Bashar Al Assad
Syrian rebels seize major dam in north; Russia slams French support
Source : Agencies | 27 Nov 2012
Activists say Syrian rebels have captured a hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates river in the country’s north in a strategic victory that followed days of fighting.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the Tishrin Dam, near the town of Manbij, fell to the rebels before dawn on Monday.
Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Observatory, says the dam supplies several areas of Syria with electricity.
Assad rejects "safe exit": report
Source : Agencies | 09 Nov 2012
President Bashar al-Assad said he does not see the West embarking on a military intervention in Syria and warned that the cost of such action would be unbearable, Russia Today reported on Thursday, citing an interview with him.
"I think that the cost of a foreign invasion of Syria - if it happens - would be bigger than the entire world can bear ... This will have a domino effect that will affect the world from the Atlantic to the Pacific," he said.
Syria agrees to ceasefire during Eid holiday -Brahimi
Source : Reuters | 24 Oct 2012
International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said on Wednesday the Syrian government had agreed to a ceasefire in the war with rebels during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
It was also not clear whether the insurgents would commit to a truce. Rebel sources had earlier told Reuters there was little point if it could not be monitored or enforced. Brahimi's initiative did not include plans for international observers to monitor a halt to hostilities.
Assad blamed for Beirut blast
Source : Reuters | 20 Oct 2012
A prominent Lebanese intelligence official opposed to President Bashar Assad was killed in a huge car bomb in Beirut in another sign that Syria’s civil war is dragging its volatile neighbor into the conflict.
Wissam Al-Hassan, who led an investigation that implicated Syria and Hezbollah in the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri, and seven other people were killed when the bomb exploded in central Beirut on Friday afternoon.
Assad forces accused of using cluster bombs in Syria war
By Karin Laub | AP | 15 Oct 2012
The Syrian regime was accused Sunday of dropping cluster bombs — indiscriminate scattershot munitions banned by most nations — in a new sign of desperation and disregard for its own people.
The international group Human Rights Watch cited amateur video and testimony from the front lines in making the allegation against the government of President Bashar Assad.
Syria’s rift widens with ex-ally Hamas
Source : Agencies | 03 Oct 2012
Syrian state-run television has bitterly criticized the leader of the Palestinian group Hamas for turning his back on President Bashar Assad, his one-time protector.
Syria welcomed Hamas in 1999 after Jordanian authorities expelled its leader in exile, Khaled Meshaal, accusing him of using the country for illicit activities.
Syria air strike kills children, clashes in Aleppo souk
Source : AFP | 02 Oct 2012
Army shelling and air raids killed dozens of civilians including children in Syrian flashpoints on Monday, a watchdog said, while rebels and loyalists fought close-quarter battles in Aleppo’s main souk.
In New York, UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged Damascus to show “compassion” to its people, as Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said a political solution was still possible if the West and Gulf states halted support for the rebels.
Assad must go, say UN leaders
Source : Agencies | 26 Sep 2012
The emir of Qatar yesterday called for an Arab military intervention in Syria to halt the conflict.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani told the UN General Assembly: “It is better for Arab countries themselves to intervene out of their humanitarian, political and military duties and do what is necessary to stop the bloodshed.”
UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the Syria “calamity” is turning into a global crisis as US President Barack Obama led growing calls for an end to Bashar Assad’s rule.
FSA claims it controls most of Syria
Source : Agencies | 24 Sep 2012
Regime aircraft hammered insurgent bastions nationwide yesterday as rebels said they now control most of the country and have moved their command center from Turkey to “liberated areas” inside Syria.
With deadly violence raging across Syria, UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi prepared to brief the UN Security Council today about talks he had with both President Bashar Assad and the opposition.
