http://www.mail.com/locations/23574-damascus.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.29/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/locations/23574-damascus.html http://www.mail.com/news/world/2161396-syria-troops-fight-rebels-major-shiite-shrine.html BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah fighters joined Syrian forces in battling rebels in a Damascus suburb that is home to a revered Shiite Muslim shrine, in a push to secure the area around the ornate, golden domed mosque. Protection of the Sayida Zeinab shrine has become a rallying cry for Shiite fighters backing President Bashar Assad, raising the stakes in a confl... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:44:09 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2161396-syria-troops-fight-rebels-major-shiite-shrine.html 2013-06-19T20:44:09Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/2162916-syrian-exiles-taste-home-beloved-ice-cream.html AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — For Syrians, no visit to Damascus' Old City is complete without a stop at a more than century-old ice cream parlor in its main souq where you can watch them make their distinctive desert by pounding it into shape with giant wooden mallets, then enjoy a bowl of it sprinkled with pistachios. Now those who fled their country's bloody civ... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:14:30 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/2162916-syrian-exiles-taste-home-beloved-ice-cream.html 2013-06-19T20:14:30Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2160198-syrian-pound-tumbles-us-plans-to-arm-rebels.html DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Many exchange shops closed in Damascus on Tuesday, fearing more chaos a day after the Syrian currency plunged to a new record low, reflecting growing fears in the capital following a U.S. decision to arm rebel groups fighting to topple President Bashar Assad's regime. The currency woes add to the embattled president's troubles, and ... Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:03:58 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2160198-syrian-pound-tumbles-us-plans-to-arm-rebels.html 2013-06-18T20:03:58Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2157746-kurds-fight-place-syrian-civil-war.html BEIRUT (AP) — Taking advantage of the chaos of the civil war, Syria's Kurdish minority has carved out a once unthinkable degree of independence in their areas, creating their own police forces, even their own license plates, and exuberantly going public with their language and culture. But by pursuing their own path distinct from both the opposition and t... Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:14:41 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2157746-kurds-fight-place-syrian-civil-war.html 2013-06-17T20:14:41Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2156420-syrias-assad-eu-will-pay-price-arming-rebels.html BEIRUT (AP) — Syria's president warned that Europe "will pay a price" if it delivers weapons to rebels fighting to topple him, saying in an interview published Monday that arming them would backfire as the "terrorists" return to their countries with extremist ideologies. Bashar Assad also dismissed the U.S. administration's findings that the Syrian army u... Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:38:05 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2156420-syrias-assad-eu-will-pay-price-arming-rebels.html 2013-06-17T19:38:05Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2155722-egypt-to-nod-toward-jihadis-syria.html CAIRO (AP) — Under Hosni Mubarak's rule, Egypt's authorities took a tough line on Egyptians coming home after waging "jihad" in places like Afghanistan, Chechnya or the Balkans, fearing they would bring back extremist ideology, combat experience and a thirst for regime change. In most cases, they were imprisoned and tortured. But after Mubarak's overthrow... Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:27:27 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2155722-egypt-to-nod-toward-jihadis-syria.html 2013-06-16T20:27:27Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2155110-syria-lashes-egypt-decision-to-sever-ties.html DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria said Sunday that Egypt's decision to cut diplomatic ties with his country is "irresponsible," accusing its president of fueling sectarian conflict in Syria and serving a U.S.-Israeli conspiracy to divide the Middle East. The government statement quoted in state media comes a day after President Mohammed Morsi told supporters a... Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:03:59 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2155110-syria-lashes-egypt-decision-to-sever-ties.html 2013-06-16T14:03:59Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2154342-egypt-cuts-relations-with-syrian-government.html CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's Islamist president announced Saturday that he was cutting off diplomatic relations with Syria and closing Damascus' embassy in Cairo, decisions made amid growing calls from hard-line Sunni clerics in Egypt and elsewhere to launch a "holy war" against Syria's embattled regime. Mohammed Morsi told thousands of supporters at a rally in C... Sat, 15 Jun 2013 21:12:04 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2154342-egypt-cuts-relations-with-syrian-government.html 2013-06-15T21:12:04Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2153960-syrian-troops-capture-damascus-suburb-airport.html BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian troops pushed forward with their offensive against rebels Saturday, capturing a suburb near the Damascus international airport as the U.S. warned that the alleged use of chemical weapons by President Bashar Assad's forces and the involvement of the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in the civil war threaten to put a proposed political settlement ou... Sat, 15 Jun 2013 19:24:04 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2153960-syrian-troops-capture-damascus-suburb-airport.html 2013-06-15T19:24:04Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2148682-un-93000-killed-syrian-civil-war.html BEIRUT (AP) — Syrians are being killed at an average rate of 5,000 per month, the U.N. said Thursday as it raised the overall death toll in the civil war to nearly 93,000, with civilians bearing the brunt of the attacks. The grim estimate reflects the growing sectarian nature of the bloodshed as the regime of President Bashar Assad scores a series of batt... Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:51:40 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2148682-un-93000-killed-syrian-civil-war.html 2013-06-13T23:51:40Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2149938-gaza-suffers-drop-foreign-aid-syrian-war.html GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A refugee from Syria recently opened a bakery here, drawing long lines of customers eager to taste meat and cheese pastries with the special flavors of Damascus — a rare bright spot in the long shadow that the Syrian civil war is casting over the Gaza Strip. The conflict in Syria, some 300 kilometers (190 miles) away, is incre... Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:04:55 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2149938-gaza-suffers-drop-foreign-aid-syrian-war.html 2013-06-13T18:04:55Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2148750-un-93000-killed-syrian-conflict.html GENEVA (AP) — Syria's upwardly spiraling violence has resulted in the confirmed killings of almost 93,000 people, the United Nations' human rights office said Thursday but acknowledged the real number is likely to be far higher. A new analysis of the Syrian death toll documented 92,901 killings between March 2011 and the end of April 2013. But the U.N.'s ... Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:45:15 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2148750-un-93000-killed-syrian-conflict.html 2013-06-13T10:45:15Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2146008-syrian-extremist-rebels-raid-shiite-village.html BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian rebels, including Sunni extremists, stormed a village and battled pro-regime militiamen, killing more than 60 Shiite fighters and civilians in an attack steeped in the sectarian hatreds that increasingly characterize the civil war, activists said Wednesday. In the raid, which comes at a time when the West is worried that extremists ar... Wed, 12 Jun 2013 21:06:18 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2146008-syrian-extremist-rebels-raid-shiite-village.html 2013-06-12T21:06:18Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2144750-syrian-rebels-reeling-loss-qusair.html BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian rebels' defeat in Qusair cost them more than a strategic stronghold. It has left them with a battered spirit and deep frustration. Their lesson from the fight: No matter how hard they try, they run into a major wall — their weapons are no match for the regime's. Desperate for successes, some in the opposition are calling for chang... Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:26:32 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2144750-syrian-rebels-reeling-loss-qusair.html 2013-06-11T23:26:32Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2144808-iraq-increasingly-drawn-syrian-battlefield.html BAGHDAD (AP) — Signs are growing that stretches of Iraq and Syria are morphing into a single battlefield for militants, exacerbating Iraq's slide into renewed deadly chaos a year and a half after U.S. troops pulled out. Iraqi border posts along the Syrian frontier are coming under attack, and Syrian truck drivers have been singled out and shot inside Iraq... Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:57:01 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2144808-iraq-increasingly-drawn-syrian-battlefield.html 2013-06-11T18:57:01Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2143222-bombs-hit-syrian-capital-amid-regime-offensive.html DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Twin suicide bombers targeted a police station in the center of Damascus Tuesday, killing 14 people as regime forces aggressively pressed ahead with an offensive on rebel strongholds elsewhere in the country. The rush hour blasts, which caused extensive damage to cars and storefronts, demonstrated the ability of insurgents to strike deep in the heart o... Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:12:17 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2143222-bombs-hit-syrian-capital-amid-regime-offensive.html 2013-06-11T18:12:17Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2142198-iraqi-shiite-fighters-syria-role-raises-tensions.html BAGHDAD (AP) — The Iraqi Shiite fighter's family is urging him to stop risking his life by traveling to Syria, saying he's done his part defending the holy shrine of Sayida Zeinab outside Damascus. Abu Mohammed al-Moussawi isn't listening. The 33-year-old father from southern Baghdad, who wears a ring inscribed with a Quranic verse, is preparing for his f... Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:45:04 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2142198-iraqi-shiite-fighters-syria-role-raises-tensions.html 2013-06-10T18:45:04Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2138496-car-bomb-kills-7-people-central-syrian-city.html BEIRUT (AP) — A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car Saturday in Syria's central city of Homs, tearing through an area largely populated by the regime's Alawite sect and killing seven people, a state-owned TV station reported. Meanwhile, government troops took control of a key village as the regime presses its offensive to clear a path between Damascus and the M... Sat, 08 Jun 2013 19:17:39 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2138496-car-bomb-kills-7-people-central-syrian-city.html 2013-06-08T19:17:39Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2136480-ap-interview-sabra-syria-war-sectarian.html COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The leader of Syria's main opposition group on Friday warned that the involvement of Hezbollah is transforming the war in Syria into a sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shiites, and says peace negotiations aren't possible as long as Hezbollah and Iran are fighting alongside President Bashar Assad's regime. George Sabra, acti... Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:50:36 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2136480-ap-interview-sabra-syria-war-sectarian.html 2013-06-07T13:50:36Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2135114-qusair-syrian-army-sets-sights-heartland.html DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — With fresh momentum from the capture of a strategic town in western Syria, President Bashar Assad's forces have turned their sights to driving rebel fighters from the country's densely populated heartland, including the cities of Homs and Aleppo. The latest battlefield success, due in large part to Lebanese Hezbollah fighters' incre... Thu, 06 Jun 2013 20:56:44 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2135114-qusair-syrian-army-sets-sights-heartland.html 2013-06-06T20:56:44Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2130220-syria-army-deals-severe-blow-to-rebels-key-town.html BAALBEK, Lebanon (AP) — Syrian troops and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies captured a strategic border town Wednesday after a grueling three-week battle, dealing a severe blow to rebels and opening the door for President Bashar Assad's regime to seize back the country's central heartland. The regime triumph in Qusair, which Assad's forces had bombarded for... Thu, 06 Jun 2013 01:49:04 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2130220-syria-army-deals-severe-blow-to-rebels-key-town.html 2013-06-06T01:49:04Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2127894-france-britain-confirm-use-sarin-gas-syria.html PARIS (AP) — France said Tuesday it has confirmed that the nerve gas sarin was used "multiple times and in a localized way" in Syria, including at least once by the regime. It was the most specific claim by any Western power about chemical weapons attacks in the 27-month-old conflict. Britain later said that tests it conducted on samples taken from Syria ... Tue, 04 Jun 2013 22:14:30 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2127894-france-britain-confirm-use-sarin-gas-syria.html 2013-06-04T22:14:30Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2127950-syrian-army-advances-qusair-damascus-suburb.html DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian troops advanced toward the center of the strategic town of Qusair near the border with Lebanon and chased rebels from another key district on the edge of Damascus on Tuesday, officials said, solidifying gains that have shifted the balance of power in the regime's favor in recent weeks. In the past two months, the Syrian army ... Tue, 04 Jun 2013 18:10:54 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2127950-syrian-army-advances-qusair-damascus-suburb.html 2013-06-04T18:10:54Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2125588-wounded-civilians-trapped-syrias-qusair.html BEIRUT (AP) — Cut off for three weeks by a regime siege, doctors in the Syrian town of Qusair are treating hundreds of wounded in battle-damaged homes and underground shop storerooms, short on antibiotics and anesthesia and using unsterilized cloth for bandages and hand pumps instead of oxygen canisters. Amid relentless shelling, there are some 1,000 woun... Mon, 03 Jun 2013 19:41:18 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2125588-wounded-civilians-trapped-syrias-qusair.html 2013-06-03T19:41:18Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2126584-fighting-syrias-town-qusair.html BEIRUT (AP) — With the Syrian civil war well into its third year, the western town of Qusair near the Lebanese border has become the latest site of urban warfare in the grueling fight between President Bashar Assad's military and the rebels trying to overthrow his regime. Below is a look at issues at play as the battle for the town rages on for a third straight week. ... Mon, 03 Jun 2013 18:27:06 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2126584-fighting-syrias-town-qusair.html 2013-06-03T18:27:06Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2120826-balance-power-syria-shifting-assads-way.html BEIRUT (AP) — As hopes for a Syrian peace conference fade and the opposition falls into growing disarray, President Bashar Assad has every reason to project confidence. Government forces have moved steadily against rebels in key areas of the country over the past two months, making strategic advances and considerably lowering the threat to the capital, Da... Fri, 31 May 2013 19:53:40 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2120826-balance-power-syria-shifting-assads-way.html 2013-05-31T19:53:40Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2118104-syrias-assad-confident-victory-civil-war.html BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview broadcast Thursday that he is "confident in victory" in his country's civil war, and he warned that Damascus would retaliate for any future Israeli airstrike on his territory. Assad also told the Lebanese TV station Al-Manar that Russia has fulfilled some of its weapons contracts recently, b... Thu, 30 May 2013 21:35:57 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2118104-syrias-assad-confident-victory-civil-war.html 2013-05-30T21:35:57Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2115802-evening-bomb-blasts-kill-30-baghdad.html BAGHDAD (AP) — Bomb blasts tore through two Baghdad neighborhoods Wednesday evening, killing at least 30 people including several members of a wedding party, and extending a relentless wave of bloodshed roiling Iraq. The attacks come as the country is experiencing its most sustained bout of violence since the 2011 U.S. military withdrawal. More than 500 p... Wed, 29 May 2013 20:39:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2115802-evening-bomb-blasts-kill-30-baghdad.html 2013-05-29T20:39:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2115898-syria-oil-production-plummeted-war.html DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria's oil minister says the country's production has fallen drastically over the past two years because of the crisis. Suleiman Abbas told lawmakers Wednesday that daily oil production stands at 20,000 barrels, roughly 5 percent of the 380,000 barrels produced daily before the March 2011 uprising against President Bashar Assad began. Wed, 29 May 2013 10:39:55 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2115898-syria-oil-production-plummeted-war.html 2013-05-29T10:39:55Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2113588-syria-diplomacy-priority-despite-eu-arms-vote.html BEIRUT (AP) — Russia on Tuesday harshly criticized Europe's decision to allow the arming of Syrian rebels, saying it undercuts international efforts to negotiate an end to the civil war, and a rebel general said he's "very disappointed" weapons won't come fast enough to help opposition fighters defend a strategic Syrian town. The European Union decision, ... Tue, 28 May 2013 22:15:45 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2113588-syria-diplomacy-priority-despite-eu-arms-vote.html 2013-05-28T22:15:45Z