Syria admitted it shot down a Turkish reconnaissance jet. Turkey said the jet may have strayed into Syrian airspace. Syria said the attack was an accident. Government and rebel forces fought in the town of Deir al-Zor near the Iraqi border. Iraq’s foreign minister warned that the Syrian conflict could spill over into neighboring states.
US seeks return to SE Asian bases
Two rockets hit southern Israel, prompting an Israeli airstrike into Gaza. Hamas and Israel agreed to a new ceasefire.
In a worst-case scenario, Syria is heading toward a messy civil war engulfing not only itself, but regional and global actors as well.
Iran ‘producing enriched uranium at faster pace’
Sectarianism casts shadow over Syria’s uprising
Tunisian radicals travel to Syria
A Syrian Air Force colonel defected, flying his Mig-21 jet to Jordan. A US and UK peace plan may offer President Assad clemency if he relinquishes power.
After three days of fighting with Israel, Hamas agreed to a ceasefire. Israel killed two members of the Tawhid and Jihad organization, a radical group that played a central role in Monday’s border attack that sparked the fighting. Hamas staged a rally in Gaza and renewed its call for the end of Israel.
Among Syrian rebels, a shared sense of commitment
Iran nuclear talks downgraded
Over the last three days, violence in southern Israel and Gaza has continued to escalate. Palestinians have fired up to 80 mortars and rockets into southern Israel, and Israel has conducted a series of airstrikes in Gaza, killing eight people.
The head of the UN observer mission in Syria reported that UN monitors had been fired at on multiple occasions. Although the mission has been suspended, it has not been cancelled. Government and rebel forces declared a temporary truce in Homs to allow civilians to be evacuated.
Turkish aircraft attacked Kurdish rebels targets inside Iraq. The strike was in response to an earlier attack by Kurdish rebels that killed eight Turkish soldiers.
Two days of talks between Iran and the six powers over Iran’s nuclear program produced no agreement. Further talks were scheduled for July 3 in Istanbul.
Government forces continued to shell the city of Homs. Government and rebel forces clashed in Baba Amr. The rebel Free Syrian Army appealed to the Kurdish minority to join them.
For the first time in months, Hamas fired rockets from Gaza into southern Israel. No damage or casualties were reported.
Turkish army forces clashed with rebel Kurds in southeast Turkey;18 rebels and 8 soldiers were killed. The rebels’ attack also wounded 16 soldiers.
In Cairo, thousands protested against a military ruling that gave them sweeping new powers. Both presidential candidates claimed victory in last weekend’s elections.
Factbox: Egypt’s new constitutional decree
Iran and the six powers started a new round of talks over Iran’s nuclear program. After the first day, the two sides remained far apart. Mahmud Ahmadinejad has said he plans to leave politics next year after his second term as president ends.
Government forces surrounded and began shelling Sunni districts in the city of Homs. Russia prepared to send two amphibious assault ships and marines to the Syrian port of Tartus.
Four gunmen infiltrated the Egyptian border and staged an ambush, killing one Israeli and sparking a firefight that left two militants dead. The Palestinian group Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. Israel deployed tanks along the border.
Claiming 52% of the vote, the Muslim Brotherhood declared themselves the winners of the presidential election. In the aftermath of the election, the Egyptian military granted itself sweeping new powers by constitutional decree, but tried to minimize the significance of the move. The Muslim Brotherhood called it a ‘coup’ and urged protests.
Iran’s economic pain deepens as new nuclear talks begin
The UN suspended its observer mission due to the danger from increasing levels of violence. UN observers had been deployed to Syria to monitor a UN-sponsored peace plan.
Egypt began presidential elections. The two-day process pits Mohammed Mursi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, against Ahmed Shafiq, a former prime minister in President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.
Iran arrested suspects who are thought to be behind the killing of two nuclear scientists. Iran’s intelligence ministry claimed the suspects had ties to Israel.
The head of the UN monitoring team in Syria warned of intensifying violence as the UN peace plan fails. Russia said it would not discuss plans for a post-Assad Syria. China rejected further sanctions. The US has stepped up support for Syrian rebels.
A series of bomb attacks struck Western diplomatic and international organizations. The Islamic fundamentalist group “Brigades of the Imprisoned Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman” took responsibility.