Topic: Damascus (Syria)
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
-
Five things international community must give Syria after Bashar al-Assad
Transition in Syria after Bashar al-Assad will be impossible without constructive international support. From outsiders, Syria will need these five key things:
-
Five reasons why Syria may be at a tipping point
Since the start of the conflict in Syria, international observers have been watching the government of President Bashar al-Assad for signs that the once-feared regime might be vulnerable to overthrow. Despite Syrian efforts to crush the rebels and to stifle news out of the country, this past week has shown the strongest evidence yet that the end of the Assad regime may be near. Here are five signs that the Syrian conflict may finally be tipping in favor of the rebels.
-
Hezbollah 101: Who is the militant group, and what does it want?
The Shiite militant group and political party is a player not just in Lebanon, where it is based, but across the broader Middle East. It remains a staunch opponent of Israel, which it fought to a standstill in 2006, and a close ally of Iran and Syria – despite both regimes' crackdowns on citizens Hezbollah purports to champion.
-
Diplomacy or military intervention in Syria? 7 opinions from around the globe.
After 15 months of violence in Syria, President Bashar al-Assad announced yesterday that the country was facing a full-on civil war, a conflict he would do everything in his power to win.This adds increased pressure to the ongoing international question du jour: Is the answer to Syria’s conflict diplomacy or military intervention? Or something else entirely? From Thailand to Jordan, here are some opinions around the globe.
-
Briefing
Syria conflict: 5 warring factions
Syria is at the nexus of some of the Middle East's most central problems, meaning that fallout from its uprising is likely to ripple, in unpredictable ways, through the region. Here's a brief guide to the actors in the conflict.
All Content
-
Syria's rebels, US urge Moscow to help push Assad into ceding power
Both rebel leadership and the United States urged the Russian government to help push Syria's President Bashar al-Assad into ceding power and end the battles closing in around his capital.
-
Syria's rebels, US urge Moscow to help push Assad into ceding power
Both rebel leadership and the United States urged the Russian government to help push Syria's President Bashar al-Assad into ceding power and end the battles closing in around his capital.
-
US: Syria fires Scud missiles at rebels in 'desperate' military escalation
Speaking on condition of anonymity, two officials said forces of President Bashar Assad have fired the missiles from the Damascus area into northern Syria.
-
Russia, NATO: Assad could lose Syria to rebels (+video)
Opposition fighters have seized large swaths of territory in northern Syria along the border with Turkey and appear to be expanding their control outside of Damascus.
-
Russia: Assad is losing control of Syria
Russia is the Syrian government's most powerful international ally. Its declaration that President Bashar al-Assad is losing control of Syria is a major blow to the regime.
-
Terrorism & Security Will US recognition of Syrian opposition group open channels for weapons support? (+video)
The US has refused Syrian rebels weapons because of the presence of jihadi groups fighting there. Could recognition of the Syrian Opposition Coalition change this?
-
Syrian opposition receives U.S. recognition
In an effort to isolate the Assad regime, U.S. President Barack Obama announced that the Syrian opposition coalition is now inclusive enough to warrant formal recognition as being representative of the Syrian people. This status could qualify the group for further U.S. assistance moving forward.
-
Israeli envoy calls divisive settlement plan a politically necessary reprisal
Settlement plans east of Jerusalem – decried by the US and Europeans – were meant to punish Palestinians and satisfy domestic political pressure in Israel, Ambassador Michael Oren says.
-
Family of journalist Austin Tice struggles with silence on kidnapping
Austin Tice was kidnapped near Damascus in August. His family went to Beirut recently in hopes of extending their reach into Syria and finding out more about who might be holding him.
-
Jihadist-backed Syrian rebels seize military base (+video)
The base's capture comes just days after the US blacklisted the Jabhat al-Nusra militia, members of whom were involved in the operation, as a terrorist organization.
-
Opinion: How the US can prevent the use and spread of Syria's chemical weapons
The conflict in Syria could become even more deadly if Bashar al-Assad uses or loses control of his sizeable arsenal of chemical weapons. The international community’s options to prevent these scenarios are limited, but they do provide a starting point.
-
As Syria's rebels close in, Assad has three options
The most likely is a retreat into the mountains controlled by his minority Alawite community.
-
The Monitor's View: How to avoid revenge killings in post-Assad Syria
The end appears near for the Assad regime in Syria. The opposition and world powers must do more to prevent the kind of post-conflict revenge – mainly against Alawites – that could ricochet in the Middle East.
-
Terrorism & Security With Hamas's confidence waxing, Khaled Meshaal arrives in Gaza
The Hamas leader's return to Palestinian territory, his first visit since 1967, coincides with the party's increased sway after an eight-day conflict with Israel and UN recognition of Palestine.
-
Syria calls chemical weapon reports 'pretext for intervention' (+video)
Bashar al-Assad's deputy foreign minister said that even if Syria had chemical weapons, it would not use them on its own people. 'We would not commit suicide,' he said.
-
A wary Iraq weighs its options as Syrian civil war deepens
Fears in Iraq of a spillover of Syria's fighting, or a victory for Sunni Islamists hostile to the Shiite-led government in Baghdad, have Iraq weighing its options.
-
The Monitor's View: Are Americans ready to deal with Syria's chemical weapons?
On Monday, Obama strongly warned Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad not to use chemical weapons as rebels advance on Damascus. What is the national interest in threatening US action? Obama must sort out the moral purpose.
-
Syrian rebels riding momentum to Damascus
The fighting follows a number of gains for opposition forces in the north of Syria, which has sparked optimism among Syrians hoping for the downfall of the Assad regime.
-
Mortar slams into Syrian school, killing 29 students
While concerns over the potential use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government increase, a conventional weapon does lethal damage in a Damascus suburb.
-
U.N. pulls staff from Damascus, as fighting in Syria escalates (+video)
Over the past few weeks the fighting in the Syrian capital of Damascus has steadily grown worse as the rebels continue their assaults on the government-held city.
-
Rebel gains in Syria embolden Lebanese Sunnis
Sunnis in Lebanon are growing more outspoken about the most powerful faction in their country, the Shiite movement Hezbollah.
-
Syrian rebels cut off Damascus airport in critical step (+video)
The Syrian rebels cut off the main road to the Damascus airport today. The fighting forced the closure of the airport and makes a rebel assault on the capital more likely.
-
Syria: Internet shut down by government
Syria's Internet shutdown is unprecedented in the conflict, though Damascus has partially cut off access several times over the past 20 months.
-
Race is on to find rebel prime minister for Syria
A transitional government is crucial to win Arab and Western support for the revolt against Assad, and would bolster the opposition as a democratic alternative to decades of autocratic rule in Syria.
-
Terrorism & Security Syria's stalemated conflict picks up speed again
Syrian rebels say they never expected the war with the regime to last this long. A string of strategically important victories may move the conflict along again.
Previous
Become part of the Monitor community