Bashar al-Assad - Page 34

Pentagon on Russia in Syria: We’ve Voiced Our Concerns

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), when asked if it was planning to take action to prevent Russia’s military buildup in Syria, said it was tracking the situation closely and had voiced its concerns to the Russians.

AP Photo/ Sergei Karpukhin

Negotiator: Russia Was Willing to Have Bashar Al-Assad Step Down in 2012

Russia was ready to agree to a proposal that would see Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad renounce his presidency as part of a peace agreement between Syrian and rebel forces that would likely end the civil war in the nation, Martti Ahtisaari—the former President of Finland, who was involved in negotiations at the time—told The Guardian in an interview published on Tuesday.

AP Photo/ Sergei Karpukhin

U.S. Intel Chief: Iraq and Syria May Be Finished as Nations

Lt. General Vincent Stewart, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said on Thursday that he feared Iraq and Syria might never recover from the Islamic State invasion, Syrian civil war, and related stress factors. “I’m having a tough time seeing it come back together,” Stewart confessed, as quoted by the Associated Press.

AFP PHOTO/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI

Report: Iran Grants Russia Permission to Fly Shipments to Syria

MOSCOW (AP) — Iran has granted permission for Russian planes to fly over its territory en route to Syria, Russian news agencies said Wednesday, a bypass needed after Bulgaria refused overflights amid signs of a Russian military buildup in Syria that has concerned the U.S. and NATO.

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2016 GOP Presidential Contenders Weigh In on Syrian Refugee Crisis

The immense migration wave pushing out of the Middle East will not stop in Europe. It is already coming ashore in the United States, as the number of Syrian refugees to be resettled in America has increased dramatically over the past year. Where do the presidential candidates stand on this issue?

GOP Debate (Kevork Djansezian / Getty)

World View: Russia May Be Building a New Military Base in Syria

In what is potentially a major escalation in the growing sectarian wars in the Mideast, intelligence officials are saying that Russia appears to be building a new military base in Syria, in the Mediterranean port city of Latakia, with an airfield and prefabricated housing units for up to 1,000 personnel.

The Associated Press

Russia Denies Sending Troops to Syria

Russian officials denied reports that the government placed Russian soldiers in Syria and deployed fighter jets. Reports of Russian activity in the war-torn country swarmed the internet this week.

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Red Cross: Water Shortage May Prompt ‘Big Health Epidemics’ in Syria

The International Committee of the Red Cross is warning that denial of water supplies as a weapon of war could trigger an “epidemic” of any number of diseases in Syria, where the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) continues to battle for territory against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s troops and an array of rebel fighters.

ABD DOUMANY/AFP/Getty Images

Saudi Arabia Rejects Russia’s Plea to Involve Assad in Anti-ISIS Fight

The Russian government has failed to convince anyone to work Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to fight against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), with the latest rejection coming from Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, who told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov his country will not ally themselves with Assad.

AFP PHOTO / HO /SANA

Syrian Rebel Leader Kidnapped by Al-Qaeda, Along with 7 of His 54 Troops

A matter of days after 54 American-trained moderate Syrian Rebel Army fighters reported for duty, the New York Times reports that the commander of the unit plus seven of his fighters—including his second-in-command—have been kidnapped by the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda franchise, while they were returning from a meeting in Turkey.

France

Dem Rep Grills John Kerry About Iran’s Support for International Terrorism

Republican members of the House made headlines for grilling Secretary of State John Kerry on the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday, but Democrat Rep. Ted Deutch landed a solid punch by noting the Administration is absurdly downplaying how much damage Iran can do with all the money Obama wants to give them, long before they detonate a nuclear bomb.

NITED STATES - FEBRUARY 3: Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., speaks with Roll Call in his office in

Syrian President Assad Admits Military Manpower Running Low

Australia’s ABC News reports on dictator Bashar al-Assad’s “remarkably frank assessment of the strains affecting the Syrian military.” Assad used his first public address in a year to admit he has lost control of a good deal of his country, and is digging in to defend what his regime has left.

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