The US and Turkey discussed Syria, including a potential no-fly zone and the possibility of a Syrian chemical attack. The number of Syrian refugees surged to 150,000. Rebels renewed attacks in Damascus. Jordanian and Syrian forces clashed along the border.
Analyis: Israel fears new generation of jihadists on its borders
A new computer virus targeting Lebanese banks to gather financial information on Hezbollah, Syria, or Lebanon was detected. Lebanon arrested a former minister and close ally of Syrian President Assad for helping to plan bomb attacks against Sunnis. Amid the rising tensions, Sunni Syrian workers fled Shiite neighborhoods.
Egypt arrested nine Islamic militants suspected of involvement in an attack that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers. Tribal leaders in the Sinai peninsula have agreed to help the Egyptian army restore security in the area.
A day after government forces launched a major assault in Aleppo, rebel forces were forced back from the district of Salaheddine. Rebel commanders said they were preparing to counterattack.
Gunmen attacked a police station in North Sinai. Egypt sent a large convoy of military reinforcements to the area to drive out Islamist militants blamed for killing 16 border guards. Egypt’s parliament named 50 new editors for state-owned newspapers, including a number with Islamist leanings.
Iranian leaders have issued statements implying that Iran will not give up its nuclear program. The US says it will not tolerate that decision.
Iran sent diplomats to Turkey seeking help in freeing 48 Iranians seized by Syrian rebels. Iran said it would hold the US responsible for the fate of the prisoners. Iran said it would continue to support its Syrian ally.
Fighting in Aleppo spread as rebels attacked new areas. Rebels claimed to control 60% of the city, but were also running low on ammunition.
Disinformation flies in Syria’s growing cyber war
In Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, Islamic militants pose a new threat
In the wake of an attack that killed 16 soldiers, Egypt closed down smuggling tunnels between Sinai and Gaza. Egypt’s president vowed to hunt down the militants.
Sinai Attack a ‘Wake-Up Call’ to Egypt, Israel Says
Riyad Hijab: Syrian prime minister’s defection dents edifice of Syria’s regime
In the highest-level defection to date, Syria’s Prime Minister fled to Jordan along with two ministers and three military officers. A bomb exploded in the Damascus headquarters of the state TV channel. The US granted a license to a Syrian support group allowing them to raise funds to equip Syrian rebels.
State Dept. and Pentagon Planning for Post-Assad Syria
Victory closer, divisions deepen in Syria opposition
Iran tested a new longer-range version of its Fateh-110 ballistic missile. Iran plans to take its government offices offline in order to defend against cyberattacks.
Fighting intensified in Aleppo and Damascus. Government forces numbering 20,000 massed around Aleppo and warned of a full-scale assault within days. Rebels abducted 47 Iranians visiting a Shiite shrine; the rebels said the men were members of the Iranian Republican Guard.
Kofi Annan’s exit makes it clear: Force trumps talk in Syria
Government forces shelled a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, and attacked rebel positions in Aleppo, Damascus, and Hama. Protesters called for the death for President Assad. The UN general assembly condemned the Security Council and the Syrian government.
Egypt’s President swore in his new government, which included members of the Muslim Brotherhood in key positions. Attacks on Christian Copts are in the rise. The Egyptian government requested the release of a top al Qaeda explosives expert from Guantanamo.
Analysis: Syrian army faces tough battle in Aleppo
Analysis: Syria crisis feeds Iraq violence, al Qaeda revival
Iran, Israel waging silent war
Noting the failure of diplomacy, Kofi Annan resigned as UN-Arab League special envoy to Syria. US President Obama signed an order authorizing the US to support Syrian rebels seeking to overthrow to the Assad regime. Rebels used captured tanks to bombard a military airport in Aleppo.
Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad digs in for a fight to the death
Iran seethes with discontent during Ramadan
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said economic sanctions were failing to halt Iran’s nuclear program. US Secretary of Defense Panetta implied the possibility of a military attack if Iran decides to develop a nuclear weapon.
Newly elected President Mohamed Morsi released from prison 26 Islamists jailed during the Mubarak regime. Egyptian security services refused to release a further 26 inmates.