Topic: Bashar Assad

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Were chemical weapons used in Syria? UN team poised for probe.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called for a chemical-weapons investigation of an alleged March 19 attack, but he’s apparently gotten cold feet. Here's why.
Syrian army launches counteroffensive, calls on rebels to lay down arms

The Syrian army targeted rebels with heavy airstrikes in at least seven cities and regions Sunday, killing at least 20 people. The government also called on rebel fighters to surrender their weapons.
Amid Syrian tensions, Lebanon elects new prime minister

Lebanon's new Prime Minister Tammam Salam, pledged to protect his country from neighbor Syria's civil war. Salam may also struggle to unite politically divided Lebanon.
Opinion In Syria, the only way out is a political deal

As in Northern Ireland, no matter how much the warring sides in Syria struggle for a battlefield win, fighting is unlikely to bring either side a real victory. The main parties need to sit down and negotiate a mutually agreed political transition and power-sharing plan for afterward.
UN approves Arms Trade Treaty. Will US Senate ratify it?

The Arms Trade Treaty, the first international regulations of the multibillion-dollar trade, passed by a 154-to-3 vote. Some members of Congress have opposed it.
Backchannels From every direction, arms for Syria

France is pushing hard, it seems, for Western powers to arm Syria's rebellion. If they get their way, they'll be joining an already crowded playing field.
Two years on, aid efforts struggle to keep up with a shattered Syria

Embattled aid workers in Syria say they can only do so much to counter the effects of the spiraling conflict, which is now entering its third year and shows little movement toward a political solution.
Terrorism & Security War draws closer to Lebanon with Syrian threat of attack

In an ominous turn, Syria warned Lebanon today against continuing to provide refuge for rebels battling the Assad regime, saying its restraint was limited.
France dials up pressure on US to arm Syrian rebels

France and Britain are pushing the European Union to drop an embargo against arming Syrian rebels. Their push is at odds with with current US policy.
Backchannels Terrorism and freedom fighting along the Syria-Iraq border

When some rebel groups kill Syrian government soldiers, the US applauds. When others do the killing, it's 'terrorism.' Why?
U.N. peacekeepers freed: Syrians release 21 hostages

Syrian rebels have released 21 U.N. peacekeepers held hostage for four days. The peacekeepers crossed from Syria to safety in Jordan on Saturday afternoon.
Syria: Violence prevents rescue of UN peacekeepers

On Friday, a U.N. mission to rescue 21 Filipino peacekeepers was aborted due to fighting near the village where they were being held. The peacekeepers were taken hostage Wednesday by a rebel group near the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.
Terrorism & Security UN peacekeepers pull out of Syrian-Israeli DMZ as civil war edges closer

The eight peacekeepers, who were escorted into Israel by the IDF, are part of the same battalion as 21 UN troops who were captured by Syrian rebels on Wednesday.
Terrorism & Security Syrian rebels: UN peacekeepers captured in Golan are our 'guests' (+video)

A hostage situation that began when Syrian rebels captured UN peacekeepers working in the Golan Heights yesterday seems to be rapidly deescalating as the captors scale back their threats.
How Post-Chávez era depends on Maduro

The death of longtime Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez, leaves questions about that country's future. Vice President Nicolas Maduro is the likely successor, but it's unclear whether he will pursue the same socialist policies as his predecessor. A state funeral for Chávez will take place on Friday.
Syrian rebels seize UN peacekeepers in Golan (+video)

Syrian rebels are holding about 20 UN peacekeepers who monitor the Israel-Syria border in an attempt to force the withdrawal of Syrian Army forces from a nearby village.
Terrorism & Security Nearly 1 in 20 Syrians are now refugees (+video)

Neighboring nations are straining to handle the 1 million refugees generated by two years of fighting.
Hugo Chavez legacy: a wedge between US, Latin America (+video)

Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, who died Tuesday, made it his mission to sway Latin American leaders away from the US and toward his brand of populist socialism. Chavez made strides, but his influence in the region had been waning.
Terrorism & Security Syria's violence continues its march across borders, into Iraq

Dozens of Syrian Army soldiers were killed yesterday while in Iraq seeking temporary refuge from fighting with rebels. They were ambushed by suspected Al Qaeda-affiliated militants.
Moscow says US aid for Syria helps 'extremists'

The Kremlin has urged the US to move cautiously. Moscow claims it is doing all it can to promote a settlement in Syria that avoids an Afghanistan-style militant blowback.
Direct US aid to Syria's rebels: Why now – and is it too late?

The US decision to give direct aid to Syria's rebels (but still no weapons) is too little, too late – unlikely either to speed President Assad’s departure or to boost US influence over the conflict, say many experts.
Backchannels Will limited US aid to Syria rebels hasten the end of war, or prolong it?

The US has promised to do a lot more to help Syria's rebellion against the government of Bashar al-Assad, but is stopping well short of the kind of aid that might prove decisive.
Are the US and Russia bridging their divide over Syria?

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry came out of their Berlin meeting sounding optimistic, in contrast to recent discord in the US-Russia relationship.
Syrian government offers to meet with opposition

Against a backdrop of steady military gains for the opposition forces, Bashar Assad's government proposed a meeting. Critics call it a tactic to keep western arms out of opposition hands.
John Kerry hints at more aid for Syria rebels. Does that mean arming them? (+video)

The answer could come Thursday, when Secretary of State John Kerry and other Western officials are to gather in Rome for a meeting with at least some of Syria’s divided opposition groups.