's civil war.

Syrian air defenses pose formidable challenge

Thu, 02 May 2013 15:10:44 -0400

BEIRUT - International military action against Syria's government over its alleged use of chemical weapons would run up against one of the Middle East's most formidable air defenses, a system bolstered in recent years by top-of-the-line Russian hardware.

Syrian president showing renewed confidence

Wed, 01 May 2013 18:12:21 -0400

BEIRUT - Syrian President Bashar Assad and his allies are showing renewed confidence that the momentum in the civil war is shifting in their favor, due in part to the rapid rise of al-Qaida-linked extremists among the rebels and the world's reluctance to take forceful action to intervene in the fighting.

Syrian envoy: Chemical weapons can't be tolerated

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:00:35 -0400

UNITED NATIONS - Syria's U.N. ambassador said Tuesday that the use of chemical weapons is not only "a red line" but "a blood line" that cannot be tolerated and again demanded a U.N. investigation of an alleged chemical weapons attack in Aleppo that it blames on rebels.

Syrian prime minister escapes bombing in Damascus

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:10:45 -0400

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria's prime minister narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in the heart of the heavily defended capital Monday, state media said, laying bare the vulnerability of President Bashar Assad's regime.