Syria

Kerry: US weighs Russia offer of military talks on Syria

Kerry said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had proposed the consultation in a phone call on Tuesday and that the White House, Pentagon and State Department were considering it.

Kerry suggested that he favored such an idea, noting that the United States wants a clear picture of what Russia's intentions are in Syria following a recent military buildup there.

France to conduct airstrikes in Syria

France made its first reconnaissance flights over Syria last week in order to plan a potential air operation.

Hollande confirmed that airstrikes "will be necessary in Syria," in a news conference on Monday in Paris. He didn't say when the operation will start.

Until now, France has only conducted airstrikes in Iraq as a member of the U.S.-led coalition, fearing that hitting at IS in Syria would ultimately help the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

     

In Syrian Kurdish city, IS suicide car bombings kill 26

Among the victims of the explosions in the city of Hassakeh were a woman and her two children and several Kurdish fighters, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Islamic State group said in a statement that its two suicide bombers targeted a gathering of Kurdish fighters and pro-regime militias.

Syria blames Europe for flow of migrants out of the country

The minister, Omran al-Zoubi, said in a rare comment from Damascus, that the migrants are mostly fleeing from areas held by rivals of President Bashar Assad's government, including the Islamic State group.

His remarks, carried by state media, say European countries, "which sent terrorists" to Syria and imposed economic sanctions on the Syrian people, must take responsibility for their anti-Syria policies.

McCain displays photo of dead Syrian boy on Senate floor

McCain, a Republican, stood next to an enlarged, close-up photo of Aylan Kurdi, who drowned along with his 5-year-old brother and mother when their small rubber boat capsized as it headed for Greece. 

McCain said the photo has "opened the world's eye to this devastating crisis."

McCain said it should haunt Americans that "the United States will continue to do nothing meaningful" about conflicts like that in Syria that have led to a surge in refugees.

Vladimir Putin confirms Russian military involvement in Syria's civil war

Commenting on reports that Russian combat troops have been deployed to Syria, the Russian president said discussion of direct military intervention is “so far premature,” but did not rule out that such a step could be taken in future.

“To say we're ready to do this today - so far it's premature to talk about this. But we are already giving Syria quite serious help with equipment and training soldiers, with our weapons,” the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency quoted Mr Putin as saying when asked about Russian intervention in Syria during an economic forum in Vladivostok.

Syrian migrant killed in Greece walking on train tracks

The 45-year-old man, who was carrying transit documents issued to migrants in Turkey, was hit early Friday near the village of Petrades. The train driver told police he was unable to brake in time.

While most migrants entering Greece from Turkey arrive by boat, some still cross the land border in Thrace, which mostly follows the Evros River. Greece has built a 12-kilometer (7.5-mile) fence along the remaining stretch where there is no natural obstacle.

Pentagon: IS hacker killed in US strike also was recruiter

A spokesman for Central Command, Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder, told reporters at the Pentagon on Friday that the hacker, Junaid Hussain, also was responsible for the recent release of personally identifying information on about 1,300 U.S. military and government employees and sought to inspire violence against U.S. service members.

Ryder called Hussain a key IS member. He said he was killed Monday in an airstrike in Raqqa, the city the Islamic State group considers its capital.

6 dead in Syria after Israeli retaliates for rocket attack

Four rockets exploded in an open field in northern Galilee on Thursday. There were no injuries but it was the first time since the 1973 Mideast war that rockets from Syrian territory have slammed into Israel. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

IS destroys ancient monastery in central Syria

The extremist group posted photos on social media Friday showing bulldozers destroying the Saint Elian Monastery near the town of Qaryatain, which IS captured in early August.

A Christian clergyman told The Associated Press in Damascus that IS militants also wrecked a church inside the monastery that dates back to 5th century. The priest, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the monastery included an Assyrian Catholic church.