For the first time since 2011, the Russian and Syrian presidents spoke on the phone to discuss developments in the Syria crisis. Vladimir Putin called Bashar Assad about the Geneva-2 peace talks and the destruction of Syria’s chemical stockpile. President Putin called President Assad to talk about the preparations for the Syria peace talks, and to share Russia’s concerns over the reports of a... 

Israeli warplanes struck a Syrian air defense base near the port city of Latakia on Thursday, US official have confirmed to media. An Obama administration official told AP that the attack happened overnight on Thursday, but provided no details. Another security official told the news agency that it took place in the Syrian port city of Latakia, and that the targets were Russian-made SA-125 missiles. Another... 

The rebels used chemical weapons in north-eastern Syria near the border with Turkey on Tuesday, a Lebanese TV channel Al-Mayadeen reported. The toxic shell exploded near a Kurdish defense forces’ checkpoint close to the border with Turkey in the city of Ras al-Ayn al-Hasakah. The attack was reported by Kurdish defense forces who are conducting military operations against the rebels in the region. They... 

Leader of the al-Nusra Front, an Al-Qaeda affiliated fighting force in Syria, has been killed, state television reported. According to reports Abu Mohammad al-Golani, has been killed in the Western province of Latakia. Syrian State TV did not provide any further details. There has been no immediate comment from opposition groups. However reports are emerging that al-Golani was not killed as he was... 

A gas pipeline was attacked near Damascus causing the capital and the southern part of Syria to suffer a blackout. The electricity minister blamed the blast on rebels. “A terrorist attack on a gas pipeline that feeds a power station in the south has led to a power outage in the provinces, and work to repair it is in progress,” electricity minister Emad Khamis told SANA news agency. As... 

A large group of protesters, mostly Australian-Syrian youths, have staged a rally in Sydney to voice their solidarity with the Syrian government, nation and army, Press TV reports. The protesters took to the streets at Sydney’s Martin Place Amphitheatre, calling for an end to foreign intervention in the violence-stricken country. Reme Sakr, an organizer of the event, dubbed Hands off Syria, told... 

The UN confirms chemical experts in Syria destroyed missile warheads, aerial bombs, and chemical mixing equipment on Sunday as they started eliminating the country’s chemical weapons. “The process of destroying Syria’s chemical weapons program began today,” said a statement released by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The experts supervised... 

A political analyst says the United States and the Israeli regime have been wrong in their calculation of the Syrian government’s ‘strength’ in the fight against foreign-backed Takfiris, Press TV reports. Mark Weber, with the Institute for Historical Review, told Press TV on Thursday that the “United States and Israel miscalculated in underestimating the strength of the Syria government which... 

The Washington scholar who was cited by US leaders calling for a military strike on Syria, only to lose her job for fabricating her academic credentials, has been hired by the office of US Senator John McCain, Foreign Policy magazine reports. Elizabeth O’Bagy was formerly employed by the Institute for the Study of War, where she quickly became a respected voice on the ongoing conflict between Syrian... 

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution condemning the use of chemical weapons in Syria and calling for their destruction. The resolution adopted by the 15-member council on Friday envisages a plan to eradicate Syria’s arsenal of chemical weapons. However, it does not call for automatic punitive action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government... 

Al-Qaeda-linked militants in Syria have destroyed several Jewish mausoleums in the historical town of Tadouf in the northern city of Aleppo. Militants reportedly demolished a number of the most ancient Jewish mausoleums in the town. Foreign-backed militants have so far destroyed many religious sites in Syria since the unrest began in 2011. Earlier this month, members of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra... 

US President Barack Obama will use his Tuesday’s address to the United Nations in New York to demand that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step down, according to US officials. White House spokesman Ben Rhodes told reporters on Friday that Obama’s speech will also focus on the need for a tough resolution demanding Syria turn over its chemical weapons or face a threat of force. Obama will... 

The Pentagon has put together a plan to equip and train “moderate” Syrian rebel forces. The move would mark the first instance of the American military having direct contact with the opposition. Information regarding the new plan was relayed by two Obama administration officials to CNN. The idea has allegedly been under consideration since the first evidence emerged of a massive chemical weapons... 

We recently came across a highly revealing report published on the 29th of January by the Daily Mail online. In it Louise Boyle, writes of a U.S. “backed plan to launch a chemical weapon attack in Syria and blame it on Bashar al-Assad’s regime”, months before the actual attack happened. Such a plan was also confirmed by Press TV on January the 30th and RT in June 2012, over a year... 

The Obama administration waived provisions of a federal law which ban the supply of weapons and money to terrorists. The move is opening doors to supplying Syrian opposition with protection from chemical weapons. The Arms Export Control Act (AECA) allows the US president to waive provisions in Sections 40 and 40A, which forbid providing munitions, credit and licenses to countries supporting acts of...