Boasting about one’s weaponry is nothing unusual in war, where there’s little way of confirming the veracity of the claim. In that, Syrian President Bashar Assad was following a long tradition of wartime leaders, when he told …
Syria
The Syrian Chessboard: Behind the Game Played by Russia, Israel, the U.S. and Other Powers
The umbrella group representing Syria’s rebellion on the world stage announced on Thursday that they would not attend peace talks proposed to take place in Geneva during June, a flat rejection that might appear to sideline the …
Arming Syria’s Rebellion: How Libyan Weapons and Know-How Reach Anti-Assad Fighters
The beefy Libyan revolutionary field commander turned politician rose from the beige couch to greet his new Syrian guest, who pulled up a chair to join the two other Syrian men seated in a semicircle around the couch in the café …
The Shadow War Behind Syria’s Rebellion: Foreign Backers Jockey for Influence in Turkey
While the diplomatic grouping known as the Friends of Syria met in the Jordanian capital Amman on Wednesday to discuss a U.S.-Russian plan for peace talks, a low-key yet perhaps equally important gathering was being quietly held …
The Battle for Qusayr: What Victory in Syria’s Latest Front Means for the War
Fighting continued for a fifth straight day in the strategic Syrian city of Qusayr, as opposition forces fighting the regime of President Bashar Assad sought desperately to maintain their slipping grip in a battle that could …
The Belgian Teen Who Went to Fight in Syria: The Brian De Mulder Story
Like many boys in Antwerp, Brian De Mulder dreamed of being a professional footballer. His favorite team was continental powerhouse FC Barcelona and he sought to emulate its Argentine superstar Leo Messi, proudly wearing “10” on …
How Syria’s Rebels Aren’t Winning the War: The Anatomy of a Battle
The short message screeched over a walkie-talkie, prompting the half a dozen rebels in the room who had been lounging on flat mattresses and drinking tea to jump to their feet, grab their guns and run out of the door. It was …
Top Russian Diplomat Explains Reasons for Syrian Arms Sales
In the past two weeks, the U.S. and its allies have done just about everything short of getting down on their collective knees and begging Russia to stop delivering weapons to the Syrian government. President Vladimir Putin has …
Turkey’s Erdogan Visits the U.S.: 4 Problems That Won’t Be Solved
As domestic scandals clouded Washington, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived for a U.S. visit enveloped in his own fog. The Turkish Premier has been one of the most outspoken international statesmen on the need …
Exclusive: ‘We Will Slaughter All of Them.’ The Rebel Behind the Syrian Atrocity Video
Syrian rebel commander Khalid al-Hamad says he bit into a dead enemy soldier’s internal organ because he wanted revenge
Savage Online Videos Fuel Syria’s Descent Into Madness
A video shows what appears to be a shocking atrocity from the battlefields of Syria
Syria’s Lurking Terror: A History of Sarin Gas
Reports of chemical-weapons attacks have hovered like a cloud over the bloody conflict in Syria for at least half a year, with both the Syrian opposition and the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad accusing the …
Strikes on Syria Signal an Emboldened Israel
As Syria’s civil war rages on, Israel worries about the consequences of chaos and bets that Bashar Assad’s forces are stretched too thin to retaliate