Tag Archives: Syria

Israel alleged that Syrian government forces had used chemical weapons, but US officials remained skeptical. Two Syrian bishops who had been abducted were reportedly freed; they are said to have been kidnapped by non-Syrians who spoke Arabic. The reports of their release have not been confirmed.

The EU for the first time relaxed Syrian sanctions, in order to ease shortages and provide economic support in rebel-held areas; the export of crude oil from those areas will be allowed, as will EU investments and the import of gas and oil technology. Gunmen kidnapped a Greek Orthodox bishop and an Assyrian Orthodox bishop […]

Clashes between the Al Nusrah Front and villagers from al Masreb in Deir Ezzour resulted in the deaths of 17 villagers and 20 Nusrah fighters; Al Nusrah also took 13 villagers captive and burned houses in the village. The director of the Aleppo mosque has disappeared since being taken by government forces on April 9. […]

President Assad accused the West of supporting al Qaeda fighters in Syria and Libya, and warned that the militants would later strike back at the US and Europe. He also accused Jordan of allowing thousands of anti-regime fighters to enter Syria. US intelligence is reviewing allegations that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons. Rebels […]

Rebel forces repelled a government attempt in Idlib to capture the main highway into Aleppo; the artery remains contested. Rebels have advanced near the Turkish and Jordanian borders, while government forces have held on to central Damascus and over half of Homs. Tensions between Islamist and more moderate rebel forces are said to have hampered […]

Raphael Gendron, a Frenchman active in Islamist circles in Belgium, was killed while fighting with the Islamist ‘Falcons of Sham’ militia headed by Abdelrahman Ayachi. Syria’s deputy foreign minister accused France and the UK of “directly or indirectly” backing al Qaeda by supporting the Syrian opposition.

A Saudi newspaper reported that some 1,200 Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon entered Syria from over the past few days. Tensions are rising in Lebanon between pro- and anti-Assad factions. Several thousand women have begun fighting in the Syrian conflict, on both sides. Activists said government airstrikes killed 16 people in a Kurdish village and damaged […]

A rights group claimed that gas bombs dropped from aircraft killed two women and two children in Aleppo. Islamists in Deir Azzour, including members of Al Nusrah Front, denounced democracy and vowed that an Islamic state will be created once they enter Damascus. Four Italian journalists kidnapped by an armed Islamist group in Syria have […]

The head of Ansar al Sharia in Syria, which is affiliated with the Al Nusrah Front, said the rebel groups fighting in Douma, including the Free Syrian Army, all seek the creation of an Islamic state. He alleged that new fighting groups with Islamist names in Ghouta and Daraa are controlled by the US. Government […]

The Assad regime called on the UN to designate the Al Nusrah Front as a terrorist organization, following the group’s announcement of its affiliation with al Qaeda. At least 57 people were killed in Deraa province after government forces assaulted two towns linked to defections from the Syrian army. Activists say a rebel battalion has […]