Topic: Bashar Assad

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Briefing
Chemical weapons 101: Six facts about sarin and Syria’s stockpile

President Obama said Assad's use of chemical weapons would be a 'red line' for US. Did he use sarin or any other chemical weapon against his own people?
When dictators fall, so do their banknotes

The following now defunct or possibly soon-to-be defunct banknotes are imbued with the symbols and iconography of their leaders, past and present.
Not just sexy Kim Jong-un: 5 times the Onion has fooled foreign media

When the People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper, took as straight news The Onion's declaration that stout North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un was 2012's "Sexiest Man Alive," it became the biggest foreign media outlet to be fooled by the satirical American newspaper. But it is not the first. Here are several other foreign news sites that took Onion fiction as newsworthy fact.
War with Iran? 5 ways events overseas could shape Obama's second term.

The threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program is the most urgent example of the foreign-policy challenges that face President Obama in his second term. Here are four others.
In key Syrian city, snipers and bombing tear at fabric of daily life

As rebels and the Syrian government battle for control of Aleppo, residents tap caution – and dark humor – to survive.

All Content

Terrorism & Security Syrian Army fires across border into Israel to retaliate for airstrikes

Today's incident marks the first time that Syria has admitted breaching the border with Israel since the civil war began.
Backchannels Are tit-for-tat sectarian killings enough to tilt Iraq back to war?

Bouts of sectarian fighting have worried observers many times over the past few years, but so far the worst has not come to pass.
Syrian Army, Hezbollah bear down on rebels in strategic Qusayr

For the Syrian rebels, Qusayr has been critical to bringing in weapons and fighters from Lebanon. But the regime and ally Hezbollah want the town, which lies at an important crossroads.
With Hezbollah's help, Syrian troops push to regain Lebanese border areas

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 30 people, including 16 rebel fighters and one woman, were killed in Qusair in morning fighting, but that the death toll was expected to rise.
Israel, US try full-court press to stop Russian weapons sale to Syria

The US and Israel argue the introduction of Russia's S-300 antiaircraft missile system could be a 'game changer' for the regime.
Focus Excitement fades to despair in rebel-held Syria as war grinds on

Early rebel optimism in Syria has given way to a grim realization that victory may still be years away. For the past two months, civilians have been fleeing Syria at a rate of 8,000 per day.
Terrorism & Security Syrian rebel's video surfaces amid intensified pressure for action on Syria

The gruesome video shocked the international community. With concerns about arming the rebels, attention is turning to greater humanitarian aid as a way to help in the increasingly violent war.
US and Britain cling to diplomacy as way forward on Syria (+video)

At the White House, the US and British leaders called talks with Russia 'very constructive,' but Obama cautioned that given 'what we’re seeing in Syria, it’s very hard to put things back together.'
USA Update Barbara Walters announces retirement: How she changed TV news (+video)

Barbara Walters was America's TV's first evening news anchor, but in addition to that, she set a standard for television journalism though her tireless work ethic.
Terrorism & Security A flurry of diplomacy over Syria, but will it amount to progress?

There is concern over a Russian missile shipment to the Assad regime, but cautious optimism persists in some Western capitals over a planned international conference on Syria.
Turkey nabs nine bombing suspects with alleged ties to Syria's spy agency

Twin car bombings on the Turkey-Syria border left 46 dead this weekend. But Turkey insisted it would not be provoked into a war with Syria.
Terrorism & Security US and Russia team up to make fresh diplomatic push on Syria

US Secretary of State Kerry and Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov say they hope to convene an international conference on Syria later in May. The US has also stepped up humanitarian aid.
What caused the 19-hour Internet blackout in Syria?

State media reports blame the outage on a failure in a key optical cable. Others aren't so sure.
Opinion: Syria – another sign that US needs to recalibrate Middle East policy

As the US backs into Syria and other Mideast crises, China is proactively and strategically engaging in the region. Its actions point out what America has to lose if it continues to hesitate in the Middle East.
At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw – a little

Secretary of State John Kerry sought to ease diplomatic tensions with Russia in preparation for meetings between Putin and Obama later this year. But Syria remains a major sticking point.
Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

The coinciding visits to Beijing of the Israeli prime minister and the Palestinian Authority president this week speak to China's growing interests in the Middle East.
Syria civil war: This week could be decisive for US involvement

Secretary of State John Kerry travels to Moscow to discuss international pressure on Syria, following Israel’s targeted airstrikes on Damascus over the weekend.
The Monitor's View: Israeli strike in Syria tips a civil war toward a global response

The Israeli strike in Syria represents a regional escalation that should push the UN or West to find a way to prevent a collapse of Syrian society. But first, the world must decide what would fill Syria's void. Democracy?
Terrorism & Security Israel tries to tamp down Syrian anger after killing dozens of its elite soldiers (+video)

Israel is straining to arrest a slide toward regional conflict after staging an airstrike on a military facility outside Damascus, reportedly to stop a transfer of weapons to Hezbollah.
Thousands of Sunnis flee Syrian coastal region after mass killings

British human rights activists say about 4,000 people have fled the predominantly Sunni Mediterranean city of Banias. At least 62 people, including children were killed Friday by pro-government gunmen and troops.
Terrorism & Security Why Israel bombed Syria, again (+video)

Israeli aircraft bombed a warehouse in Syria Friday that reportedly held Iran-made Fateh-110 missiles bound for Hezbollah. It's the second time in four months that Israeli aircraft have hit targets in Syria.
US, Israeli officials confirm, Israel launched air strike in Syria

A US official confirmed the Israeli army targeted a building in Syria in an attempt to stop a shipment of Syrian missiles to Hezbollah forces in Lebanon. Israel is invested in keeping Syrian weapons out of the hands of Hezbollah, an ally of Iran.
Terrorism & Security US and Britain consider arming Syrian rebels (+video)

The bar is set high, but the US could begin providing body armor, night-vision goggles, rifles, and other basic arms to Syria's rebels.
US considering arming Syrian rebels, says Hagel

The Obama administration is rethinking its decision not to arm Syrian rebels, said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today, while emphasizing that 'rethinking' mean no decision has been made.
In Middle East, public rejects arming Syrian rebels: poll

A Pew Center poll found that large majorities worry that an influx of arms – from Western or Arab sources – will increase violence and instability in the region.