Bashar al-Assad

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Al-Qaeda Militants Capture Syrian Town—From Rival Rebels

It's more evidence of infighting among Assad's enemies

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda militants seized a town near the Turkish border today after expelling Western-backed rebels from the area, demonstrating the growing power of jihadis as they seek to expand their influence across opposition-held Syrian territory. The infighting—now engulfing many parts of northern Syria—threatened to further split opposition forces outgunned...

For the Record, Obama Has Done Pretty Well on Syria

But you wouldn't know that from all his critics: David Ignatius

(Newser) - The many, many critics of President Obama's Syria strategy say it has amounted to nothing short of a national embarrassment. Which David Ignatius of the Washington Post find a little "puzzling" given how things have worked out. The threat of force got Russia invested in a resolution, got...

Assad Scoffs: 'Anyone Can Make Sarin in His House'

He tells Fox News his regime isn't to blame

(Newser) - Bashar al-Assad continues making the interview rounds and denying that his regime used chemical weapons. In the latest sit-down—conducted by Fox News , with former congressman Dennis Kucinich as one of the interviewers—the Syrian leader said it will take about a year to destroy his chemical stockpile, reports NPR...

Russia Rips UN's Syria Report: 'Biased,' 'One-Sided'

Says it has evidence rebels used chemical weapons—courtesy of Assad

(Newser) - Just when it seemed like the US and Russia were suspiciously close to seeing eye-to-eye on Syria, things move back to more familiar territory. A Russian government minister has slammed the UN report findings that chemical weapons were used in Syria as "biased and one-sided," while claiming it...

Assad Comes Out on Top in Syria Deal
 Assad Comes 
 Out on Top in 
 Syria Deal 
OPINION
Sep 16, 2013 11:47 AM CDT

Assad Comes Out on Top in Syria Deal

Putin now 'US ambassador to Syria': GOP senator

(Newser) - Following the US-Russia agreement on Syrian chemical disarmament, plenty of political insiders are furious with the Obama administration—but the White House has its defenders. What the media is saying:
  • At Bloomberg , Jeffrey Goldberg sees a major victory for Bashar al-Assad: "The US has in a perverse way made
...

Kerry to Syria: 'Threat of Force Is Real'

Secretary warns of consequences if US-Russia deal isn't carried out

(Newser) - Secretary of State John Kerry today sent a strong warning to Syria, saying "the threat of force is real" if it does not carry out an internationally brokered agreement to hand over its chemical weapons. Kerry issued the warning during a stop in Jerusalem, where he briefed jittery Israeli...

Assad Shelling Hospitals, Torturing Patients: UN

Says Syrian gov't forces using denial of healthcare as 'weapon of war'

(Newser) - A new UN reports says that government forces in Syria have been using denial of healthcare as a "weapon of war": shelling hospitals, refusing treatment to people from rebel-controlled areas, and detaining and torturing patients—sometimes to death. The report says anti-government rebels are also guilty of attacking hospitals...

US Won't Demand Use of Force in UN Resolution

But White House will keep open possibility of strike on its own

(Newser) - The New York Times reports that the White House is bowing to reality: Because Russia will never agree to any UN resolution that calls for the possibility of military action against Syria, the US won't insist on such a clause. (The Russians already have balked at a draft proposal...

This Elite Unit Is Hiding Syria's Chemical Weapons

WSJ looks at 'Unit 450'

(Newser) - Last week, as the US prepared for military strikes, an elite Syrian military unit once again moved the Assad regime's chemical stockpiles. Unit 450, an all-Alawite squad so secretive that even high-ranking military defectors aren't aware of its existence, has been divvying up and dispersing its stockpiles for...

Assad: It Was Russia, Not US, That Convinced Us

He agrees to sign chemical weapons pact as Kerry, Lavrov meet

(Newser) - John Kerry and Russia's foreign minister began wrangling over the details of Moscow's plan to defuse the Syria crisis today, as Bashar al-Assad publicly embraced the idea and simultaneously zinged the US: "Syria is placing its chemical weapons under international control because of Russia," he said...

This 9/11, Public Isn't Swayed by Overhyped Fears

White House overstating dangers to US of Syria: Paul Campos

(Newser) - In its unsuccessful push to get Congress and the nation to embrace the idea of military action against Syria, the White House resorted to "fearmongering," writes Paul Campos at Time . It argued that Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons pose a threat to national security, "even potentially (to)...

Experts Explain: Disarming Syria Could Be a Nightmare

Could take years to secure chemical weapons, require many troops

(Newser) - As the world rallies around the idea of getting Syria to hand over its chemical weapons, weapons experts tell the New York Times there's much more than a "here you go" involved. "It’s a gargantuan task for the inspectors to mothball production, install padlocks, inventory the...

For First Time, Syria Admits It Has Chemical Arsenal

Will sign arms pact; also, Putin says US must renounce threat of force

(Newser) - President Obama's speech-writers are probably a stressed-out bunch right about now because Syria developments are coming quickly ahead of Obama's prime-time address:
  • Disclosing sites: Syria is ready to disclose the locations of its chemical stockpiles to the UN, Russia, and other unspecified nations, says Foreign Minister Walid Moallem,
...

Syria Plan: 'Sham' or Legit Path to Peace?

Pundits make their case

(Newser) - Might John Kerry's offhand comment lead to a genuine resolution of the Syrian mess? Some of the opinions:
  • It's a 'sham': That's the view of Michael Doran of the Brookings Institution as quoted in the Washington Post . "This is a dishonest ploy by Russia and
...

Syria: We Accept Russia&#39;s Plan
 Syria: We Accept Russia's Plan 
Sep 10, 2013 7:42 AM CDT

Syria: We Accept Russia's Plan

As France puts that plan to the test

(Newser) - Though plenty remain skeptical that Syria will in fact hand over its chemical weapons, today began with more forward movement: Syria's foreign minister says his government has "agreed to the Russian initiative" to hand over its chemical weapons for subsequent dismantling in order to "uproot US aggression....

Assad: If US Strikes Syria, 'Expect Every Action' in Return

Clips air from Charlie Rose interview

(Newser) - If the US does indeed strike Syria, "you should expect everything," "expect every action," from Syria in response, President Bashar al-Assad tells Charlie Rose in a new interview . CBS This Morning previewed the interview today; it airs in full on PBS tonight. Some of Assad's...

Obama's Syria Push Jockeys With NFL, New iPhone

Congress leans toward no as Obama fights for attention

(Newser) - As a critical week in his presidency opens, President Obama is facing a big struggle not just for support on Syria but for the nation's attention, Politico finds. He'll make his case with interviews on six TV news shows today, where he'll be competing with the opening...

Army Might've Used Gas Sans Assad's OK: Report

German spies say army asked for Assad's approval, but was denied

(Newser) - In a Charlie Rose interview airing tonight , Bashar al-Assad reportedly denies that he had "anything to do" with chemical weapons attacks on his own people—and a new report in German newspaper Bild am Sonntag suggests he might not be lying. Citing radio messages intercepted by German intelligence,...

Assad to Charlie Rose: 'No Evidence' I Gassed My People

Syrian strongman hints he'll retaliate if US strikes

(Newser) - Bashar al-Assad "denied that he had anything to do" with the chemical attack that killed nearly 1,500 of his countrymen, he tells Charlie Rose in an interview that airs tomorrow on PBS. "He basically said, ' There has been no evidence that I used weapons against my...

EU: Assad Is Likely Guilty, But Wait for UN Report

Representative calls chemical attack a 'war crime'

(Newser) - The European Union officially weighed in on Syria today, and Reuters uses a very common phrase of late to describe its statement: "carefully worded." It says that, yes, a chemical weapons attack occurred, and yes, all the available information "seems to indicate strong evidence that the Syrian...

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