TheRepublic.com - Damascus News

Syria troops fight rebels near major Shiite shrine

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:44:29 -0400

BEIRUT - Hezbollah fighters joined Syrian forces in battling rebels in a Damascus suburb that is home to a revered Shiite Muslim shrine, in a push to secure the area around the ornate, golden domed mosque.

Syrian exiles get taste of home: Beloved ice cream

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:16:27 -0400

AMMAN, Jordan - For Syrians, no visit to Damascus' Old City is complete without a stop at a more than century-old ice cream parlor in its main souq where you can watch them make their distinctive desert by pounding it into shape with giant wooden mallets, then enjoy a bowl of it sprinkled with pistachios.

Syrian pound tumbles on US plans to arm rebels

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:06:25 -0400

DAMASCUS, Syria - Many exchange shops closed in Damascus on Tuesday, fearing more chaos a day after the Syrian currency plunged to a new record low, reflecting growing fears in the capital following a U.S. decision to arm rebel groups fighting to topple President Bashar Assad's regime.

Kurds fight for place in Syrian civil war

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:17:09 -0400

BEIRUT - Taking advantage of the chaos of the civil war, Syria's Kurdish minority has carved out a once unthinkable degree of independence in their areas, creating their own police forces, even their own license plates, and exuberantly going public with their language and culture.

Egypt seen to give nod toward jihadis on Syria

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:40:43 -0400

CAIRO - Under Hosni Mubarak's rule, Egypt's authorities took a tough line on Egyptians coming home after waging "jihad" in places like Afghanistan, Chechnya or the Balkans, fearing they would bring back extremist ideology, combat experience and a thirst for regime change. In most cases, they were imprisoned and tortured.

Syria lashes out at Egypt decision to sever ties

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 07:41:28 -0400

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria says Egypt's decision to cut diplomatic ties with his country is "irresponsible," accusing its president of joining a U.S.-Israeli conspiracy to divide the Middle East.

Gaza suffers drop in foreign aid over Syrian war

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:04:23 -0400

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - A refugee from Syria recently opened a bakery here, drawing long lines of customers eager to taste meat and cheese pastries with the special flavors of Damascus - a rare bright spot in the long shadow that the Syrian civil war is casting over the Gaza Strip.

UN says nearly 93,000 killed in Syrian conflict

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:10:25 -0400

GENEVA - Syria's upwardly spiraling violence has resulted in the confirmed killings of almost 93,000 people, the United Nations' human rights office said Thursday but acknowledged the real number is likely to be far higher.

Syrian rebels reeling from loss of Qusair

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 20:33:48 -0400

BEIRUT - The Syrian rebels' defeat in Qusair cost them more than a strategic stronghold. It has left them with a battered spirit and deep frustration.

Iraq increasingly drawn into Syrian battlefield

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:59:35 -0400

BAGHDAD - Signs are growing that stretches of Iraq and Syria are morphing into a single battlefield for militants, exacerbating Iraq's slide into renewed deadly chaos a year and a half after U.S. troops pulled out.

UK far-right leader visits Damascus

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 07:55:06 -0400

LONDON - The leader of the far-right British National Party says he has traveled to Syria on a "fact-finding mission."

Iraqi Shiite fighters' Syria role raises tensions

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 14:41:58 -0400

BAGHDAD - The Iraqi Shiite fighter's family is urging him to stop risking his life by traveling to Syria, saying he's done his part defending the holy shrine of Sayida Zeinab outside Damascus. Abu Mohammed al-Moussawi isn't listening.

AP Interview: Sabra: Syria war becoming sectarian

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 09:52:53 -0400

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - The leader of Syria's main opposition group on Friday warned that the involvement of Hezbollah is transforming the war in Syria into a sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shiites, and says peace negotiations aren't possible as long as Hezbollah and Iran are fighting alongside President Bashar Assad's regime.

After Qusair, Syrian army sets sights on heartland

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:59:42 -0400

DAMASCUS, Syria - With fresh momentum from the capture of a strategic town in western Syria, President Bashar Assad's forces have turned their sights to driving rebel fighters from the country's densely populated heartland, including the cities of Homs and Aleppo.

France, Britain confirm use of sarin gas in Syria

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 18:19:33 -0400

PARIS - France said Tuesday it has confirmed that the nerve gas sarin was used "multiple times and in a localized way" in Syria, including at least once by the regime. It was the most specific claim by any Western power about chemical weapons attacks in the 27-month-old conflict.

Syria says its oil production plummeted since war

Wed, 29 May 2013 06:44:39 -0400

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria's oil minister says the country's production has fallen drastically over the past two years because of the crisis.

AP Interview: Syria conflict uproots Palestinians

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:56:06 -0400

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria's fighting has uprooted more than half of the country's 530,000 Palestinians - descendants of refugees from a Mideast conflict half a century ago - and their situation is becoming increasingly desperate, the head of a U.N. aid agency said Thursday.