Syria
FREE NEWS LINKS

photo of U.S. Capitol Building  
      HOME 
  SEARCH

Updates & changes ongoing ....
                                    

---- Although this site is https-secure, we cannot guarantee that it or any provided links are safe; be sure your antivirus and other security systems are up to date.

    Jump to:
  2013;  2016;  2017;   2018;   2019;   2020; 

Undated:
American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American-led_intervention_in_the_Syrian_Civil_War

-- 2013 --


Back to top


August 27:
Syrian Civil War Fast Facts


When the civil war began in 2011, there were four main factions of fighting groups throughout the country: Kurdish forces, ISIS, other opposition (such as Jaish al Fateh, an alliance between the Nusra Front and Ahrar-al-Sham) and the Assad regime. But as ISIS loses control of most of its territory, combatants are now freer to attack each other.

https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/27/world/meast/syria-civil-war-fast-facts/index.html

September 5: In more than a dozen messages on Twitter in 2013 and 2014, Mr. Trump repeated his advice [to restrain from action in Syria], emphatically stating that “Syria is NOT our problem,” appealing directly to Mr. Obama to “not attack Syria” as “there is no upside and tremendous downside” and telling him to “stay out of Syria.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/us/politics/fact-check-trump-syria-obama.html


-- 2016 --

Back to top


May 20: In a May 2016 interview on MSNBC, Mr. Trump said the United States had “bigger problems than Assad.” He added, “I would have stayed out of Syria and wouldn’t have fought so much for Assad, against Assad.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/us/politics/fact-check-trump-syria-obama.html


May 20: When asked if he [Trump] would exercise his power to put the military in Syria, he said he would not.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-islamic-state-syria-223399


-- 2017 --        

Back to top




April 4: In a statement condemning Tuesday’s chemical attack in Syria, President Trump faulted the administration of former President Barack Obama for not intervening more aggressively ... “These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration’s weakness and irresolution.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/us/politics/fact-check-trump-syria-obama.html


April 5:
President Donald Trump, speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, said the chemical attack against Syrian civilians "crossed a lot of lines for me" and changed the way he views Syria and leader Bashar al-Assad.
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/video/3646691-trump-syria-chemical-attack-crossed-a-lot-of-lines-for-me/

April 5:
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Wednesday said it was no coincidence that a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria followed comments Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made suggesting that Syrian President Bashar Assad can remain in power.

"In this case now, we have very limited options, and look, it's concerning that the secretary of State ... said that the future's up to the people in Syria on what happens with Assad," Rubio said on the radio show "AM Tampa Bay." "In essence, [Tillerson was] almost nodding to the idea that Assad was gonna get to stay in some capacity."
http://thehill.com/policy/international/327393-rubio-no-coincidence-that-chemical-attack-followed-tillerson-comments-on


April 6:
In her first interview since her stunning presidential election defeat by Republican rival Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton on Thursday called for the United States to bomb Syrian air fields.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-hillary-clinton/hillary-clinton-calls-for-u-s-to-bomb-syrian-air-fields-idUSKBN179058


Back to top


April 7:
Responding to a Syrian chemical weapons attack on Tuesday that left scores dead, the United States initiated a military strike Thursday on an airbase in Syria, multiple U.S. officials have confirmed, launching 59 missiles at an air base in the country.


The Pentagon said that the airstrike, which targeted Shayrat Air Base in Homs Province -- where the chemical attack was initiated earlier in the week -- struck multiple targets with tomahawk missiles launched between 8:40 and 8:50 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, from destroyers USS Porter and USS Ross in the Mediterranean Sea.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/us-launches-military-strike-syria/story?id=46632349

April 7:
Clinton on Trump's Syria strike: Don't talk about protecting Syrian babies and then close US doors to them
http://www.businessinsider.com/hillary-clinton-trump-syrian-refugees-2017-4


April 7: Hillary Clinton cast President Donald Trump as hypocritical Friday, arguing that while he uses pictures of children killed in gas attacks to justify airstrikes in Syria, he at the same time shuts the door on refugees from the country.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/07/politics/clinton-trump-syria-refugees/?iid=ob_lockedrail_bottomlist


April 7:
18 Times Donald Trump Said the U.S. Shouldn't Bomb Syria
http://time.com/4730219/syria-missile-attack-donald-trump-tweets/

April 7: While much of the world is applauding President Donald Trump's decision to strike a Syrian airbase in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack against civilians, right-wing populist supporters at home and abroad are criticizing the move and distancing themselves from him.
http://aymarkets.com/after-syria-strike-populist-supporters-abandon-trump-at-home-and-abroad/


April 7: Re US airstrike on Syrian airbase:
Key developments

--Pentagon probing possible Russia involvement in attack
--
Syrian airbase suffers "extensive damage" in strike.
--
Nikki Haley to UN: US 'prepared to do more' in Syria
--
Trump acted after dozens killed in chemical attack on Tuesday.

--
Western allies offer strong backing, saying the gas attack cannot go unpunished.
--
Russian President Vladimir Putin said US strike violated international law.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/07/world/syria-military-strikes-donald-trump-russia/index.html


April 7:
US missile strike against Syrian regime draws Russian fury

Russia and Syria have condemned the first US military strike against the Syrian regime, launched after a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians earlier in the week.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, denounced the strike on a Syrian airfield as “act of aggression” Friday and said it violated international law. Western leaders backed the US action, saying Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had brought it on himself.
http://fox6now.com/2017/04/07/us-missile-strike-against-syrian-regime-draws-russian-fury/

Back to top


April 7:
Russia on Friday condemned a U.S. missile strike against Syrian government forces as an attack on its ally and said it was suspending an agreement to minimize the risk of in-flight incidents between U.S. and Russian aircraft operating over Syria.


Even as Russian officials expressed hope that the strike against Syrian President Bashad Assad’s forces would not lead to an irreversible breakdown in U.S. relations with Moscow, the Kremlin’s decision to suspend the 2015 memorandum of understanding on the air operations immediately raised tensions in the skies over Syria.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/07/world/syria-military-strikes-donald-trump-russia/index.html


April 7: The air strikes ordered by Donald Trump on Syria have made one of the most vicious wars in recent years even more volatile, raising the spectre of a confrontation between the world's two most powerful international military powers.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/syria-airstrike-latest-us-russia-new-chill-uss-porter-uss-ross-moscow-sharyat-airbase-a7673426.html


April 7: Although [Senator Tim] Kaine agreed with several of his colleagues -- specifically, fellow Sen. Marco Rubio -- that "from a moral standpoint ... it was the right thing to do," he said Trump was wrong to not obtain the go-ahead from Congress.

"I'm the Democratic lead on the committee over the Middle East; I was not consulted," said Kaine, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs. "I heard about this on the news."
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/07/politics/tim-kaine-donald-trump-syria-cnntv/?iid=ob_lockedrail_bottomlist 


April 7:
The biggest difference between when Barack Obama last threatened airstrikes against Assad and today is that the risks of widening the conflict are much greater. … Today, Russian troops are intermingled with Syrian forces, and any strike on a Syrian military target could also produce Russian military casualties.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/04/07/daily-202-13-questions-raised-by-trump-s-missile-strikes-on-syria/58e71532e9b69b3a72331e5c/?utm_term=.4e2e5295ac46


April 7: Deputy assistant to President Donald Trump Sebastian Gorka said Friday that Trump's past tweets arguing against military action in Syria shouldn't be held against him because Trump wasn't president then.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/07/politics/trump-tweets-syria-gorka/?iid=ob_lockedrail_bottomlist


April 7:
President Vladimir Putin believes that U.S. cruise missile strikes on a Syrian air base broke international law and have seriously hurt U.S.-Russia relations, Russian news agencies cited the Kremlin as saying on Friday.

The Russian leader, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, regarded the U.S. action as “aggression against a sovereign nation” on a “made-up pretext” and as a cynical attempt to distract the world from civilian deaths in Iraq, Dmitry Peskov, Putin‘s spokesman, was cited as saying.
http://fortune.com/2017/04/07/us-strike-syria-russia-putin/


Back to top


April 8:
New airstrikes have targeted a town in northwest Syria that was hit by a deadly chemical attack earlier this week, activists said.

It wasn't immediately clear who conducted the strikes on Khan Sheikhoun, which hit on Friday and Saturday, though only Russian and Syrian regime aircraft have been bombing that area of rebel-held Idlib province.
http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/35102425/syria-strikes-site-of-chemical-attack-hit-again

April 11: Deadly Sarin gas was used in horrific Syria chemical attack which killed 87, says Turkey

The Turkish health minister claims the deadly gas was found in the victims of the attack in Syria's northwestern Idlib province
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/deadly-sarin-gas-used-horrific-10202420 


April 11:
A 'Heartbroken' Ivanka Trump Influenced President Trump's Syria Strike, Eric Trump Says ... President Donald Trump‘s decision to launch a missile strike against Syria following a deadly chemical attack in the northwestern part of the country was influenced by his “heartbroken and outraged” daughter Ivanka, according to one of her brothers.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Eric Trump said Ivanka likely swayed their father. “Ivanka is the mother of three kids and she has influence,” he said. “I’m sure she said, ‘Listen, this is horrible stuff.’ My father will act in times like that.”
http://time.com/4734340/donald-trump-ivanka-syria-strike/


April 12:
With a ‘no’ vote from permanent member Russia, the United Nations Security Council today failed to adopt a resolution that would have condemned the reported use of chemical weapons in Syria and called on the Government to cooperate with an investigation into the incident.

While 10 of the Council’s 15 members voted in favour, Russia rejected the text, as permanent member China, as well as non-permanent members Ethiopia and Kazakhstan abstained. A negative vote – or veto – from one of the Council’s five permanent members means a resolution cannot be adopted.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56554#.WnytJ91MFkh

Back to top


April 13: 
An anonymous senior US official told CNN that, while the US allegedly has proof that Damascus is responsible for the chemical incident in Idlib, Syria, it has uncovered no such evidence implicating Moscow, because Russia is wilier in scrambling its communications.

The anonymous official reportedly told the American news channel that the US intelligence community had intercepted communications “featuring Syrian military and chemical experts talking about preparations for the sarin attack in Idlib last week.” While the source failed to provide any concrete details about the alleged communication – such when it was intercepted or what names or other information it contained – they did note that the US “did not know prior to the attack it was going to happen.”

CNN speculated that the communication had been sent prior to the incident, but was not processed until the US began investigating it.
https://www.rt.com/news/384583-cnn-russia-syria-chemical/


April 26:
Syria chemical 'attack': What we know

More than 80 people were killed in a suspected chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in north-western Syria on 4 April.

Hundreds suffered symptoms consistent with reaction to a nerve agent after what the opposition and Western powers said was a Syrian government air strike on the area.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the incident was fabricated, while his ally Russia said an air strike hit a rebel depot full of chemical munitions.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39500947


May 18: The intelligence behind the US ban on laptops and other electronics is considered so highly classified that CNN, at the request of US government officials, withheld key details from a March 31 story on the travel restrictions.


The sensitivity is heightened because the Russians share information closely with the Syrian regime ... there's a protocol that includes seeking permission before sharing such information with Russia.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/16/politics/white-house-intelligence-russians/?iid=ob_lockedrail_bottomlist


May 18:
The apparent U.S. strikes against forces backing Bashar al-Assad on Thursday could mark a major shift in the Trump administration’s approach to Syria. Coalition jets reportedly hit Syrian forces and their allies in al-Tanf, near the border with Jordan and Iraq.

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/05/syria-trump-assad-iran/527352/

October 22: 
U.S.-Backed Troops Take Syria’s Largest Oil Field From ISIS ... Al-Omar field has been one of Islamic State’s largest sources of income

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-backed-troops-take-syrias-largest-oil-field-from-isis-1508667161

Back to top


October 22: Islamic State captured Omar in 2014, when the group swept across large areas in Syria and neighboring Iraq. The field was estimated to produce around 9,000 barrels a day, making it a key source of revenue for the extremists.
http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-syria-oil-field-20171022-story.html


October 22: Pro-government news outlets denied that the S.D.F. [a Kurdish-led group] had taken control of the oil field, and said fighting was continuing. In the past, they have accused the United States of using the Islamic State as a de facto ally against its enemies — an accusation also leveled against the government when the Islamic State has attacked rival opposition fighters.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/22/world/middleeast/syria-isis-oil.html


October 22:
... the S.D.F. [the American-backed group] now controls Syria’s largest hydroelectric dams and oil fields as well as sprawling gas fields and agricultural lands.

That ... could give Kurds and their allies leverage to get a seat at the table in any future peace talks. Up to now, they have not been recognized as a party to the long-stymied talks held in Geneva between the Syrian government and a coalition recognized by the United States and its allies as the sole representative of the Syrian opposition.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/22/world/middleeast/syria-isis-oil.html



November 7: As Syria embraces Paris climate deal, it’s the United States against the world

President Trump has put America at odds with the rest of the world, literally, when it comes to the goal of combating climate change.

At an international climate conference in Bonn on Tuesday, Syria announced its plans to join the Paris climate accord — an agreement forged in 2015 for nations to band together to slash global carbon emissions. That now leaves the United States as the only country to disavow the deal, after Trump this year announced intentions to withdraw from the agreement.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/11/07/as-syria-embraces-paris-climate-deal-its-the-united-states-against-the-world/?tid=a_inl&utm_term=.64ef97f44d3e


November 11: It is not just on trade that Trump has sought to stake out positions that have isolated the United States from the rest of the world. His plans to withdraw from the Paris climate accord at the earliest opportunity in 2020 could mean that the United States is the only country in the world not committed to it, since Syria announced its intention to join last week.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-america-first-looks-more-and-more-like-america-alone/2017/11/11/5cffa150-c666-11e7-aae0-cb18a8c29c65_story.html?utm_term=.a088c422b36f

Back to top


November 13: Raqqa’s dirty little secret

The BBC has uncovered details of a secret deal that let hundreds of IS fighters and their families escape from Raqqa, under the gaze of the US and British-led coalition and Kurdish-led forces who control the city.

A convoy included some of IS’s most notorious members and – despite reassurances – dozens of foreign fighters. Some of those have spread out across Syria, even making it as far as Turkey.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/raqqas_dirty_secret


November 24:
Turkish FM: Trump agreed to stop arming Kurdish militia ...

The decision would cut the flow of weapons from the US to the YPG, the Kurdish militia fighting with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, just six months after Trump approved the plan over Turkey's strenuous objections.



The White House did not dispute the top Turkish diplomat's account of the Friday morning call between Trump and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but suggested there were no impending plans to stop supplying weapons to the YPG.

Trump informed Erdogan "of pending adjustments to the military support provided to our partners on the ground in Syria, now that the battle of Raqqa is complete and we are progressing into a stabilization phase," the White House said in a statement.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/24/politics/president-donald-trump-kurdish-militia/index.html


December 11: Trump to Let Assad Stay Until 2021, as Putin Declares Victory in Syria

Despite the deaths of as many as half a million people, dozens by chemical weapons, in the Syrian civil war, the Trump Administration is now prepared to accept President Bashar al-Assad’s continued rule until Syria’s next scheduled Presidential election, in 2021, according to U.S. and European officials. The decision reverses repeated U.S. statements that Assad must step down as part of a peace process.
https://www.newyorker.com/sections/news/trump-to-let-assad-stay-until-2021-as-putin-declares-victory-in-syria

December 12:
Trump Says U.S. Has ‘Won’ Against Islamic State in Syria, Iraq
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-12/trump-says-u-s-has-won-against-islamic-state-in-syria-iraq

December 28: Trump and Syria After Islamic State

The Trump Administration hasn't challenged Assad or Russian and Iranian-backed forces directly in offensive operations. Instead, the U.S. has tried to re-establish limited deterrence to prevent those forces from pushing into areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that oppose Assad.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-and-syria-after-islamic-state-1514500724

-- 2018 --

Back to top


January 15:
Russia’s Lavrov berates Trump administration on Iran deal, Syria and North Korea
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/15/russias-lavrov-slams-trump-administration-on-iran-syria-north-korea.html

January 18:
Democrats draw red line on Trump’s new Syria policy

Already frustrated with the Donald Trump administration’s refusal to provide concrete details on US military activity in Syria, congressional Democrats today firmly rebuked the president’s plan to further expand American troops’ mandate beyond fighting the Islamic State (IS).

Several congressional Democrats are accusing the administration of exceeding its legal mandate following Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s Wednesday announcement that the 2,000 or so US soldiers in Syria will remain in the country to counter President Bashar al-Assad and his Iranian backers.
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/01/congress-democrats-red-line-syria-policy-trump-tillerson.html

January 25: Turkey disputes US version of Trump-Erdoğan phone call ... Turkish official denies Trump raised concerns over military action in Kurdish enclave in Syria
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/25/turkey-disputes-us-version-of-trump-erdogan-phone-call-on-syria

January 29:
The Trump administration inherited a bad situation in Syria, but it has managed to make matters even worse. There is no better illustration of the problem than the fact that Turkey, a NATO ally, sought permission from NATO’s chief adversary, Russia, to attack America’s local partner in Syria despite U.S. pressure not to do so.  
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/01/29/its-time-for-trump-to-face-reality-in-syria.html

January 30:
Trump Has Big Plans for Syria. But He Has No Real Strategy.

Few noticed it amid the usual frenzy over something President Donald Trump did, but the United States is now committed to staying in Syria for the long haul—with unforeseen consequences for America’s role in a turbulent and dangerous Middle East.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/01/30/donald-trump-syria-strategy-216551

February 1:
Trump administration: Syria probably continuing to make, use chemical weapons
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-administration-syria-probably-continuing-to-make-use-chemical-weapons/2018/02/01/23064386-0785-11e8-b48c-b07fea957bd5_story.html?utm_term=.e082f6501008

February 1:
Trump grants 7,000 Syrian immigrants right to stay in US as civil war rages ... Administration had previously revoked special status for Haitians and El Salvadorians
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/trump-immigration-syria-temporary-protected-status-homeland-security-7000-refugees-a8188506.html

February 8:
The US-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria conducted air and artillery strikes against pro-regime forces in Syria on Wednesday, killing an estimated 100 pro-regime fighters, according to a coalition statement.

The coalition described its action — which if confirmed could represent the largest number of pro-regime casualties inflicted by the US-led coalition — as carried out in “self defense.”

Back to top


Syrian state news agency SANA described the action as an “aggression” by the coalition against “popular forces” who were fighting ISIS and the US-backed Syrian Democrati
c Forces. The attack had left “scores of persons dead and others injured” and caused “huge damage” to the area, SANA added.

According to a coalition statement, its strikes were carried out after forces allied with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “initiated an unprovoked attack” against a well-established Syrian Democratic Forces headquarters where coalition advisers were working with US-backed Syrian fighters.

http://fox59.com/2018/02/08/u-s-led-coalition-strikes-kill-pro-regime-forces-in-syria/


February 8: Where does this end? Dangers if US leaves Syria -- or stays

There is no immediate answer. Maj. Gen. Jarrard, who commands special operations in Iraq and Syria  ...  said: "We've learned lessons the hard way about the wrong way to do this ...

"We are working to make sure it's the governing body here," added Jarrard, "that are providing the guidance for whatever we try to do to help."

Translation: we might pay and keep order from the sidelines, but this isn't our mess.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/09/middleeast/syria-us-forces-intl/index.html

February 13:
Dozens of Russians Are Believed Killed in U.S.-Backed Syria Attack ...
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/world/europe/russia-syria-dead.html

February 13: US drone destroys Russian-made tank in Syria in 'self-defense,' officials say
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/02/13/us-drone-destroys-russian-made-tank-in-syria-in-self-defense-officials-say.html

February 22: The Syrian civil war, which began almost seven years ago, is a seemingly intractable regional morass that has only become more dangerous as global powers have been drawn into the conflict and are increasingly at risk of clashing.

Iran, Turkey, Russia, the US, the militant group Hezbollah and Persian Gulf nations are among the entities on the ground, either with their own forces or through proxies. Efforts to de-escalate the war or spare civilians have consistently fizzled.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/22/politics/us-state-department-syria-violence/index.html
 
Back to top


February 22:
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert struggled to describe specific steps the State Department and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson are taking to end the violence in Syria at the agency's briefing on Thursday, exclaiming, "I don't know what some of you expect us to do," while arguing that the administration is "fully engaged."

Horrific reports have emerged of civilians dying under the Syrian regime's siege of the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta. At the United Nations, calls for a 30-day ceasefire to allow for evacuations and the delivery of humanitarian supplies have been stymied by Russian objections.
http://www.abc17news.com/news/politics/us-state-spokesperson-on-syria-i-dont-know-what-some-of-you-expect-us-to-do/706137300

February 24: Not long after the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria, regime military aircraft hit targets in the besieged Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta, activists said Saturday night.

Earlier, after the ceasefire vote, Syrian UN Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari said the regime would continue to go after what it deemed terrorist groups.

"We practice a sovereign right of self-defense, and we will continue to fight terrorism wherever it is found on Syrian soil," he said, according to SANA.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/24/middleeast/syria-un-resolution-intl/index.html

April 4:
Analysis: US gets more from its Mideast policy than Trump thinks
http://www.newsverifier.com/analysis-us-gets-more-from-its-mideast-policy-than-trump-thinks/

April 4:
Trump instructs military to begin planning for withdrawal from Syria
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-instructs-military-to-begin-planning-for-withdrawal-from-syria/2018/04/04/1039f420-3811-11e8-8fd2-49fe3c675a89_story.html?utm_term=.ed7ce58b36bb

April 4:
Trump’s big (non)decision on US troops in Syria, explained ... Trump could change his mind in the future.

As the Washington Post reports, Trump told military leaders on Tuesday to prepare for a withdrawal from Syria, although he did not set an official return date. But per NBC News, Trump decided to allow the approximately 2,000 troops in Syria to stay there until ISIS is defeated, even though he was unhappy about it.

https://www.vox.com/2018/4/4/17192656/trump-syria-troop-withdrawal

April 8:
An alleged weekend chemical attack in a Damascus suburb would be at least the eighth since Donald Trump took office and the worst since he launched a military strike at Syrian government forces in April of last year.

At least 42 people died and 500 were injured late Saturday in the town of Douma, many of them while sheltering in basements during an artillery and bombing attack,
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/04/08/syria-chemical-attack-latest-trump/497216002/

April 10: Syria 'chemical attack': Trump cancels Latin America trip
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43715517

Back to top


April 10: Russia vetoed a US draft resolution at the UN Security Council Tuesday that would have established an independent investigation into a suspected chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime in Douma, Syria.

The US draft condemned the suspected attack, demanded humanitarian aid for the region and called for an inquiry.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/10/politics/un-security-council-vote-syira/index.html


April 10: Western leaders mull joint response against Syrian government after alleged chemical attack
http://abcnews.go.com/International/trump-forceful-response-syria-imminent-russia-warns-grave/story?id=54355840


April 10:
As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump complained the Obama administration talked too much about when and where it would attack the Islamic State in Iraq, ruining the element of surprise.

Yet Trump signaled to Syrian President Bashar Assad that he is considering an attack on Assad's forces in retaliation for an alleged chemical attack outside Damascus.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/04/10/trump-syria-threats-dont-ruin-element-surprise/502978002/

April 10:
Kremlin backers warn of threat of war with U.S. as Syria tensions rise
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/russia-backers-warn-of-threat-of-war-with-us-as-syria-tensions-rise/2018/04/10/3a5fb4ec-3cbc-11e8-912d-16c9e9b37800_story.html?utm_term=.c94192141ddc

April 11: President Donald Trump's morning declaration that "nice and new and 'smart'" missiles would soon be fired toward Syria caught most of his aides off guard and came before an agreement had been reached between key US allies, multiple American and Western officials said on Wednesday.

That Trump would surprise staffers and allies with a morning tweet is not new; he regularly sets his own tone for the day on Twitter based on cable television and his own mood. But Wednesday's messages were unique in their telegraphing of upcoming US military action, something Trump vowed he would not do as president.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/11/politics/donald-trump-syria-tweets/index.html

April 11:
After President Trump taunted Russia in a series of tweets about striking Syria, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman has issued a response on Facebook.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/news/highlights-zuckerberg-vs-senate-committee/vi-AAvK2mT

April 11:
Syria: 500 Douma patients had chemical attack symptoms, reports say

World Health Organization says it is deeply alarmed by evidence of gas attack on rebel-held town outside Syrian capital
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/11/syria-douma-patients-chemical-attack-symptoms-who

Back to top


April 11:
The Russian military has been jamming some U.S. military drones operating in the skies over Syria, seriously affecting American military operations, according to four U.S. officials.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/russia-has-figured-out-how-jam-u-s-drones-syria-n863931

April 15:
Trump to Impose New Sanctions on Russia Over Support for Syria
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/15/us/politics/trump-russia-sanctions-syria.html

April 22:
Despite delay, experts say any evidence in suspected Syria chemical attack likely remains

"It is unlikely that all traces of evidence could be removed but it could be tampered with," one expert said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/despite-delay-experts-say-any-evidence-suspected-syria-chemical-attack-n868131

May 10: Netanyahu says Iran 'crossed a red line' after Israel pounds Iranian targets in Syria

In the most direct confrontation between Israel and Iran to date, the two regional enemies exchanged fire for hours during a volatile night.

The extended barrage of fire comes amid soaring tensions between Israel and Iran, two rivals battling for regional influence, and less than two days after the United States withdrew from the deal to curb Iran's nuclear program.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/09/middleeast/israel-rockets-syria/index.html

July 19:
Israel approves controversial Jewish nationality law

Opponents say legislation discriminates against country’s Arab minority
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/israel-approves-controversial-jewish-nationality-law-1.3570017


July 24:
Israel shoots down Syrian jet as Assad forces reach Golan

Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have been battling rebels and Islamic State militants at the frontier with Israel in recent weeks.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-shoots-down-syrian-jet-assad-forces-reach-golan-n893956

Back to top


August 31: Abdul Ghafour Halasi [one of around 82,000 forcibly disappeared people] was last seen in Saydnaya prison just outside Damascus. Amnesty International dubbed Saydnaya "the human slaughterhouse" in a 2017 report after extensively documenting mass hangings at the detention center.

Until May, Syria's government refused to disclose the status of its unaccounted-for prisoners, and President Bashar al-Assad dismissed leaked photographs of thousands of dead inmates as "fake."

With Russian and Iranian backing, Assad remains in control. And, in an apparent attempt to turn the page on one of the darkest chapters in the country's seven-year war, human rights groups say that Syrian officials released the death notices of more than 800 prisoners over the course of this summer. However, the bodies of loved ones, have not been returned.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/30/middleeast/syria-prisons-death-notices-intl/

September 7:
Idlib on Brink of “Humanitarian Catastrophe” as Syrian Military Threatens to Invade Rebel-Held City
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/9/7/idlib_on_brink_of_humanitarian_catastrophe

September 17: Russia And Turkey Agree On A Demilitarized Zone In Syria's Last Rebel Stronghold
https://www.npr.org/2018/09/17/648849808/russia-and-turkey-agree-on-a-demilitarized-zone-in-syrias-last-rebel-stronghold


September 24: The Trump administration is warning Russia that supplying Syria with an advanced missile defense system would be a “major mistake” and should be reconsidered. It also says U.S. forces will not leave Syria until Iran leaves.

National security adviser John Bolton said Monday that delivery of the Russian S-300 would be a "significant escalation" in already high tensions in the region and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he would raise the matter this week with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov at the U.N. General Assembly.


"We think introducing the S-300s to the Syrian government would be a significant escalation by the Russians and something that we hope, if these press reports are accurate, they would reconsider," Bolton said.

https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/2018/09/24/us-says-russia-supplying-missile-defense-system-to-syria-would-be-a-significant-escalation/

October 18: Putin Says ISIS Has Hundreds of Hostages in Syria, Including U.S. and European Citizens

Putin added that Islamic State militants had seized nearly 700 hostages in part of Syria controlled by U.S.-backed forces and issued an ultimatum promising to execute 10 people every day
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/putin-says-terrorists-detained-several-u-s-nationals-in-syria-1.6572675


Back to top


December 19:
U.S. troops to leave Syria as President Trump declares victory over ISIS

Two senior defense officials said the White House would announce the move as early as Wednesday.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-troops-leave-syria-president-trump-declares-victory-over-n949806

December 19: ... the Pentagon still says that ISIS has as many as 17,100 fighters in Syria, and about 30,000 total between Syria and Iraq. That’s about how many militants the group had at its peak strength in 2014.

Which means that while ISIS is certainly far weaker as an organization than it was at its height, it’s still a long way from being truly “defeated.”
https://www.vox.com/2018/12/19/18148281/trump-syria-troops-kurds-turkey-war-withdrawal


December 19:
A State Department official says that department's staff members who have been working to stabilize the area — helping with water, electricity, schools and other basic needs — will be leaving Syria, and that it has advised U.S. citizens in the country to do the same. The official says their withdrawal was a White House decision.

On Twitter, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., voiced his displeasure with a troop withdrawal plan.

"Withdrawal of this small American force in Syria would be a huge Obama-like mistake," Graham tweeted. "With all due respect, ISIS is not defeated in Syria, Iraq, and after just returning from visiting there — certainly not Afghanistan. President @realDonaldTrump is right to want to contain Iranian expansion. However, withdrawal of our forces in Syria mightily undercuts that effort and put our allies, the Kurds at risk."
https://www.npr.org/2018/12/19/678150756/reports-white-house-intends-to-pull-u-s-troops-from-syria

December 19: ...
declaration of victory is far from unanimous, and the withdrawal decision immediately triggered demands from Congress -- including Republicans -- for more information and a formal briefing on the matter. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., who just returned from Afghanistan, said he was meeting with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis late in the day.

The decision will fulfill Trump's long-stated goal of bringing troops home from Syria, but military leaders have pushed back, arguing that the IS group remains a threat and could regroup as it battles in Syria's long-running civil war.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-to-withdraw-all-american-troops-in-syria-official-says

December 19:
In Syria withdrawal, Trump discards advice from allies, officials
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/in-syria-withdrawal-trump-discards-advice-from-allies-officials/ar-BBRc7jc

December 20:
Putin welcomes US decision to pull troops out of Syria

Russian president says he agrees 'on the whole' with US president that ISIL has been defeated in Syria.

https://www.aljazeera.com/

Back to top


December 20: Turkey, Iran vow to work closer on Syria after US announcement

Without commenting on US troop withdrawal, Erdogan and Rouhani vow to continue efforts to bring peace to country.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/turkey-iran-vow-work-closer-syria-announcement-181220142855691.html

December 20: Trump Pledges to Withdraw U.S. Ground Troops from Syria—But Global Powers & Deadly Air Forces Remain
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/12/20/trump_pledges_to_withdraw_us_ground

December 22: Brett McGurk, special envoy for coalition to defeat ISIS, resigns in protest of Syria decision

Brett McGurk informed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday evening of his decision, according to two State Department officials.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/brett-mcgurk-special-envoy-coalition-defeat-isis-resigns-protest-syria-n951251

December 28: Former U.S. Ambassador To Syria Discusses Trump's Decision To Pull Forces From Region
https://www.npr.org/2018/12/20/678815284/former-u-s-ambassador-to-syria-discusses-trumps-decision-to-pull-forces-from-the


December 31:
Trump slows Syria pullout but claims 'hero' status

“If anybody but Donald Trump did what I did in Syria, which was an Isis-loaded mess when I became president, they would be a national hero,” he tweeted.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/31/trump-slows-syria-pullout-claims-hero-status-isis

-- 2019 --  

Back to top


January 2:
Trump: Iran can do what it wants in Syria

US President says predecessor Obama already lost Syria, all that is left is 'sand and death.'
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257076

January 2:
Trump’s meandering policy in Syria drifts deeper into incoherence

In mid-December, Donald Trump spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about Syria, and during their chat, Erdogan extended a curious offer: if the United States withdrew from Syria, Turkey would gladly target and eliminate the remaining ISIS forces.

For reasons that few have been able to explain, the American president endorsed the plan, and less than a week after the phone call with his counterpart in Ankara, Trump announced the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria.

Evidently, Trump has changed his mind about the “now” part of his meandering policy.


President Trump has agreed to give the military about four months to withdraw the 2,000 United States troops in Syria, administration officials said on Monday, backtracking from his abrupt order two weeks ago that the military pull out within 30 days.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trumps-meandering-policy-syria-drifts-deeper-incoherence

January 3:
Is this the Islamic State group's last stand in Syria?

US President Donald Trump has described Syria as just "sand and death", as he defended his decision to withdraw American troops from the conflict.

But the Kurdish militia and Arab tribes who are battling the Islamic State group in the country are warning that his decision could result in disaster.


The Syrian Democratic Forces say the move could lead to a resurgence of the extremist Islamist group, even though it has lost nearly all of the territory it once controlled.

Islamic State fighters are clinging on near the town of Hajin in the east of Syria. The BBC has obtained exclusive footage of recent fighting in the battle to drive them out.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-46751962/is-this-the-islamic-state-group-s-last-stand-in-syria

January 3:
Trump gives no timetable for pullout from 'sand and death' Syria

US president continues to back off from initial order for rapid exit, says he wants to protect Kurdish fighters.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/trump-timetable-syria-troop-withdrawal-190102193953768.html

January 3:
US intensifies bombing in Syria after Trump announced withdrawal

US military escalates bombardment of ISIL-held areas in eastern Syria after President Trump announced troop pull-out.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/intensifies-bombing-syria-trump-announced-withdrawal-190103083014951.html


January 3:
Rubio, top GOP senators hit back at Trump's Syria pullout with sanctions bill

They can't make Trump keep troops in Syria. They've asked for increased sanctions on Syria instead.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/rubio-top-gop-senators-hit-back-trump-s-syria-pullout-n954441

January 3: Elizabeth Warren Backs Withdrawal Of U.S. Troops From Syria And Afghanistan

But the senator criticized Trump’s sudden tweet on Syria and his failure to discuss his plans with America’s allies.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/elizabeth-warren-syria-afghanistan-trump_us_5c2e4acee4b05c88b7072fea

January 3:
Why Trump’s withdrawal from Syria is bad news for Israel — and good news for Iran

It could turn a simmering conflict into something much more dangerous.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/1/3/18159364/trump-syria-withdrawal-israel-iran-hezbollah

-- 2020 --

Back to top





 Webpage visitor counts provided by

 

 

copyr 2018 trump-news-history.com, Minneapolis, MN