Syria conflict
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Saudi minister, after Russia talks, says Syria's Assad still has to go
Reuters UKSaudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir discussed Syria's future with his Russian counterpart in Moscow on Wednesday after which he said Riyadh still believed there was no political future for President Bashar al-Assad. -
France says samples from April 4 Syria chemical attack prove government used sarin: minister
Samples obtained by French intelligence show that forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "undoubtedly" used sarin nerve gas in an April 4 attack in northern Syria, France's foreign minister said on Wednesday, citing a declassified report.The attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun killed scores of people and prompted the United States to launch a cruise missile strike on a Syrian air base in response, its first direct assault on the Assad government in the conflict.
"We know, from a certain source, that the process of fabrication of the samples taken is typical of the method developed in Syrian laboratories," Jean-Marc Ayrault told reporters.
"This method is the signature of the regime and it is what enables us to establish the responsibility of the attack. We know because we kept samples from previous attacks that we were able to use for comparison."
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Air strikes kill at least 12, damage hospital in Syria's Idlib: medics, monitor
ReutersSyrian or Russian air strikes killed more than a dozen people and severely damaged a hospital in and around a town in rebel-held Idlib province on Tuesday, local medical workers and a monitoring group said. -
At least 18 Kurdish YPG members killed in Turkish air strikes in Syria - monitor
At least 18 Kurdish YPG fighters and media officials were killed in Turkish air strikes on a headquarters of the militia in northeastern Syria on Tuesday, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.The YPG, a U.S. ally in the fight against Islamic State, did not immediately give its own precise death toll.
Turkey's military bombed the YPG and Kurdish militants in neighbouring Iraq early on Tuesday, widening a campaign against groups affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
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UK welcomes U.S. sanctions on those said linked to Syrian chemical weapons
Reuters UKBritain welcomed U.S. sanctions against individuals alleged to be connected to the use of chemical weapons in Syria on Monday, saying they were a clear signal "that actions have consequences". -
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Syrian rebel official says government has agreed to free 500 prisoners
ReutersRebels have reached an agreement with the Syrian government for it to release 500 prisoners who will then cross into rebel territory on Friday as part of a swap deal between the warring sides, a rebel official told Reuters. -
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Evacuations of besieged Syrians resume after two-day halt
ReutersThe evacuation of Syrian civilians and fighters from four besieged towns, part of a swap deal between the warring sides, resumed on Friday after a 48-hour halt, state media and a war monitoring group said. -
Putin and Erdogan to discuss Syria in Russia meeting on May 3 - RIA
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan would meet in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi on May 3 to discuss the Syria situation, the RIA news agency reported. -
Chemical attacks
ReutersThe use of chemical weapons is banned under international law and could constitute a war crime. International investigators have concluded that sarin, chlorine and sulphur mustard gas have been used in Syria's six-year-old conflict. -
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U.N. Syria envoy to meet Russian minister on Monday; U.S. not taking part
ReutersThe U.N. mediator for Syria said on Thursday he would hold talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov in Geneva on Monday and that the United States had declined to take part in any trilateral meeting for now. -
Israel says Assad's forces still have several tonnes of chemical weapons
ReutersIsrael's military said on Wednesday it believes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces still possess several tonnes of chemical weapons, issuing the assessment two weeks after a chemical attack that killed nearly 90 people in Syria. -
France says to provide proof on Syria government chemical weapons use
ReutersFrench intelligence services will provide proof in the coming days that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces used chemical weapons in an attack on April 4, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Wednesday. -
Syria evacuations resume days after bombing: state media, war monitor
ReutersEvacuations from four besieged areas of Syria resumed on Wednesday, Syrian state television, a Hezbollah media unit and a war monitor reported, days after a suicide bombing killed dozens in a convoy which was part of the same reciprocal agreement. -
Aleppo bomb blast kills six - Syrian state TV
A bomb blast killed six people and injured 32 in the Salah al-Din district of Aleppo, Syrian state television reported on Wednesday without giving further details.Salah al-Din is located west of Aleppo's Old City in a district that was part of the last rebel enclave there until it was taken over by the Syrian army in an advance in December.
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U.S.-allied Syrian groups form civilian council to run Raqqa
ReutersU.S.-allied militias in northern Syria announced on Tuesday the formation of a civilian council to govern Raqqa after their planned capture of the city from Islamic State militants. -
For Syrian evacuees, bus bombing a tragic end to a tragic deal
Reuters UKMothers Noha, a Shi'ite, and Samira, a Sunni, were besieged for nearly two years on each side of Syria's civil war. At the weekend they finally escaped the suffocating blockades under an evacuation agreement - but their ordeal was not over. -
Monitor says suspected U.S. coalition air strikes kill 23 in east Syria
Reuters UKA war monitor said air strikes, thought to be by planes from a U.S.-led military coalition, killed at least 23 people in two parts of the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zor on Monday. -
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Blast hits Syrian bus convoy near Aleppo: state media, monitors
An explosion near a bus convoy waiting to enter the Syrian city of Aleppo killed or wounded several people on Saturday, pro-government media outlets, pro-opposition activists and a monitor reported. -
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Syria says U.S. strike hit IS poison gas depot, killed hundreds; U.S. denies
The Syrian army said an air strike late on Wednesday by the U.S.-led coalition hit poison gas supplies belonging to Islamic State, releasing a toxic substance that killed "hundreds", but the coalition denied carrying out raids in the area.A statement by the army, flashed on Thursday by Syrian state TV, said the incident in the eastern Deir al-Zor province proved that Islamic State and al Qaeda-linked militants "possess chemical weapons".
The report could not immediately be independently verified.
U.S. Air Force Colonel John Dorrian, a spokesman for the coalition, said it had carried out no air strikes in that area at that time.
"The Syrian claim is incorrect and likely intentional misinformation," he said in an email to Reuters.
The United States launched cruise missiles at a Syrian air base last week, in response to a deadly poison gas attack in the west of the country that Washington blamed on President Bashar al-Assad's government.
Syria and its ally Russia deny Damascus carried out any such chemical attack. Moscow has said the poison gas in that incident belonged to rebels.
The U.S. strike on the Syrian air base was the first time Washington has deliberately and directly targeted the Syrian government. It is separately waging an air campaign against Islamic State in eastern Syria.
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U.S.-backed forces launch new attacks on Islamic State in Syria: statement
ReutersU.S.-backed forces fighting Islamic State in Syria launched a new phase of their offensive on Thursday, a statement said, but they have not yet begun to attack the militant group's stronghold of Raqqa city in an apparent delay in the operation. -
Chemical weapons experts in Turkey to investigate; UK confirms sarin use
ReutersGlobal chemical weapons investigators have gone to Turkey to collect samples as part of an inquiry into an alleged chemical weapons attack in neighbouring Syria last week that killed 87 people. -
Syrian army says U.S.-led air strike on Wednesday hit IS poison gas depot, killing hundreds
The Syrian army said that an air strike late on Wednesday by the U.S.-led coalition hit poison gas supplies belonging to Islamic State, releasing a toxic substance that killed "hundreds including many civilians."
The incident proved that Islamic State and al Qaeda-linked militants "possess chemical weapons", a statement by the army flashed on Thursday by Syrian state TV said.
There was no immediate independent confirmation. -
Chemical weapons experts in Turkey to investigate alleged Syrian sarin attack: sources
A team of experts from the global chemical weapons watchdog has been sent to Turkey to collect samples as part of an investigation into an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria last week that killed 87 people.The fact finding mission was sent from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague to gather bio-metric samples and interview survivors, sources told Reuters on Thursday.
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U.S.-Russia relations at another low after Syria attacks
ReutersThe presidents of the United States and Russia on Wednesday both presented souring views of the relationship between their two countries, exchanging sharp words as Moscow extended an icy welcome to the United States' top diplomat in a face-off over Syria. -
Russia blocks U.N. Security Council condemnation of Syria attack
ReutersRussia blocked a Western-led effort at the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday to condemn last week's deadly gas attack in Syria and push Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad to cooperate with international inquiries into the incident. -
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Commentary: U.S. must walk dangerous line to manage twin Syria, North Korea crises
Reuters UKBy Peter AppsIf there was ever any doubt that President Donald Trump’s strike against Syria was also intended to send a message to Pyongyang, the dep -
Commentary: Why Assad used chemical weapons
Reuters UKBy Mohamad BazziIn the early hours of April 7, the U.S. military launched a series of missile strikes against an air base in northern Syria, in retal -
Russia vetoes U.N. resolution on Syria attack, China abstains
Russia again cast a veto at the United Nations Security Council to shield Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, blocking a Western bid on Wednesday to condemn a deadly gas attack in Syria and push the Syrian government to cooperate with investigators.
China, which has vetoed six resolutions on Syria since the civil war began six years ago, abstained from Wednesday's vote, along with Ethiopia and Kazakhstan. Ten countries voted in favor of the text, while Bolivia joined Russia in voting no.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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Arab states demand Qatar closes Jazeera, cuts back ties to Iran
DUBAI Four Arab states boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism have sent Doha a list of 13 demands including closing Al Jazeera television and reducing ties to their regional adversary Iran, an official of one of the four countries said.