News DeskMarch 15, 2013 18:01

Beginning exactly two years ago with a string of protests galvanized by the Arab Spring, the Syrian civil war has since claimed nearly 70,000 lives as rebels try to dislodge Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

In Lebanon, a proxy battle for Syria

Jeff NeumannMarch 5, 2013 07:01

TRIPOLI — The bustling shipyards and seaside cafes of this Mediterranean port lend the city a veneer of normalcy. But residents tell a different story — one of extreme poverty, state neglect and vicious sectarian violence.

Swanee HuntDecember 2, 2012 09:51

For action on Syria, some lessons from Bosnia

Commentary: In seeking political solution, don’t shut out women and minorities.

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A picture taken on Dec. 18, 1995 shows a general view of "Battalion boulevard" in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was completely destroyed during the confrontations between Bosnian and Croatian Forces in 1993. These scenes are seen today throughout Syria. (Pascal Guyot/AFP/Getty Images)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The city is under siege. Mortars turn apartment blocks to dust, as soldiers trade bullets and territory daily. Civilians hunker down in what shelter remains, without water or electricity. Families brave deadly sniper fire to seek food. A visit to neighbors, or commute to work, means maneuvering through checkpoints and around roving militias. 2012, Damascus. 1992, Sarajevo.

UK recognizes Syrian opposition, says William Hague

Jennifer MattsonNovember 20, 2012 13:50

The UK Foreign Secretary said the Syrian opposition was the people's "sole legitimate representative."

How Syria's conflict stretches beyond its borders

Erin CunninghamOctober 25, 2012 06:27

CAIRO, Egypt — In March 2011, young students in the southern Syrian city of Daraa brazenly painted anti-government graffiti on the walls of their school. Few could have imagined that 19 months later, Syria would be in the throes of a violent, anti-regime uprising that looks more and more like a regional proxy war.

On border with Syria and Lebanon, Israel prepares for the worst

Noga TarnopolskyOctober 23, 2012 06:15

ISRAEL-LEBANON BORDER — Outside of residents of Beirut and Damascus, who suffered massive bombings last weekend, few people are more attentive to unrest in Lebanon and in Syria than intelligence officers manning Israel's Northern Command.

Syria: Conflict continues to spill over into Turkey

Tracey SheltonOctober 12, 2012 14:14

HACIPASA, Turkey — The Syrian conflict spilled further into Turkey on Friday when a group of Syrian army soldiers, fleeing a rebel assault, escaped over the Turkish border. The Syrian soldiers appeared to be trying to escape the latest fighting in the Syrian town of Azmarin, which rebel forces recently captured.

From Turkey, more strong words for Syria

Suzanna KosterOctober 5, 2012 12:37

ANKARA, Turkey — A day after the Turkish parliament authorized military action in Syria, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan issued strong words to its troubled neighbor. “We are not interested in war, but we're not far from it either. This nation has come to where it is today having gone through intercontinental wars,” Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul on Friday.

Israelis evacuate as Syrian fighting nears border

Noga TarnopolskyOctober 3, 2012 13:33

JERUSALEM — Authorities at Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights evacuated between 50 and 60 tourists from the summit Wednesday. The move came after the Israeli army reported sighting more than 30 armed individuals approaching the Israeli-Syrian border.

UNHCR predicts 700,000 Syrian refugees by 2013

Daniel DeFraiaSeptember 27, 2012 09:24

According to the UK-based activist group the Syrian Observer for Human Rights (SOHR), yesterday was the deadliest day in the conflict - 304 people died.