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Mashayekh mutiny? Swaida security chief ousted
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April 15, 2014 12:34 AM
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BEIRUT: Tension has gripped the southern Syria Druze-majority town of Swaida after two recent confrontations between residents and the local branch of Military Intelligence, which led to the dismissal of its controversial head.The chain of events began earlier this month, in front of the...
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Campaign rally causes tension in Swaida
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April 09, 2014 12:14 AM
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BEIRUT: Presidential election fever in the southern province of Swaida has generated tension after Druze religious figures attacked a campaign rally featuring blaring music and a woman dancing in traditional dress. Anti-regime activists from the city said the incident took place Friday, when some...
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Kasab vs. #Kessab, and propaganda on Syria’s coast
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April 05, 2014 12:06 AM
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BEIRUT: A social media campaign to prevent a “genocide of Armenians!” in the scenic Syrian mountain resort town of Kasab exploded recently, in the latest example of how 21st century communications technology can spread as much disinformation as it does information. The Armenian...
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Fear and loathing descending on Latakia
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March 31, 2014 12:14 AM
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BEIRUT: Northern Latakia province has become, seemingly all of a sudden, the latest location to host an episode of the Syrian uprising-turned-war, with political, sectarian and other concerns outweighing for now the purely military moves on the ground.The province has seen periodic violence...
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Syrians rally in support of rebels’ coastal offensive
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March 29, 2014 12:40 AM
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BEIRUT: Friday demonstrations of support for a rebel offensive underway in Latakia province near the border with Turkey accompanied fierce fighting around Syria, as the regime and insurgents traded progress on the multiple fronts. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that...
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Topple Ahmad Jarba? Not so fast ...
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March 21, 2014 12:20 AM
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BEIRUT: Activists have called for nationwide demonstrations Friday against the head of the Syrian National Coalition, Ahmad Jarba, as a strong “message” to signal disappointment with the opposition-in-exile’s catalog of political failures.But the divisive move, which some observers attribute to...
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Rebels seize Deraa jail after two-month siege
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March 20, 2014 12:17 AM
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BEIRUT: Rebel groups in Deraa scored a morale boost Wednesday when they seized the province’s central prison and freed political prisoners held by the regime.The attack was also notable for being entirely the work of the rebel Free Syrian Army, without the usual participation by Islamist militias...
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Opposition struggles to overcome Yabroud loss
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March 18, 2014 12:22 AM
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BEIRUT: The fall of the rebel-held town of Yabroud to Syrian army troops and Hezbollah fighters Sunday has sparked a wave of recriminations among the ranks of the opposition, with frustration boiling over at the “handover” of the town when a rebel unit withdrew in sudden fashion.The defense of...
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Defiance marks anniversary of uprising
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March 17, 2014 12:10 AM
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BEIRUT: Opposition figures and anti-government activists marked the beginning of the fourth year of the Syrian uprising over the weekend, decrying the lack of promised foreign military support and vowing to press on until they achieve their objective of toppling the regime. Although activists...
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Nuns-for-detainees deal infuriates regime supporters
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March 11, 2014 12:11 AM
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BEIRUT: The freeing of Lebanese nuns held by Al-Qaeda-linked rebels for Syrian female detainees has enraged supporters of the Syrian regime, who are demanding that similar deals include their family and friends.The Lebanon-Syria border crossing at Jdaidet Yabouss was overflowing with media late...
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Coalition settles FSA’s leadership dispute
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March 07, 2014 12:08 AM
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BEIRUT: The opposition National Coalition announced Thursday that it has settled a simmering dispute over the leadership of the rebel Free Syrian Army, by retaining its newly appointed head and giving its former chief an advisory post.Ahmad Jarba, the head of the coalition, has been presiding over...
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Ex-opposition chief: No presidency plans
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March 05, 2014 12:20 AM
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BEIRUT: The former head of the opposition-in-exile National Coalition has stepped back from entertaining a presidential run in elections later this year, as the regime continues its efforts to mobilize support for the upcoming poll.A Facebook campaign supporting Ahmad Moaz Khatib to run for...
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A tale of two battles: Deraa and Yabroud
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March 03, 2014 12:22 AM
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BEIRUT: War is raging in most of Syria’s 14 provinces, but two military campaigns have recently taken center stage in the media spotlight.One is in the Qalamoun region bordering Lebanon, in the rolling mountains that rise above western side of the Damascus-Homs highway, and centered mainly on the...
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Otaiba ambush footage raises suspicions
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February 28, 2014 12:20 AM
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BEIRUT: The opposition Syrian National Coalition has demanded an investigation into a widely reported ambush of Islamist fighters outside Damascus Wednesday, saying the victims were mainly civilians trying to escape a siege on the capital’s eastern Ghouta suburbs.Syria’s state media and...
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Opposition to mull expanded Geneva team
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February 04, 2014 12:26 AM
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BEIRUT: Representatives of the opposition are scheduled to meet in Cairo this week to discuss expanding their delegation at the next round of Geneva II talks, according to the head of an officially tolerated opposition group. Hasan Abdel-Azim, the general coordinator of the National Coordination...
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