world power, massacre ,battle
Storified by Xu Shengyi · Sat, Apr 27 2013 17:46:39

CAIRO - In Syria's largest city, Aleppo, rebels aligned with Al Qaeda control the power plant, run the bakeries and head a court that applies Islamic law. Elsewhere, they have seized government oil fields, put employees back to work and now profit from the crude they produce.

"Knowing that, potentially, chemical weapons have been used inside of Syria doesn't tell us when they were used, how they were used," or provide "confirmation and strong evidence," Obama said before a White House meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II, who is urging a more forceful U.S.

In conversations last week with Middle East experts from the U.S. government and from the region, a disturbing set of themes recurred. First, there was a growing sense that absent some major initiative that currently lacks a leader, concept, and resources, Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria could hold on for years to come, perhaps even as long as another decade.

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية Four Italian journalists have been abducted in northern Syria, the Italian Foreign Ministry said, the ANSA news agency reported late Friday. The Italian authorities said they had been monitoring the case from the start but called for "maximum discretion", insisting that "the physical safety of the hostages remains the absolute priority", the ANSA report said.

President Bashar Assad warned the fall of his regime or the breakup of Syria will unleash a "domino effect" that will fuel Middle East instability for years to come, in his sharpest warning yet about the potential fallout of his country's civil war on neighboring states.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Miqati just tendered his resignation, leaving a political vacuum in Beirut. It couldn't come at a more tense moment, as the sectarian bloodshed in Syria risks spilling over into Lebanon. The last time a Lebanese government collapsed, it was Jan.

The United States has repeatedly expressed its reluctance to provide Syria's armed opposition with weapons, due to the fear that they will fall into the hands of extremists groups. At this week's meeting in Rome, the U.S. government promised only to provide non-lethal support.

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syrian army officials say troops have regained control of several villages along a strategic highway near the embattled northern city of Aleppo. The highway links the central city of Hama with Aleppo's International Airport, the second largest in Syria. Here's a look at some of the week's most compelling photographs from around the globe.

"We are determined that the Syrian opposition is not going to be dangling in the wind wondering where the support is or if it's coming," Mr. Kerry said at a news conference in London. "And we are determined to change the calculation on the ground for President Assad."

It was the first time that a high-ranking Syrian official signaled that the government was open to talking with Syrian rebels who have taken up weapons against the armed forces. Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, called in January for talks to resolve the conflict, but appeared to rule out dialogue with Syrians who were armed.

The conflict in Syria has been transformed over the last year -- and American policy has to change, too. Almost exactly one year ago, I recommended a set of measures designed to pressure President Bashar al-Assad's regime to support a negotiated political transition while avoiding limited military intervention.

Until recently, among President Barack Obama's most senior advisors on national security, an ironclad consensus reigned: Arm the Syrian rebels. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Feb. 7, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Gen.

2013-01-31 18:37:24Source: http://www.mfs-theothernews.com/2013/01/video-iran-will-defend-syria-us-israel.html

Israeli warplanes flew over Lebanon again on Friday, two days after air strikes targeted a convoy of arms or a weapons research base inside Syrian territory. Andrea Tenenti, a spokesman for the UN forces in Lebanon, Unifil, confirmed that Israeli forces had continued to violate Lebanese airspace, but said this was routine.

The White House has warned Syria not to transfer weapons to Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon. The warning came amid contradictory claims of an Israeli strike in Syria. Syria says Israeli war planes bombed a military research centre north-west of Damascus, but the US and others say lorries carrying weapons bound for Lebanon were hit.

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Russia says it is very concerned about reports of an Israeli air attack inside Syria near Damascus and any such action would amount to unacceptable military interference.

RUSSIA TODAY NEWS : 'Israeli air strike opens new front in Syria war' Syria claims Israel has carried out a deadly bombing raid on its territory, destroying a military research centre near Damascus.

Israel has conducted an airstrike inside Syria near the border with Lebanon, hitting a convoy of trucks, US and regional officials say. "...
Israel Strikes Syrian Trucks Heading for Lebanon ·
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