Today: SYRIA News, Aug 11, 2012

Aug 11, 2012

SYRIA News, Aug 11, 2012

U.S., Turkey to step up plans for Syria's "day after"
Chicago Tribune
ACCRA (Reuters) - The United States imposed new sanctions on Syria and its allies on Friday and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton headed to Turkey for meetings as both countries plan for SyrianPresident Bashar al-Assad's fall. Clinton, winding ...
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Syria's Assad uses Kurds as part of 'Plan B'
Examiner.com
As part of his "Plan B" President Bashar al-Assad will try to tear Syria apart by playing ethnic and sectarian groups against one another -- including Kurds, Sunnis and Alawites -- expert Joshua Landis claimed on Friday in his blog Syria Comment ...
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Examiner.com

Damascus rattled by Syrian rebel attacks, adding to pressure on Assad
Fox News
DAMASCUS, Syria – Gunmen detonated back-to-back roadside bombs and clashed with police in central Damascus Saturday in attacks that caused no damage but highlighted the ability of rebels to breach the intense security near President Bashar Assad's ...
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US and Turkey Agree to Tighten Coordination on Syria
New York Times
ISTANBUL — Turkey and the United States agreed Saturday to accelerate preparations for the possible fall of Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, creating a formal team to manage helping the opposition, providing aid to fleeing refugees and planning for ...
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New York Times

End is near for Syria's Assad, says German spy chief
Reuters
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's spy chief said Syria President Bashar al-Assad's government appeared to be in its final phase because its army had been depleted by casualties, deserters and defectors to the opposition. Gerhard Schindler, head of Germany's ...
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US sets new sanctions on Syrian President Assad, Hezbollah
Reno Gazette Journal
Hezbollah supporters wave Hezbollah and Syrian flags with a picture of Syrian President Assad, right, and Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, left, during a rally earlier this year in Beirut. / By Bilal Hussein, AP. USA Today ...
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Syrian and Jordanian forces clash in border area
Jerusalem Post
Troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad tried to snuff out resistance in Aleppo, the country's biggest city, but rebels said they would hit back despite having lost ground and run low on ammunition. "We can handle the bombing," rebel commander ...
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Democratic foreign policy figures press for intervention in Syria
Los Angeles Times
The Obama administration has imposed sanctions and diplomatic pressure on the regime of President Bashar Assad. It also is providing nonlethal aid, such as communications gear, to the Syrian rebels. But the White House fears that military involvement ...
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The U.N.'s Uselessness on Syria
Daily Beast
After a tough and impressive speech from the Saudi ambassador, who pointed out thatAssad has responded to the six-point plan with six separate massacres, the latest still taking place in Aleppo, the Syrian ambassador denounced Saudi Arabia for ...
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Daily Beast

Syria's new PM sworn in before Assad
Xinhua
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) talks with Syria's newly appointed Prime Minister Wael al-Halki after his sworn in ceremony in Damascus, Syria, Aug. 11, 2012. Syria's newly appointed Prime Minister Wael al-Halki was sworn in Saturday before the ...
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US policy on Syria in shambles a year after Obama told Assad to step down
Kansas City Star
A new round was announced Friday against Sytrol, Syria's state-run oil company, alleging that it had supplied gasoline to Iran, and against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on charges that it had provided training and logistical support to Assad's ...
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Blasts, gunfire hit Damascus in blow to Assad
WOWK
Assad's regime, however, has displayed no hesitation on the battlefield despite blows such as Damascus attacks and defections of high-ranking military and political figures, including the prime minister earlier this week. In Aleppo, activists said ...
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Creating A Syrian Swamp: Assad's 'Plan B' – OpEd
Eurasia Review
Assad is likely to treat Syria as he did Iraq and Lebanon: he will work to break them apart. In 2005, a friend who was close to the regime told me that Assad and those around him were convinced that they could defeat President Bush's attempts to change ...
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Bring Annan Back!
Huffington Post
Here in the United States, major media outlets, former government officials and commentators are calling on the Obama Administration to "get off the fence" and forcefully intervene in Syria. Before the clamor drowns out right-reason, a few words of ...
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Hezbollah Helping Assad, US Says
Wall Street Journal
The U.S. accused the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant political group of providing support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, including training and military advice to help the regime crack down on a popular uprising. By going public with the ...
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Wall Street Journal

To save Assad
New York Post
The bloc has passed a number of resolutions in support of the Syrian people's democratic aspirations. Over the months, however, it has summed up its positions as a straight demand for the replacement of Bashar al-Assad as president of Syria. Even a ...
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New York Post

Syria Sanctions: US Targets Hezbollah, Syrian Firm For Supporting Assad Regime
Huffington Post
WASHINGTON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The United States imposed a new round of penalties against Syria on Friday that targeted state-run oil company Sytrol and said it was exposing Hezbollah for providing support to Bashar al-Assad's government.
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US Cites Hezbollah Support for Assad in New Sanctions Announcement
Voice of America
WHITE HOUSE — The United States on Friday announced new sanctions targeting the Assadgovernment in Syria and detailed how Hezbollah -- already designated a terrorist organization by the United States -- has supported the Syrian government ...
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Syrian and Jordanian forces clash in border area |
Reuters
Syria's long border with Jordan has been an escape route for opponents of Assad, including Prime Minister Riad Hijab who defected this week. In Syria's largest city and commercial hub Aleppo, rebels fighting Assad's forces said they would hit back ...
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US officials: al-Qaida gaining foothold in Syria
OregonLive.com
WASHINGTON (AP) — Al-Qaida has advanced beyond isolated pockets of activity in Syria and now is building a network of well-organized cells, according to U.S. intelligence officials, who fear the terrorists could be on the verge of establishing an Iraq ...
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Commentary: Strategic calculations behind US-Iran confrontation on Syria
Xinhua
The diplomatic wrestling indicates that the Syria issue involves not only the antagonism between President Bashar al-Assad's government and the rebels, but also the United States' and Iran's strategies and interests in the region. The past two years ...
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Clinton arrives in Turkey for key Syria talks
Ynetnews
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived Saturday in Istanbul for talks on the conflict in Syria with Turkish leaders after Washington slapped fresh sanctions on Bashar Assad's regime and its allies. Clinton flew in after wrapping up a nine-nation ...
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Heavy Shelling in Syria As More Flee Country
The Associated Press
Syria - Saladin Rally for Ramadan Victory over Assad Dictatorship 7-20-12 Aleppo Salah Al-Dinby Souria2011archives3670 views · Syria Bashar Assad Regime Bids To Retake Aleppo from Free SyrianArmy 2:20. Watch Later Syria Bashar Assad Regime ...
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Syria: Our Spanish civil war
Al-Arabiya
Years ago, my late father told me a story about Rifaat Assad, the notorious family enforcer of the previous Assad generation. After the massacre of Hama in the early 1980s, the late King Khalid of Saudi Arabia was understandably outraged. Hafez Assad ...
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Al-Arabiya

Syria civil war rages: why Hillary Clinton is focused on what comes after
Christian Science Monitor
With events accelerating in Syria – from high-profile defections from the regime of President Bashar al-Assad to rebel progress in taking and holding territory – Secretary Clinton says her meetings in Turkey will focus on “the day after” Assad's fall ...
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Christian Science Monitor

US sanctions Assad allies Iran and Hezbollah
Business Recorder (blog)
The United States slapped new sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime and its supporters on Friday, seeking to put further pressure on Damascus to end its bloody crackdown on opponents. The State Department and US Treasury unveiled ...
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US Accuses Hezbollah of Aiding Syria's Crackdown
New York Times
The accusations were made a few days after Iran's top national security official, Saeed Jalili, visited Syria and assured its embattled president, Bashar al-Assad, that Iran, Syriaand Hezbollah were an unbreakable axis of resistance to Israel and its ...
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New York Times

A peaceful post-Assad order is probable
The Daily Star
But with one big difference: Most analyses of events on the ground rely on facts; but discussion of how events will unfold in post-Assad Syria has been riddled with wildly unsubstantiated speculation and pessimism, often tarnished by doses of ...
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What Is the Syrian Electronic Army?
Mashable
As forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad clash with the rebel Free Syrian Army in the streets of Syria, Internet-savvy government supporters are fighting a parallel information war in cyberspace. Called the Syrian Electronic Army, the group ...
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Davutoğlu says Turkey not against Kurdish autonomy in post-Assad ...
By News Sources
Davutoğlu says Turkey not against Kurdish autonomy in post-Assad Syria. by News Sources on August 11, 2012. Today's Zaman reports: Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said Turkey would not be opposed to a possible autonomous ...
War in Context

The Day After: US, Turkey Plan for Post-Assad Syria -- News from ...
By Jason Ditz
Fresh off of meetings in Africa, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is heading to Istanbul to meet with top Turkish officials about the imposition of a new regime in Syria upon the completion of the ongoing civil war. The talks will include members ...
News From Antiwar.com

RAW VIDEO: Syria's Assad Swears in New PM | Video | wtsp.com
Videos from WTSP.com 10 News. ... his predecessor's defection. Riyad Hijab Syrian Civil War newslook international Breaking International News bashar al-assad World Wael Al Halki News syria Middle East & North Africa middle east 00:41 ...
WTSP.com 10 News Latest Video

US officials: al-Qaida gaining foothold in Syria - KTRE.com | Lufkin ...
The Obama administration is readying new sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime and its allies. ... National NewsMore>> · Romney to announce running mate Saturday in Va. Romney to announce running mate Saturday in Va.
KTRE - National News

Syrian and Jordanian forces clash in border area | Ya Libnan | World ...
By Ya Libnan
Ya Libnan features frequently updated breaking news, world news, op-eds and features, live from Beirut, Lebanon. ... Erdogan and members of the Syrian opposition. Troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad tried to snuff out resistance in Aleppo, the country's biggest city, but rebels said they would hit back despite having lost ground and run low on ammunition. “We can handle the bombing,” rebel commander Abu Thadet said in Aleppo. “It's the snipers that are making it hard.” ...
Ya Libnan

New U.S. Sanctions on Syria Condemn ... - Talk Radio News Service
By Staff
The Obama administration has already added more than 100 individuals and entities to its Syriansanctions list over the past 17 months, including Assad, his brother Maher, the Commercial Bank of Syriaand the country's petroleum or ...
Talk Radio News Service

Syria Conflict: Bomb Blasts Hit Damascus
By The Huffington Post News Editors
The National News Agency says the indictment against Joseph Samaha, a former information minister, followed his arrest Thursday. Syrian Brig. Gen. Ali Mamlouk, appointed last month by Assad to head the National Security Council, was ...
The Huffington Post | Full News Feed

New sanctions target Iran, Hezbollah and Syria: US- World|nation.co ...
She said the "number one goal" of Washington and Ankara was to hasten the end of Bashar al-Assad'sregime in Damascus and stop the bloodshed, while warning that Syria must not become a haven for Kurdish rebels battling Turkey.
Daily Nation RSS Feeds: News

Clinton in Istanbul to discuss plans for Syria's - World News Tomorrow
By The Editor World News Tomorrow
Clinton was to discuss with Turkish leaders boosting support for the Syrian opposition after Washington gave up on securing action at the UN Security Council against President Bashar al-Assad's regime, a US official said. Clinton and other ...
World News - International Headlines,...

US to impose restrictions on Hezbollah for backing Syrian regime ...
By Fawad Khan
The United States denounced the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah for backing Bashar al-Assad on Friday, and added it to a list of organizations under sanctions for their ties to the Syrian regime. “This action highlights Hezbollah's activities within Syria and its integral role in the continued violence the Assadregime is inflicting on the Syrian population,” the ... For Aaj News updates, follow us on Twitter or join us on Facebook. Story first published: 10th August 2012 (52 minutes ago) ...
AAJ News

Syrian and Jordanian forces clash in border area - Stabroek News ...
By Stabroek staff
Stabroek News - Daily Guyana News. Saturday 11th August ... In Syria's largest city and commercial hub Aleppo, rebels fighting Assad's forces said they would hit back after losing ground under heavy bombardment. Residents in the city of 2.5 ...
Stabroek News

US officials: al-Qaida gaining foothold in Syria - seattlepi.com
Underscoring the administration's desire to step up efforts against the Assad government without providing weapons, the U.S. set largely symbolic sanctions Friday on Syria's state-run oil company and Iranian-backed Hezbollah. [...] Syrian ...
seattlepi.com: Top Headlines...

Syrian troops push back rebels in Aleppo offensive - Chicago Tribune
ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - Syrian troops and rebels fought over the country's ... U.N.-Arab League mediator Kofi Annan addresses a news conference at the ... Assad's troops assaulted rebel strongholds in Aleppo on Wednesday in one of their ...
articles.chicagotribune.com/.../sns-rt-us-syria-crisisbre8610sh-...