Syria rebels seize Alawite villages in Hama - The Times of India

Syrian rebels have seized control of four deserted Alawite villages in the central province of Hama, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said today.

Syria’s Assad Says Peace Talks Likely to Fail - NYTimes.com

President Bashar al-Assad backed away from earlier statements by Syrian officials that the government was willing to negotiate with its armed opponents.

Turkey's Erdogan says U.N. must decide on any Syria no-fly zone| Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday it would be up to the U.N. Security Council to decide whether to establish a no-fly zone inside Syria and said he backed the

Insight - Syria's Nusra Front eclipsed by Iraq-based al Qaeda| Reuters

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The most feared and effective rebel group battling President Bashar al-Assad, the Islamist Nusra Front, is being eclipsed by a more radical jihadi force whose aims go far beyond overthrowing

Syrian regime's position strengthens as world pushes for diplomatic solution - World - CBC News

Bashar al-Assad's regime has certainly suffered many setbacks during the brutal civil war that shows no signs of ending, but it's clear right now that Assad and his followers have been gaining momentum, writes Derek Stoffel.

Horrific video appears to show Syrian rebel executing kneeling Assad soldiers | Fox News

A chilling new Internet video shows a Syrian rebel leader summarily executing a line of kneeling soldiers loyal to the Assad regime with bullets to the backs of their heads.

United Nations News Centre - ‘Outraged’ by rising death toll in Syria, General Assembly demands halt to all violence

Expressing grave concern at the continuing escalation of violence in Syria, the United Nations General Assembly today adopted a resolution reiterating its call for rapid progress on a political transition, “which represents the best opportunity to...

Obama on Syria: ‘Increasing pressure’ placed on Assad - The Washington Post

In a joint press conference with the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Barack Obama addressed the situation in Syria and said, “We are going to keep increasing pressure on the Assad regime.”

Teaching The Rules Of War In Syria's Vicious Conflict : Parallels : NPR

War crimes are increasingly defining the conflict in Syria. But a recent workshop for opposition fighters held in southern Turkey hopes to teach them international humanitarian law that helps them be "Fighters Not Killers."

Syria's Troops Fight Off Rebel Attack On Aleppo Prison

BEIRUT — Syrian rebels withdrew from a prison in the northern city of Aleppo Thursday after heavy fighting with government troops, an activist group said, as it more than doubled its tally of deaths from sectarian killings in a coastal city...

For Syria, the civil war is still to come | Comment is free | The Guardian

Jeremy Greenstock: With no clear successor to President Assad, the country faces a bloody power vacuum. A new kind of diplomacy is needed

All sides in Syria have weapons 'except the good guys', says British official | World news | The Guardian

Foreign office official suggests Syrian opposition has insisted on getting access to arms before agreeing to enter talks

Rebel video 'warning to Syria militia' - World - NZ Herald News

Even by the standards of a savage war, a fighter appearing to eat the lungs of a dead enemy soldier was startling.

Syria crisis: number of refugees tops 1.5 million, says UN | World news | The Guardian

UNHCR warns Syrian refugee total may be even higher as number fleeing conflict continues to soar at alarming rate

May13: #Syrian Military Leaders ADMIT to killing Ahlul Sunnah in #Syria so they can form their own enclave in Lattakia.

May13: Video #Syria #FSA surrounding the Tal Il-Khadar Base in #Daraa and destroying an #Assad BMP

5 questions on Russian S-300 missile system sales to Syria | Russia & India Report

If fresh media reports are true, Russia may soon provide Damascus – or already has – with advanced S-300 air defense systems, tipping the balance in the devastating 26-month conflict. But the “if” is a big one.

Guerrilla Blog Dispatches – May 16, 2013 | Guerrilla Blog

Covering the Industrial Complex. (by Teddy Wilson)

Death toll in Syria likely as high as 120,000 - group| Reuters

BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least 94,000 people have been killed during Syria's two-year conflict, but the death toll is likely to be as high as 120,000, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday.The