• From Dallas to Damascus: The Texas 'straight shooter' who could replace Syria's Assad

    Ozan Kose / AFP - Getty Images

    Ghassan Hitto, speaking to reporters after his March 18 election as Syria's interim prime minister.

    By Ayman Mohyeldin and Alastair Jamieson, NBC News

    He is a “straight shooter” from Texas who worked as a telecoms executive until November. But Ghassan Hitto now finds himself the presumptive caretaker-leader of Syria as world powers plot the end of Bashar Assad’s crumbling regime.

    The American citizen, born in Syria, is the new prime minister of the opposition’s interim government – the apparatus that the international community hopes will seal the end of Assad’s rule.

    Friends describe Hitto, 50, as “sincere” and “practical,” but the charismatic technocrat will need all the charm he can muster to unify Syria’s fragmented opposition.

    His rapid rise has prompted questions about how the deadly conflict should end and has cast a light on infighting, fueled by regional countries purportedly supporting certain opposition figures.

    The Free Syrian Army, one of the key rebel groups fighting Assad’s forces on the ground inside Syria, responded to Hitto’s appointment in Istanbul on March 18 by refusing to recognize his authority.

    “The situation there is so dire, I’m afraid for him,” said Mustafa Carroll, who worked alongside Hitto in Texas as a volunteer at Muslim advocacy groups. “It’s a big responsibility and it’s very complicated.”

    “He’s a straight shooter, very sincere, very well-regarded and a very active community person,” said Carroll, who is director of the Houston chapter of the Council for American-Islamic Relations.

    Seen as Muslim Brotherhood's pick
    Hitto, a father of four, lived in the U.S. for three decades, most recently on the outskirts of Dallas working as director of operations for telecoms supplier Inovar, where co-worker Arshad Syed remembers him as "honest" and "personable."

    He left Syria in the early 1980s and received an MBA at Indiana Wesleyan University on top of a degree in computer science and mathematics from Purdue University in Indianapolis.

    Strongly active in community groups, he was a member of the board of directors at the private Islamic school Bright Horizons Academy, in Garland, Texas, where his wife Suzanne still teaches English.

    In November, he made the decision to get involved in the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces -- the international grouping that seeks to end Syria’s civil war on the condition that Assad is removed from power.

    Slideshow: Syria uprising

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    A look back at the conflict that has overtaken the country.

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    “Like a lot of people living away, he just wanted to help his homeland,” said Carroll.

    Hitto’s wife did not return calls, but the academy issued a statement describing him as “a practical man with great management experience.”

    It said: “He was always open minded and open to debate. He conducted himself with the highest honesty and integrity. His talent for bringing people together for the common good will be missed in our community.”

    Hitto, a respected technocrat but an inexperienced politician, won the overwhelming number of votes from those who cast a ballot -- other possible candidates that included a former Syrian regime official -- but some members of the Coalition boycotted the vote in protest at the process.

    Not everyone was convinced the opposition needed an interim government, seeing it as yet another organization that could compete for control of a post-Assad Syria.

    Official spokesman Walid al-Bunni walked out of the vote in protest and Moaz al-Khatib, president of the Coalition, resigned and had to be persuaded back on board just in time for the Arab Summit in Doha, which began Tuesday.

    “Hitto’s whole role has been undermined from the start,” said Christopher Phillips, associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at U.K. think tank, Chatham House.

    “He’s very much the Muslim Brotherhood’s man, and is seen as such. There was a lot of pressure to get an interim opposition leader in place ahead of the Doha talks, but the way in which it was done, and the choice of very much the man that Qatar and Turkey wanted, has infuriated and alienated just about every key player in the process.”

    Represents 'the some of the some'
    Salman Shaik, director of the Brookings Center in Doha, said many Syrians "still regard the appointment of Hitto with suspicion." Even if Assad is toppled from power, Hitto is by no means certain of the authority he needs to implement free and fair elections.

    “The huge elephant in the room is that there is no guarantee that, if and when the Assad regime falls, that any of the groups fighting in Syria will gather around this official opposition,” said Phillips. “There are huge uncertainties in all of this.”

    Abdulrahman al-Rashed, commentator and general manager of the Al Arabiya news channel, wrote: “I am confident that Mr. Hitto is a respectable person and that he cares about Syria. But during this difficult time, we want a person who represents everyone and not only some Syrians. Some members of the Syrian coalition decided to choose Hitto but the coalition itself only represents some Syrians. Therefore, Hitto represents the some of the some!”

    Yasser Tabarra, the Chicago-based legal adviser to the Coalition, says the interim government will focus on managing the 60 to 70 percent of the country that is liberated and controlled by opposition rebels.

    The government would coordinate local management efforts, including establishing law and order, and delivering basic goods and services, Tabarra said.

    Two key stumbling blocks remain: whether the Coalition should enter into any form of negotiations with the regime while Assad is still in power, and whether Hitto, an ethnic Kurd viewed as the Muslim Brotherhood's favored candidate, can unite the ideological differences between its liberal and Islamist members.

    In his task, Hitto at least has the backing of the U.S.

    “This is an individual who, out of concern for the Syrian people, left a very successful life in Texas to go and work on humanitarian relief for the people of his home country,” said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland after Hitto’s election.

    “We’re very hopeful that his election will foster unity and cohesion among the opposition.”

    NBC News' Becky Bratu contributed to this report.


     

  • Former Egypt dictator Mubarak faces April re-trial

    By Ayman Mohyeldin, Correspondent, NBC News

    Secretary of State John Kerry is in Cairo, Egypt to meet with government and opposition leaders as well as business and civil rights leaders while on a nine-day trip overseas. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.

    CAIRO - The re-trial of former Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak, who was deposed in the Arab Spring revolution of 2011, will begin Apr. 13, it was announced Sunday.

    Mubarak’s former interior minister and six other former government officials will also face re-trial on the same date, Egypt's Appeals Court said.

    The announcement came as Secretary of State John Kerry was due to meet Egypt's new president, Mohamed Morsi, and senior figures in Cairo as part of his first foreign trip.

    Some critics say the U.S. is not changing its policy in Egypt, choosing to back Islamists instead of democracy and human rights. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.

    Mubarak, 84, was jailed for life last year for his role in the death of protesters killed by security forces who were trying to thwart the revolution.

    Earlier this year, a court granted Mubarak and his co-accused a re-trial.

    The former western-backed leader was ousted in February 2011 after three decades in power.

    He has been living in a military prison after being taken ill during his first trial. 

    Related:

    Kerry urges Egyptian economic reform on Cairo trip


     

  • Iran-Egypt relations remain cool despite Ahmadinejad's visit to Cairo

    Ahmadinejad Official Website Han / EPA

    Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, right, greets Iranian President Ahmadinejad at the airport in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday.

    By Ayman Mohyeldin, Correspondent, NBC News

    News analysis

    Published at 1:20 p.m. ET: CAIRO -- It’s being billed as a historic event, a thawing of icy relations between two regional heavyweights. Many in the West will regard Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Cairo as yet one more example of how Egypt has transformed from a staunch American ally to "not an ally or an enemy” as Barack Obama put it.

    But it is actually more complex and nuanced than it might appear.

    The two countries have been regional rivals since Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel and Iran overthrew the Shah -- coincidentally is buried in Cairo -- and imposed an Islamic government after its revolution in 1979.

    Ahmadinejad is there to attend the multi-nation summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, so in a way the trip is no different than those he has made to the U.S. to attend the annual U.N. General Assembly meetings -- hardly a sign of warming relations between Tehran and Washington.

    A trip to Tehran in August by the then newly-elected Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi was also to attend a multinational summit.

    The countries have pledged further cooperation and they routinely condemn what they describe as Israeli aggression against Palestinians.

    But there are more differences, both ideologically and politically, than similarities.

    Ideological differences
    Egypt is now led by Islamist political parties from the Sunni branch of Islam, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the ultra-conservative Nour party and more moderate ones like the Wasat party.

    Iran, on the other hand, is an overwhelmingly Shiite Muslim country.

    There are deep-rooted ideological differences that date back to the birth of Islam between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.

    The theological differences are vast, and although they are often downplayed in the politically-correct world of diplomats and politicians, there is still a deep-seated mistrust between the two religious doctrines across the Arab world.

    Iran is home to many Sunni Muslims who complain of discrimination at the hands of the Shiite government.

    In Egypt, the Shiite minority complains of similar societal discrimination at the hands of the largely Sunni society.

    Some of the hardline Sunni groups have called on the Egyptian government to prevent Ahmadinejad from visiting religious sites during his visit.

    And, in addition to the religious differences, there is also a vast political gulf between Iran and Egypt that is not likely to be overcome anytime soon or lead to full political and diplomatic cooperation.

    The starkest difference between the countries is in the ongoing war in Syria.

    Egypt's Islamist government and the Muslim Brotherhood support the revolution against Syria’s President Bashar Assad.

    The Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood – which has been joined in its struggle to overthrow the Assad regime by more extremist Islamist groups -- is financed and armed by Sunni-Muslim countries including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

    Meanwhile, Iran is a staunch supporter of the Syrian government. Iranian officials have publicly expressed support for Assad, meeting with him and providing his embattled regime and military with money, technical assistance and, according to some reports, weapons.

    Another area where the two countries have been at odds is the Persian Gulf. Countries there have large Shiite Muslim populations that complain of discrimination and Iran has consistently tried to highlight the plight of Shiites living in the Gulf region.

    They point to the hypocrisy of the international community in turning a blind eye to the uprising in Bahrain, where a Sunni monarch rules a country that is predominantly Shiite.

    Egypt, meanwhile, is standing behind the Gulf states, which are providing financial assistance to its faltering economy.

    Ed Giles / Getty Images Contributor

    Ahmadinejad speaks to the media flanked by two Sheikhs of the Al Azhar mosque during a press conference in Cairo Tuesday.

    'We do not agree'
    All of these issues came to surface during Ahmadinejad's short visit to Cairo, some of it an embarrassingly public way.

    He was greeted only briefly by Morsi and the two held a short meeting at the airport, but there are no scheduled bilateral meetings scheduled during the summit.

    Ahmadinejad also paid a visit to Al Azhar, the academic center of the Sunni Islamic world, where he met the most senior scholars of Sunni Islam to discuss Syria, Bahrain and other issues.

    At an awkward press conference, the deputy head of Al Azhar, Sheikh Hassan el Shifai, was highlighting points of agreement between them when Ahmadinejad abruptly interrupted to say, “we did not agree, we did not agree.”

    Afterward, Ahmadinejad went to pray at one of Cairo's most sacred mosques, Al Hussien. As he left, group of Salafist Sunni Muslims protested his visit and one threw a shoe at him.

    So, while this historic visit was marked with all of the politically polite pleasantries and formalities, it’s highly unlikely either leader will be back in Iran or Egypt anytime soon -- unless it’s another multinational summit few people care about.

    Related:

    4 arrested in Egypt after shoe thrown at Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

    Read more from NBC News about Iran

    Read more from NBC News about Egypt

  • Analysis: Israel's airstrike likely to complicate Syria crisis

    By Ayman Mohyeldin, Correspondent, NBC News

    News analysis

    There may have been confusion about the target of the attack, but there is no doubt who was behind a deadly airstrike in Syria early on Wednesday.

    The Syrian government said Israeli fighter jets struck a research facility northwest of the capital Damascus, killing two people.

    The Pentagon said Israeli war planes struck a convoy that was transporting weapons to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

    Israeli forces conducted an airstrike on a convoy on the Syrian-Lebanese border Wednesday. NBC's Richard Engel joins Brian Williams with his analysis.

    Either way, the action and its consequences could widen and complicate the ongoing Syrian conflict on multiple fronts.

    It also raises questions about Israel's vulnerabilities: What was so important of a target that compelled Israel to act? And what was Israel afraid would fall into the hands of Hezbollah?

    In recent days, Iran's ambassador to Syria and a senior aide to Iran's supreme leader both reiterated that an attack on Syria would constitute an attack on Iran. The comment was originally intended to dissuade western countries, specifically NATO, from taking any kind of action against Syria by force like they did in Libya.

    Officials in Tehran referred to Syria as part of the 'axis of resistance' to Israeli and Western aggression across the region. If Iran's words are to be taken seriously, the recent Israeli attack on Syria would be a triggering mechanism for an Iranian response.

    Both Iran and Syria, according to the Associated Press, have said they will respond. How, and when, is unclear.

    It is unlikely the embattled Syrian regime -- and by extension its beleaguered military -- could undertake a full-blown confrontation with Israel.

    Instead, Syria may rely on its allies across the region, including Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, Iran and Hamas in Gaza. However, those allies may calculate that there is not much to gain from acting on behalf of the Syrian regime.

    Hamas is an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, whose Syrian branch is engaged in the revolt against the Assad regime. It is unlikely Hamas will undertake any attack on Israel for the sake of a regime with which it is increasingly at ideological odds.

    Hamas has even closed its Damascus headquarters since the uprising there began, focusing instead on its own struggle with Israel. More importantly, any unilateral action by Hamas would anger Cairo's domestically embattled Islamist government which has worked to maintain a fragile calm between Israel and Hamas. 

    Hezbollah is much more willing to defend the Syrian regime. Hezbollah has come to the tactical and moral defense of the Assad regime in the past two years.

    Police detonate a rocket-propelled grenade that struck a house in Turkey believed to have come from across the border in Syria. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

    However in the past, Hezbollah has also explicitly stated its weapons are for the defense of Lebanon only. It has repeatedly stated that Hezbollah does not fight for anything except the right to resist Israel's occupation of Arab lands. More importantly, there would be substantial backlash against Hezbollah within Lebanon if the entire state was dragged into a costly war with Israel.

    The third possible actor in this drama is Iran. With all of the pressure it faces over its nuclear program in the international arena, Iran is unlikely to take any overt action to retaliate for the Israeli airstrike on its ally, Syria. However, to complicate matters, Iran my ramp up its support for the Assad regime by providing financial and military assistance.

    Instead, Hezbollah and Iran may opt for covert operations across the globe. Recent attacks on Israeli interests in Bulgaria and India -- allegedly linked to Iran and its proxies -- have raised the stakes for direct action by Israel.

    Many players in the region are dismayed by Israel’s airstrike. Even Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, which has previously supported the rebels, has condemned the airstrike.

    The Syria regime has begun to exploit this by painting Israel’s airstrike as evidence of an alliance between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar to protect Western hegemony across the region. The fact that those countries are providing money -- and, reportedly, weapons -- to rebels in Syria at the same time as Assad’s regime is being attacked by Israel is only reinforcing a perception there that Syria is the target of an international conspiracy.

    That may slow down the public appetite for Assad's overthrow. It may also prove to be costliest consequence of Israel's attack. 

    Related:

    Israeli attack in Syria could trigger Iran reaction

    Biden to meet abroad with key figures in Syrian conflict

    Full coverage of Syria on nbcnews.com

  • Egypt army chief: Using military to secure the streets is 'very risky'

    By Ayman Mohyeldin, Correspondent, NBC News

    CAIRO -- Egypt's military chief has expressed frustration at the involvement of soldiers in tackling the country’s political unrest, describing the strategy as “very risky.”

    Slideshow: Tempers flare in Egypt

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    On the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, huge crowds take to the streets in five cities.

    Launch slideshow

    Defense minister Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, who is also head of the country's army, issued a statement on his Facebook page Thursday as rival politicians met for talks in a bid to end some of the deadliest violence since the 2011 downfall of Hosni Mubarak.

    He said: "The involvement of the armed forced in political conflicts and going down to the street again after handing over power is very risky.

    “Since emerging from political life completely and now having focused on training functions and raising combat effectiveness over the past several months, Egypt is qualified to deal with the enemy and respond at any time, and not with handling protests and demonstrations organized by fighting political powers."

    His exasperation with the country’s political instability follows days of clashes on streets in Cairo and elsewhere that have left more than 60 dead. Protesters have called for the removal of new President Mohammed Morsi, an Islamist.

    A meeting in Cairo on Thursday was convened by Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb, head of the thousand-year-old al-Azhar university and mosque, one of the few institutions still seen as neutral in a society that has become increasingly polarized, according to Reuters: 

    Participants signed a document pledging to renounce violence and agreed to set up a committee of politicians from rival groups to work out a program for further talks.

    Ejijah Zarwan, who analyzes Egyptian politics for the European Council on Foreign Relations, said Thursday's intervention by al-Azhar was important, but it was far from clear whether it would be enough to calm the streets. 

    "It's a good first step. Certainly it will help the formal opposition to be very clearly on record as opposing violence," he said. But he added: "The people fighting the police and burning buildings are not partisans of any political party. They might not even vote."

    On Tuesday, Sissi warned the struggle between political forces in Egypt could “lead to the collapse of the state.”

    Related:

    Analysis: Egypt violence rooted in economy, too

  • Egypt violence is rooted in the economy, not just politics

    Asmaa Waguih / Reuters

    Protesters use slingshots to launch stones at police in Cairo, Tuesday.

    By Ayman Mohyeldin, Correspondent, NBC News

    News analysis

    CAIRO — Egypt’s recent days of violence have focused attention on its political crisis — but the underlying cause remains an economy on the brink of collapse.

    Rising prices of basic goods like bread, sugar and gasoline coupled with high rate of unemployment and a lack of social justice has created a lethal and combustible cocktail.

    Poor education, youth disenfranchisement, unemployment and poverty have created a reservoir of resentment between the young men leading the protests and the government.

    Add to this mix a stagnant political reform process and the lack of confidence in basic government services, including justice, and you can understand the frustration among many Egyptians.

    Every few months there is an explosion of violence. The flames are put out by promises of reform or sometimes sheer exhaustion on the part of the protesters but the spark — deep and serious socio-economic problems — remains and that's why we see a repeat.

    A state of emergency is imposed on three cities in Egypt. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

    On Wednesday, Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi was on a day trip to Germany despite the fragile security situation in his country.

    Turbulent years
    The urgency of his mission — to secure economic assistance and assure the international community that this crisis is resolvable — underlines the deeper problems fueling the country’s cyclical unrest.

    The immediate trigger for this week's clashes was a convergence of emotion surrounding the second anniversary of the revolution and anger at the passing of a death sentence on 21 defendants on trial following a soccer stadium riot last year.

    With each round of violence, the call for Mohamed Morsi to step down continues.  But most of the country just wants stability - with or without Morsi. Egypt has undergone two of the most turbulent years in its modern history.

    The majority of Egyptians will tell you what they want is to feel physically and financially secure. The country is still a few years away from achieving that security.

    There is a serious lack of leadership from either the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated government or the so-called opposition, whose divisions and failure to connect with the demands of the street is making it increasingly irrelevant. The opposition carries no political clout, even if its grievances are legitimate.

    Time and money
    Morsi has several options to resolve this crisis. Most are short-term measures that could defuse some of the anger and mistrust that has built up between his regime and the opposition and the protesters.

    Slideshow: Tempers flare in Egypt

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    On the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, huge crowds take to the streets in five cities.

    Launch slideshow

    Longer-term measures to ease social pressures, particularly among the country’s youth, will take time and money — including international investment.

    Egyptians tried the ballot box, but have not yet seen the change they yearn for.  So they are turning to the street to express their dissatisfaction.

    Until the government finds a way to absorb and deal with the root cause of people's issues, unrest will continue putting yet more strain on the fragile economy.

    In short, this is a race against time in which Egypt, first under the rule of the military, and now under the Muslim Brotherhood, has already wasted two years.

  • Explosion at Syrian gas station kills, wounds dozens; opposition blames car bomb

    SANA via EPA

    Policemen inspecting the damage at a gas station after an explosion in the Barzeh area of Damascus on Thursday.
    EDITOR'S NOTE: Photo released by the government-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

    By NBC News staff and wire services

    An explosion at a crowded gasoline station killed or wounded dozens of people in Syria's capital on Thursday, according to opposition activists.


    The station in Damascus reportedly was packed with people lining up for fuel, which has become scarce during a 21-month-long insurgency aimed at overthrowing President Bashar Al-Assad.

    The opposition Revolution Leadership Council in Damascus said the explosion was caused by a booby-trapped car, but there were conflicting figures on the death toll. Reuters put it at 11 killed, with at least 40 wounded. The Associated Press had the death toll at nine.

    More than 60,000 people have been killed in the 22-month-old uprising and civil war, the United Nations said this week, sharply raising the death toll estimate in a conflict that shows no sign of ending.

    The explosion occurred in the Barzeh al-Balad district, whose residents include members of the Sunni Muslim majority and other religious and ethnic minorities. 

    "The station is usually packed even when it has no fuel," said an opposition activist who did not want to be named. "There are lots of people who sleep there overnight, waiting for early morning fuel consignments."

    It was the second time that a petrol station has been hit in Damascus this week. Dozens of people were incinerated in an air strike as they waited for fuel on Wednesday, according to opposition sources. 

    Amateur video posted online shows disturbing images, including charred bodies, but NBC News could not independently verify that the video was from Wednesday's attack.

    NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin has more on one of the bloodiest weeks of the 22-month conflict.

    Meanwhile, rebels battled on Thursday to seize an air base in northern Syria, part of a campaign to fight back against the air power that has given Assad's forces free rein to bomb rebel-held towns.

    After dramatic advances over the second half of 2012, the rebels now hold wide swathes of territory in the north and east, but are limited in exerting control because they cannot protect towns and villages from Assad's helicopters and jets.

    Hundreds of fighters from rebel groups were attempting to storm the Taftanaz air base, near the northern highway that links Syria's two main cities, Aleppo and the capital Damascus.

    Rebels have been besieging air bases across the north in recent weeks, in the hope this will reduce the government's power to carry out air strikes and resupply loyalist-held areas.

    Dozens killed in Syrian blast as UN says 60,000 dead in conflict

    A rebel fighter speaking from near the Taftanaz base overnight said the base's main sections were still in loyalist hands but insurgents had managed to infiltrate and destroy a helicopter and a fighter jet on the ground.

    The northern rebel Idlib Coordination Committee said the rebels had detonated a car bomb inside the base.

    The government's SANA news agency said the base had not fallen and that the military had "strongly confronted an attempt by the terrorists to attack the airport from several axes, inflicting heavy losses among them and destroying their weapons and munitions".

    Rami Abdulrahman, head of the opposition-aligned Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which monitors the conflict from Britain, said as many as 800 fighters were involved in the assault, including Islamists from Jabhat al-Nusra, a powerful group that Washington considers terrorists.

    Taftanaz is mainly a helicopter base, used for missions to resupply army positions in the north, many of which are cut off by road because of rebel gains, as well as for dropping crude "barrel bombs" of explosives on rebel-controlled areas.

    Reuters contributed to this report.

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  • Egypt's ex-dictator Mubarak to be moved to military hospital

    By Taha Belal and Ayman Mohyeldin, NBC News

    CAIRO — Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is to be transferred from prison to a military hospital for medical treatment on the orders of Egypt's public prosecutor, NBC News has confirmed.

    Counselor Hassan Yassin, official spokesman for prosecutor Counselor Talaat Ibrahim, told NBC News that the decision was taken based on the former leader's medical reports.

    Slideshow: Hosni Mubarak

    Philippe Bouchon / AFP - Getty Images

    The President of Egypt for nearly 30 years, Mubarak was an advocate for peace in the Middle East and a major U.S. ally, but Egyptians eventually grew tired of his corrupt regime and he was ousted in a popular revolt in February 2011.

    Launch slideshow

    He will be taken to a military hospital in Maadi, a suburb of Cairo.

    Egypt's ex-dictator slips into coma

    Mubarak was forced from power as part of the Arab Spring uprisings in February 2011, ending three decades of increasingly totalitarian rule.

    He is serving a life sentence in prison for his role in killing protesters during the uprising, and has been in prison hospital for most of his time in jail. 

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  • Syria activists: Several die after Assad's forces use 'poisonous gases'

    By Ayman Mohyeldin, NBC News

    CAIRO -- Several Syrians have died after inhaling poisonous gas released by government forces in rebel-held districts of Homs, local eyewitnesses and activists claimed Monday.

    Civilians were admitted to hospital with serious breathing problems after Sunday’s attack, according to doctors and groups who posted what they said was video of the aftermath to YouTube.


    The gas is thought to have been a concentrated irritant, but not one of the deadly chemical weapons stockpiled by the regime of Syria president Bashar Assad.

    Claims by either side in Syria’s bitter civil war are almost impossible to independently verify because journalists are rarely allowed access to the country.

    Pesticide poisoning?
    Mousab Azzawi, chairman of the London-based Syrian Network for Human Rights and a doctor, told NBC News that his organization had received reports from three eyewitnesses on Sunday.

    He said field doctors in Homs were seeing patients “losing consciousness, experiencing severe shortness of breath and vomiting.”

    “To our understanding, this is similar to poisoning with pesticide,” he said, although he was not aware of any pesticide that could take the form of a gas.

    Airstrike kills dozens of Syrians trying to buy bread, activists say

    Azzawi added that they were “very concerned and deeply worried” that the attack might be a sign that Assad’s regime might use chemical weapons “on a very small scale.”

    Walid Fares, spokesman for the Homs Revolutionary Council -- part of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, the umbrella organization recognized by more than 100 countries including the United States -- issued a statement to NBC News on Monday.

    It said “poisonous gases” came from shells fired by government tanks in the districts of Al Bayada and Al Khalideya.

    In Syria's Aleppo, 'We're starving. I can bear it but what about my children?'

    “The shells did not explode but rather emitted a cloud of white smoke and it landed in residential areas… where revolutionaries had gathered and which led to tens being injured,” the statement said.

    It said symptoms included “complete absence of vision” as well as nausea, lost consciousness and severe breathing difficulty.

    “The initial analysis of the doctors in the hospital confirmed that it is a poisonous gas that contains banned substances,” the statement added, citing videos that claimed to show patients being treated.

    'This isn't the first time'
    It said there were seven deaths as of early Monday - naming six of the victims - and close to 50 injured.

    A third group, the Local Coordination Committees - a network of local opposition councils across Syria - told NBC News: "The LCC has not yet confirmed what the substance was, but doctors in Homs are confirming the use of toxic gases. This isn't the first time; residents of Homs and Zabadani were reporting the use (confirmed) of white phosphorus months ago.”

    Two YouTube videos showed patients being treated in hospital for the symptoms of a gas attack. In one, a doctor says in Arabic that the gas is “definitely not Sarin” but is “definitely” poisonous.

    US officials: Syria loads chemical weapons into bombs; military awaits Assad's order

    Earlier this month, President Barack Obama warned Assad that the use of chemical weapons by his regime would be "totally unacceptable." "If you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons there will be consequences and you will be held accountable," he said.

    The alleged gas attack came hours after a senior Israeli defense official said he believed Syria's chemical weapons were still secure despite the civil war.

    Watch World News videos on NBCNews.com

    Amos Gilad told Army Radio that the both sides had become deadlocked but there was no sign of Assad heeding international calls to step down, according to a Reuters report.

    "Suppose he does leave, there could be chaos ... in the Middle East you never know who will come instead. We need to stay level-headed; the entire world is dealing with this. At the moment, chemical weapons are under control," Gilad said.

    Reuters contributed to this report.

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  • Egypt constitution approved by voters, parties say

    Nasser Nasser / AP

    An Egyptian election worker shows his colleagues an invalid ballot.

    By NBC News staff and wire reports

    CAIRO - A constitution drafted by an Islamist-dominated assembly was approved by a majority of Egyptians in a referendum, rival camps said on Sunday.

    The Muslim Brotherhood, which propelled President Mohamed Mursi to power in a June election, said 64 percent of voters backed the charter after two rounds of voting that ended with a final ballot on Saturday. It cited an unofficial tally.

    An opposition official also told Reuters their unofficial count showed the result was a "yes" vote.

    Official results are not expected until Monday. If the outcome is confirmed, a parliamentary election will follow in about two months.

    Mursi's Islamist backers say the constitution is vital for the transition to democracy, nearly two years after the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak in an uprising. It will provide stability needed to help a fragile economy, they say.

    But the opposition accuses Mursi of pushing through a text that favors Islamists and ignores the rights of Christians, who make up about 10 percent of the population, as well as women. They say it is a recipe for further unrest.

    "According to our calculations, the final result of the second round is 71 percent voting 'yes' and the overall result (of the two rounds) is 63.8 percent," a Brotherhood official, who was in an operations room monitoring the vote, told Reuters.

    His figures were confirmed by a statement issued shortly afterwards by the group and broadcast on its television channel.

    Regional news channel Al Jazeera also reported that early indications suggest the draft constitution will be approved.

    "It appears at the moment that in the region of 68 per cent of voters have approved the draft constitution, some 32 percent have voted against," said reporter Mike Hanna in Cairo.

    The Brotherhood and its party, as well as members of the opposition, had representatives monitoring polling stations and the vote count across the country.

    The opposition said voting in both rounds was marred by abuses and had called for a re-run after the first stage. However, an official said the overall vote favored the charter.

    "They (Islamists) are ruling the country, running the vote and influencing the people, so what else could we expect," the senior official from the main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, told Reuters.

    Opponents of Egypt President Morsi say he's betraying the revolution, but his supporters say he wants to guarantee human rights with a controversial referendum on a new constitution. NBC's John Ray went onto the streets of Cairo to hear from both sides of the deepening divide.

    The vote was split over two days as many judges had refused to supervise the ballot.

    "I'm voting 'no' because Egypt can't be ruled by one faction," said Karim Nahas, 35, a stockbroker, heading to a polling station in Giza, in greater Cairo, in the last round.

    At another polling station, some voters said they were more interested in ending Egypt's long period of political instability than in the Islamist aspects of the charter.

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    Analysis: Egypt is rapidly approaching its own 'cliff'
    Christians, liberals left out as Islamists back Egypt's draft constitution

    "We have to extend our hands to Mursi to help fix the country," said Hisham Kamal, an accountant.

    The build-up to the vote witnessed deadly protests, sparked by Mursi's decision to award himself extra powers in a decree on November 22 and then to fast-track the constitution to a vote.

    Hours before polls closed, Vice President Mahmoud Mekky announced his resignation. He said he wanted to quit last month but stayed on to help Mursi tackle the crisis that blew up when the Islamist leader assumed wide powers.

    Mekky, a prominent judge who said he was uncomfortable in politics, disclosed earlier he had not been informed of Mursi's power grab. The timing of his resignation appeared linked to the lack of a vice-presidential post under the draft constitution.

    The new basic law sets a limit of two four-year presidential terms. It says the principles of Islamist sharia law remain the main source of legislation but adds an article to explain this. It also says Islamic authorities will be consulted on sharia - a source of concern to Christians and others.

    In the first round of voting last week, the district covering most of Cairo voted "no," which opponents said showed the depth of division.

    "I see more unrest," said Ahmed Said, head of the liberal Free Egyptians Party and a member of the National Salvation Front, an opposition coalition formed after Mursi expanded his powers on November 22 and then pushed the constitution to a vote.

    At least eight people were killed in protests outside the presidential palace in Cairo this month. Islamists and rivals clashed in Alexandria, the second-biggest city, on the eves of both voting days.

    Reuters contributed to this report

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  • Egypt votes on its constitution: What's at stake and what does it mean for the future?

    Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images

    A man holds up a Quran as supporters of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and members of the Muslim Brotherhood chant slogans during a rally on Friday in Cairo, Egypt.

    By Ayman Mohyeldin, NBC News

    News analysis

    CAIRO -- On Saturday, millions of Egyptians are expected to vote in the first round of a national referendum to determine whether the country adapts a new and controversial constitution.


    The voting will take place over two days, Dec. 15 and Dec. 22. Ten out of the country's 27 governorates, comprising 26 million voters, will be allowed to vote on Saturday. The remaining 17 governorates and their 25 million voters will be allowed to vote the following Saturday.

    Egyptians grapple with political future in controversial vote

    Seven thousand judges will supervise the more than 6,000 polling stations on each voting day. The government was required to split the voting over two days because thousands of other judges boycotted supervising the referendum. Officials say voting will also be supervised by observers from civil society, human rights organizations and foreign and domestic media. The U.S.-based Carter Center, however, says it was not able to send an observer to witness the voting process because the regulations required by the Egyptian government were not clarified ahead of the vote. 

    Why does the referendum matter to Egypt, the region and the world?
    If approved, the referendum would pave the way for a new social contract between the Egyptian state and its citizens. It would replace Egypt's 1971 constitution that had been amended by previous Egyptian presidents to bolster the authoritarian rule that devastated citizens' individual rights.

    Keeping options open: Egypt's military maintains watchful eye on politics

    Some, however, say the draft constitution changes nothing to curb the powers of the state, and instead opens the door for Shariah law to be strictly imposed. Others say this constitution is groundbreaking because it curbs the powers of the president, limiting his time in office to two terms and upholding the spirit of the 2011 revolution.

    Egypt is the largest country in the Arab world, with a population of more than 80 million and great clout over the region. At the same time, Egypt is a vital U.S. ally. The Suez Canal, one of the world's most strategic waterways that connects Asia and East Africa to Europe, lies in Egypt, a country that is also essential to regional stability and is one of only two Arab countries that has a peace treaty with Israel. 

    NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin is outside the presidential palace in Cairo where hundreds of thousands are protesting what they say is an unjust constitution. They want to delay a vote on the current draft of the constitution now scheduled for December 15. 

    Here's what is at stake in the referendum and what Egypt's draft constitution says about some of the most pressing issues facing the country:

    On Islamic law and the role of religion
    Egypt's draft constitution states that Islam is the official religion of the state. Supporters of the constitution say the draft allows for the freedom of religion. Article 43 states: "The State shall guarantee the freedom to practice religious rites and to establish places of worship for the divine religions."

    Egypt is rapidly approaching its own 'cliff'

    Supporters also argue that for the first time, cannons for Christians and Jews will serve as the principals for their personal laws. Opponents of the constitution say the document curbs the rights of religious minorities, including believers of non-monotheistic religions, because it states that the "principles of Shariah Law are the principal source of legislation."

    The constitution then proceeds to narrowly define Shariah law as the exclusive interpretation of religious scholars belonging to Al Azhar University, the center of religious and academic learning for Sunnis in the Islamic world. Opponents are also worried about excerpts such as Article 11, which states: "The State shall safeguard ethics, public morality and public order and foster a high level of education and of religious and patriotic values." Critics say that opens the door for a religious take over of civil society and social affairs. 

    On the role of the military
    The proposed constitution has not changed much in terms of the military's role and function in society. The constitution preserves the role of the Minister of Defense as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and maintains that the position be filled from within the institution's officer ranks.

    Google+ Hangout from Cairo with NBC News' Ayman Mohyeldin

    As such, Egypt's military is headed by a military officer, rather than a civilian. Critics warn this will allow the military to remain powerful and shielded from civilian oversight. The president is the supreme commander of the armed forces, but he heads the National Defense Council. The military's budget remains a state secret and there are no stipulations to force the military to disclose its vast economic empire. Perhaps most troubling, critics say, is that the military would still be allowed to try civilians in military trials. 

    On the role of the president
    Unlike previous presidents who served for decades at a time, Article 133 in the proposed constitution stipulates that the president will serve for a four-year term with a limit of two terms. Critics contend the new draft constitution preserves "dictatorial powers" for the president, including the ability to appoint judges.

    PhotoBlog: Egypt vote sparks violent clashes between Islamists and opponents

    The president is also not required by the constitution to appoint a vice-president, which makes the issue of succession somewhat vague. The new draft also prohibits the president from holding any "partisan position" for the duration of the presidency, which supporters say means that once an individual is elected, he must resign from any political party they belonged to.

    On women
    In the preamble, the draft constitution states that, "equality and equal opportunities are established for all citizens, men and women, without discrimination or nepotism or preferential treatment, in both rights and duties." Supporters of the constitution say the draft gives women new benefits, including support from the state for "widows and breadwinners" and will "ensure maternal and child health services free of charge."

    'Men don't have to worry about being caught': Sex mobs target Egypt's women

    Critics, however, contend that women's rights are too narrowly defined within the framework of religion and family affairs. They also argue that the strict interpretation of Islamic law could pave the way for limiting the rights of women. 

    Other issues stipulated in the draft constitution have also polarized the country, including articles that deal with the freedoms of speech, association and the media.

    Supporters and opponents of the constitution have launched massive public awareness campaigns to persuade voters, but come Saturday, it will be the people who will have the final say. 

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  • Google+ Hangout from Cairo, Egypt with NBC News' Ayman Mohyeldin

    Petr David Josek / AP

    Soldiers walk past a military tank securing the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012. Egypt's opposition called on its followers to vote "no" in a crucial referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

    NBC News correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin and others gathered on Thursday at 12 p.m. ET (7 p.m. Cairo time) to discuss Egypt's draft constitution and whether it is good or bad for the country. They examined lessons and mistakes learned, and whether or not it will protect and defend the rights of women and minorities. To watch a replay of the chat, please click on the video below. 

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