HRW Names Syrian Commanders Who Ordered ‘Shoot To Kill’

Human Rights Watch has published the names of 74 Syrian commanders and officials, who were identified by defected soldiers as those responsible for attacks on unarmed protesters.

Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The report names commanders and officials from the Syrian military and intelligence agencies who allegedly ordered, authorized, or condoned widespread killings, torture, and unlawful arrests during the 2011 anti-government protests. (more…)

Syrian Army Defectors Kill 27 Soldiers as Conflict Spreads

Syrian army defectors killed 27 members of President Bashar al-Assad’s security forces in an attack at dawn, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. (more…)

Chirac found guilty of corruption by a French court

A French court found former President Jacques Chirac guilty of embezzling public funds to illegally finance the conservative party he long led, in a historic verdict Thursday with repercussions for his legacy and France’s political elite.

Chirac, a savvy world diplomat and icon of France’s ruling establishment for decades, will not go behind bars (more…)

Iraq’s Shiites in no mood to embrace Iran

NAJAF, Iraq — When a senior Iranian cleric announced last month that he was planning to move to this holy Shiite city to open an office, the furor that erupted offered a glimpse into the future of a complicated relationship.

As American troops leave Iraq, Iran certainly ranks high among the beneficiaries of their nearly nine-year presence (more…)

Hezbollah rejects accusations of involvemment in UNIFIL bombing

Hezbollah slammed on Thursday March 14 officials for accusing the party of involvement in the attack that targeted a UNIFIL patrol last week in the southern city of Tyre, calling the accusations “dangerous and unacceptable”.

Hezbollah warned against the repercussions of such behavior by March 14 officials . (more…)

Syrian army gunfire wounds two in Lebanon

Two people were wounded on Wednesday when a Syrian military patrol entered Lebanese territory and opened fire on a border town, a local official said.
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New taxes as Cabinet cancels the VAT on Diesel

Lebanon’s Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi said Wednesday evening that the 2012 state budget will “include new taxes ” to make up for the cancellation of Value Added Tax on fuel oil.

The finance minister’s comments came after the cabinet decided to cancel the Value Added Tax on red diesel fuel oil. (more…)

United Nations urges world to help the Syrian people

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has urged world powers to act as a US official likened the Damascus regime to a “dead man walking”.

Activists said Syrian forces killed another 21 civilians on a day when the US State Department’s special co-ordinator on Middle East affairs Frederic Hof told US politicians that “change is surely coming to Syria”. (more…)

Syrian Army Defectors Ambush Soldiers

Beirut , Lebanon – Syrian military defectors killed at least eight members of the security forces on Wednesday in an ambush near the city of Hama, in central Syria, according to opposition groups. (more…)

US: Assad’s Syria regime a “dead man walking”

The Obama administration is predicting the downfall of Syrian President Bashar Assad with a senior official likening his authoritarian regime to a “dead man walking” over its brutal crackdown on pro-reform demonstrators and increasing international isolation. (more…)