In an attempt to show that dictators too, can bask in the glow of the Earlybird filter, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has joined Instagram. The account, which goes under the name “syrianpresidency” shows Assad’s softer, friendlier side — smiling, waving and shaking hands with laughing children. Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad, who grew up in…
The rebels in Syria are losing. Over the past two years of revolt — a conflict that has now taken 93,000 lives — there have been moments when Bashar al-Assad looked like he was on the ropes. But that is not the case anymore. And our own government officials know it. Jay Carney, the president’s…
The European Union’s decision to slap the terrorist label on Hezbollah’s military wing, but not on its political wing, has been getting decidedly mixed reviews from Israel and the Jewish community. The American Jewish Committee said it “welcomes” the move as a “significant step forward in recognizing the true nature of Hezbollah,” even though AJC…
Hamas said on Wednesday its relations with financial backer Iran have suffered as a result of the Islamist group’s support of rebels battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a long-time Iranian ally. Hamas was also once an Assad ally but last year endorsed the revolt against him in a shift that deprived the Syrian leader of…
The United States and Germany on Friday warned Russia that arming President Bashar Assad’s forces would hurt efforts to bring Syria’s warring parties together for peace talks. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking after talks with his German counterpart, Guido Westerwelle, said Russian plans to send a sophisticated air defense system to Assad also…
Israel is prepared to attack Syria to prevent advanced weapons reaching jihadi rebels or Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon if President Bashar al-Assad is toppled, Israel’s air force chief said on Wednesday. Major-General Amir Eshel also said Israelis should brace for a protracted and painful conflict should their forces engage in combat with Hezbollah or its…
A video of a Syrian rebel commander cutting the heart out of a soldier and biting into it is emblematic of a civil war that has rapidly descended into sectarian hatred and revenge killings, Human Rights Watch said on Monday. The New York-based group said an amateur video posted on the Internet on Sunday shows…
A senior Israeli official said on Saturday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad retains control of Syria’s reputed chemical weapons and they are not sought by his Hezbollah guerrilla allies in neighbouring Lebanon. Defence Ministry strategist Amos Gilad spoke after another Israeli official disclosed that Israel had sent warplanes on Friday to attack a Hezbollah-bound missile…
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