Tag Archives: Syria

Opposition political groups meeting in Cairo agreed to a transition plan and to support the Free Syrian Army, but failed to form a unified representative body. The Al Nusra Front claimed responsibility for bombing a pro-government TV station. Hezbollah and Iran would fight alongside the Assad regime if it was attacked by foreign forces.

President Assad expressed regret over shooting down a Turkish jet. Turkey scrambled fighter jets for a third day after Syrian helicopters flew near to the Turkey-Syrian border. Eighty-five Syrian soldiers defected to Turkey. A Human Rights Watch report said the Syrian intelligence agencies were running torture centers across the country.

At an international conference, a compromise agreement was reached for a UN-backed political transition, but no agreement was reached on the fate of President Assad. Syrian opposition groups rejected the plan, while Assad rejected any external solution. Government forces renewed their offensives around the country.

Helicopter gunships attacked a strategic town in northern Syria. A large tank force massed near the Turkish boarder. Government forces shelled neighborhoods in Damascus, killing 43 people. While international diplomats prepared to meet in Geneva, President Assad rejected any external solution.

Two powerful bombs exploded outside the Justice Ministry building in central Damascus. the UN’s Kofi Annan called for a national unity government. Russia said it would not support the plan.

Gunmen attacked a pro-Assad TV station near Damascus, destroying the station and killing seven employees. President Assad said the country was at war and no effort should be spared to achieve victory. The UN said violence had worsened since the attempted peace plan in April.

Fierce fighting broke out around elite Republican Guard posts in the capital of Damascus. The rebel Free Syrian Army captured a military base in the northern town of Daret Ezzah. The UN said Syria is too dangerous for peacekeeping monitors to resume their mission.

Thirty-three members of the Syrian military and their families defected to Turkey. The EU condemned Syria’s downing of a Turkish jet aircraft but ruled out a military response.

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.

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.