Daraa province

7 Stories

Syrian Defectors Kill 27 Soldiers

Civil war fears grow amid anti-government attacks

(Newser) - Syrian army defectors killed at least 27 of their former comrades in Daraa province today, in one of the deadliest battles yet in what many fear is a budding Syrian civil war, activists tell the AP . The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says it has eye-witness reports of at least...

Syria Forces Shell Restive Daraa

Tank fire reported in contested town

(Newser) - Syrian army tanks today shelled the old quarter of Daraa, a city at the heart of the country's six-week-old uprising and rolled in more reinforcements to the area, which has been under siege for nearly a week, said an eyewitness. Residents have remained defiant: Unable to leave their homes,...

Hundreds Quit Syria's Government

Even as UN fails to condemn the violence

(Newser) - More than 230 members of Syria’s ruling Ba’ath party resigned in protest today over the government’s violent crackdown on protests, even as the UN failed to condemn the massacre, the Guardian reports. The death toll from the crackdown has now reportedly climbed to at least 500. But...

US to Freeze Syrian Assets, Impose Sanctions

Europe also considering action

(Newser) - With the bloodshed mounting in the streets of Daraa , the Obama administration is preparing sanctions against Syria, including freezing the assets of top Syrian officials, the LA Times reports. That may not have a ton of impact, since Syrian officials don’t own all that many US assets to begin...

White House Blasts Syrian Government

Defends protesters; threatens 'targeted sanctions'

(Newser) - The National Security Council has condemned the “brutal violence” launched by Syria’s government against protesters, NPR reports. The crackdown is “completely deplorable and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” said an official statement. In response, “the United States is pursuing a range of...

Syria Closes Border With Jordan, Tanks Roll Into Daraa
 Syrian Tanks Roll Into Daraa 
Apr 25, 2011 8:04 AM CDT

Syrian Tanks Roll Into Daraa

Government closes border with Jordan, attacks civilians

(Newser) - Syria closed off its border with Jordan today as troops and tanks poured into the border city of Daraa—the original hotbed of the protests that have erupted across the country. Bodies were seen strewn throughout the streets of the city, witnesses tell Reuters , with one human rights campaigner accusing...

Syrian Police Open Fire on Protesters

 Syrian Police Open 
 Fire on Protesters 
at least 49 dead
Apr 22, 2011 11:15 AM CDT

Syrian Police Open Fire on Protesters

At least 27 dead, witnesses and human rights groups say

(Newser) - Syrian security forces fired tear gas and live bullets into crowds of protesters at rallies across the country today. At least 49 people were killed, according to human rights groups, and witnesses tell the AP that one of them was an 11-year-old boy. The state-run news agency reports that officers...

7 Stories