Iranian Warship An Iranian flotilla has arrived in a Syrian port to provide maritime training to the country’s navy, media reports. It’s only the second time Iranian warships have sailed through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean. The ships have docked in the Syrian port of Tartus some 220 kilometres from the capital. They are due to take part in a joint training exercise with Syrian navy which... 

The regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria is expecting up to 15,000 Iranian troops to help maintain order in the country’s provinces, a Chinese newspaper reports. Iran has yet to confirm or deny the news. According to the central Chinese daily Renmin Ribao, the Iranian special task troops are due to be deployed in Syria’s key provinces. The Syrian opposition announced earlier that commander of Iran’s... 

US F35 The White House is saying “no” to arming opposition and other military involvement in the Syrian conflict – for the moment. Pentagon and US Central Command launched a review of US military capabilities in case that “no” turns a “yes.” ­The backdoor for military action was ajar with State Department, spokesman Victoria Nuland saying that US never takes any option off the table,... 

A plane being unloaded at Rafiq Hariri International Airport in the Lebanese capital city, Beirut. Lebanon’s security officials say a suspicious cargo containing huge amounts of US dollars, guns, special passports and credit cards have been seized upon arrival in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, from the US and Brazil. The items, packed in a number of chests and delivered via airmail, were discovered... 

Syria could get another chance at a diplomatic escape route from its continuing political crisis as the Russian delegation has arrived on Tuesday to hold talks with President Assad. A last-ditch delegation to Damascus bearing a personal message for Bashar al-Assad from President Medvedev has been welcomed by thousands of people lining the streets of the Syrian capital. Russian FM is holding talks... 

UK foreign secretary William Hague speaking in Parliament on Monday The United States has shut down its embassy in Syria. The announcement comes amid mounting reports of lethal government attacks. The UK has followed the suit, summoning their ambassador from Damascus. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague says the British ambassador has been recalled from Syria for consultations. The Secretary has also... 

The UN draft resolution on Syria reportedly calls for President Assad to hand power over to his deputy in 15 days or face “further measures”. It also clarifies that no foreign forces will be deployed to the country. The draft, obtained by the Guardian, emphasized any punitive measures would be peaceful. It also demands the Syrian government put “an end to all human rights violations and attacks... 

A massive demonstration has shaken the Damascus suburb of Saqba, that has fallen under the control of the Free Syrian Army. RT’s Sara Firth traveled to the rebel-controlled area to explore how the fighters managed to overcome superior forces. ­Clashes between Assad’s armed forces and the Free Syrian Army continue in many parts of the country including the capital. Some Damascus suburbs have seen... 

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov says Moscow will not support a Western-Arab drafted UN Security Council resolution on Syria. Moscow says the new draft, due to be discussed on Friday, does not take into account the Russian position on Syria. The draft proposed by the US, its Western allies as well as... 

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Rogozin The escalating conflict around Iran should be contained by common effort, otherwise the promising Arab Spring will grow into a “scorching Arab Summer,” says Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s former envoy to NATO. ­“Iran is our close neighbor, just south of the Caucasus. Should anything happen to Iran, should Iran get drawn into any political or military... 

A Russian Navy Flotilla A large Russian navy flotilla led by an aircraft carrier has arrived at the Syrian port of Tartus in the Mediterranean Sea, to show Moscow’s solidarity with Damascus. “The port call is aimed at bringing the two countries closer together and strengthening their ties of friendship,” the official SANA news agency quoted a Russian naval officer Yakushin Vladimir... 

Huge pro-government rallies remain unreported Official U.S. intelligence is the true leader of the “Syrian Free Army” The Muslim Brotherhood party, is calling for military intervention…Turkey against Syria, has a militia trained by the U.S. The Egyptian newspaper al-Arabi said on Friday that a colonel in the U.S. with the last name Cleveland is overseeing the operations of training... 

An image grab taken from Syrian state TV on December 23, 2011 shows Syrians carry away a dead body at the site of a suicide attack outside a security service base in Damascus on December 23, 2011 Two suicide car bombs apparently aimed at state security facilities rocked the Syrian capital on Friday leaving at least 40 dead and 100 wounded. The government dubbed the attacks “terrorist operations with... 

The aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" The US-based intelligence-gathering firm Stratfor says most of the claims by the Syrian opposition about the seriousness of the country’s crisis are untrue. The company insists protesters are exaggerating, to win support from powers like the US. ­Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, a former Reagan administration official, told RT he believes Washington... 

US troops circling Syria A former official from within the ranks of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is reporting that US and NATO forces have landed outside of Syria and are training militants to overthrow the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds, formerly a translator with the FBI, wrote over the weekend that American soldiers are among the NATO troops that have mysteriously...