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Druze preachers in Swaida urge defections
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February 18, 2013 12:21 AM
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BEIRUT: A group of Druze religious figures in Syria has taken the unprecedented step of challenging the regime by urging members of the sect to desert the military, while giving their blessing to the killing of notorious “murderers.” The call was issued after several dozen mashayekh,...
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West inaction reinforced after Mali crisis
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January 29, 2013 12:32 AM
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BEIRUT: French military intervention in Mali and a hostage crisis in Algeria, sparked by the actions of Al-Qaeda-inspired militants, appear to be another reason for hesitation by the U.S. and its allies when it comes to stepping up engagement on the Syria crisis, experts have told The Daily Star....
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Uprising’s first Druze defector declared dead
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January 24, 2013 12:35 AM
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BEIRUT: The first army defector from the southern province of Swaida was declared dead Wednesday, after having led a battle against regime forces earlier in the month. The Facebook page of the Revolutionary Military Council for Swaida said that Khaldoun Zeineddine, the leader of the Sultan Pasha...
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Obama urged to step in before it’s ‘too late’
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January 19, 2013 12:19 AM
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BEIRUT: Calls to “reassess and engage” in the Syria crisis are among the pieces of public advice that have been offered recently to President Barack Obama by American experts, along with the dire warning, “Is it too late?” Obama, who is now beginning a second term free from...
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The steady drumbeat of civilian activism
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January 17, 2013 12:54 AM
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BEIRUT: For many civilian activists and supporters of Syria’s uprising, the daily dose of media coverage of the 22-month-old conflict has become more of a curse than a blessing. They take regular aim at outlets such as Syrian state television and the pro-regime private station Al-Dunya,...
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Rumors swirl over murky Swaida battle
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January 16, 2013 01:07 AM
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BEIRUT: The southern province of Swaida, one of the quietest parts of the country during Syria’s uprising, has been the site of a rare rebel attack on government forces with both sides trading claims and counterclaims over the murky incident. In mid-December, the latest rebel Revolutionary...
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Facebook page targets unpatriotic regime supporters outside Syria
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January 15, 2013 12:31 AM
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BEIRUT: Supporters of the Syrian government have created a Facebook page that they vow will expose people who have fled the country for comfort abroad, focusing their rage on the children of state officials. The page is entitled “Syria is not a hotel,” to drive home the idea that...
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At once professional and prescient
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January 14, 2013 01:49 AM
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BEIRUT: The late Adib Khair was an innovative Syrian television producer, perhaps best known for igniting the Turkish soap opera craze across the Arab Middle East. He was eulogized Sunday as a pioneer, dedicated to bringing professional standards to his country’s industry.The 48-year-old Khair...
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Swaida: resistance in quiet part of Syria
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January 08, 2013 12:38 AM
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BEIRUT: The Druze-majority province of Swaida in southern Syria has been one of the calmest regions in the country during nearly two years of popular insurrection, but the last month has seen an upswing in pro-opposition activity. The number of Druze and Christian opposition “martyrs”...
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Activists mourn ‘model’ FSA officer
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December 18, 2012 03:19 PM
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BEIRUT: Syrian rebels seized another government military facility in Aleppo over the weekend, but lost a charismatic field commander in the process. Col. Youssef Jader, aka Abu Furat, was a defected army officer who fought with the Tawhid Brigade of the Free Syrian Army. A native of the town of...
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Syria’s war, documented in detail
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December 06, 2012 12:34 AM
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BEIRUT: “It was the worst day of my life ... ” This is what a Syrian army officer, posted in the country’s embattled northwest, told another officer by telephone as they commiserated over their disappearing comrades-in-arms and the situation they had found themselves in. It...
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Tawhid backs Syrian National Coalition
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November 21, 2012 01:08 AM
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BEIRUT: The Tawhid Brigade, a leading Islamist rebel group in the city of Aleppo, announced its support Tuesday for the opposition Syrian National Coalition and its rejection of an Islamic state for a post-Assad Syria. The announcement was made in a video posted on YouTube, and issued on behalf of...
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Islamist rebels challenge National Coalition
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November 20, 2012 12:52 AM
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BEIRUT: A group of Islamist rebel factions in Aleppo has emphatically denounced the Syrian National Coalition and vowed to establish an Islamic state in Syria, highlighting the newly formed body’s struggle to shore up the ranks of the armed opposition. But while the Islamist declaration generated...
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Obama to bring more diplomacy, drone strikes
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November 07, 2012 04:33 AM
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BEIRUT: As a second-term president, Barack Obama will face the usual conundrum of capitalizing on a second election victory while fighting off “lame duck” status for as long as possible during a 2012-2016 term. Experts believe that multiple economic issues will dominate the agenda of...
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Romney’s true colors after bellicose campaign
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November 07, 2012 04:30 AM
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BEIRUT: If Mitt Romney wakes up Wednesday or any time afterward and finds himself the 45th president of the United States, he will be forced to settle the issue of whether he is as “back to the future” on foreign policy as he sounds. Romney has a rhetorical fondness for stances that...
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