Airlines suspend flights to Damascus due to security concerns

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

CAIRO, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's EgyptAir and UAE's Dubai- based Emirates Airlines have cancelled their flights to the Syrian capital of Damascus on Friday due to security concerns.

"Emirates has, with immediate effect, suspended its daily EK913 and EK914 services to/from Damascus until further notice," Emirates Airlines said on its website, without elaborating reasons.

The Dubai-based carrier, however, added in the statement that " the safety of our passengers and crew is of the highest priority and will not be compromised," prompting speculations that security situation around Damascus airport may be deteriorating.

A spokesperson of EgyptAir also told media that the carrier has cancelled its flights to Damascus on Friday.

On Thursday, Syrian government troops and opposition forces engaged in clashes near Damascus, cutting off the road to Damascus airport. Also on Thursday afternoon, most Internet and cell phone services in Syria were cut off.

"In the global routing table, all 84 of Syria's IP address blocks have become unreachable, effectively removing the country from the Internet," U.S. company Renesys, which was monitoring Syria's web traffic, said on its website.

According to Syrian activists, Syrian government often cuts Internet and phone services before launching major military operations, which on Thursday prompted speculations of imminent offensives by government troops.

Earlier on Thursday, an explosive device went off near the house of a leading member of Syria's ruling al-Baath party in the southern province of Daraa, killing three policemen and injuring others. The explosive device, weighing 50 kg, went off in front of the house of a secretary of al-Baath party in Daraa, causing damage to nearby buildings.

On Wednesday, a car bomb rattled the Busra town on the countryside of Daraa and killed two people.

Recently, the fighting has intensified between government troops and Western-backed rebels who are trying to erode Syrian government's grip on the capital and elsewhere in Syria in the hope of hastening the collapse of the Syrian administration.

30 rebels, 10 gov't troops killed in fresh wave of violence

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

DAMASCUS, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- As many as 30 armed men were killed Wednesday in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour during clashes with government troops, a pro-government media reported, as sources said that a total of 10 government forces were also killed Wednesday in a roadside bomb blast in the northwestern province of Idlib.

The armed men were killed during clashes with the Syrian forces near al-Rawda mosque in the town of Jubaila in Deir al-Zour, Sham FM radio said.

Separately, the state-run SANA news agency said scores of " terrorists" had been killed during a qualitative operation carried out by the Syrian army against their gatherings at the orchards of the Damascus suburb of Daraya.

It added that the army has liberated tens of people, including children and women, who were kidnapped and besieged in Daraya by the terrorists to use them as human shield.

SANA said also that the army has seized a makeshift factory to make bombs and a tunnel to store weapons and ammunition in the area.

In the northern province of Idilb, Sham FM said a roadside bomb went off on the Idlib-Mastouma road, killing and injuring unidentified number of people. The reports stopped short of providing further details. However, a source said that the roadside bomb went off near an overnight military bus and killed 10 soldiers.

On the opposition side, activists said that an explosive device went off on Wednesday evening near a coffee shop in al-Zahera district of the capital Damascus, causing material damages.

Activists said that coffee shop is always occupied by security forces and pro-government gunmen.

The Local Coordination Committees (LCC), activists' network, placed the death toll of Wednesday's violence at 95 and blamed the ongoing violence in the courtly solely on the Syrian administration.

The LCC also reported the shelling by government troops, and in some cases aerial bombardment, on a number of hotspots nationwide, including suburbs in Damascus, such as Daraya and Hajar al- Aswad among others.

Still, the activists' account couldn't be checked independently.

Tensions in Syria began in March, 2011, when protesters took to the streets to call for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. The situation has since escalated and Syrian security forces have been accused of firing on innocent protesters. The situation has evolved into an ugly conflict with no foreseeable solution.

More than 20,000 people, mostly civilians, have reportedly died in Syria since the country's crisis began some 20 months ago. A further 2.5 million Syrians urgently need humanitarian aid, and over 340,000 have crossed the border to Syria's neighboring countries -- Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, according to UN estimates.

Haidar: Dialogue is the Only Way out of Crisis in Syria

Source : SANA, Syria

AMASCUS, (SANA) - Minister of State for National Reconciliation Affairs Dr. Ali Haidar said that the dialogue is the only way out of the crisis in Syria.

In an interview on the Syrian TV late Tuesday, Minister Haidar noted that the Syrian National Dialogue Conference held in Tehran is a strong step in the right direction, adding that the crisis in Syria affected all life's aspects of the Syrian people, especially in the fields of Education, Culture, Media and Health.

He added that "Launching dialogue will help increase the number of persons and sides who want to participate and eventually will help confront extremist persons and sides who are carrying weapons. Sitting at the dialogue table requires more courage than carrying weapons."

He stressed that the persons who are coming from all around the world to fight in Syria don't care about the Syrians or about building a strong and stable country, adding that those persons have other project that should be confronted.

Minister Haidar highlighted that the Syrians will not be drawn into civil war despite all practices and acts committed by some sides, adding that the Syrian culture is a non-sectarian culture.

He said that Tehran's conference rejected all forms of wars or interference in Syria, adding that there is a media war waged by some countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who are US tools in the Middle East region against Syria.

On the Israeli aggression on Gaza, Haidar said that the Israeli aggression targets all Palestine, stressing that the resistance- supporting countries should provide all possible support for the resistance's fighters in Gaza, who represent all the Palestinian people.

Syrian Army kills scores of militants in Edlib

The Syrian Army forces have hit positions for the Free Army militia in several areas of Edlib province, killing 38 militant and injuring others.

Three civilians got killed when targeting their bus by terrorists, using an explosive charge on Kafartakharim road, what resulted in 3 martyrs.

Our correspondent said that the Syrian Army destroyed a position for the gunmen near Harem town hall, which resulted in the death of 15 armed men, including their leader Hadi Ramadan.

The reporter added that the leader in Free Army militia Ammar al-Wawi, [might] have been killed.

Our correspondent also added that the Syrian Army attacked positions for the insurgents of Free Army militia in Mahambal and Sallet al-Zuhour villages, that is situated in Jeser al-Shughour

Exclusive sources said to Breaking News Network that the Syrian Army targeted positions for the insurgents in Sarmeen town, what resulted in the death of many gunmen.

Booby-trapped car goes off in restive Damascus' district

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

DAMASCUS, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- An explosive-laden car went off in the district of Tadamun in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, a pro-government TV said, adding that the local committees in the district succeeded in rounding up the person who detonated it.

Tadamun has been witnessing intense fighting between the government troops and the armed militias over the past several months. The local committees, set up by government forces, are also involved in the fighting against the rebels.

There has been no immediate word on casualties.

Meanwhile, the state-run SANA news agency said that three car bombs went off in the southern province of Daraa earlier in the day, killing at least seven people and causing huge material damages.

Quoting an official source, SANA said the first car bomb rocked the crowded al-Mubailat street, while the second one rattled the Panorama roundabout and the third one tore through the Finance Directorate in Daraa, causing big damages to the building and nearby ones as well.

SANA added that the third car bomb was rigged with large amounts of anti-tank mines, some of which did not go off during the blast.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that the Daraa explosions killed scores of government soldiers. Yet, such claim is impossible of being verified.

Separately, a Syrian army unit blasted a boat used by " terrorists" in Euphrates River in eastern Deir al-Zour province on Saturday, killing six armed men.

Violence in Syria keeps escalating amid more overt presence of foreign Jihadists who are fighting the government troops.

At Friday meeting in #Doha : #SNC elects new leftist head (G. Sabra)

Syrian opposition await final say on unity proposal after SNC elects new head - Xinhua | English.news.cn

DOHA/Damascus, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Exiled Syrian opposition groups convening in the Qatari capital Doha are expected to announce within hours their final decision on a proposal to form a unity opposition front, after the major opposition bloc the Syrian National Council (SNC) elected its new head on Friday.

At a Friday meeting in Doha, the SNC elected George Sabra out of two candidates as the new chairman of its executive board.

Sabra, a Christian born in 1947 in Syria's Damascus, will succeed Abdel Baset Seda, who took over the SNC presidency in June.

Sabra was arrested in July 2011 for "undermining the morale of the state and inciting people to demonstrate against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad," but was released two months later and joined the SNC general secretariat.

The SNC and some other exiled opposition groups have been meeting in Doha for days to discuss forming a wider opposition body that could be the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people in case of the current Syrian government's downfall.

The proposal, titled Syrian National Initiative, calls for establishing a united opposition front to help end the 20-month Syrian crisis and forming a transitional government headed by Riad Seif, a prominent Syrian dissident and former member of the parliament.

The groups were expected to announce their final decision on the proposal on Friday, but the SNC requested a 24-hour delay of the announcement, citing its "electoral process."

Turkish new agency Anatolia reported Friday that most of the opposition parties at the Doha meeting have agreed on the proposal and are waiting for the final say of the SNC.

The SNC has shown reluctance towards the U.S.-backed proposal, for concerns that its influence will be weakened if a broader opposition body is established.

Some SNC members, particularly those from the Muslim Brotherhood, cling fast to the idea that the SNC is the only legitimate representative for the Syrian opposition.

However, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said recently that the SNC had failed to effectively represent the diverse opposition groups.

According to the proposal, the broader body would include 35 members, with 10 from the SNC, 10 from the anti-government movement inside Syria, 10 from the opposition military forces, and five independent personalities.

4 blasts rock district of Syrian capital

4 blasts rock district of Syrian capital - Xinhua | English.news.cn

English.news.cn 2012-11-07 12:55:22

DAMASCUS, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Four blasts rocked the al-Mazzeh 86district in Damascus early Wednesday, followed by sporadic gunfire, witnesses and local media said.

The loud explosions rattled the sprawling district and caused billowing dark smoke.

The pro-government al-Ekhbaria TV speculated that the blasts were caused by mortar shells fired at the district. More details were still emerging.

The neighborhood is dominated by people from the Alawitte minority, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, to which President Bashar al-Assad and the ruling elite belong.

The area was hit a couple of days ago by the blast of a booby-trapped car that killed at least 11 people.

On Tuesday, 15 people were killed by a spate of blasts that battered al- Wurud Square in the Damascus suburb of Qudsiah, another Alawitte dominated area.

Six civilians killed by armed militias in northern Syria

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

DAMASCUS, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least six civilians were killed Monday when armed militias fired 11 mortar shells on an anti- militia protest in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo, the state-run SANA news agency said.

The armed groups fired the mortars to put down the protest that erupted in Bustan al-Qaser district expressing rejection to the presence of the militias in the area, said SANA.

Aleppo has been battered with violence since months ago after the rebels announced their goal to seize control of the crucial province in a bid to create a de facto capital akin to Libya's Benghazi. The Libyan city had been used by the rebels as their base during the Libyan civil war that toppled long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.

More than 20,000 Syrians, mostly civilians, have reportedly died since the Syrian crisis started some 20 months ago. About 2.5 million Syrians are in urgent need of humanitarian aid and over 340,000 have crossed border into Syria's neighbors such as Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, according to UN estimates.

Exlposion hits behind Dama Rose Hotel Damscus ...many injured

شبكة عاجل الإخبارية

An explosive charge has detonated in the second floor in the building of Workers Union, behind Dama Rose hotel in Damascus.

Our correspondent confirmed that the explosion resulted in several injuries, including serious cases, and large material damages.

Al-Arabia TV said that the brigade of Ahfad al-Rasoul claimed responsibility for committing the crime in Damascus.

3 Syrian tanks enter Golan demilitarized zone

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

JERUSALEM, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in the Golan Heights on the Israel-Syrian border, prompting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to raise the alert level in this area, the IDF spokesman's office told Xinhua Saturday.

The Syrian tanks proceeded into a village located a few kilometers from an IDF outpost, a move believed related to the internal conflict in the country.

Israel has complained to the United Nations peacekeeping force in the area after the Syrian tanks were deployed in the area, an IDF spokesperson confirmed to Xinhua.

Israeli media reported that there were also two Syrian armored personnel carriers that had entered the zone.

Over the past 24 hours some mortar shells were fired into the DMZ, one of which caused a fire near the Israel-Syria border, according to the reports.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it later, an act not recognized by the international community. The DMZ was created after the 1973 war in which Syria tried to retake the strategic plateau.