Persian Realm

UN demands Syria aid chief access

UN demands Syria aid chief access (bbc)

The UN Security Council is demanding immediate access to Syria for its humanitarian chief, Valerie Amos.

Russia and China, who vetoed two previous Security Council resolutions on Syria, are also backing the call for Baroness Amos to be allowed in.

It comes as the rebel Free Syrian Army said it was withdrawing from the Baba Amr district of Homs, which has been under siege for nearly a month.

Activists say hundreds of people have died during the bombardment.

Russia upgrades radar station in Syria to aid Iran

JERUSALEM — Russia has upgraded a surveillance station it maintains in Syrian territory in order to provide Iran early warning of an Israeli attack, according to the Israeli security-related blog Debkafile.

The surveillance station, located south of Damascus, had been able to monitor air traffic inIsrael as far south as Tel Aviv, as well as northern Jordan and western Iraq.

Since the upgrade, its range reportedly extends to all parts of Israel and Jordan and as far south as the northern part of Saudi Arabia.

According to the report, Russia has introduced cutting-edge technology to the station and expanded its manpower.

Syria rebels leave besieged Baba Amr district of Homs

The Syrian rebel force fighting government troops in the besieged city of Homs says most of its fighters have left the Baba Amr district in a "tactical" withdrawal.

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) said it was pulling out of Baba Amr to spare the lives of the 4,000 civilians who were refusing to leave their homes.

Baba Amr has been under heavy bombardment for nearly a month.

Government forces now have full control of Baba Amr, an official told AFP.

The BBC's Jim Muir, in neighbouring Lebanon, says the withdrawal was obviously by agreement between the two sides, as has happened elsewhere in Syria, to avoid a final showdown.

Syria rebels leave besieged Homs (bbc)

UK diplomats withdrawn from Syria say's William Hague

UK diplomats withdrawn (bbc)

Foreign Secretary William Hague has withdrawn all diplomatic staff from the British Embassy in Damascus in Syria and suspended its services.

Mr Hague said the deteriorating security situation put staff in danger.

The decision comes as the UN's rights council condemned the Syrian regime's "systematic violations" against civilians.

Meanwhile, the British Red Cross has launched a "crisis appeal", saying Syria urgently needs aid.

Mr Hague revealed the decision to withdraw UK diplomats in a written statement laid before Parliament.

He said the UK's ambassador, Simon Collis, and other diplomatic staff left Syria on 29 February and would shortly be returning to the UK. 

Syria rebels form military bureau

Syria rebels form military bureau (bbc)

Syria's main political opposition group has formed a military bureau to unify armed resistance to the government.

The Syrian National Council (SNC) said the bureau would bring armed groups under a central command and control the flow of weapons to avoid "chaos".

The government launched a ground assault in the city of Homs this week after weeks of shelling.

The UN's rights council has passed a resolution condemning "systematic violations" against civilians. 

Conflicting reports emerge over full-scale Homs assault

Conflicting reports emerge over full-scale Homs assault (CNN)

• NEW: There are no casualty updates from hard-hit Homs, a group says
• Britain withdraws diplomats and suspends embassy operations, an official says
• The Syrian government says it has taken control of the neighborhood
• Activists say they are receiving mixed reports on who is in control of Baba Amr

Homs residents 'melting snow as water supplies cut'

'We melt snow to drink' (BBC, AUDIO)

The Syrian city of Homs is "entirely isolated" according to an eyewitness speaking to the BBC from inside the city.

The man, who did not want to be named, said the shelling was continuous, and that the Syrian Free Army were doing their best to protect civilians - including western journalists trapped in the city.

He said the humanintarian situation is deteriorating further, as water supplies dry up. 

Syria unrest: Kofi Annan urges 'one voice' in mediation

Annan: 'One voice' vital to talks (BBC, VIDEO)

Kofi Annan has highlighted the importance of the international community speaking "with one voice" if it is to have an impact on the Syrian regime.

He said without a single, united voice the different "parties play with the mediators."

In his role as UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy for Syria, Mr Annan said the first thing to do in the country was to "do everything we can to stop the violence and the killing." 

Syria army tightens grip on on Baba Amr in Homs

Syrian forces have tightened their stranglehold on the city of Homs, a day after launching a ground assault on the rebellious Baba Amr district.

Syria army tightens grip on (bbc)

Homs

French surgeon tells of operating in Syria's besieged city Homs

Jacques Beres is a 71-year-old surgeon and co-founder of the Medecins Sans Frontieres group. He has just returned from the besieged Syrian city of Homs where, in a makeshift clinic, he managed to treat dozens of people wounded during weeks of bombardment. He told the BBC News website what he saw.

Makeshift medicine (bbc)

Spanish 'El Mundo' journalist escapes city of Homs

Syria forces assault Baba Amr quarter in besieged Homs

Syria forces attack besieged Homs (bbc)

The fate of the besieged Baba Amr quarter, in the Syrian city of Homs, remains unclear after government troops launched a ground offensive on rebels.

Sources on both sides said government troops tried to advance on several fronts after weeks of heavy shelling.

Syrian officials said their forces were "mopping up" while activists said the attack had been repelled.

Meanwhile, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos says she has been denied entry into Syria.

In a statement, Ms Amos said the refusal came "despite my repeated requests to meet Syrian officials at the highest level to discuss the humanitarian situation and the need for unhindered access to the people affected by the violence".

She had gone to neighbouring Lebanon while she waited for the Syrian government's response to her application, UN diplomats said.

Why Syria's Christians are angry at Assad's new Constitution

Why Syria's Christians are angry (cnn)

By Sami Moubayed, Special to CNN

• In Syria, a newly approved constitution says that only Muslims can be president
• Sami Moubayed: Despite their support for the regime, Christians can't run for president
• He says while the government is pressured to stipulate this rule, it's bad politics
• Moubayed: Many Syrians want a constitution that treat Muslims and Christians fairly

Tunisia 'offers asylum to Bashar Assad'

Helicopters fire on Syrians as attacks intensify: Activists

Helicopters fire on Syrians as attacks intensify: Activists (CNN, VIDEO)

(CNN) -- Helicopter gunships fired on civilians Wednesday in the besieged neighborhood of Baba Amr as Syria's intensifying campaign triggered fears among residents that a full-fledged ground invasion could be imminent, opposition activists said. 

CNN's Barbara Starr reports on U.S. military's plans for Syria

U.S. military's plans for Syria (CNN, VIDEO)

The Pentagon is going over plans for a potential operation in Syria. CNN's Barbara Starr reports. 

In pictures: Syria divided

In pictures: Syria divided (bbc)

Syria death toll passes 7,500, UN says

Hamas Chief breaks from party line to laud 'heroic' protests

Hamas political chiefs exit Syria for Egypt and Qatar

Syria faces fresh ceasefire call

The UN human rights commissioner demands an urgent ceasefire in Syria, accusing the military of atrocities against civilians, as wounded UK photographer Paul Conroy is brought to safety.

Syria faces fresh ceasefire call (bbc)

Syrian envoy walks out of UN debate over Human Rights violations

Syrian envoy walks out of debate (BBC, VIDEO)

The Syrian envoy at an urgent UN human rights council debate on the Syrian crisis has walked out of the meeting, saying it did not recognise the legitimacy of the session.

Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui said the debate was "fuelling the flames of terrorism by expressing a message of support to armed groups". 

Dozens of Syrian protesters lose residency permits in UAE

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (CNN) -- Emirati authorities canceled dozens of Syrians' residency permits after a protest against the Syrian government in the United Arab Emirates, sources said.

More than 2,000 people protested against the Syrian regime on February 10, said a source close to the leadership of the Syrian National Council, which opposes the Syrian government.

The demonstrators did not have a permit to protest outside the Syrian consulate in Dubai, the source said. The source said the SNC has been negotiating with the UAE's foreign ministry and was assured last week that the permits would be reinstated -- but that has not happened.

• NEW: Syrian says he is worried about his future
• About 60 Syrians had their residency permits canceled, a source says
• A United Arab Emirates official says the number was closer to 30
• Both say protesters were demonstrating without a permit at a consulate in Dubai

Syrian official: No one dying from hunger

Syrian official: No one dying from hunger (CNN)

(CNN) -- While carnage mounts in the streets of Syria, the war of words rages on as well.

"We are not happy to see brothers killing each other," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said, insisting that no regime cares more about the Syrian people than his government.

The foreign minister told reporters no one is dying in Syria because of hunger or sickness, and said that despite an "economic international boycott," his government is providing all necessary services. 

he LCC said about 9,000 people have been killed since the government launched its crackdown on dissidents in March. The Syrian government says that more than 2,000 members of its security forces have been killed by "terrorists" during that same period.

CNN and other media outlets cannot independently verify opposition or government reports because Syria has severely limited access to the country by foreign journalists. But the vast majority of reports from the ground indicate that government forces are massacring citizens in an attempt to wipe out civilians seeking al-Assad's ouster. 

Syrian Opposition: 138 dead in just one day

Opposition: 138 dead in just one day (CNN)

As day broke on Tuesday, four people were killed across Syria, opposition activists said. At least 144 people were reported killed Monday, including 64 who died in a "horrifying massacre" at a checkpoint in Homs province.

Those killed at a checkpoint in the Abel area were attempting to flee shelling in the Baba Amr neighborhood in the city of Homs, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a network of opposition activists.

"Reports said security members and thugs kidnapped the women among them," the network said in a statement. Residents found 47 corpses in one area and 17 in a second one, it said.

A total of 68 corpses were found in the area, in farmland in western Homs province, said the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, apparently referencing the same incident. The bodies were found after an injured survivor reported the attack, the group said. All the bodies had been either shot or stabbed.

In all, 104 people were killed Monday in Homs, an opposition stronghold, according to the LCC. They included four defected soldiers, three woman and three children.

Red Cross hopes to continue in Syria

Families killed attempting to flee Homs

The deaths came on a day when Syrian officials announced that the nation's new draft constitution received approval and the European Union imposed new sanctions on the country amid ongoing clashes. 

41 killed as Syrian minister defends regime actions

41 killed as Syrian minister defends regime actions (FCNN)

(CNN) -- While carnage mounts in the streets of Syria, the war of words rages on as well.

"We are not happy to see brothers killing each other," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said, insisting that no regime cares more about the Syrian people than his government.

The foreign minister told reporters no one is dying in Syria because of hunger or sickness, and said that despite an "economic international boycott," his government is providing all necessary services.

His words fly in the face of opposition activists and world leaders who say the regime's sustained slaughter has killed thousands. 

• NEW: Opposition: 41 people are killed Tuesday, including 22 in the Hama area
• Syria's foreign minister claims the regime is providing necessary services to civilians
• A U.N. group meets Tuesday to discuss Syria and "crimes against humanity"

Injured UK journalist Paul Conroy safely evacuated from Homs

JOONEH AMAT: Syria says 89% of voters approve new constitution

Syria says 89% of voters approve new constitution (France 24)

Syrian minister vows to defend 'independence' as deaths mount

Opposition: 138 dead in Syrian violence (cnn)

• NEW: "We will defend our sovereignty and independence," Foreign Minister Moallem says
• NEW: Four people are killed Tuesday, an opposition network says
• Aid workers not able to evacuate wounded and killed journalists in Baba Amr
• U.S. State Department spokeswoman constitutional referendum as "cynical"

Nic Robertson: 'Horrifying massacre' in Syria amist Referandum

'Horrifying massacre' in Syria (CNN, VIDEO)

CNN's Nic Robertson reports on the humanitarian crisis in Syria and a new constitution approved by the government.