July 12, 2013
12:51 pm

Rebels affiliated with al-Qaeda sit on a truck full of ammunition in northern Syria, January 11, 2013 (photo credit: AP/Edlib News Network ENN)

New front opens in Syria as rebels say al-Qaeda attack means war

From the web With the tide of battle already turning in Assad’s favor, the killing of a top Free Syrian Army general sparks internecine conflict among rebels, Reuters reports

July 10, 2013
9:30 pm

An IDF missile boat (photo credit: Abir Sultan/Flash90)

After a pre-dawn strike, hoping for crickets

News reports blame Israel for a Friday raid on a missile shipment at a Syrian port, but both Jerusalem and the Assad regime would prefer it all stay on the hush hush

By Mitch Ginsburg

July 8, 2013
6:29 pm

A Free Syrian Army fighter takes cover during fighting with the Syrian Army in Azaz, Syria on Monday. (photo credit: AP/Virginie Nguyen Huang)

Israeli Arab sentenced to jail time after joining Syrian rebels

Hikmat Massarwa acknowledges his actions could have threatened ‘the security of the state,’ given 30 months in prison

By Aaron Kalman

July 7, 2013
12:22 pm

Illustrative photo of buildings damaged by Syrian government airstrikes and shelling, in the Jouret al-Chiyah neighborhood of Homs, Syria, in July 2013. (photo credit: AP/Lens Young Homsi)

Briefly, back to Syria

Mysterious explosions at Assad’s strategic port city draw attention away from Egyptian violence, but not for long

By Aaron Kalman

July 6, 2013
5:46 am

Blasts heard at arms depot in western Syria

UK-based rights group reports that several regime troops killed and injured in explosions in Latakia province

By Times of Israel staff

July 1, 2013
2:37 pm

Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade spokesperson Laeth Horan (Laeth Horan/Facebook)

We have no beef with Israel, Syrian Islamist rebel group says

The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, which operates near the border, praises Israel’s medical assistance for refugees, fighters

By Ilan Ben Zion and Agam Rafaeli

June 24, 2013
10:00 pm

Syrian rebels firing locally made shells made from gas cylinders against the Syrian forces, in Idlib province, northern Syria, Tuesday, May 21, 2013 (photo credit: (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN, File)

Damascus: US decision to arm rebels ‘very dangerous’

Syrian FM denies Iranian forces are aiding regime in civil war, says Bashar Assad won’t resign

June 22, 2013
6:06 am

Syrian rebels taking cover during fighting against government forces. (photo credit: AP/Local Council of Barzeh)

US has secretly provided arms training to Syria rebels since 2012

From the web Los Angeles Times: CIA special ops troops have trained opposition in antitank and antiaircraft arms in Jordan and Turkey

June 21, 2013
3:00 am

Syrian rebels prepare to fire locally made rockets in Idlib province, northern Syria (photo credit: AP/Edlib News Network ENN)

Rivalries complicate arms pipeline to Syrian rebels

Feuding and squabbling among factions illustrate complications US will face when directly arming them

By Sarah El Deeb

June 20, 2013
9:43 pm

Rebel fighters in Daraa, Syria, in May. (photo credit: AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)

Arab Islamist rebels, Kurds clash in northern Syria

From the web Reuters: PKK fighters battle Al-Qaeda-linked group, threatening to open new front in civil war

June 20, 2013
12:27 pm

British Prime Minister David Cameron (photo credit: UK Department for International Development/Flickr)

Cameron’s coup against Assad

British PM offers immunity to regime forces if they help oust their leader; ‘Friends of Syria’ prepare to discuss military action in Doha

By Michael Bassin

June 19, 2013
8:35 pm

Syrian rebel fighters in gas masks against a chemical weapons attack, 2013. (screen capture: Youtube/MrMrAsi)

FSA accuses Syrian army, Hezbollah of chemical weapons use

From the web Al-Arabiya: Opposition activists report casualties following combined attack on a Damascus suburb

June 18, 2013
4:49 pm

G8 leaders from left, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama attend a working session during the G-8 summit in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland on Tuesday, June 18, 2013. (Photo credit: AP/Yves Herman, Pool)

Russia says G-8 declaration won’t mention Assad’s fate

Formal statement on Syrian crisis expected later Tuesday will not call for Syrian president’s resignation

June 17, 2013
9:24 pm

Free Syrian Army fighters hold their weapons during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo, Syria, on Sunday, January 20, 2013. (photo credit: AP/Andoni Lubaki)

Saudis supplying missiles to Syrian rebels, Gulf source says

From the web Shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles being sent to Free Syrian Army, Reuters learns

June 17, 2013
10:30 am

Putin, Cameron thrown off by Damascus bombing

British and Russian leaders fail to find common ground on Syria; opposition congratulates Iranian president-elect