Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama, less than a week after approving U.S. military aid to Sunni rebels, has backed away from proposals meant to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. Obama, in his first interview on the subject, acknowledged that he was skeptical over measures to restrain Assad’s military amid its offensive against […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Brian M Downing Shortly after Vladimir Putin and Secretary of State John Kerry agreed to seek a negotiated settlement to the Syrian civil war, the Russian president bolstered his support for the embattled Assad government. Putin announced an impending transfer of anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles to the Syrian military. It was […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Syrian rebels have begun receiving arms supplies to block the offensive of President Bashar Assad in the north. Rebel sources said the United States has sent weapons and other supplies to the Free Syrian Army. They said the supplies have reached FSA units in northern Syria from Turkey in mid-June. […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — President Bashar Assad has launched an offensive on the last major rebel stronghold in Syria. Opposition sources said the Syrian Army launched heavy artillery strikes on Aleppo on June 14 in wake of the announcement by the United States that it would supply weapons to the rebels. “But our friends […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Hizbullah led a special forces operation that captured a Sunni rebel hub after 17 days of heavy fighting. Hizbullah sources said about 1,200 special forces troops led the attack on the rebel-held town of Qusair in May and early June of 2013. They said the battle marked the most intense […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — Iran has pressed its main proxy for full combat troop deployment in Syria, a newspaper said. Kuwait’s Al Rai Al Aam reported that Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei convened an urgent meeting with Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah in Teheran. Al Rai said Khamenei pressed Nasrallah in April to be […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The United States, despite an acknowledgement of President Bashar Assad’s use of chemical weapons, continues to rule out military intervention in Syria. The administration of President Barack Obama has confirmed evidence that Assad’s military fired CW munitions toward Sunni rebel strongholds. But officials said the determination lacked details that could […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — The regime of President Bashar Assad has launched another counter-offensive against Sunni rebels in Syria. Officials said the Assad regime has directed the Syrian Army and Air Force to intensify attacks on rebel strongholds around Damascus and other major cities. They said the latest regime campaign was meant to roll […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Geostrategy-Direct.com WASHINGTON — Sunni rebels, directed by Arab and Western states, have revised their strategy in northern Syria, a report said. The Institute for the Study of War asserted that Sunni rebels in the northern provinces of Aleppo and Idlib have suspended most operations in major cities controlled by the regime of […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Sunni rebels have been bolstered by the arrival of scores of Chechen fighters in the war against Syrian President Bashar Assad. Islamist sources said Qatar and Saudi Arabia have financed the recruitment of fighters from the autonomous Russian province of Chechnya. The sources said most of the Chechens were veterans […]