Tag Archives: Syria

Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution calling for a halt to the crackdown against opponents of President Assad. Turkey said it would impose sanctions on Syria despite the vote. Syria revoked a ban on imports of consumer goods. France warned Syria it would not tolerate harassment of protesters.

A Syrian colonel who has joined the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad took refuge in Turkey. He had been a target of a Syrian military crackdown in the Rastan, but had escaped. Turkey plans to conduct a military exercise near the Syrian border.

Syrian dissidents meeting in Turkey announced the creation of a united council aimed at toppling President Bashar al Assad. After five days of fighting, pro-Assad forces say they have restored order to the rebellious town of Rastan. The fighting pitted the Syrian military against army defectors who sided with anti-regime protesters.

The EU banned investment in Syria’s oil sector. Syria banned imports except raw materials in a move to preserve foreign currency reserves. Turkey and the US have been exploring how to deal with a possible civil war among Syria’s Alawite, Druze, Christian, and Sunni sects. Syrian children have joined the protests.

Iraq is calling for regime change in Syria. the European Union plans to impose new sanctions on Syria, including a ban on oil investments. Turkey is considering imposing sanctions and coordinating its efforts with the US.

At least 200 Syrian opposition members have met outside the capital in a significant gathering of dissidents on Syrian soil. A group of Russian lawmakers arrived in Damascus Saturday in a bid to broker an end to violence. Russia is one of President Bashar al Assad’s few remaining supporters.

Dozens of tanks and hundreds of soldiers stormed 10 villages near Syria’s northwest border with Turkey. Security personnel launched raids in the provinces of Homs, Idlib, Damascus, and Hama. The Arab League called for “immediate change” in Syria and an end to the violence. Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan said the “Syrian people and I don’t […]

Syrian forces stepped up raids across the country after one of the bloodiest weeks in the six-month uprising, seizing dozens of people in the province of Deir al-Zor and in villages near Hama. The UN said the death toll in Syria has reached 2,600. Russia rejected a call for wider sanctions. Six foreign ministers of […]

In a first direct call for foreign intervention, Syrian activists appeal for international help. Syrian Revolution General Commission, an umbrella bloc of activists, said a rise in the number of protesters killed had won over many reluctant Syrians to the need for outside help. Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al Zahar announced Friday Hamas is looking to […]

Syrian government forces killed at least 17 people in a tank-backed raid on the city of Homs. The operation came after 2,000 people had taken to the streets a day earlier. Nabil Elaraby, secretary general of the Arab League, delayed a mission to Damascus after Syrian officials told him he would not be welcome.

Syrian security forces launched widespread attacks against the central cities of Hama and Homs, the eastern border town of Tal Kalakh, and along the Syrian-Turkish border. At least five people were killed.

“Gunmen” killed six Syrian soldiers and three civilians in an ambush on a bus near Hama. Security forces killed 12 civilians during raids in Idlib and Hama.

The Arab League is considering calling for an end to the Syrian government’s five-month crackdown on protesters, in which, according to the UN, over 2,200 civilians have been killed. Syria claims “terrorist groups” are responsible and that 500 police and army have died in the uprisings. A cartoonist who criticized the government was attacked by […]