Posts by tag
Syria
Syria rejects foreign forces in safe zones
BEIRUT—Syria on Monday dismissed the idea of foreign forces patrolling four so-called de-escalation zones that are to be established under a deal struck by Russia, Iran and Turkey, suggesting Damascus would agree only to Russian “military police” who are already on the ground.
Chinese jihadis’ rise in Syria raises concerns at home
BEIRUT—Many don’t speak Arabic and their role in Syria is little known to the outside world, but the Chinese fighters of the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) in Syria are organized, battled-hardened and have been instrumental in ground offensives against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in the country’s northern regions.
Over 100 killed in Syria’s coordinated evacuation
BEIRUT—A stalled population transfer resumed on Saturday after a deadly explosion killed at least 100, including children, government supporters and opposition fighters, at an evacuation point—adding new urgency to the widely criticized operation.
US-led force reduces attacks on IS in Syria after air strike
WASHINGTON—The US-led task force that is battling the Islamic State (IS) has sharply reduced air strikes against the militants in Syria as commanders assess whether Syrian government forces or their Russian allies plan to respond to the United States’s cruise missile strike on a Syrian airfield this past week, US officials said.
What can go right after Syria and Florida
Bad news sells. So, expect most reports and commentary about last week’s banner news out of Syria and Florida to highlight the worrisome stuff, not the cheery.
Trump speaks out on rights abuses
WASHINGTON—As the world recoiled at the televised images of lifeless children in the latest atrocity in Syria’s savage civil war on Tuesday, the White House issued a statement expressing outrage just as any White House presumably would.
Chemical attack kills dozens in Syria, US blames Assad
BEIRUT—A chemical weapons attack in an opposition-held town in northern Syria killed dozens of people on Tuesday, leaving residents gasping for breath and convulsing in the streets and overcrowded hospitals.
Syrian rebels begin evacuation from besieged city of Homs
HOMS, Syria—Scores of Syrian opposition fighters and their families began leaving the last rebel-held neighborhood in the central city of Homs last Saturday as part of a Russian-backed evacuation deal signed earlier this week.
Russia, US clash over Syria in security council vote
UNITED NATIONS—Russia and the Trump administration clashed in a vote at the United Nations Security Council for the first time on Tuesday, as the Kremlin vetoed a measure backed by the United States and its Western allies to punish Syria for using chemical weapons.
AI: At least 13,000 hanged in Syrian prison since 2011
BEIRUT—Syrian authorities have killed at least 13,000 people since the start of the 2011 uprising in mass hangings at a prison north of Damascus known to detainees as “the slaughterhouse”, Amnesty International (AI) said on Tuesday.
Destroyed by Islamic State, Syria’s cultural sites rise in France
PARIS—When the Islamic State (IS) was about to be driven out of the ancient city of Palmyra in March, Yves Ubelmann got a call from Syria’s director of antiquities to come over in a hurry.
UN backs Russian-Turkish Syria cease-fire efforts
BEIRUT—The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Saturday supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end the nearly six-year conflict in Syria and jump-start peace negotiations, as a fragile country-wide cease-fire wavered.
UN OKs Aleppo monitors as evacuations proceed
BEIRUT—The leaders of Russia and Iran, military allies of Syria’s president, talked on Monday about joining forces to reach a quick political settlement in Syria, as the country’s largest city, Aleppo, was poised to return to full government control.
France, Russia reach compromise as Aleppo rescue uncertain
BEIRUT—France struck a compromise on Sunday with Russia on a UN resolution that it said would prevent “mass atrocities” in besieged areas of Aleppo, where thousands of trapped civilians and rebel fighters await evacuation in freezing temperatures.
IS militants reenter Syria’s historic Palmyra
BEIRUT—Islamic State (IS) militants reentered the historic city of Palmyra in central Syria on Saturday for the first time since they were expelled by Syrian and Russian forces nine months ago.
UN: Laws of war disregarded in Syria
UNITED NATIONS—Parties to the Syrian conflict have systematically disregarded the laws of war, showing time and again that they are willing to do anything to gain military advantage, the UN humanitarian chief said on Wednesday.
House OKs bills to renew Iran sanctions, Syria crackdown
WASHINGTON—The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved bipartisan bills to crack down on supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government and renew a decades-old Iran-sanctions law.
Gazmin: Syrian rebels attack peacekeepers in Golan Heights
DEFENSE Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Saturday said Filipino peacekeepers in the Golan Heights have been attacked by Syrian rebels, who are holding dozens of Fijian troops hostage.