The United States will arm Syrian rebels after announcing it believes there is substantial evidence showing chemical weapons were used by government forces.

CIA tests on blood, urine, and hair samples from dead and wounded rebel fighters showed the presence of sarin nerve gas supports previous claims made by British and French intelligence services.

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has denied that the government used any chemical weapons in the more than two-year-long civil war.

The White House released a statement on Thursday confirming the use of chemical weapons, which US President Barack Obama previously stated would be crossing a red line in the bloody conflict. The statement read, in part:

“Following a deliberative review our intelligence community assesses that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, on a small scale against the opposition multiple times in the last year.”

The statement added that between 100 and 150 people have died from chemical weapons attacks in the country so far, though casualty data is likely incomplete.

The assessments by the United States mean that Syria has crossed the red line. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has been one of the strongest proponents for US involvement in the Middle Eastern nation. He made a secret trip across the border last month to meet with Syria rebel leaders.

McCain revealed that he was told on Thursday President Obama will help the Syrian rebels by providing arms. While the exact types of weapons the US will provide are not yet known, some believe they will include small arms, ammunition, assault rifles, and some anti-tank weaponry.

The CIA will likely be tasked with teaching the revels how to use the weapons the White House agrees to supply.

Do you think the United States is right to supply the Syrian rebels with arms?

[Image via ShutterStock]

US To Arm Syrian Rebels After Confirming Chemical Weapons Use is a post from: The Inquisitr

The European Union lifted the arms embargo on Syrian rebels after they were unable to gain agreement on what to do. The EU decision means that member states will be able to send weapons to the outgunned rebels beginning a few days from now.

The decision seeks to keep pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the coming days ahead of peace talks that will be mediated by the United States and Russia.

No EU country has plans to arm the Syrian rebels, but British Foreign Secretary William Hague explained that the decision “sends a very strong message from Europe to the Assad regime.”

The main opposition to the EU arms embargo on Syria’s opposition came from Britain and France. The countries achieved what they wanted to do at the negotiating session in Brussels. But their victory also means division in the EU.

The EU ministers also agreed to reinstate other restrictions regarding Syria, including asset freezes and travel bans on Assad and other senior Syrian officials. There are also sanctions that curb trade, infrastructure projects, and the transport sector.

The decision to end the arms embargo came after months of pressure from London and Paris to do so. The two nations argued for months that Europe needs to send a strong signal of support for the Syrian opposition fighting Assad. The best way to do that, they argued, would be to give the green light on arming the rebels.

But France and Britain saw strong opposition to their plan from Austria, Sweden, and others. They argued that sending more weapons to the already war-torn country would increase violence in the conflict and also spread instability across the Middle East. Hague added of the decision, “While we have no immediate plans to send arms to Syria, it gives us the flexibility to respond in the future if the situation continues to deteriorate.”

[Image via ShutterStock]

EU Ends Arms Embargo On Syrian Rebels is a post from: The Inquisitr

President Obama signaled on Tuesday that he will not rush to take action in Syria, despite calls from some top-ranking lawmakers to do so.

The US president also cautioned against rushing to judgement won whether Syria used chemical weapons against rebel forces last month. The caution was a sign Obama will take a deliberate approach to the problem, which could lead to US military intervention.

During a press conference at the White House on Tuesday, Obama stated that there is evidence the Middle Eastern nation used chemical weapons. However, he added:

” … we don’t know how they were used, when they were used, who used them, [and] we don’t have a chain of custody that establishes what exactly happened.”

The president added that it will take time to determine whether Syria’s government had crossed what the United States called its “red line” for involvement in the country’s bloody two-year conflict. He added, “I’ve got to make sure I’ve got the facts” before any decisions are made.

Obama added that the Defense Department has already prepared options that could be available if the suspected chemical weapons use in Syria turns out to be true. However, he refused to go into detail. The president appeared to be wary of launching any military action against Syria without firm evidence of chemical weapons. Obama added:

“If we end up rushing to judgement without hard, effective evidence, then we can find ourselves in the position where we can’t mobilize the international community to support what we do.”

The Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad has acknowledged it holds a stockpile of chemical weapons. However, the government denies it was the one to use chemical weapons. When the incident happened in March, both sides blamed each other for it.

The war in Syria has gone on for more than two years. In the process, more than 70,000 people have been killed. It is not yet clear how lawmakers will respond to Obama’s caution against quick action in Syria.

[Image via mistydawnphoto / Shutterstock.com]

President Obama Won’t Rush To Action In Syria is a post from: The Inquisitr

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad cautioned in a rare TV interview that the West will pay for allegedly helping Al Qaeda extremists in the country’s bloody two-year conflict.

Assad also vowed that the government will not be defeated. The statement was made on Wednesday to the country’s Al Ikhbariya news channel. The president declared:

“The West has paid heavily for funding Al-Qaeda in its early stages. Today it is doing the same in Syria, Libya and other places, and will pay a heavy price in the heart of Europe and the United States.”

Assad added that “from the first day, what is happening in Syria is dictated from abroad.” The Assad regime has often blamed foreign terrorists for the uprising that began as peaceful protests seeking for his resignation.

The protests turned violent after thousands were injured and arrested by the police and military. Since then, Assad’s government has worked to quell the rebellion, but has so far failed to do so.

Assad has also rarely appeared in public since the fighting broke out. While the rebel group began as resistance fighters within Syria, extremist groups like Jabhat al-Nusra — an al Qaeda affiliate — have gained ground in the country. The group has since emerged as the most effective force among the mass of rebel units fighting to topple the government.

While the United States has designated the Jabhat al-Nusra group a terrorist organization, the country announced it would send $60 million in non-lethal assistance for Syrian rebels. The assistance includes meals and medical supplies for the armed opposition.

Along with issuing a warning to the West, President Bashar al-Assad also vowed not to surrender, saying that the defeat of his government would mean Syria’s downfall. He explained, “The truth is there is a war and I repeat: no to surrender, no to submission. There is no option but victory. Otherwise it will be the end of Syria, and I don’t think that the Syrian people will accept such an option.”

The Syrian conflict hit the two-year mark last month. So far, casualties are estimated to be at or above 70,000 people.

[Image via fotostory / Shutterstock.com]

Syria’s Assad: West Will Pay For Backing Al Qaeda Rebels is a post from: The Inquisitr

“Enough is enough,” the Syria opposition has said, citing reasons for not attending the upcoming meetings in Washington, D.C., and Moscow.

Many around the world have not kept up with the Syrian civil war, but for those in and around the Middle Eastern nation, the daily death toll spells frustration and fear.

And for the country’s main opposition group, the lack of interest from the rest of the world is a good reason to suspend its participation in next week’s meeting in Rome, as well as upcoming meetings in the US and Russia.

CNN reports that the coalition released a statement on Friday about the meetings. Adib Shishakly, a member of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), also spoke about the meetings, saying:

“Enough is enough. Th whole world is not doing anything. We are not going to any more conferences.”

The United States, the European Union, and the Arab League have all supplied aid to rebels in the form of communications equipment and humanitarian aid. Despite this, the rebels have asked for more. They have requested military aid, including training and arms.

The SNC has also demanded that foreign governments do more to stem the tide of death from the war, notes The International Business Times. The latest estimates put the death toll since the conflict began at about 70,000.

There is no way of knowing the exact death toll, because Syria bars outside reporters from coming into the country. The SNC also said in a statement:

“The international silence on the crimes committed every day against our people amounts to participating in two years of killing.”

The opposition especially wants the US to provide more assistance to Syrian civilians on the ground. They have also demanded more pressure against countries like Russia and Iran. Both nations continue to supply the Assad regime with weapons.

‘Enough Is Enough,’ Syria Opposition Says is a post from: The Inquisitr

People on both sides of the Syria conflict are committing war crimes, according to the latest UN report. The report adds that Syrians in “leadership positions” may be responsible for war crimes.

Investigators released the report on Monday. They added that those potentially responsible have been identified, as well as units accused of perpetrating them.

The latest report on Syria covers the six months to mid-January, reports Reuters. It is based on 445 interviews conducted with victims and witnesses abroad. The UN is not currently allowed in Syria, because of the level of violence.

The 131-page report adds:

“The ICC is the appropriate institution for the fight against impunity in Syria. As an established, broadly supported structure, it could immediately initiate investigations against authors of serious crimes in Syria.”

The independent team was headed by Brazilian Paulo Pinheiro. The panel also urged the UN Security Council to “act urgently to ensure accountability” for grave violations.”

This is the third list of possible suspects the panel has come up with, building on the previous two. The list will remain secret, for now, notes Yahoo! News. A European diplomat explained:

“The evidence collected sits in the safe in the office of the High Commissioner against the day it might be referred to a court and evidence would be examined by a prosecutor.”

The death toll in Syria is believed to be almost 70,000 since fighting began almost two years ago. Government forces have carried out shellings and air strikes across Syria. They have hit Aleppo, Damascus, Daraa, Homs, and Idlib. They have also been accused of at least four massacres with one death toll over 134 civilians.

Rebel forces trying to topple Syria’s President Bashar al Assad have also committed war crimes. Those crimes have included murder, torture, hostage-taking, and using children under the age of 15 in the conflict. The report adds that rebel snipers have caused “considerable civilian casualties.”

It is not yet clear what the UN Security Council will do with the latest report on Syria.

Both Sides Of Syria Conflict Committing War Crimes, UN Says is a post from: The Inquisitr

A TV camerman was wounded in Syria on Monday, suffering a gunshot to the leg while filming on the front lines in the embattled city of Aleppo.

Ayman al-Sahili, a Libyan citizen, was working as part of a multi-media team with Reuters when he was hit by a bullet fired from a distance. After being wounded, the TV cameraman was treated in Syria before being driven across the border to Turkey. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Even after being wounded in Syria, the TV cameraman’s ordeal was not over. While the ambulance was transporting Sahili back to Turkey, it encountered an air strike in Aleppo and had to swerve into an alley until it was safe to continue.

The ambulance transporting Sahili to Turkey encountered an air strike in Aleppo and maneuvered into an alley until it was safe to continue the journey. The city is largely in the hand of a band of rebels, but government forces are still in control of some pockets and the two sides often clash there.

The 21-month civil war in Syria has been one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts to arise from the so-called Arab Spring, in which citizens in many nations stood up against their governments. During that period, an estimated 45,000 people have been killed.

The TV cameraman wounded in Syria marks another incident in a country that has become very dangerous for journalists. In 2012 there were 28 journalists killed there, the watchdog group Committee to Protect Journalists reported. A total of 70 journalists were killed worldwide.

TV Camerman Wounded In Syria, Flees To Safety In Turkey is a post from: The Inquisitr

UN Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi is warning that it is possible Syria’s civil war could lead to a failed state, underlining the need to find a resolution to the conflict quickly.

Brahimi believes that failure of the two sides to find a political solution could cause the “full collapse of the Syrian state,” threatening the world’s security.

Yahoo! News reports that Brahimi has suffered from a lack of progress in attempting to broker a peace treaty between President Bashar Assad’s regime and the Syrian rebels. In urging the two sides to work together, Brahimi predicted that the war could cost the lives of 100,000 people in the next year, adding that Syria is moving toward “Somalization.”

Brahimi’s proposal calls for an open-ended cease-fire, as well as the formation of a transitional government to run the country until elections can be held and a new constitution can be drafted.

But so far, neither side has shown any interest in negotiating. The political leadership for the rebels is calling for Assad to step down before they will negotiate a treaty, while Assad refuses to back down until elections are held.

ABC News notes that Brahimi has been holding talks with the Syrian government for the past week, as well as with Russian officials in Moscos and the head of the Arab League in Cairo. In urging the two sides to come together and work out a treaty, Lakhdar Brahimi stated:

“Peace and security in the world will be threatened directly from Syria if there is no solution within the next few months. The alternatives are a political solution or the full collapse of the Syrian state.”

The crisis in Syria began in March of 2011 with peaceful protests against Assad’s government. Since then, the conflict has erupted into an all out war between the two sides that has left more than 45,000 people dead, according to activist groups.

The government does not provide a death toll in their updates. instead, they blame the conflict on foreign powers seeking to destroy the country, and they call the rebels terrorists.

UN Envoy Warns Syria Could Become Failed State is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Syrian military is using Iranian-made short-range ballistic missiles, according to reports from US officials.

These officials believe the missiles used in the past few days are Fateh A-110 missiles, which are far more accurate than the Russian Scuds they were reportedly using earlier this month, according to Newser.

Scuds have an error radius of 1,480 feet, while the Fateh missiles boast just 330 feet. While they are more accurate, their accuracy is a trade-off for their distance, which is 125 miles versus the 185 mile range for Scuds, notes CNN.

While the newest missiles fired by Syria have not reached the country’s border with Turkey, NATO is still sending US, German, and Dutch Patriot missile batteries to the Turkish military to position near the border as an anti-missile defense system. The batteries are expected to be in position and operational by the end of January.

The use of Iranian missiles by Syria has not yet been confirmed by NATO, through the organization did detect their launch a few different days including on December 22. A NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated:

“The fact that Scud-type missiles were used in Syria emphasizes the need for effective defense protection of our ally Turkey. This is why, earlier this month, NATO allies decided to deploy Patriot missiles in Turkey to augment Turkey’s air defenses.”

US officials believer that Syria is firing Iranian-made and other ballistic missiles as a last-ditch effort against rebel fighters and also to preserve the military’s aircraft, some of which have been shot down by opposition fighters. The war in Syria is threatening to reach the two-year milestone with more than 45,000 casualties.

Syria Using Iranian-Made Missiles, US Officials Claim is a post from: The Inquisitr

Syria’s Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa spoke with a Lebanese newspaper, saying that neither side of the Syrian conflict will win the war.

Sharaa, a Sunni Muslim, works in a power structure that is dominated by Assad’s Muslim Alawite minority, reports Reuters. The vice president has rarely been seen in public since the revolt began almost two years ago.

The newspaper he spoke with, al-Akhbar, did not release the full interview on Sunday, but it will appear in full in Monday’s edition. It is also not clear if Sharaa’s comments represent the view of Assad’s government. So far, at least, the Syrian vice president is the most prominent figure in the regime to say in public that the crackdown on rebels by the government will not work.

In the first part of the war, Assad was quick to stay out of the fighting, which has claimed at least 40,000 lives since March 2011. He is now unable to keep his distance as rebel fighters have brought the conflict to the country’s capital of Damascus — though thy have yet to deliver a fatal blow to the regime.

Farouq al-Sharaa stated to the Lebanese paper that neither side in the conflict will be able to “decide the battle militarily,” according to The Washington Post. The Syrian vice president added that the solution to the conflict must come from within the country and not outside, explaining that any political settlement “must include stopping all types of violence, and the creation of a national unity government with wide powers.”

Assad’s government has long rejected any involvement from outside sources. He has also called for talks with the opposition, though most rebel groups have refused to meet with the Syrian president, choosing instead to demand that he step down before they will lay down their arms.

The interview with Sharaa comes less than a week after more than 100 nations, along with the United States, recognized the Syrian opposition council as the legitimate representative group of the country.

Syrian Vice President Says Both Sides Losing War, Calls For Common Ground is a post from: The Inquisitr

Several Scud missiles that were fired at rebels by the Syrian government landed “fairly close” to the Turkish border, according to NATO’s top military commander.

The comments came from a blog on Friday, which explained why Patriot anti-missile batteries are being sent to Turkey, reports Reuters.

The comments on Syrian Scuds came from US Admiral James Stavridis, who works as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe. They were also the first that confirmed Scuds came down near the border between Syria and Turkey — a NATO member state.

US and NATO officials were quoted on Wednesday as saying that Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad’s forces fired Scud-type ballistic missiles at rebels in recent days. Stavridis echoed the comments, writing:

“Over the past few days, a handful of Scud missiles were launched inside Syria, directed by the regime against opposition targets. Several landed fairly close to the Turkish border, which is very worrisome.”

The use of Scuds in particular is troubling, according to Stavridis, who stated that “they can carry chemical payloads.” Syria is widely known to possess chemical weapons. MSN News notes that Syria has denied the use of Scud missiles in the fight against what it considers “terrorist groups.”

Syria and Turkey have shelled each other in recent months in a growing escalation in the 20-month-long Syrian conflict. It is expected that, if any Scud missiles do find their way over Syria’s border with Turkey, it would carry an increased risk of the conflict spreading and destabilizing the fragile region. Stavridis added:

“Syria is clearly a chaotic and dangerous situation; but we have an absolute obligation to defend the borders of the alliance from any threat emanating from that troubled state.”

It was for this reason that NATO is sending the Patriot missiles to reinforce Turkey’s border defenses against a possible missile attack from Syria. Several experts have also commented that the use of Scud missiles by Syria is an indication that Assad’s regime is fighting one last desperate attempt to avoid being ousted by the rebels.

Syrian Scud Missiles Land Near Turkish Border, NATO Official Says is a post from: The Inquisitr

Russia has acknowledged for the first time that Syrian rebels could win against President Bashar al-Assad in the conflict that has gone on for 20 months.

A top Russian diplomat stated on Thursday that Syrian rebels are gaining in their effort to oust Assad, reports The Washington Post. The diplomat, Mikhail Bogdanov, added that Moscow is preparing for the possibility that its ally could lose the bloody conflict.

There has been no sign that Russia, who has been acting as Syria’s largest ally, has so far declined to join other foreign nations in supporting the opposition or pressuring Assad to step down.

It appears that, while they are acknowledging Assad may not win, they have no plans to support the opposition. Bogdanov stated:

“The opposition’s victory, regrettably, cannot be ruled out. We need to face the truth. A current tendency is that the regime and the government keep losing control over an ever-growing territory.”

Al Jazeera notes that Russia is not the only one to make statements about Syria’s government losing ground to the rebels. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated on Thursday that he believes the Syrian government will soon collapse.

Rasmussen also condemned the Syrian government for using Scud missiles against rebels. Anders added, “I think the regime in Damascus is approaching collapse. I think now it is only a question of time.” The NATO secretary-general added of the reported use of Scud missiles that the Syrian government was showing an “utter disregard” for the lives of Syrian people.

Syria’s foreign ministry has denied using Scud missiles against rebel fighters. Do you think that Russia acknowledging Syrian rebels may win against Assad is a sign that the regime may be collapsing?

Russia Acknowledges Syrian Rebels Could Win Against Assad is a post from: The Inquisitr

Washington, DC – The Syria internet shutdown cay be bypassed by the Syrian government rebel opposition according to the United States State Department. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Syria internet access shutdown, including some cell phone services and land lines, was allegedly enacted by the Assad government during a potential military operations blackout.

As these Syrian rebels battle forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad just outside Damascus it is now claimed the Syria internet blackout was not caused by the Assad government. Syria’s information minister told state television that “terrorists targeted the Internet lines.”

According to Reuters, the United States State Department said Syrian contacts had informed it that Syria’s Internet had been disrupted primarily in Damascus, Hama, Homs and other parts of Syria. But the Obama administration has been supporting the people of Syria by providing them with technology that should allow them to circumvent the Syria internet shutdown.

“We condemn this latest assault on the Syrian people’s ability to express themselves and communicate with each other,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told a news briefing. “It again speaks to the desperation of the [Assad] regime as it tries to cling to power.”

The United States support of the rebels can be likened to the support offered in Egypt during the so-called “Arab Spring” that saw the rise of Egyptian President Mohamed “Pharaoh” Mursi. Mursi came to power through the Muslim Brotherhood, which has ties to Muslim terrorists groups and supported Hamas during the recent conflict in Israel’s Gaza strip.

Unfortunately, some fear the Syrian rebel opposition might hold similar allegiances based upon the tactics and suicide bombings in Damascus. It’s even rumored that members of al-Qaeda might be helping the rebels, although others claim al-Qaeda supports Assad. The leader of the Syrian rebels, Mustafa al-Sheikh, said earlier this month that divisions among factions within the Syrian rebel opposition might cause them to “turn into terrorists.”

“If there’s no quick decision to support us, we will all turn into terrorists,” Mustafa al-Sheikh said. “If you apply the pressure that’s been applied to Syria, it will explode in all directions. Terrorism will grow quickly.”

U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford said that the United States is focused on providing “non-lethal aid” for the Syrian opposition, which should “help the Syrian people tell the world what is going on inside Syria.”

“We’ve provided some 2,000 communications kits, pieces of equipment, since this effort began,” Nuland said, saying the equipment included computers, phones and cameras. “They are all designed to be independent from and able to circumvent the Syrian domestic network precisely for the reason of keeping them safe, keeping them secure from regime tampering, from regime listening, from regime interruption.”

The Syria internet and communications blackout prevents the world from truly knowing what is going on in Syria. What do you think about the United States providing non-lethal aid to the Syrian rebels?

Syria Internet Shutdown Can Be Bypassed By Rebels Says US is a post from: The Inquisitr

Syria internet access has been shut down by the government, according to The Huffington Post.

“In the global routing table, all 84 of Syria’s IP address blocks have become unreachable, effectively removing the country from the Internet,” a post on research firm Renesys’ website explained. The country reportedly went offline around noon this morning (November 29).

The Associated Press reports that cellphone service and land lines were not operational in some parts of the capital. The Syrian government has been known to temporarily suspend service in areas where military operations are underway.

Abu Qais al-Shami, an activist who lives outside of the country, told the AP that he has had difficulty making contact with folks inside Syria. Those individuals he has been able to reach were using satellite phones to get around the communication blockade.

The Christian Science Monitor is reporting that other activists have confirmed that internet access has been shut down in certain areas of Syria. Some have referred to the disconnection as an “unprecedented blackout.” It’s presently unknown when access will be restored.

According to Reuters, an anonymous source close to Syrian security said that a “cleansing operation” was currently underway in parts of the country. The purpose of the mission is to remove any possible terrorist and rebel threats from the capital city.

In addition to internet access and other forms of communication, flights to and from Damascus have been interrupted as well. While some planes remain grounded, others are allowed to go about their business as scheduled.

“The Egypt Air plane has arrived … and passengers are all safe but the pilot was instructed to take off back to Cairo without passengers if he felt that the situation there is not good to stay for longer,” an official with Cairo airport explained.

As of this writing, Syria internet access is still disabled. Activists are unsure when these services will be reinstated.

Syria Internet Access Has Been Shut Down is a post from: The Inquisitr

The United States is calling for a major overhaul of Syria‘s troubled opposition, saying that they want to move beyond the Syrian National Council (SNC) to bring in those who are “in the frontlines fighting and dying today.”

The announcement is evidence of a more active stance by the US to form a credible political opposition against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, reports Al Jazeera.

Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of States, added that a meeting in Qatar next week will be an opportunity to bring more people to the discussion table and broaden the opposition.

During her visit to Croatia on Wednesday, Clinton stated:

“This cannot be an opposition represented by people who have many good attributes but who, in many instances, have not been inside Syria for 20, 30, 40 years. There has to be a representation of those who are in the frontlines fighting and dying today to obtain their freedom.”

The Secretary of State’s comments are a clear break with the Syrian National Council, which is a largely foreign-based political group that has some of the most vocal supporters of international intervention in the Syrian conflict.

CBS News notes that The shift in support comes after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has criticized Obama’s administration for spending too much time trying to support a political transition plan in Syria. He called for a stronger US leadership in forging a legitimate body to lead Syria away from decades of dictatorship.

Clinton’s speech appeared to indicate that the Obama administration is stepping up its leadership role in the conflict. She stated:

“We have recommended names and organizations that we believe should be included in any leadership structure. We’ve made it clear that the SNC can no longer be viewed as the visible leader of the opposition. They can be part of a larger opposition, but that opposition must include people from inside Syria and others who have a legitimate voice that needs to be heard. So our efforts are very focused on that.”

More than 36,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011.

US Wants Broader Syrian Opposition is a post from: The Inquisitr

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who was also the UN’s special envoy to Syria, told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria that Paul Ryan is “dead wrong” when it comes to his ideas on the Syria situation.

Annan added that the situation in Syria is much more complex than the one in Libya last year, and that military intervention, instead of helping, will likely make things worse, reports The Washington Post.

During the vice presidential debate, Republican nominee Paul Ryan stated that the US shouldn’t have waited for Kofi Annan to develop an agreement for peace, adding that the delay gave Syrian President Bashar al-Assad more time.

After saying that Ryan was “dead wrong” about Syria, the former UN special envoy to the Middle Eastern nation stated that raising the hopes of the Syrian people by making comments in favor of military intervention, while other countries are still undecided will complicate the situation.

Bloomberg BusinessWeek notes that Annan added:

“Sometimes by making these statements and raising the hope of the people that the cavalry is on the horizon, you complicate the situation.”

Annan resigned as peace envoy to Syria after his brokered peace plan between the Syrian government and rebel fighters failed. Since the start of the conflict, more than 30,000 people have been killed.

Lakhdar Brahimi, who took over for Kofi Annan as special envoy, spoke to the UN Security Council last month, saying that reducing the violence in Syria will not be possible unless the world body is united together on a plan to end the months-long conflict.

The Syria conflict has threatened to destabilize the region as tensions mount between the country and at least two of its neighbors.

The full interview with Kofi Annan, where he calls Paul Ryan “dead wrong” will air on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS on Sunday.

Kofi Annan: Paul Ryan ‘Dead Wrong’ On Syria Military Intervention is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tensions between Turkey and Syria have raised crude oil prices, and also caused international leaders to worry that a way may break out between the two countries.

Turkey intercepted a Syrian plane on Wednesday, which was en route from Moscow to Damascus, causing tensions to rise between the two Middle Eastern nations, reports Voice of America.

While Turkish officials claimed that the plane was carrying military equipment and ammunition for Syria’s government from Russia, however Syrian officials deny the plane had any military cargo on it.

International peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in Istanbul on Saturday to talk about the growing tensions between the two countries, one of whom is already locked in a civil conflict that has killed tens of thousands of citizens.

Yahoo! News notes that the price of oil is now over $92 a barrel after growing tensions between Turkey and Syria caused fear over the future of crude oil supplies in the Middle East.

Ric Spooner, the chief market analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney, Australia, stated that escalating tensions between the two countries, who are former allies, are “one of the things that are keeping oil prices somewhat firm to stronger.”

Observers of the Syrian civil war are also worried that the conflict could spill over the country’s borders and grow into a wider regional conflict that could threaten the oil supplies from Middle East producers.

News.com.au adds that Turkey’s allies have also warned of the risks involved in the Syrian conflict between the country and its neighbors. Turkey and Syria have exchanged cross-border fire, another catalyst to rising tensions between the Middle Eastern nations.

Turkey-Syria Tensions Raise Oil Prices, Spark Worry Of War In Middle East is a post from: The Inquisitr

Turkey retaliated against Syria on Wednesday after a shell fired from Syria killed more than five civilians in a Turkish border town. The move is the most serious escalation of international tensions since the Syrian uprising began 19 months ago.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office released a brief statement about the attack, saying that the Turkish army shelled unspecified Syrian targets in the retaliation effort, reports The Washington Post. Erdogan’s statement read:

“Our armed forces in the border region responded immediately to this abominable attack in line with their rules of engagement; targets were struck through artillery fire against places in Syria identified by radar.”

Turkey has also summoned its allies in NATO to an emergency meeting to discuss options on how best to respond to Syria’s attack. US Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement before Turkey’s retaliation to ask for restraint and to also warn how the incident highlighted the risks the Syrian conflict is posing in the region. Ki-moon stated:

“Syria’s conflict is threatening not only the security of the Syrian people but increasingly causing harm to its neighbors.”

The BBC notes that Turkey has been hit by fire from Syria multiple times since the conflict began, but Wednesday’s incident was by far the most serious.

Following the incident, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu contacted the UN Secretary General, the UN’s Syria peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, and also NATO’s Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Rasmussen spoke with Turkey’s foreign minister to assure that he strongly condemned the incident, and would continue to follow any new developments in the region “closely and with great concern.”

While NATO has no intention of intervening in the Syrian conflict, they are prepared to defend Turkey if it is necessary. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also released a statement on the incident, stating, “We are outraged that the Syrians have been shooting across their border… and regretful of the loss of life on the Turkish side.”

Turkey Shells Syria After Syrian Shell Kills At Least Five Civilians is a post from: The Inquisitr

Lebanon has been battling to contain a spillover of violence from Syria that includes a mass of kidnappings that recalled the dark days of the fragile country’s own civil war.

In the face of the mass kidnappings in Lebanon, several oil-rich Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar have ordered their citizens to leave the country immediately because of threats against them for opposing the Syrian regime, reports Yahoo! News.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati said of the 1975-90 civil war when Western hostages were seized by armed groups that:

“This brings us back to the days of the painful war, a page that Lebanese citizens have been trying to turn.”

The latest unrest in Lebanon is just one time of many that the violence in neighboring Syria has spilled into the country, who has an already fragile security situation with cross-border shootings, shelling by the Syrian army, tit-for-tat kidnappings, and sectarian clashes. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland stated:

“Our concern in Lebanon, first and foremost, has been the spillover from the Syrian conflict and the fact that the sectarian tensions in Syria are potentially being replicated in Lebanon.”

Mena FN notes that Shiite gunmen in Lebanon claim that they have kidnapped over 20 Syrian people after one of their relatives was captured in Syria by the rebel Free Syrian Army. Members of the Meqdad clan have said that their hostages include a Turkish businessman, a Saudi, and several Syrians that are reportedly rebel fighters.

Clan spokesman Maher Al-Miqdad has also threatened that the group will kidnap more Syrian nationals unless the rebels free his relative. Lebanon’s Minister of Tourism Fady Abboud stated:

“I am very angry about what is happening here. There are some in Syria and throughout the region who are trying to divide the whole region into different religious states, which goes along quite will with the Jewish state we have here. They are trying to take this part of the world back to the Middle Ages and they are succeeding because of our stupidity.”

Despite the violence in both Syria and Lebanon, many middle to upper-class refugees are dragging their heels at the prospect of leaving, hoping that the continuing violence finally comes to an end.

Lebanon Grappling With Syria Violence Spillover is a post from: The Inquisitr

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Istanbul, Turkey on Saturday for contingency plans with allies, in the event that the embattled Syrian regime with President Bashar al-Assad collapses.

Clinton’s statement in Istanbul has come after 17 months of escalating conflict that has killed more than 17,000 people and forced out 150,000 refugees to neighboring countries, reports CNN. Clinton said after talks with her Turkish counterpart, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu that:

“There is a very clear understanding about the need to end this conflict quickly, but not doing it in a way that produces even more deaths, injuries and destruction.”

The US Secretary of State announced Saturday that the US and Turkey will set up a working group that will coordinate the two countries’ response to the Syrian crisis going forward. Hillary Clinton stated:

“We have been closely coordinating over the course of this conflict, but now we need to get into the real details of such operational planning. And it needs to be across both of our governments. Certainly our two ministries are coordinating much of it, but our intelligence services, our military, have very important responsibilities and roles to play.”

WKBT notes that Turkey has been calling for more US support in the Syrian crisis, and a senior Turkish government official commented:

“We would like to see more support from the U.S. on Syria. Sometimes we feel very much alone.”

In their talks, the Secretary of State highlighted three major problems that are concerns for the US, including massive displacement and migration of affected Syrians, preventing chaos in a power vacuum and checking the threat of chemical weapons. She added that:

“Our goal, No. 1, is to hasten the end of the bloodshed and the Assad regime. That is our strategic goal, and we have to analyze everything against that goal.”

While she was in Turkey, Hillary Clinton also met with opposition activists who, according to the Secretary of State, are committed to a pluralistic, democratic, and inclusive society.

Hillary Clinton Arrives In Turkey For Syria Talks is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kofi Annan has resigned as the U.N. Envoy to Syria after peace efforts in the region have failed. Annan stated that he has resigned as the U.N. and Arab League joint special envoy, after “increasing militarization on the ground” and “the clear lack of unity” in the U.N. Security Council.

Annan spoke with the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as well as Arab League Secretary-General Nabil El Araby to say that he does not wish to renew his mandate after it expires on August 31, reports CNN.

New York by Ban Ki-moon stated of Annan’s decision that:

“The severity of the humanitarian costs of the conflict, and the exceptional threats posed by this crisis to international peace and security, justified the attempts to secure a peaceful transition to a political settlement, however daunting the challenge. The increasing militarization on the ground and the clear lack of unity in the Security Council have fundamentally changed the circumstances for the effective exercise of my role.”

The Washington Post notes that Ban went on to say of Kofi Annan’s resignation:

“Yet the bloodshed continues, most of all because of the Syrian government’s intransigence and continuing refusal to implement the six-point plan, and also because of the escalating military campaign of the opposition, all of which is compounded by the disunity of the international community. At a time when we need — when the Syrian people desperately need action, there continues to be finger-pointing and name-calling in the Security Council.”

The U.N. Chief faulted both President Bashar al-Assad’s government, as well as the Syrian opposition for Kori Annan’s resignation, stating that they both failed to embrace the U.N. Envoy’s six-point peace plan. He also accused the U.N. Security Council of failing to help Annan by providing the necessary political backing to help the plan succeed. Ban went on to say in a statement released from the U.N.’s headquarters:

“Tragically, the spiral of violence in Syria is continuing. The hand extended to turn away from violence in favor of dialogue and diplomacy — as spelled out in the Six-Point Plan — has not been not taken, even though it still remains the best hope for the people of Syria.”

Annan’s departure comes almost two weeks after both Russian and China moved to block a Western-backed resolution, which would have helped support Annan’s mediation effort with sanctions. The impasse undermined the U.N. Envoy’s negotiating leverage, allowing Syrian forces to enter into more violent conflict.

It is not yet clear who will be taking Kofi Annan’s place after his resignation as the U.N. Envoy to Syria. Annan stated of the peace efforts in Syria that:

“This can only succeed — indeed any peacemaking effort can only prosper — when the parties to the violence make a firm commitment to dialogue, and when the international community is strongly united in support.”

Kofi Annan Resigns As U.N. Envoy To Syria is a post from: The Inquisitr

Charge d’Affaires Khaled al-Ayoubi, a top Syrian diplomat in Great Britain, has defected from the Syrian government, telling British authorities he is resigning because of Syria’s “violent and oppressive acts.”

The BBC reports that the announcement comes after at least 200,000 people have fled the city of Aleppo, which has been a hot spot for an intense battle between the Syrian government forces and rebel troops. A FCO spokesman stated of al-Ayoubi’s defection that:

“Mr al-Ayoubi has told us that he is no longer willing to represent a regime that has committed such violent and oppressive acts against its own people, and is therefore unable to continue in his position. Mr al-Ayoubi was the most senior Syrian diplomat serving in London.”

This is not the first defection for Syria’s top diplomats, which have included three high-ranking diplomats, as well as a number of military commanders. The Foreign Office states that Charge d’Affaires Khaled al-Ayoubi is staying in a safe location in the UK, and has not said if he will support the Syrian rebels. The FCO spokesman further stated:

“His departure is another blow to the Assad regime. It illustrates the revulsion and despair the regime’s actions are provoking amongst Syrians from all walks of life, inside the country and abroad. We urge others around Bashar al-Assad to follow Mr al-Ayoubi’s example, to disassociate themselves from the crimes being committed against the Syrian people and to support a peaceful and free future for Syria.”

According to CNN, rebel fighters captured a government military base on the outskirts of Aleppo Monday, and Fazad Abdel Nasr, a rebel commander working in the northern Aleppo suburbs stated that “the battle lasted around nine hours.” He reported that six regime soldiers and four rebel fighters were killed in the altercation. He also added:

“We captured four tanks in good condition, and they are now in the hands of the Free Syrian Army. Two were destroyed.”

Politico notes that fighting in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, has been heating up as government forces attack the city with mortars, tank, and helicopter gunships, targeting neighborhoods that have been seized by the rebels. The fighting in the city of 3 million people has been raging for at least a week. Valerie Amos, the top U.N. official for humanitarian affairs, stated on Sunday that:

“I am extremely concerned by the impact of shelling and use of tanks and other heavy weapons on people in Aleppo. Many people have sought temporary shelter in schools and other public buildings in safer area. They urgently need food, mattresses and blankets, hygiene supplies and drinking water.”

Do you think that the defection of Charge d’Affaires Khaled al-Ayoubi, another Syrian diplomat, will be another blow to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime?

Syrian Diplomat Defects As Aleppo Fighting Worsens is a post from: The Inquisitr

At least 100 people were killed earlier this month in the small Syrian village of Tremseh. While activists quickly labeled it the Tremseh massacre, later reports have suggested it was something different.

NPR’s Kelly McEvers spent a week with rebel fighters in Syria, discovering more details about the killings. The facts are still fuzzy surrounding the incident in Tremseh, considering activists have not released all of the names of the dead. Those that have been released appear to be fighting-age men.

McEvers writes that she met a Spanish photographer on her journey, named Daniel Leal Olivas, who had just returned from Tremseh. Olivas showed them pictures of the massacre, and told them:

“The first thing I remember is that it’s a very small town. Another thing is everyone was in the street.”

McEvers writes that, “Women and children were standing in front of their houses crying, as if they had just gotten back into town, Olivas says. The men grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into a house.” Olivas told them:

“We found a toilet room, and … that toilet room was full of blood,” he says. “They told us, ‘We found here bodies, executed.’”

Olivas told them it also looked like houses were specifically targeted. McEvers writes:

“…they didn’t burn indiscriminately, he says. Instead, it looked like the killers knew exactly what their targets were. On any given street, one house would be burned, riddled with bullet holes and covered in blood. Other houses were left untouched.”

The Nation’s Robert Dreyfuss believes that, because most of the men who died in the Tremseh massacre were Sunni men between 19 and 36, it was simply a very gruesome battle. Dreyfuss notes that it is not a surprising find, since the conflict in Syria is essentially a civil war. He writes that:

“As the Times points out, details are murky, and there’s no doubt that some atrocities occurred. But it certainly seems not to have been the massacre of unarmed, protesting civilians that the United States and the Syrian rebels claimed it to have been.”

He also believes that the events in Tremseh show that there is no justification for Western intervention in Syria, but that the U.S. needs to urge its allies to back off and start seeking a diplomatic solution, which could very well leave parts of President Bashar al-Assad’s government intact, including Assad himself.

Radio Free Europe notes that Syria’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Madkissi vehemently denied reports that government troops used aircraft in their July 12th attack on Tremseh. Madkissi maintained that the most powerful weapons used in the conflict were rocket-propelled grenades. He stated:

“Government forces did not use planes or helicopters or tanks or artillery. Everything that was said about using artillery to attack a one-square-kilometer village was not true. We know the goal of such claims and their timing with the discussions in the Security Council. They want additional [arguments] to counter the wise Russian efforts in the Security Council.”

UN observers who traveled to Syria’s Tremseh village two days after the alleged massacre described evidence of brutal fighting, which targeted political opponents and military defectors. A spokeswoman for the UN Syria mission, told Reuters on July 15, Sausan Ghosheh, stated:

“We can confirm that there was a military operation on July, 12. The attacks appeared targeted toward specific homes of activists as well as army defectors. Our UN team there observed homes which had pools of blood and blood splatters in some of the rooms as well as empty bullet cases. There was a wide range of weapons used, including heavy weapons and artillery, mortar, and small arms.”

Do you believe that there really was a Tremseh massacre, or was it simply an extremely bloody clash between Syrian and rebel troops?

Syria Conflict: Unraveling the Tremseh Massacre is a post from: The Inquisitr

The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution on Friday to allow the 300-strong U.N. observer force in Syria to remain for 30 more days, allowing for possible extensions if Syria’s government stops using heavy weapons against the rebels.

The unanimous decision is huge, considering The Associated Press reports that earlier in the day, Russia’s U.N. Ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, stated he would veto the British-drafted resolution on the observer mission. After the closed-door consultations, which were called by Pakistan, all 15 council members agreed to a revised British text.

The mandate for the observer force in Syria was set to expire on Friday, although observers have been suspended from patrols in the face of escalating violence. The news comes just hours after Russia’s ambassador to France, Alexander Orlov, stated that he believes President Bashar al-Assad was ready to step down “in a civilized way.”

The Huffington Post reports that the Syrian government immediately denied the claim, and the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Orlov’s statements were taken out of context, and also “wrongly interpreted.”

Orlov, who spoke with Radio France Internationale, stated that Assad’s acceptance of an international agreement in June, as well as naming a representative to negotiate the transition, means that he is getting ready to give up leadership. He stated:

“Personally … I think it will be difficult for him to stay in office, given everything that’s happened….I say it’s for Syrian people to determine that … Is the regime coming to an end or not? It’s not for me to say.”

Orlov later backtracked as well, saying that:

“If President Assad accepted this (agreement) that foresees a transition, it means that perhaps within himself he is ready to leave if that was the result of the negotiations. It’s because of this that I called it a civilized departure.”

U.N. Unanimously Approves 30 Day Extension For Observers In Syria is a post from: The Inquisitr

Syrian troops, along with pro-regime militias have stormed and torched a village in southern Syria on Saturday, the same day as U.N. observers were finally able to visit the central village of Tremseh, where a mass killing provoked another round of condemnation from world leaders.

Al Arabiya reports that hundreds of soldiers who were backed by helicopter gunships attacked the village of Khirbet Ghazaleh in Daraa province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Bayan Ahmad, an activist on the ground, told a similar story. He stated:

“The army entered without resistance as the rebel Free Syrian Army left town. The shelling has wounded dozens of people but we don’t have medical resources to treat them.”

Yahoo News reports the new violence comes just three days after more than 150 were reported dead in Tremseh in a massacre activists blamed on the government. Saturday, U.N. officials arrived in the village to review the situation. An 11-vehicle team of observers went into the village after they received confirmation that a cease-fire was in place. Ahmad Fawzi, a spokesman for the U.N. mission in Syria stated that:

“We have sent a large integrated patrol today to seek verification of the facts.”

The BBC reports that the UN issued a statement after they visited Tremseh, saying that they can tell for sure that government forces launched a major attack on Tremseh. They used heavy weapons, tanks, and helicopters against the town. These weapons are strictly against the UN’s cease fire agreement.

UN spokeswoman Sausan Ghosheh stated:

“A wide range of weapons were used, including artillery, mortars and small arms. The attack on Tremseh appeared targeted at specific groups and houses, mainly of army defectors and activists. There were pools of blood and blood spatters in rooms of several homes together with bullet cases.”

Observers in Tremseh state that the saw damaged houses and a school that had been burned in the village, but they were unable to ascertain the number of casualties. They intend to return to the Syrian village on Sunday.

Syrian Forces Shell Southern City While UN Observers Investigate Reported Tremseh Massacre is a post from: The Inquisitr

Syrians in the besieged Damascus suburb of Douma recount the horror they have seen while they walk along a street lined with bodies. Residents wrapped the mangled and bloodied remains in white burial shrouds on Friday, after 190 people were killed in one of the nation’s deadliest days in the 16-month-long uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

The Huffington Post reports that more than 50 of those killed on Thursday were in Douma, which is located about 9 miles outside of Damascus, Syria’s capital.

The Syrian Observatory noted that 41 people were dead in Douma, though other activists put the toll at 59 or higher. Videos published on YouTube show rows of shrouded bodies lining a street in Douma, according to audio on the film. The man filming the scene walks along the street, while saying:

“Douma, the morning of June 29, 2012. This is the massacre committed against the people of Douma. God is our saviour. Two whole families are here (among the dead) … God help us.”

Reuters reports that President al-Assad has defended his position in fighting back against the Free Syrian Army, who he calls “terrorists.” He spoke with Iranian state television about the Houla massacre last month, which took the lives of over 100 civilians, proclaiming:

“The responsibility of the Syrian government is to protect all of our residents. You have a responsibility to annihilate terrorists in any corner of the country. When you eliminate a terrorist, it’s possible that you are saving the lives of tens, hundreds, or even thousands.”

A UN summit is expected this weekend, to address concerns about Syria’s conflict, which both sides and the UN have declared an all out war. The meeting is supposed to help international envoy Kofi Annan present his plan on a peaceful transition that includes both sides of the fighting–Assad’s regime and the Free Syrian army–although it does not include Assad himself, according to The Huffignton Post.

This resolution could be met with violent opposition from Assad and his regime forces, because Reuters reports that Bashar al-Assad has already declared that:

“We will not accept any non-Syrian, non-national model, whether it comes from big countries or friendly countries. No one knows how to solve Syria’s problems as well as we do.”

Russia also opposes any outside action to remove the government in Syria.

Syria Crisis: Bodies Line Streets In Damascus Suburb Of Douma is a post from: The Inquisitr

The violence in Syria is increasing, despite international encouragement to find a peaceful resolution to the 16 month-long conflict. It seems, though, that a peace plan by U.N. international envoy Kofi Annan has not helped, but that instead the breakdown after the cease-fire failed is more bloody and violent than before.

The Huffington Post reports that the United Nations confirmed the rise in violence on Wednesday, suggesting that government troops may have been behind the vicious attack on Houla last month that lead to the loss of more than 100 civilians.

Because of the escalating violence, senior diplomats announced that world powers will meet on Saturday in an attempt to end the bloodshed. Those slated to join in the talks include U,S, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as well as other top diplomats from the U.N. Security Council nations and possibly neighbors of Syria.

According to The Guardian, even Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad confirmed that the crisis is now “a real war,” pledging to do everything necessary to win. This is the first time Assad has not said that the uprising should be blamed on “armed terrorist gangs” backed by the west.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also described the gravity of the situation, saying that last week was the bloodiest yet. Rami Abdul-Rahman, the Observatory’s director, said that 916 people were killed between June 20th and 26th. Abdul-Rahman also stated that the death toll for Tuesday was 113, although the numbers have not been confirmed by anyone else.

The Washington Post reports that Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, who is heading the U.N. panel probing into allegations of human rights abuses in Syria has called the nation a “crime scene” and stated that investigators have prepared a list of people suspected of being responsible for crimes.

Of their probe into the Houla massacre, the panel has concluded that forces loyal to the government “may have been responsible for many of the deaths.” They concluded this because the military and pro-government shabiha forces had good access to the village during the massacre. Also, the village leans toward supporting the opposition. Most of the victims were women and children, who had been slaughtered in their homes.

Pinheiro stated to the U.N.’s top human rights body in Geneva that:

“The manner in which these killings took place resembles those previously and repeatedly documented to have been committed by the government.”

What do you think it will take to end the conflict in Syria?

Syria Violence Worse Than Before Ceasefire, U.N. Reports is a post from: The Inquisitr

Turkey is threatening action against Syria after the troubled nation took down a Turkish military jet on Friday, bit signals from both Ankara and Damascus show that neither want a military confrontation over the incident.

The Wall Street Journal reports that both the Turkish and Syrian navies are jointly searching an area of the Mediterranean sea about six miles west of Syria’s Umm al-Tuyour village, looking for the crew of the F-4 military jet. Saturday evening Turkish news networks reported no sign of the missing pilots.

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul stated on Saturday that the country could not ignore the action by Syria, pledging that the government will do “whatever is necessary” once they have all of the facts regarding the incident.

USA Today reports that Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi stated the plane’s downing was “not an attack.” Instead, he explained that:

“An unidentified object entered our air space and unfortunately as a result it was brought down. It was understood only later that it was a Turkish plane. There was no hostile act against Turkey whatsoever. It was just an act of defense for our sovereignty.”

Turkey’s President Gul did concede that the plane could have crossed into Syria’s airspace by accident, but that the act is “routine” for jets to unintentionally cross borders for short periods of time. The government has yet to describe the plane’s specific mission.

According to USA Today, Turkey’s Labor and Social Security Minister, Faruk Celik, stated that the nation will retaliate “either in the diplomatic field or give other types of response.” He went on to explain to reporters that:

“Even if we assume that there was a violation of Syria’s airspace — though the situation is still not clear — the Syrian response cannot be to bring down the plane. The incident is unacceptable. Turkey cannot endure it in silence.”

Yahoo News reports that the joint recovery operation was likely sitting uneasily with both countries, due to the hostility over Assad’s 16-month-long fight against his opponents. Iraq has said that the incident marks a huge escalation in the Syrian conflict and demonstrates its potential to spill into other countries in the region. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said in Baghdad that:

“No country is immune from this spillover because of the composition of the societies, the extensions, the connections, the sectarian, ethnic dimensions. This is not an excuse to do nothing about Syria, no. But there will be an impact.”

Syria Downs Jet, Turkey Threatens Action is a post from: The Inquisitr

American and British officials may be forced to offer President Bashar al-Assad clemency in exchange for him relinquishing his power in Syria peacefully.

The decision has come after the G20 summit, and would include safe passage for Assad to a UN-sponsored conference in Geneva on the political transition in Syria. If necessary, the deal would include clemency, and the Syrian president would not be charged for crimes committed by his military, according to The Guardian.

A senior British official stated about the possible deal that:

“Those of us who had bilaterals thought there was just enough out of those meetings to make it worth pursuing the objective of negotiating a transitional process in Syria.”

According to The Independent, a clemency offer for Assad would protect him from prosecution by the International Criminal Court, and could even involve allowing him to flee Syria for another country, like Russia or Iran. The UK source stated that, while the clemency option for Bashar al-Assad has not been confirmed, it was “a question you have to look at.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron has not yet taken a view on the matter, according to The Independent.

Newser reports that the UK source stated that, “It is hard to see a negotiated solution in which one of the participants would be willing, voluntarily, to go off to the International Criminal Court.” Meaning that the clemency possibility for Assad may be a requirement, in order to knock his regime out of power peacefully and allow fighting to cease in the unstable country.

The Guardian reports that, after the G20 summit in Mexico, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is hoping to persuade international envoy and former UN secretary general Kofi Annan to change the format of his plans for peace in Syria. Instead, he will be encouraged to use the same transitional model as Yemen, where the president, Ali Saleh, was allowed immunity, despite civilian massacres. He ceded power to his deputy, who is currently drawing up a new constitution.

Bashar al-Assad, Syrian President, Could Be Offered Clemency is a post from: The Inquisitr

The mission of peace in Syria seems even more grim on Saturday, as the UN has called it has stopped patrolling, opting to stay in their current locations, according to a statement by Norwegian General Robert Mood, who is leading the team of 300.

In his statement, Gen Mood cited rising violence in the country as the reason for the suspension. CNN reports that he stated:

“There has been an intensification of armed violence across Syria over the past 10 days. This escalation is limiting our ability to observe, verify, report as well as assist in local dialogue and stability projects — basically impeding our ability to carry out our mandate.”

The BBC reports that at least seven people were killed in Douma Friday night, and at least 18 others died elsewhere, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Syrian National Council has also warned of an impending massacre in Homs, which it believes is besieged by 30,000 troops and pro-regime militiamen.

Gen Mood stated on Saturday morning that:

“This suspension will be reviewed on a daily basis. Operations will resume when we see the situation fit for us to carry out our mandated activities.”

He noted that the main reason for the suspension is the elevated violence in the last ten days, as well as the fact that:

“The lack of willingness by the parties to seek a peaceful transition, and the push towards advancing military positions is increasing the losses on both sides: innocent civilians, men, women and children are being killed every day.”

CNN reports that the U.N. monitors were originally sent in to ensure that both parties, President Bashar al-Assad and opposition fighters, were holding to a six-point peace plan that was brokered by envoy Kofi Annan. The plan was short-lived, having started on April 12th. Violence exploded after a second massacre, in which about 78 people died, causing the rebels to throw out their plans for peace.

Syria Conflict: UN Observers Suspend Mission is a post from: The Inquisitr

U.N. top official Herve Ladsous has confirmed that the Syrian conflict has escalated into an all-out civil war. If confirmed by the Red Cross, the escalation could have huge legal ramifications for both sides, subjecting them to cooperation under the Geneva Convention laws.

Newser notes that Ladsous’ statement carries no legal weight, but that it could have political ramifications. The BBC notes that Ladsous responded to reports questioning the civil war status by saying, “Yes, I think we can say that.” He further stated:

“Clearly what is happening is that the government of Syria lost some large chunks of territory, several cities to the opposition, and wants to retake control.”

Ladsous, who is the under-secretary for peacekeeping operations at the U.N. stated that an attack on the UN team near the city of Haffa was deliberate, an area where the U.S. and its allies believe may be the site of another massacre in the future.

The U.N. team was originally denied access to the area on Monday, but government forces allowed them in on Tuesday. The monitors decided that the situation was “unsafe” and turned back, but on their way out, their group came under fire. No one was hurt, according to the BBC.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also announced on Tuesday that Russia is sending a shipment of attack helicopters to Syria. She stated, according to the National Post, that:

“We are concerned about the latest information we have that there are attack helicopters on the way from Russia to Syria, which will escalate the conflict quite dramatically.”

Clinton also stated that:

“They have from time to time said that we shouldn’t worry, that everything they’re shipping is unrelated to their actions internally. That’s patently untrue.”

Do you think that the conflict in Syria is now an all-out civil war? And what about Russia supplying attack helicopters to the Assad regime?

U.N. Calls Syria Conflict ‘Civil War,’ Russia Supplies Attack Helicopters is a post from: The Inquisitr

The best way to solve the Syrian conflict would be to assassinate President Bashar al-Assad. Harsh, yes, but consider this: in the last 15 months, more than 13,000 people have died in Syria in a bloody attempt to overthrow him, and any uprising by the Free Syrian Army has resulted in the deaths of innocent women and children.

The case against al-Assad is not hard to see, displayed in headlines over the last few weeks, which include massacres in Hama province and Houla, as well as an all-out battle against the Free Syrian Army on the streets of Damascus.

Monday’s headlines only show an increase in violence, with activists reporting the Syrian army utilizing civilians as human shields in order to infiltrate rebel-held cities, according to Newser.

The U.N. denounced the Syrian army and Assad regime on Monday for allegedly using helicopter guns to shell rebel-held cities, trapping and killing many civilians, according to Yahoo News. U.N. spokeswoman Sausan Ghosheh stated on Monday that

“UN observers reported heavy fighting in Rastan and Talbiseh, north of (Homs), with artillery and mortar shelling, as well as firing from helicopters, machine guns and smaller arms.”

Therefore, it’s not hard to see why people like Newser staff writer Kevin Spak think the U.S. should go ahead and assassinate President Bashar al-Assad.

Peter Beinart of The Daily Beast agrees with this line of thinking, noting that:

“Given how far we appear willing to go in prioritizing American security interests, it doesn’t seem very radical.”

Beinart also notes that the United States is no stranger to assassinations (note Osama bin Laden). He writes that:

“The United States has made it pretty clear—especially under President Obama—that we are willing to kill in order to stop regimes from butchering their own people. In tandem with our European allies, we did so in Bosnia in 1995, Kosovo in 1999, Libya in 2011, and many wish we had done so in Rwanda in 1994 as well.”

Given the fact that the Syrian government is still going to great lengths to cover up massacres, even firing upon U.S. observers who tried to access Qubair, Hama, to see how many people were dead, even the U.N. has had enough.

Kofi Annan proposed a new peace plan on June 6th, which he hopes will stem the violence in the struggling country. Given the history of violence in the country and the fact that Bashar al-Assad’s father led his own massacre against Homs province in 1982, killing more than 20,000 people, the best option for stopping the violence in Syria may be to kill President Bashar al-Assad.

Do you think this is our only option, or is there a more peaceful solution to the Syrian conflict?

Check out the video below to see an activist’s take on when the conflict in Syria will end:

Solving The Syria Conflict: We Should Assassinate President Bashar al-Assad [Op-Ed] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Clashes in Lebanon’s northern port city of Tripoli, which erupted between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has killed nine people and injured 42 more.

According to Reuters, the two sides fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades at each other, until the army moved into the area with armored vehicles, attempting to quell the violence. They reportedly did not open fire on either side.

Violence in Syria and neighboring countries has skyrocketed since last week, when more than 100 people were massacred in the Syrian city of Houla. The BBC reports that residents of Tripoli described seeing smoke billowing from buildings. One Sunni gunman stated that:

“We are being targeted because we support the Syrian people,” one Sunni gunman told Associated Press Television. “We are with you [Syrian people] and will not abandon you.”

The Chicago Tribune reports that gunmen from the Jabal Mohsen district, which is home to the minority Alawite sect have fought on-off skirmishes in the past few weeks with the Sunni Muslim residents of the Bab al-Tabbaneh area. The Alawite sect is the same offshoot of Shi’ite Islam to which current Syrian President Assad belongs.

Kofi Annan, envoy of the United Nations in Syria, told a meeting of Arab League member countries, according to The Chicago Tribune, that:

“Let me appeal to all of you to engage earnestly and seriously with all other stakeholders, mindful that if regional and international divisions play out in Syria, the Syrian people and the region – your region – will pay the price.”

Syrian-Linked Clashes In Lebanon Kill Nine, Injure Dozens is a post from: The Inquisitr

Syrian officials said on Tuesday that the nation has begun pulling out troops from “calm cities” after recently agreeing to a plan drawn up by Kofi Annan, the United Nations and Arab League envoy. A withdrawal of its troops, according to the plan, will complete by April 10.

A government official told the Associated Press on Tuesday that “Forces began withdrawing to outside calm cities and are returning to their bases, while in tense areas, they are pulling out to the outskirts,” but the official’s claims couldn’t immediately be verified.

According to reports from other sources, however, there is no indication that Syrian forces have begun pulling out of major cities such as Damascus. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told CNN: “We have seen no evidence today that he is implementing any of those commitments. We have been able to verify no withdrawal of mechanized units, which is what he’s claiming credit for today.”

A spokesperson for the Local Coordination Committees of Syria told reporters that instead of pulling troops out, President Bashar Assad is beginning to ramp up violence in some areas. A U.S. Ambassador also said that what they have been seeing is “not encouraging.”

“What we have seen since April 1st is not encouraging,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told reporters. “Should the government of Syria use this window — rather than to de-escalate — to intensify the violence, it will be most unfortunate, and it will be certainly our view that the Security Council will need to respond to that failure in a very urgent and serious way.”

Sources: AP, CNN

Syrian Pullout: Government Claims That Military Pullout Has Begun, Activists Say Crackdown Escalated is a post from: The Inquisitr