Topic: Damascus (Syria)
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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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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Terrorism & Security
Any end in sight? Syrian conflict enters third calendar year (+video)Many believed 2012 would be Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's last year in power, but at the outset of 2013 the conflict appears locked in a stalemate with alarming fatality rates.
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UN Envoy warns of mass death next year in Syria
The international envoy to Syria emphasized the deteriorating situation in the country, and called for a quick end to the conflict, warning hundreds of thousands could die next year.
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Russia urges Damascus to talk with Syrian opposition
Russia, Syria's biggest international supporter, is leaning on President Bashar al-Assad to begin a dialogue with the Syrian opposition and take steps toward ending the conflict.
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Syrian conflict threatens to fracture Iraq
Semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan and the central Iraqi government are on a collision course as the Kurds increasingly side with the Syrian opposition and Baghdad stands by the Assad regime.
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Terrorism & Security
UN envoy tries to revive Syria peace planThe plan from UN special envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, is unlikely to gain traction without more concessions to the Syrian opposition.
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Assad sends envoy to Moscow for talks on ending Syria's conflict
The Syrian senior diplomat is expected to discuss the UN mediator's proposals for ending the conflict. Russia, meanwhile, has signaled growing acceptance of President Assad exiting power.
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In war-torn Syria, tactic of targeting civilians is on the rise
Under international law, it's a war crime to target civilians in a war zone. That hasn't halted the tactic in Syria, where hundreds of civilians have died in attacks such as one Sunday at a bakery in Halfaya in a rebel stronghold.
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Lebanese border means little in Syria's civil war
With Sunni villages sheltering Syrian rebel fighters and Shiite villages shipping Hezbollah fighters across the border, northern Lebanon is now just another frontline in Syria's war.
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Terrorism & Security
Syria fires more Scud missiles as refugee projections climbNATO condemned Syria for firing Scud-type missiles yesterday, which Syria denies doing. The UN says the violence could result in as many as 1 million refugees over the next six months.
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Terrorism & Security
Palestinians begin returning to Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria (+video)Palestinians are returning to their refugee camp after fighting sent them fleeing, but the number fleeing Syria or facing internal displacement continues to rise.
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Syria: rebels fight Palestinian pro-Assad group (+video)
When the revolt against Assad's rule began in March 2011, the half-million-strong Palestinian community in Syria stayed on the sidelines. But as the civil war deepened, many Palestinians have taken sides.
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Terrorism & Security
NBC's Richard Engel released in Syria, a journalist danger zone (+video)The Syrian conflict is making 2012 the deadliest year on record for journalists.
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Syrian opposition forces say they are on brink of major victory in Aleppo
If Syrian rebels succeed in breaching an infantry school in Aleppo, they will gain some strategically critical pieces of territory, a windfall of supplies, and possibly a slew of regime defectors.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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