SYRIA News, Apr 16, 2013

Al Assad forces break rebel blockade in north gulfnews.com Rebels had advanced in northern Syria, near Turkey, and southern Daraa province near Jordan. But government forces have kept the rebels out of central Damascus and hold more than half of Homs city, which links the capital to Al Assad's Alawite ... See all stories on this topic »

Stalemate in the Syrian Civil War Enter Stage Right All those who hurriedly announced the demise of the Assad regime realize to their dismay that the existing power structures are strong enough to endure a war of attrition with the rebels even with the loss of large portions of sovereign Syrian territory. See all stories on this topic »

Lebanese Shiite fighters backed by Hezbollah fighting inside Syria near border Washington Post Hezbollah chief Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, leader of many of Lebanon's Shiites and a staunch ally ofSyrian President Bashar Assad, has said his group is supporting the cadres of fighters who call themselves Popular Committees. It is confirmation that the ... See all stories on this topic »

Activists: Syrian regime airstrikes kill 25 Bloomington Pantagraph Rebels also have made significant gains in recent weeks in southern Syria near the border with Jordan, capturing military bases and territory that could provide anti-Assad fighters with a staging ground for an eventual assault on Damascus. The push in ... See all stories on this topic »

A War He Doesn't Want TIME (blog) Obama's goal is a diplomatic solution in which Syrian ruler Bashar Assad ends the violence, gives up power and makes way for a relatively moderate government. But that approach is looking increasingly hopeless. Assad's brutality suggests that he is ... See all stories on this topic »

Iraq inspects Iranian cargo plane bound for Syria Al-Arabiya Washington has for months accused Baghdad of looking the other way as Tehran sends military equipment through Iraqi airspace to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces, and has called on Iraqi authorities to make random, unannounced inspections. See all stories on this topic »

Assad Forces Destroy Symbolic Syrian Mosque Eurasia Review President Bashar al-Assad's forces on Saturday destroyed the Omari mosque in the southern city of Daraa where Syria's uprising erupted two years ago, opposition activists said on Sunday, according to reports from AFP news agency. In an amateur video ... See all stories on this topic »

Despite Netanyahu's weekly warnings on Iran, Syria is more imminent danger Haaretz The main danger is brewing in Syria, where the 40 years of quiet that began in the wake of the Yom Kippur War have come to an end. Bashar Assad is still in his palace, but the post-Assad era has already started. The army has deteriorated to the status ... See all stories on this topic » Haaretz

Syrian air raid on Kurdish village kills 11 civilians: activists Chicago Tribune The Kurdish National Council is an umbrella grouping of the main Kurdish parties in Syria, excluding the Syrian branch of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which effectively has allied withAssad. With his forces overstretched, Assad has ... See all stories on this topic »

Group: Syrian army bases in capital become prisons Philly.com BEIRUT - President Bashar Assad's key military unit in charge of protecting Damascus is running secret prisons holding hundreds of suspected regime opponents, a Syria-based human rights group said in a report Monday. The Violations Documentation ... See all stories on this topic »

Syria: Rebels join hands with al-Qaeda, global powers unite to find solution Firstpost Saturday's meeting of 11 countries from the Friends of Syria alliance will come after the al-Nusra Front, among the strongest formations seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad, pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri on April 10 ... See all stories on this topic »

Leader of Syria's Muslim Brotherhood denies accusations group seeks to control ... Newser "Our aim is not to tear apart but to unite the (Syrian) opposition," al-Shaqfa told reporters in Istanbul, where he is based. He blamed accusations against his group on "lies and fabrications" that he said were spread by President Bashar Assad's regime. See all stories on this topic »

UK: Concerned Over Signs of Chemical Arms in Syria ABC News William Hague said such allegations must be urgently investigated, telling British lawmakers that he is urging President Bashar Assad's Syrian regime to cooperate fully and allow U.N. investigators unfettered access to all areas. "The world is watching ... See all stories on this topic »

Syria unit 'running secret prisons' Irish Independent The Syria-based Violations Documentation Centre said in a report that the regime's 4th Division runs detention centres in its bases in and around Damascus. The division is commanded by MaherAssad, the president's younger brother. It is considered a ... See all stories on this topic »

Syria air strikes kill 12 children: watchdog AFP ... northeast Syria and the other a district of Damascus, a watchdog said. Elsewhere, activists accused the regime of destroying the minaret of the historic Omari mosque in southern Daraa, the so-called cradle of the uprising against President Bashar ... See all stories on this topic »

Syria Muslim Brotherhood denies seeking power grab MiamiHerald.com The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Assad's aircraft hit targets in rebel-held areas near the capital Damascus, in the northern city of Aleppo, and in Homs in central Syria. There were no immediate reports of casualties in Monday ... See all stories on this topic » MiamiHerald.com

Syria: The Reckoning Aljazeera.com But in 1970, Hafez al-Assad, an ambitious minister of defense, seized control. Rising from a humble background in western Syria, he was to rule the country for 30 years. His was an autocratic one-party state in which any dissent was ruthlessly suppressed. See all stories on this topic » Aljazeera.com

Released Jaafar says kidnappers were anti-Assad Islamists The Daily Star From the conversations of his captors, Hussein said: “I figured out they were from one of the armed groups” fighting against Syrian President Bashar Assad. They were from the Islamist “Al-Farouq Brigade, but they didn't practice Islam properly and they ... See all stories on this topic » The Daily Star

Syria airstrikes kill 12 children The Nation "Such initiatives only serve the goals of the Assad regime and harm the progress of the revolution," it added, calling on Al-Nusra "to stay within the ranks of nationalisticSyrians." Meanwhile, Syrian troops have broken a months-long rebel siege on ... See all stories on this topic » The Nation

Global Insight: Syria's jihadis deal blow to rebel cause Financial Times In the universe of jihadis, Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra stands out as a rare success, with a string of advances against forces of the Bashar al-Assad regime that put it at the forefront of the battle forSyria's future. So it is not surprising that al ... See all stories on this topic »

The fatal mobilization of Hezbollah in Syria Al-Arabiya The official defended Hezbollah's fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria and described it as a duty more important than any other. He described it as a fighting for existence as they are defending places that are important to the Shiite ... See all stories on this topic »

Syria conflict: Government air strikes 'kill 25' BBC News Human rights groups accuse the Syrian government of targeting civilians. The air strike in Damascus hit the suburb of Qaboun, which has been a frequent battle ground between the Syrian military, loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, and rebel forces ... See all stories on this topic »

US feeds Syrians, but secretly Washington Post Meanwhile, as the death toll mounts and the regime led by President Bashar al-Assad shows no sign of giving up, anger about the perceived failure of the United States to help mounts steadily amongSyrians who support the rebellion. “America has done ... See all stories on this topic »

Syria Opposition Concerned Over Nusra, Al-Qaeda Links Businessweek “The Syrian Coalition urges Jabhat al-Nusra to stay within the ranks of nationalistic Syrians, to continue its efforts in fighting the Assad regime, and in supporting and protecting the freedom of allSyrian sects.” Al-Nusra, which along with other ... See all stories on this topic »

More gains for Assad's army in N., S., and E. Syria and Damascus DEBKA file DEBKAfile: Assad's army continued its victorious progress Monday in the North, for the first time breaking the rebel siege on the strategic town of Maarat al-Nuaman and pushing toward the key Aleppo-Damascus highway. Sunday, the Syrian army managed to ... See all stories on this topic »

An Al-Qaeda Alliance in Syria Demands a Response From U.S.: View Bloomberg Third, they should seize on the common threat posed by al- Nusra to persuade Russia to stop arming and funding Assad and his regime. Russia has two primary concerns -- that Syria shouldn't become another scene of unilateral U.S. intervention in the ... See all stories on this topic » Bloomberg

More than 1000 Hizbullah Terrorists Enter Syria to Help Assad Arutz Sheva Hizbullah is continuing to assist Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in his fight against the rebels. Over 1,000 members of the Lebanese Shiite terrorist group entered Syria in the past few days via waterways in the Mediterranean Sea, the Saudi daily Al ... See all stories on this topic » Arutz Sheva

Islamist Syrian rebels slam Nusra Front over Al-Qaeda allegiance pledge The Daily Star “For the first time, the Islamists have a tangible criticism to make on the place of Al-Qaeda in Syria,” said Pierret, a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. “It can be summarized as: 'Who are you to proclaim an Islamic state when Assad hasn't yet ... See all stories on this topic » The Daily Star

Syrian refugees flee heavy fighting in south ABC Online International powers are seeking a peaceful settlement to Syria's civil war with fresh urgency after the Al-Nusra Front - among the strongest formations seeking to topple president Bashar al-Assad - pledged allegiance to al Qaeda leader Ayman al ... See all stories on this topic »

Syria Looms Large in Lebanon's Political Battle -- News from ... By Jason Ditz The Hariri bloc has long disliked the Assad government, while Hezbollah-backed fighters are in Syriafighting with Assad, fearing a Sunni-dominated Syria would shift the balance of power in the region against them. Whatever happens with ... News From Antiwar.com

Assad forces damage mosque that sparked Syria revolt - Channel ... President Bashar al-Assad's forces destroyed the minaret of the historic Omari mosque whereSyria's uprising erupted two years ago in the southern city of ... www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/...-/637976.html

Assad warns of 'domino effect' if Syria regime falls - Yahoo! News UK News UK. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned that the fall of his regime would destabilise the region "for many years", as US President Barack Obama ... uk.news.yahoo.com/assad-warns-instability-obama-host-syria-t...

Assad's forces break rebel blockade in north Syria | Top News ... BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government troops have broken through a six-month rebel blockade in northern Syria and are now fighting to recapture a vital ... ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCABRE93E0EO20130415

Assad forces damage mosque that sparked Syria revolt - Zee News In amateur video footage the activists uploaded to YouTube, the mosque can be seen at the end of a street, its towering minaret toppling over after apparent ... zeenews.india.com/.../assad-forces-damage-mosque-that-spark...

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