Syria
Syria
Moscow, May 24 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The Taliban influence in Afghanistan may grow after international coalition forces pull out, while rising radicalism in Syria could lead to the country's disintegration, Russian military intelligence agency GRU has said.
Tel Aviv, May 24 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The sale of S-300 air defence systems by Russia to Syria would be "destabilising" for the region, US Secretary of State John Kerry said.
Damascus, May 23 (IANS) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stressed Thursday his resolve to continue fighting "terrorism" in tandem with efforts for a political solution to the country's 26-month-old crisis, reported Xinhua citing state-run SANA news agency.
Kiev, May 23 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Six Ukrainian nationals have been evacuated from Syria and have returned to Kiev, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.
Damascus, May 22 (IANS) They Syrian government has said that it holds the right to respond to any Israeli violation against its sovereignty.
Beijing, May 21 (Xinhua-ANI): The United States on Monday denounced Hezbollah for siding with the Syrian government forces in their battle against the rebels in Syria's central city of al-Qussair.
Damascus, May 21 (IANS) A total of 95 people, including 23 Hezbollah members, have been killed in an intense fighting in Syria's Al-Qussair city since Saturday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday.
Beijing, May 20 (Xinhua-ANI): The Syrian army on Sunday launched a wide-scale operation to recapture the border city of al-Qussair near Lebanon, and has regained large swathes of the strategic city, local media reported.
Moscow, May 20 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said that a conference on the Syrian settlement will take place "very soon", possibly at the beginning of June, after consulting UN Security Council permanent members.
Jerusalem, May 20 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his government remains committed to prevent transfer of the advanced weaponry to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Moscow, May 19 (IANS/RIA Novosti) After consultations with UN Security Council permanent members, a conference on the Syrian settlement will take place "very soon", possibly at the beginning of June, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said here Sunday.
Johannesburg, May 19 (ANI): Syrian president Bashar Assad has said that claims of the West that the Syrian government used weapons of mass destruction against its countrymen are nothing but a pretext for waging war against Syria.
Damascus, May 19 (IANS) At least eight people were killed and 10 others wounded when a car bomb ripped through a Damascus district Saturday night, local media and activists said.
London, May 18 (ANI): Russia has defended its arms sales to Syria, saying it is for purely defensive purposes.
Sydney, May 18 (ANI): An Australian has been charged under anti-terrorist laws for issuing a how-to list on Facebook for how young men can engage in holy war without getting killed or ending up in Guantanamo Bay.
London, May 18 (ANI): The United Nation's refugee agency has said that more than 1.5 million people have fled the conflict in Syria.
Geneva, May 18 (IANS) The number of Syrian refugees, who are either registered or awaiting registration, has surpassed 1.5 million, while the actual number is much higher, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Moscow, May 18 (IANS) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed regret over the inability of experts, investigating the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria, to visit the country.
London, May 16 (ANI): A resolution calling for a political transition in Syria and condemning the government's use of heavy weapons has been adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.
United Nations, May 16 (IANS) Calling it a "sleight of hand" and a "dangerous precedent which we cannot acquiesce in", India abstained on a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly calling for a political transition in Syria, saying "unilateral action" will not resolve the crisis and would only exacerbate the problem.
Moscow, May 16 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The detention of an alleged CIA agent in Moscow by Russian counter-intelligence will not threaten relations between Russia and the US, "the world's two largest nuclear superpowers", a Russian senator said.
Damascus, May 15 (IANS) Internet services in Syria have been off since early Wednesday, which appears to be a second blackout in a week, reported Al-Jazeera and a pro-opposition activist website.
Moscow, May 15 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia Wednesday lodged an official protest with the US ambassador over an embassy official who Moscow says is an undercover CIA officer.
Washington, May 15 (IANS/RIA Novosti) US officials were tight-lipped over the arrest of US diplomat Ryan Fogle in Moscow who has been accused of trying to recruit an agent for the CIA.
Washington, May 15 (IANS) A ghastly video posted online shows how barbaric the Syrian civil war can be. A rebel fighter is seen carving into the body of a Syrian government soldier, cutting out his heart and liver, putting the heart in his mouth and taking a bite, CNN has reported.
Sochi (Russia), May 15 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia and Israel will continue cooperation in an effort to resolve the situation in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said following talks with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Moscow, May 15 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Damascus's participation in an international conference between representatives of both sides in the Syrian conflict depends on "details and developments" and it will not be a party to any act that would harm national sovereignty, Syria's state news agency SANA reported.
Moscow, May 15 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A US diplomat was briefly detained by Russian counter-intelligence officials after the American was suspected of being an undercover CIA officer and trying to recruit a Russian agent, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said.
New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will pay a three-day visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia beginning on May 24 at the invitation of his counterpart Prince Saud al-Faisal.
Moscow, May 14 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russian President Vladimir Putin will Tuesday hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the crisis in Syria, the Kremlin press service said.
Moscow, May 14 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet on the sidelines of the two-day Arctic Council meeting due to begin in Sweden Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference here, Egypt's presidential spokesman Ehab Fahmi said: "Egypt considers Iran part of a solution to the Syrian crisis not part of the crisis, as some parties believe", and termed Iran an "influential" country in the region, reported Xinhua.
Jerusalem, May 13 (ANI): At least 82,000 people have been killed and 12,500 others are missing after two years of civil war in Syria, the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said.
Brussels, May 13 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The European Commission announced Sunday the allocation of an additional 65 million euros ($84.5 million) in humanitarian aid to war-torn Syria.
Ankara, May 13 (IANS) Nine Turks have been arrested over Saturday's deadly bombings in a town near the border with Syria, Turkish deputy prime minister Besir Atalay said Sunday.
United Nations, May 13 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the release of four Filipino peacekeepers captured by Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights last week.
Damascus, May 13 (IANS) The Bashar al-Assad-led Syrian government has denied Turkey's accusations of Damascus being behind Saturday's deadly explosions in a Turkish border town.
Sochi, May 12 (IANS/RIA Novosti) An international conference between representatives of both sides in the Syrian conflict is unlikely to take place before May end as earlier stated, as there are still too many differences of opinion over the event's format.
Ankara, May 12 (IANS/RIA Novosti) As many as 40 people were killed and over 100 injured, in two blasts that occurred a Turkish town of Reyhanli, near Syrian border Saturday, the government said.
Ankara, May 12 (IANS/RIA Novosti) At least 40 people were killed and over 100 injured, 29 of them seriously, in two blasts that occurred in a Turkish town of Reyhanli, near Syrian border Saturday, the government said.
London, May 11 (ANI): Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told US media he has evidence that Syria used chemical weapons against opposition forces.
Warsaw, May 10 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia has no plans to supply Syria with weapons beyond the current contracts that Moscow is honouring, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.
Sochi, May 10 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia and Britain have common interest in preserving Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday after talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
After 70,000 Syrians have paid with their lives in the foreign induced conflict in Syria, why has the American perspective changed? Even so, it was nice to see Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov embrace each other in Moscow. Kerry also met President Vladimir Putin who, in Kerry's presence, asked Lavrov to take over the task of navigating the Syrian crisis towards a peaceful resolution.
London, May 10 (ANI): Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would have no role in a political settlement to Syria's conflict, US Secretary of State John Kerry has said.
Beijing, May 9 (Xinhua-ANI): The Lebanese Hezbollah's chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel Thursday that his militia is ready to receive "game-changing weapons" from Syria.
Damascus, May 9 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Syria's foreign ministry Thursday welcomed rapprochement between the US and Russia over resolving the crisis in the war-torn country, state news agency SANA reported.
Washington, May 9 (IANS/RIA Novosti) While an internationally brokered resolution of the Syrian conflict may not yet be within sight, Russia is in a position to play a crucial role in pushing the Syrian elites to accept a transition process, an American expert has said.
London, May 9 (IANS) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would have no role in a political settlement to Syria's conflict, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday.
Rome, May 9 (IANS/AKI) The Italian government has no information on the 62-year-old war reporter Domenico Quirico, who vanished in Syria in April, Foreign Minister Emma Bonino said Thursday.
London, May 9 (ANI): Syria's main armed opposition group, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), is losing fighters and capabilities to Jabhat al-Nusra, an Islamist organisation with links to al-Qaida.
Brussels, May 9 (IANS) The European Union (EU) has expressed satisfaction with the US and Russia's joint call for an international conference on Syria to end the escalating crisis in that country.
Sydney, May 8 (ANI): Internet traffic in and out of Syria suddenly stopped in the wee hours of Wednesday.
London, May 8 (ANI): Russia and the United States have pledged to convene an international conference aimed at ending the civil war in Syria.
United Nations, May 7 (IANS) Four UN peacekeepers, all from the Philippines, were abducted on the Golan Heights Tuesday by an armed group believed to be the same one to have abducted 21 Filipino peacekeepers two months ago, the United Nations said.
Damascus, May 7 (IANS) Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi arrived in Syria Tuesday to discuss the recent developments in the region with top Syrian officials including President Bashar al-Assad, reported Xinhua citing well-informed sources.
London, May 7 (ANI): The United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria has distanced itself from comments made by one of its members that there was evidence of the nerve gas sarin being used by rebels in the war-torn country.
London, May 7 (ANI): Israel sought to play down its attack on Syrian soldiers during an air strike on research facilities and weapons shipments that were bound for the Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Islamabad, May 7 (ANI): A new magazine set up by militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan has appealed to Muslims around the world to come up with a new technology to hack or manipulate drones.
Minsk, May 7 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia does not have conclusive evidence that chemical weapons have been used in Syria, Russian Security Council head Nikolai Patrushev said.
Damascus, May 6 (IANS) Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem Monday underlined his country's right to respond to the Israeli attack against the Syrian military sites in the capital Damascus earlier this week, reported Xinhua citing the state-run SANA news agency.
Damascus, May 6 (Xinhua-ANI): A UN investigator has expressed her strong suspicions that the Syrian rebels had used nerve agent sarin in Syria's two-year deadly conflict, local media reported Monday, quoting a foreign media outlet.
Washington, May 6 (ANI): Former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has said Boston bombings show threat of homegrown jihadists.
Jerusalem, May 6 (ANI): United Nations human rights investigators have collected testimony indicating that rebel forces used nerve agent sarin.
Sydney, May 6 (ANI): Syrian Government has warned that Israeli raids that have hit three military sites outside Damascus was now 'more dangerous'.
United Nations, May 6 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced "grave concern" at reported Israeli air strikes on Syria, and called on all sides to "exercise maximum calm and restraint".
Jerusalem, May 6 (IANS) The Israeli Defense Forces has said it would shut down civil air traffic in northern Israel until Thursday.
Dubai, May 6 (IANS) Syria has deployed missile defence batteries towards Israel in response to an alleged Israeli attack that targeted a Syrian army facility in the capital Damascus Sunday, a media report said.
Beirut, May 6 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Syria reserves the right to defend itself by all possible methods, the country's deputy foreign minister said in the wake of Israeli air strikes on the capital Damascus.
Damascus, May 5 (IANS) The Israeli attack against positions of the Syrian army earlier in the day "opens the door widely before all eventualities", the Syrian government said Sunday.
Damascus, May 5 (IANS) At least 20 people, including women and children, were killed Sunday when armed rebels shelled two towns in Syria's northern province of Aleppo, a radio report said.
Moscow, May 5 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Iran Sunday condemned Israeli air strikes earlier in the day on Syria and urged regional countries to resist such acts of "aggression", said foreign ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehman-Parast.
Moscow, May 5 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Israel carried out a missile attack on a military research centre outside capital Damascus early Sunday.
Beirut, May 5 (IANS) The Lebanese Hezbollah's political council has said the group stands ready to engage in the fight to prevent Syria's collapse as well as being controlled by Israel and the US, a media report said.
United Nations, May 4 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The parties to the conflict in Syria should seek political dialogue, the UN suggested Friday, after Russia expressed readiness to hold talks with all representatives of the Syrian opposition.
Tehran, May 4 (ANI): India and Iran has expressed deep concern over the continuing and unabated violence in Syria and called upon all sides to abjure violence and resolve all issues peacefully through discussions taking into account the aspirations of people of Syria.
Beijing, May 4 (Xinhua-ANI): Israeli Foreign Ministry and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) refused Saturday to comment on foreign reports about an Israeli attack on a missiles convoy in Syria overnight Thursday.
Islamabad, May 4 (IANS) Afghan cueist Saleh Muhammad lifted his first amateur Asian trophy as he won the 29th Asian Snooker Championship in Pakistan's port city of Karachi.
Washington, May 4 (ANI): The United States believes Israel has conducted an airstrike into Syria, two officials have said.
Beijing, May 4 (Xinhua-ANI): Visiting U.S. President Barack Obama said here Friday he does "not foresee" a circumstance under which Washington would send ground troops to war-torn Syria.
Rome, May 4 (IANS/AKI) Prosecutors in Rome have opened a kidnapping and anti-terrorism investigation after Italian journalist Domenico Quirico disappeared in war-torn Syria.
Washington, May 4 (IANS/AKI) North Korea, Iran and Syria are among the top 10 countries deemed worst for press freedom, according to an annual ranking by a Washington-based watchdog.
Ljubljana (Slovenia), May 4 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Moscow is ready to hold talks with all representatives of the Syrian opposition, including Salim Idriss, leader of the Free Syrian Army, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Washington, May 3 (ANI): Two years after the killing of former al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, the terror network has become so decentralized that its affiliates in Yemen and elsewhere now pose a greater direct threat to the US.
London, May 3 (ANI): US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has said that the US is reconsidering its opposition to supplying weapons to rebel forces in the strife-torn Syria.
United Nations, May 3 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Thursday met senior diplomats from the five permanent members of the Security Council, also known as the P5, to discuss the latest situation in Syria.
Budapest, May 3 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Moscow has urged the UN to respond to Syria's request to probe the alleged use of chemical weapons on its territory in March, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Tehran, May 2 (IANS) Iranian government has strongly condemned the latest bomb attack in Syria's capital city of Damascus, Xinhua reported.
Moscow, May 2 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia's landing ship -- Azov -- entered the Israeli port of Haifa Wednesday, marking the first time a Russian warship calling at an Israeli port.
Tehran, May 1 (IANS) The ties between Iran and Turkey are strategic and contribute to the regional security, an official said here Wednesday.
Damascus, May 1 (IANS) Two people were killed and 28 others wounded Wednesday in twin blasts in the Syrian capital, a local media report said.
Washington, May 1 (IANS) The US is considering providing lethal weapons to Syrian opposition forces and a decision is expected within weeks, a media report said Wednesday.
Washington, May. 1 (ANI): President Barack Obama said that when he said chemical-weapons use in Syria would be a 'game-changer', he meant for the entire international community, not just the United States.
Beijing, May. 1 (Xinhua-ANI): A UN spokesman said on Tuesday that the United Nations still lacks the agreement for its chemical weapons investigation mission to do its work in Syria.
Beijing, May. 1 (Xinhua-ANI): The UN Children's Fund ( UNICEF) and partners are stepping up vaccination campaigns in Syria, and neighboring Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey, amid measles outbreaks in the region, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters here Tuesday.
Washington, May. 1 (ANI): The Pentagon has stepped up planning for potential military intervention in the Syrian civil war.
London, May. 1 (ANI): For the first time, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has confirmed that the powerful Lebanese Shia organisation is helping President Bashar al-Assad fight the uprising against his rule - and will stand by him.
Beirut, May 1 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Militants in Syria have used chemical weapons against civilians with the aim of discrediting forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, Syrian state-run TV said Tuesday.
Washington, April 30 (IANS) US President Barack Obama Tuesday warned against rushing to judgment on the use of chemical weapons in Syria, saying he needs "hard, effective evidence" before taking further moves.
Beijing, Apr. 30 (Xinhua-ANI): A car bomb went off Tuesday in the heart of the capital Damascus in front of the old headquarters of Syria's Interior Ministry, killing at least 10 people, wounding 60 others, local media said.
