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Subscribe to RSSActivists release amateur video reportedly showing the shelling of Aleppo by Syrian government forces while Japan confirms a war correspondent, Maya Yamamoto, was killed by gunfire in Syria. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
Updated at 12:00 p.m. ET: Russia rebuffed President Barack Obama's threat of unilateral action against Syria Tuesday, as officials said 2,500 refugees fled across the border into Turkey in just 24 hours – one of the highest daily refugee flows of recent weeks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking after meeting China's top diplomat, said Moscow and Beijing were committed to "the need to strictly adhere to the norms of international law ... and not to allow their violation".
Obama draws 'red line' for Syria on chemical and biological weapons
Obama on Monday threatened "enormous consequences" if his Syrian counterpart used chemical or biological arms or even moved them in a menacing way.
The president used some of his strongest language yet to warn Assad not to use chemical or biological weapons – after Syria acknowledged for the first time that it had such weapons and could use them if foreign countries attacked it.
At an impromptu White House news conference, President Obama comments on GOP Mo., Senate candidate Todd Akin's remarks about rape, Mitt Romney's refusal to release more than two years' worth of tax returns, and the unrest in Syria. Watch the entire news conference.
"We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is (if) we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized," he said. "That would change my calculus."
Syria 'ready to discuss' Assad's resignation, deputy PM says
"We cannot have a situation where chemical or biological weapons are falling into the hands of the wrong people," Obama said, perhaps referring to Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah group, an Iranian-backed ally of Assad, or to Islamist militants.
Turkey's foreign minister has warned it can accommodate no more than 100,000 refugees and that the United Nations may need to create a "safe zone" within Syria to shelter any beyond that number.
Goran Tomasevic / Reuters
After months of protests and violent crackdowns, a look back at the violence that has overtaken the country.
Thousands of refugees
A Turkish official told Reuters on Tuesday that about 2,500 people fleeing violence in Syria had entered Turkey in the preceding 24 hours, most of them entering the southeastern Turkish province of Hatay.
Turkish journalist Mahir Zeynalov reported on Twitter that four Syrian colonels and two captains crossed the border early Wednesday.
PhotoBlog: Clashes over Syrian conflict in Lebanon leave ten dead
Turkey is now sheltering close to 70,000 Syrian refugees and is struggling to accommodate the influx, which rose after a bomb attack near the border killed eight, spreading panic.
Four Syrian colonels, two captains are among 1,425 Syrians who crossed into Turkey this morning.
— Mahir Zeynalov (@MahirZeynalov) August 22, 2012
In Lebanon, street battles between Sunnis and Alawites continued for a second night running, fueled by conflicting loyalties in the conflict across the border. The BBC reported that seven were killed and more than 70 wounded in the country's second-largest city, Tripoli.
Syrian President Bashar Assad, an Alawite, is battling largely Sunni opposition fighters. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, himself a Sunni, appealed to both sides to end the "absurd battle" in Tripoli.
In Syria itself, the army deployed tanks on a ring road surrounding Damascus on Wednesday and shelled southern neighborhoods where rebels operate, in the heaviest bombardment on the capital since the army reasserted control last month, residents said.
At least eight people were killed in the shelling, which was accompanied by an aerial bombardment, on the Kfar Souseh, Daraya, Qadam and Nahr Aisheh neighborhoods, they told Reuters.
Regional news channel Al-Jazeera reported that at least 24 people were killed across the country on Tuesday, among them women and children in Aleppo - the city over which the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) claims two-thirds control, and where a Japanese journalist was killed on Monday.
Activists: Japanese journalist killed in Aleppo
"We now control more than 60 per cent of the city of Aleppo, and each day we take control of new districts," said Abdel Jabbar al-Okaidi, a colonel with the FSA. He went on to list some 30 districts which he claimed were under FSA control, including about half of the embattled neighborhood of Salaheddin.
But a security source in Damascus rejected the claims, according to the AFP news agency, calling them "completely false".
Syrian President Bashar Assad makes a rare public appearance for the Muslim holiday of Eid on Sunday. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.
Likened to Iraq invasion
Syrian soldiers killed a journalist sympathetic to the rebels during a raid in Damascus on Wednesday. Mosaab al-Odaallah, who worked for the state-run Tishreen newspaper, was shot at point-blank range at his home by troops conducting house-to-house raids in the southern Nahr Eisha district of the capital, opposition activists said.
Massoud Akko, head of the public freedoms committee at the underground Syrian Journalists Association, said Odaallah's death brought to 54 the number of Syrian journalists, bloggers and writers killed by security forces during the uprising.
"Most have been killed with shots to the head. The regime appears to have adopted a systematic policy of killing journalists and social media activists," Akko told Reuters by telephone from Berlin.
Earlier, Syria's deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil said Obama's talk of action against Syria was media fodder.
Speaking after the news conference held by Russia's Lavrov, Jamil said the West was seeking an excuse to intervene, likening the focus on Syria's chemical weapons with the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S.-led forces and the focus on what proved to be groundless suspicions that Saddam Hussein was concealing weapons of mass destruction.
"Direct military intervention in Syria is impossible because whoever thinks about it ... is heading towards a confrontation wider than Syria's borders," he told a news conference in Damascus.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reported the concerns of Christians, who make up about 10 per cent of Syria's population. It said Christians fleeing the fighting have detected an increasingly radicalized Islamist strain among the rebels that makes them fear for their future.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
The Russkies certainly know what a violation of international law looks like...
You gotta give 'em that at least.
this the kind of situation; with our president threatening UNILATERAL ACTION; where the loser Left can be found to be screaming "WARMONGER" AND "SABER-RATTLER!!!"
The relative silence of leftardz is deafening
Russia warning the US about violations of international law ... now THAT'S funny. I knew those Rooskies had a sense of humor somewhere.
Would Russia have "warned" Ronald Reagan? NOT! Proves what a weak and disrespected President - Obama is, that Russia Threatens him.
Don't forget China. And when Obama brought up the issue of China's unfair trade the Chinese told him to go pound salt and Obama hasn't lifted a finger to stop them The man is weak. And it is damaging our leadership role in the world and our economy.
I remind you when the presidents of the past said to Russia to bring the wall down (both Kennedy and Reagan) the Wall still stood. Since Russia Walled up the East Europe they thumbed their nose at all Presidents during that time till the Wall came down. As for you Snot Nosed, Rug Rats They surely did tell Reagan to Kiss Off. Kennedy had to deal with Kruschev and the Cuban Missle Crises. Nucular Missiles 80 miles off our coast. No Russia didn't thumb their nose at us, they almost shoved it up our ass! You need to understand the situation of Chemical Weapons, Japan had a real Chemical Weapons Attack recently and it killed several people. That was a Terrorist Attack. In case you haven't been paying attention here, the entire world has a fear of these weapons. It's not just Obama that wants these weapons under control and secured. Since the Article is geared to the USA it makes it sound like it is only us that wants these weapons under control when the entire planet wants them under control. Now quit being a narrow minded Troll and Pay attention, your Ass may depend on it some day.
If our current "weak" president decides to do anything, he's going to have to fight stinger missiles and anti tank guns Regan sold in trade for hostages (of which he recovered a net zero)! I guess the good news is, no one over there can produce new ammo or fix broken parts! Has everyone forgotten that Regan broke our own trade embargo's? Why do people insist on remembering him as the president that walked on water? I would really prefer an FDR right now. We need some one with real integrity to recover our place as the leaders of the free world.
Before Obama pulled US out of Iraq why didn't he make sure that we got a lot of Iraqi oil to pay US back for liberating Iraq and the ME from the clutches of the brutal dictator and war monger Saddam? Surely, our economy would be in much better shape if we had a bunch of Iraqi oil to pay US back for all the work we did freeing Iraq at no charge to them. Did we get any oil from Libya when we liberated them from Qaddafi? No. Will we get any oil from Syria when we help liberate them from Assad? Doubtful. And which country is getting the rights to mine Afghanistan? You guessed it, China. Does Obama want US to send these countries money after liberating them? Your damn right he does, billions. Who is Obama looking out for?
The invasion was not about oil, it was about liberation. What would be the purpose to liberate if you are just going to take the money out of the pockets of the very ones you liberated?
And yes...
Obama is a fool.
Your the fool here, Bush Administration was affraid that Al Qaeda would try to run across the border to Iraq and wanted to have American forces there to meet them. It wasn't about Oil or Liberating Iraqi people from Saddams Rule. Al Qaeda were fearful of Saddam and Bush opened the flood gates for them. Whose the Fool? You! You believed that BS Propaganda from Bush.
And who is running this ? Obama is just a puppet for his superpacs, and so will the Mitt Romney if he wins this election, which he probably will since he is bringing in more $. Wake up, before its too late, vote for integrity and common sense, not with your media minds.
actually, oil is an excuse....there are ideologies at play here. It's "US" the freedom loving, good Christian nation vs "THEM" the muslim taliban that stone dissenters with no trial in the streets.
Slava Putinu! Spassa Rossiyu!
nuclear power russia gets together with nuclear power china to threaten the US?
how can this be leftardz? not saying the situation is obama's fault leftardz, so dont get your panties in a bunch. But wasnt obama supposed to be exactly what the world needed to make nations all warm and fuzzy and barney-like with each other? earning that Nobel?
idiots and hypocrites
bwahahahahahahahahahahahah. Bingo! Only in the "progressive" fairy tale world did anyone believe that bs.
Remember all those convoys leaving Iraq going into Syria during the US invasion in March 2003?
What do you think was in those trucks? Saddam Hussein put every Weapon of Mass Destruction he had in those trucks to hide them in Syria.
Saddam is dead so Syria can use them at their leisure.
Again another Fool. Saddam had no weapons of Mass Destruction. Still swallowing Bush's Propaganda after all the fact came out a long time ago. That was Before we invaded Iraq.
Pay no attention to 6dogs as he/she only spews nonsense.
What kind of gas did Saddam use on his own people? I believe the fool is 6dogs.
Saddam Hussein used Sarin, Tabun and VX which are all nerve agents along with Mustard Gas and Hydrogen cyanide on the Kurds.
If the agents listed above are not considered WMD's in 6dogs opinion, I wonder...what is?
Interview at the Aspen Instituteca. 2005.
The end of time as we know it approaches and the golden age awaits us, will that be an age without humans ?
Lets just allow government to run people and froget the people are to run government.
It is past time to retake control of our own, im not sure we can anymore, back to your tv set.
I'm so tired of hearing bout all this Muslim unrest in the middle east ! why arent the Muslims in the U.S going to the middle east to fight too help save there people. please don't bring us in too your @!$%# hole any more. I hope there's a time we so no Muslims in this world to cause such unrest !
The reason Russia wants Syria is that Syria provides them a warm water port in addition to being near middle east oil.
Obama: Intervention in Syria will mean war with Russia.
No, Russia and the US is tighter than you think or these writers will say. Writers will exaggerate the truth for a story. Not one of these reporters are there to be able to give you an accurate report. What you are reading 2nd and 3rd hand pass down. Quit trying to put a Republican spin on everything.
And the Republican Party has a Secret Society in which the plan on taking away Women's rights, and ensuring that they will NEVER be more than WHAT THAT PARTY THINKS THEY ARE WORTH. And a woman's worth to them is good enough to pop put babies, clean house, and take care of the MAN's kids, a woman is a vessel to CARRY THE MAN's KIDs, that is all she is worth.
Interesting theory, please provide resources and references to back your statement for all to be enlightened. I hope word does not get out to all the women currently serving in our government...it may lead to anarchy.
many liberal women aren't even worth that much; who would want to mate with such losers?
Your mama
Hey Russia, PHUCK YOU, you don't have the intelligence, nor the resources, nor the authority to tell the United States to back off.
If we decide to go to war with iran or syria, and you stick your lying, repressive nose in our business, maybe we will take your sorry butt out at the same time.
I agree with you Jim. We won the cold war and Russia is a shell of it's former self. They do still have a lot of pull in the region though.
If I have a choice of who other forces to stand beside to fight with, I'll take a Russian over all other countries.
can you imagine if a 9-11 type od terrorist attack happened with obama in office? anybody else feel the same loser lefties that chanted the "chickens came home to roost" when it happend on Bush's watch would be out butchering Muslims in the street for making things harder on their cult-idol obama?
Bush should of studied the Muslim culture more before attacking Iraq ! Bush brought us to this S h i t hole !
Muslim Culture? Please explain. Oh and a lot of Democrats supported going into both Afgahnistan and Iraq. Bush lead but most followed.
Bush should of leveled Iraq ! if he did his study of there culture he would of known there was no such thing as a good Muslim ! they will all come back and be against you ! he should of leveled there country and let them spend the rest of there lives burying there dead ! there was no reason any American kid should of lost there life over there still no reason !
Failurcratz, that is not a fair assumption to make. I wouldn't even consider making that comparison on any President, past, present or future. I pound the crap out of Romney but would never put statement to him. When something happens like this all the real work is going on in the background. Even I would be surprised at the number of people that are set into motion. Both Dems and Repubs alike and people that are only politicle by their vote.
If Barry can divert enough attention from the Train Wreak at home he just might pull it off. We got involved in Libya to the tune of over a Billion Dollars. What did that get us. Of course we throw away a half a Billon on a Solar Panel manufacturer with nothing to show for it.
So go for it Barry. Maybe you could send the Idiot VP over and he could just insult them into cooperating. One thing about this Government they never found a bad project they could not find funding for. How about Reid, Pelosi and Biden. They would have them surrendering in a week.
GBA
What did it get us??? Muslim Brotherhood comes to mind.
Let's see how bad Obama fuks this situation up. Being that Obama is a Muslim and a follower of Marxism, he will help cripple this country and then defect. Do it Barry Soetoro.
With the exception of high ranking refugees fleeing to Turkey, is all pretty old news. Remember reading speculation that Iraqi WMD/NBC may have been moved to Syria before the Iraq invasion. Either way, is known that Syria has some nasty stuff and seeing as their government is unstable, already in the wrong hands.
IMO Obama hasnt rained cruise missiles down on the Syrian army and government on "humanitarian" grounds to stop the slaughter there (MUCH worse than in Libya) because Syria doesnt have nearly as much OIL as Libya does
Poor little weak baby, everyone is pushing him around. Gets no respect from Congress, and all whiteys hate him. He better be more flexible after the election because the Russians said so.
Mr. Obama has accepted second seat in the World order, there is no doubt about this fact. The United States is being culled for a new World order by this current Administration. As for Syria, we Have NO DAMN BUSINESS in that Civil War. Let the good Muslims kill each other and let us see where the pieces fall.
I agree, but I think the US has been preparing for the New World Order since Reagan's hitch. Democracy will not survive longer than 250-300 years. Complacency and greed alone has changed this country the last 50-60 years and we have ourselves to blame for voting the wrong people to run this country.
I thought Mr. Obama "RESET" our relations with Russia. Now they are almost as bad as the cold war days. Congrats, Mr Obama!
If we had an uprising in this country, our government would deal with it in much the same way Assad is. Make no mistake. The people in Syria have rebelled against the government and are facing the consequences. We do not need to involve our troops into this internal matter.
We have guns in most houses.
But that won't last long if Obama has his way
I am no Obama fan. Actually, that's a gross understatement. With that said, everyone should take a step back and observe what has / is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. These people are, and always will be, barbaric. On top of that, they hate Americans. My advice is to high-tail-it out of Afghanistan as quickly as possible, reconstitute our troops/capabilities and then sit and wait for the entire Middle East to blow up. The Israelis will not just sit back and wait for the chemical weapons to get into the hands of Hezbollah. To do so would mean their certian doom. They will take action to defend their country. After that, it's a global thing. Iran gets involved, then Egypt, then the U.S., Russia and China. Sad, but so predictable.
Frank you are right. Muslims in the mid east are taught to hate westerners in general. We (Americans) are just the worst of the bunch in their eyes. We have money and freedom. They have neither. Their countries are poor and their religion teaches the only way to heaven in via self sacrifice. These two factors are used to keep the masses focused on their hate of us above their own situation. It is the only way to keep the people in line. Dictators are needed as democracy will not work. Democracy and Islam are like oil and water.
Boys oh Boys, we fought fanatics before, The Japanese, to die for the Emporor. Japan is a n island and only has a mass of population in a known size space. Now the fight is on what kind of scale comparitively? The playing field is huge with all kinds of places to hide and come back at you. But we didn't fight Garilla type of Warfare than. The Japanese did in China and got their butts kicked eventually. As I see it the only war to win a Garilla War is the be the defenders here. We have never fought a defensive Gorilla War always the Aggresser.
What ever happened to Obama's" Humanitarian Mission" doctrine? I guess the women and children in Syria are not human enough to warrant protection under Mr. Obama's doctrine
Same thing that happened to hope and change, close Gitmo, getting rid of Patriot Act, transparency, no bid contracts for Halliburton, cut deficit in half in four years, bring the troops home in 18 months, shovel-ready jobs, under 8% unemployment, roll back Bush tax cuts, marriage is between a man and a woman. See the pattern? The 2008 Obama is not the 2012 Obama.
The 2008 Obama was never the real Obama any way. Just a shill duping uninformed voters
Russia can kiss our US ASS!
yeah obama is kissing his believe it!