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Syria says the year-long revolt to topple President Bashar al-Assad is now over, but it will keep its forces in cities to "maintain security" until it is safe to withdraw in keeping with a U.N.-backed peace deal. The agreement proposed by United Nations-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan says the Syrian authorities must be first to withdraw troops and stop violence immediately. The army kept up an offensive against opposition strongholds on Saturday, pummelling the Khalidiya district of Homs city. "Mortars are falling every minute and the sounds of explosions are shaking the neighborhood," an activist report said. A child...

Iran is helping its ally Syria defy Western sanctions by providing a vessel to ship Syrian oil to a state-run company in China, potentially giving the government of President Bashar al-Assad a financial boost worth an estimated $80 million. Iran, itself a target of Western sanctions, is among Syria's closest allies and has promised to do all it can to support Assad, recently praising his handling of the year-long uprising against Assad in which thousands have been killed. China has also shielded Assad from foreign intervention, vetoing two Western-backed resolutions at the United Nations over the bloodshed, and is not...

The embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has banned all men between the ages of 18 and 42 from traveling outside the country without prior authorisation, according to local media. "Syrians between the ages of 18 and 42 are banned from travel if they don't have prior authorisation from the (army's) recruitment office," Aliqtisadi business magazine said on its Internet site. The travel ban until now had only applied to men who had not completed their two-year compulsory military service. Aliqtisadi said the new measure, clearly linked to the revolt gripping the country, was being applied at border posts,...

Despite reports of high-level defections of government and military officials, U.S. intelligence sees no signs of significant deterioration of support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by his inner circle, senior U.S. intelligence officials said Friday. Read also: U.N. envoy to meet with Syria's president The officials, who would speak only on the condition that their names not be used, said that to date, the defections have been of lower-level officials and those in the military. None of those defections, including the group of military officers who are reported to have defected this week, are close enough to al-Assad to truly...

Hillary Clinton kept the heat on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a speech Monday night, declaring that his "days are numbered." The secretary of state mentioned Syria a handful of times in a broader speech to the National Democracy Institute on U.S. Middle East policy, indicating that both Syria and Yemen are next in line for democratic revolutions. Clinton told the audience that Assad had "systematically violated each of [the] basic requirements" of the Arab League's peace plan laid out last week in Cairo, which included directives to release captives and pull military resources from the streets. The league has...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A judge will decide whether a Virginia man accused of spying on U.S. citizens for Syria will remain jailed while he awaits trial.

SNIPPET: "There are some good reasons for allowing at least a few jihadi forums to operate." SNIPPET: "However, there are limits to our ability to exploit all the intelligence opportunities a forum may present. To put it another way, jihadi forums contribute to future terrorism in ways that are unpredictable and/or beyond our ability to control. This would be the view held by those other government agencies who prefer to seek out and destroy forums and to take down forum activists. For my part, I can live with keeping online those forums we have sufficient access to monitor and resources...

Syria's 'Butcher of Hama' living in £10 million Mayfair townhouse The massacre of civilians in the rebellious Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughur has awoken terrible memories for the people of Hama, 60 miles to the north, where up to 40,000 people were killed during an uprising in 1982. Rifaat al-Assad moved, more than a year ago, to a Georgian mansion off Park Lane By Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter 9:00PM BST 12 Jun 2011 Today, Mahar al-Assad, the bloodthirsty brother of President Bashar al-Assad, is the man leading his army on a mission of vengeance against those who have dared to...

Devotedly washed and sprinkled with rose petals, Hamza Ali al-Khateeb lies prepared for burial. But the rituals of death cannot wipe away the horrific injuries that have mutilated his body almost beyond recognition. Nor do they blot out that Hamza - riddled with bullets, kneecapped and with neck broken and penis hacked off - has the rounded cheeks and gentle face of a child. At 13, he is one of the youngest known victims of Syria's ruthless crackdown on protesters who have tried to overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The teenager's family were told not to speak of...

WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order on Friday imposing new sanctions against Syria's intelligence agency and two relatives of President Bashar al-Assad in response to a crackdown on protests, senior U.S. officials said.

Syrian government resigns: state television Photo 8:44am EDT DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accepted the resignation of the government on Tuesday, Syrian state television said. "President Assad accepts the government's resignation," an announcement on state television said.

Kucinich Meets with Syrian President Sunday, September 2, 2007 6:46 PM DAMASCUS, Syria -- U.S. Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, a Democratic presidential candidate, met Sunday with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as part of a Middle East peace initiative and fact-finding tour to several countries over the next five days. In the meeting with President Assad, Kucinich is expected to discuss approaches to dealing with the continued violence and instability in Iraq, as well as to discuss the Baker Hamilton report to the U.S. Congress which recommended direct engagement with Syria as part of a new Middle East foreign policy initiative....

President Al-Assad Reviews Regional Developments with US Senator Kucinich President Al-Assad Reviews Regional Developments with US Senator KucinichSunday, September 02, 2007 - 02:55 PM Damascus, (SANA) – President Bashar al-Assad met on Sunday Democratic Senator Dennis Kucinich and reviewed with him the current situation in Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon and the latest regional and international developments.Opinions were exchanged regarding American-Syrian relations, the possibility of pushing the peace process forward and maintaining security and stability in these sensitive circumstances.Senator Kucinich pointed out to Syria's pivotal role in bolstering security and stability in the region.President al-Assad affirmed Syria's stances in support of...

Middle East Newsline reports that on his recent trip to Moscow, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad received briefings on the technical specifications and potential applications of one of Russia’s most effective air- and missile defense systems: the S-300PMU2. The reason for Assad’s interest in the advanced weaponry appears to be the need for expanded deterrence against Israel. "Syria wants a strategic air defense system that would present a major threat to Israeli warplanes," a source has told the news agency. "I think Assad will buy and deploy the S-300 over the next few months."

President al-Assad discusses with American Pastor Warren relations between Syria and the USA Sunday, November 12, 2006 - 07:35 PM DAMASCUS, (SANA)_ The meeting between President Bashar al-Assad and Pastor Rick Warren, a famous Protestant clergyman in the USA and an accompanying delegation on Sunday focused on the Syrian-American relations. The American delegation stressed that the American administration is mistaken not to hold dialogue with Syria. The importance of dialogue among religions and achieving the just and comprehensive peace in the region which leads for stability and prosperity were emphasized during the meeting. Pastor Warren hailed the religious coexistence, tolerance...

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told the Syrian military on Monday to raise its readiness, pledging not to abandon support for Lebanese resistance against Israel. "We are facing international circumstances and regional challenges that require caution, alert, readiness and preparedness," Assad said. "The barbaric war of annihilation the Israeli aggression is waging on our people in Lebanon and Palestine is increasing in ferocity," Assad said in a written address on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the foundation of the Syria Arab Army.

The United States should conduct military strikes against Hezbollah and Hamas facilities in the Middle East before engaging in any military action against Iraq, the leaders of an influential US Senate committee demanded Sunday. Democratic Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Bob Graham and his Republican counterpart, Richard Shelby, made their recommendation amid increasing concern among member of the US intelligence community that if faced with certain downfall, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein could hand over weapons of mass destruction to regional terrorist groups. "Against those international terrorists such as Hezbollah and Hamas, we need to be launching attacks on their headquarters and...

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki stressed Tehran's right to civilian nuclear technology, after talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a surprise visit to Damascus, AFP reported. "We reiterated our indisputable right to peaceful nuclear technology," he said at a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem. The Iranian foreign minister also said that he would visit Kuwait on Saturday as part of regular consultations with Iran's Arab neighbours across the Persian Gulf. "I will tell them (Kuwaiti officials) that the Bushehr nuclear plant (under construction in southern Iran) is in keeping with the highest international norms...

Saddam's nephew finds sanctuary in Syria By Con Coughlin in Baghdad (Filed: 18/05/2003) A leading member of Saddam Hussein's family has been discovered living in Damascus under the protection of the Syrian government after fleeing Iraq last week, The Telegraph can reveal. Fatiq al-Majid, one of Saddam's nephews, entered Syria last Monday after leaving Iraq at the al-Rabie'a checkpoint, which is under the control of American troops. Majid was given a Syrian visa and made his way to Damascus, where he is now living in exile. Majid confirmed his presence in Damascus when contacted by telephone by The Telegraph last...

AP News Alert BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- A U.N. spokesperson says the U.N. commission investigating the assassination of a Lebanese politician wants to question Syria's president.

CAIRO , December 31, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) - The bombshell dropped by former Syrian vice-president Abdel Halim Khaddam on a possible Syrian role in the assassination of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri has sent seismic waves in Damascus and would tighten the noose around the Arab country, experts agreed on Saturday, December 31. “Khaddam’s testimony at this critical juncture in Syrian history has, in effect, sent shock waves across the country’s political landscape and ushered in grave consequences,” Syrian opposition writer Akram Al-Beni told IslamOnline.net. Speaking from Paris, where he has lived since resigning as vice-president in June, Khaddam said in...

DAMASCUS (AFP) - Syria's parliament called for the country's former vice president to face treason charges after he publicly accused President Bashar al-Assad of threatening Rafiq Hariri just months before Lebanese ex-premier's murder. "We appeal to Justice Minister Mohammed Ghafri to bring Abdel Halim Khaddam before justice for high treason and to take the necessary measures," said speaker Mahmud al-Abrash. The parliament passed the motion unanimously calling for a trial during a regular session in which several lawmakers accused Khaddam of "treason" and "corruption" for his remarks, which dealt a new blow to Assad's regime. "I demand, in my own...

Syrian lawmakers on Saturday accused former Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam of treason and demanded action against him after he implicated President Bashar al-Assad's regime in the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri. "I demand, in my own name and the name of the people that Khaddam is judged because he has attacked the dignity of Syria and humiliated milliions of Syrians," said MP Umeima Khudur. In an explosive interview with Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television, Khaddam said Assad had threatened Hariri just months before his February murder.

Veteran Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam, widely regarded as the architect of his government's Lebanon policy before its troop pullout in April, announced his resignation on Friday. "I have decided to resign," he told the Dubai-based satellite television Al-Arabiya in an interview from Paris. Khaddam first asked to resign at a congress of Syria's ruling Baath party in June, but there had been no word since on whether President Bashar al-Assad had accepted the resignation. At the time, he criticised Syrian foreign policy leading up to the withdrawal from Lebanon after a 29-year deployment under international pressure over...

By Aaron Klein © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is supporting the insurgency against civilians and U.S. troops in Iraq and using the violence he aids to blackmail the U.S. and international community into easing the push for United Nations sanctions against his country, one of Lebanon's most prominent opposition leaders told WorldNetDaily yesterday in an exclusive interview. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt (radiofarda.com) "The Syrian regime is helping the insurgency in Iraq and allowing all kinds of militants to come in and out, and go to Iraq to attack random soldiers and innocent people," said Walid Jumblatt, head of...

Asharq Al-Awsat exclusive interview with U.N Chief investigator, Detlev Mehlis Asharq Al-Awsat, New York - Asharq Al Awsat exclusively interviews Detlev Mehlis, Head of the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1595 into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri. FAKHRY: Let me start, firstly, by asking you about the reasons as to why you are leaving the Investigation Commission. Are you not concerned that it might portray the wrong image about where this investigation is headed? MEHLIS: No. As I mentioned before, my leaving has nothing to do with the...

By JAMES RISEN WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 — As American soldiers massed on the Iraqi border in March and diplomats argued about war, an influential adviser to the Pentagon received a secret message from a Lebanese-American businessman: Saddam Hussein wanted to make a deal. Iraqi officials, including the chief of the Iraqi Intelligence Service, had told the businessman that they wanted Washington to know that Iraq no longer had weapons of mass destruction, and they offered to allow American troops and experts to conduct an independent search. They also offered to hand over a man accused of being involved in the...

Syrian President Bashar Al Assad met yesterday with leaders of 10 militant Palestinian groups based in Syria, defying US pressure to crack down on these groups. The meeting came as Syria is facing international demands on another front as well that it cooperate with a UN probe into the assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri. Amid the pressure, Bashar decided not to attend the world summit at UN headquarters in New York next week. Bashar also received a US snub when it was announced in Washington on Wednesday that the Syrian leader will not get an invitation for a...

THE CEDAR REVOLUTION HAS TAKEN so many interesting narrative turns, it is easy to forget that the Lebanese opposition confronts a criminal regime in Syria that is more isolated than ever and for that reason quite possibly more dangerous than before. While some repentant skeptics have grudgingly begun to credit the Bush vision for democracy in the Middle East, the White House has prudently refrained from gloating because the outcome is far from resolved. For all the appeasing noises the Damascus regime has made, it may decide not to leave Lebanon without a fight. Some analysts believe that Bashar al-Assad...

BEIRUT, March 25, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad was reportedly to declare a detailed schedule of widrawing his troops from Lebanon, as a UN fact-finding mission report found Lebanon’s inquiry into the killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri seriously flawed and held Syria responsible for insecurity and disorder in its neighbor Arab country. The reported announcement is seen as critical to the organization of Lebanese parliamentary elections in May. Interviewed by French television Thursday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Assad was now within days of announcing a schedule for the withdrawal of the...

Texas Professor And Bashar Assad, Sitting In A Tree Posted By: Dave_Cantrell.. Reneé just handed me a copy of last Sunday’s “Life” section from the local Express-News wherein columnist Susan Yerkes gushes over Trinity University Middle East history professor David Lesch, “a widely recognized Middle East expert.” He lamented the “lack of post-war planning” and demanded that the United States immediately withdraw from Iraq “in an orderly way.” So what has professor Lesch been doing in his spare time? Vacationing with Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad, of course! Assad invited Lesch to bring his wife and son to spend their vacation...

Special Dispatch Series - No. 714 May 14, 2004 No.714 Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on Al-Jazeera Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad gave a wide-ranging interview at his home, "The People's Palace" in Damascus, to Ghassan bin Jiddou of Al-Jazeera. The date of the interview was not disclosed, but it took place prior to the April 27, 2004 reported terror attack in Damascus. The interview covered numerous topics, including inter-Arab relations, Iraq, terrorism, Syrian-U.S. and Syrian-European relations, the Syrian influence in Lebanon, and Israel and the Palestinians. The following are extensive excerpts from the interview: [1] Developments in Iraq "The Americans...

<p>December 1, 2003 -- WONDER why Muslim terrorists have targeted Muslim nations such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia? Try reading the rants of Zacarias Moussaoui, the bored al Qaeda jihadist sitting in a U.S. jail.</p> <p>Moussaoui, the Osama bin Laden loyalist charged as the "20th hijacker," has scrawled hundreds of motions from his Alexandria, Va., cell, offering a glimpse into the twisted mind of a terrorist.</p>

Oct. 16, 2003 Syrian army told to be on alert for Israeli action By ASSOCIATED PRESS DAMASCUS, Syria Bashar Assad Photo: AP Syria's military chief urged his forces to be ready to respond to any possible Israeli attack, but it still appeared unlikely Syria planned any armed response to an Israeli air strike on its territory earlier this month. There was no immediate response from Israel. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, quoted by the state news agency, on Thursday told delegates at the summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in Malaysia that Israel will not intimidate Syrians and accused...

<p>Seasoned observers long ago abandoned the hope they once had, in the days after the death in June 2000 of the dictator Hafez al-Assad, of any change in Syria. But even they were surprised at how Assad's son and heir, Bashar, handled the most important test of his short period in power -- the war to oust Saddam Hussein.</p>