Syria wants peace conference details before deciding to go

Syria wants details on a U.S.-Russian proposed peace conference before it decides whether to attend and says the role of President Bashar al-Assad is a decision “only for the Syrian people and the ballot box”, a minister said.

Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi was quoted by state news agency SANA (more…)

Syrian opposition demands Assad’s ouster before any deal

Syria’s main opposition National Coalition on Wednesday said any political settlement to the country’s two-year-old conflict must start with President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, implicitly rejecting a U.S.-Russian initiative for dialogue with the regime. (more…)

Brahimi hails US-Russia accord on Syria as hopeful news

UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi on Wednesday hailed a US-Russia accord to push both sides fighting in the Syrian conflict to end the bloodshed, but cautioned that it was “only a first step”.

The US-Russia agreement came after lengthy talks in Moscow between US (more…)

Israel taking retaliation threats seriously , report

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Israel rushed to beef up its rocket defenses on its northern border Sunday to shield against possible retaliation after carrying out two airstrikes in Syria over 48 hours — an unprecedented escalation of Israeli involvement in the Syrian civil war. (more…)

Israel told US after the fact, no early warning on attack

The United States was not given any warning before air strikes in Syria against what Western and Israeli officials say were weapons headed for Hezbollah militants, a U.S.intelligence official said on Sunday.

Without confirming that Israel was behind the attacks, the intelligence official said that the United States was essentially told of the air raids “after the fact” (more…)

Syria Blames Israel for the Damascus attack

The Syrian government publicly condemned Israel for a powerful air assault on military targets near Damascus early Sunday, saying it “opened the door to all possibilities,” as fear spread throughout the region that the country’s civil war could expand beyond its borders. (more…)

Parliament brawl leaves Venezuelan politicians bruised

The bitter dispute over Venzuela’s first post-Chávez election has erupted into an all-out brawl in the country’s Parliament between government and opposition members, leaving several people injured.

Opposition figures said seven of its parliamentarians were hurt while protesting (more…)

US, Jordan intensify training of Syrian opposition

The United States and Jordan have stepped up training of Syrian opposition forces that may be used to establish a buffer zone along Syria’s southern border, according to U.S. and Jordanian officials.

Training begun last year has been expanded (more…)

Syria’s Assad appeals to BRICS for help

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has appealed to the leaders of a five-nation economic forum meeting in South Africa to help end his country’s two-year conflict. (more…)

Syrian opposition gets the embassy in Qatar

The Syrian National Coalition which has been recognized by the Arab League as the sole representative for Syria, was handed the Syrian embassy in Doha on Wednesday.

In the presence of Arab and Western ambassadors, the president of Syrian National Coalition, Moaz Alkhatib and Khalid al-Atiyah, Qatari state minister for foreign affairs, cut the ribbon at the entrance to the embassy. (more…)