Kerry meets Syria opposition

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the US and Moscow are both committed to convening for peace talks "as soon as possible."

Syria

NPR's Deborah Amos reports on Syria from front lines

Veteran National Public Radio Middle East correspondent Deborah Amos has reported from Syria that the regime forces and rebel groups are fighting for supply lines to their respective regional allies.

Syria

White House: UN needs immediate access to Syria site

Obama administration officials have said that if the Syrian Government has "nothing to hide" it should grant UN inspectors immediate access to the suspected chemical attack sites

Syria

Kurdish security chief: Turkey must end support for jihadists

The head of the Syrian Kurdish security police forces, Ciwan Ibrahim, tells Al-Monitor that they are willing to cooperate with Turkey if it halts its support for jihadist groups.

Iraq

Turkey wakes up to Islamic State threat

An inflammatory sermon in Istanbul has made Turkey realize that the Islamic State has become a serious threat to its internal security and stability.

Iraq

Syrian Alawites horrified by rising death toll

Most Alawites remain steadfast in their support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but many are quietly horrified at the high number of Alawite men dying in combat.

Syria

Obama: Syria chemical attack would cross US 'core national interests'

President Obama is consulting with allies and advisers over what the US response would be if the Syrian Government did in fact attack a rebel village with chemical weapons.

Syria

Ayatollah Khamenei, Assad spoke of reforms

Iran's former ambassador to Syria conceded in an interview that the Syrian government made mistakes in the first stages of the Syrian protests and revealed that Iran's supreme leader wrote a letter to Syria's president urging reforms.

Syria

Kerry says 'indiscriminate' Syria chemical attack 'undeniable'

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the delayed access for UN inspectors to the chemical attack sits is due to the Syrian Government shelling the areas in an attempt to destroy evidence.

Syria

Beyond US strikes, signs of intensifying UN diplomacy on Syria

Obama administration officials have said that the goal of military action in Syria would be to uphold the universal prohibition of chemical weapons and not regime change, citing that the conflict must be resolved politically.

Syria

Obama makes case for 'decisive' but 'limited' action on Syria

President Obama has said the military action he is considering for Syria will not deeply involve the US in the conflict, but will "have a positive impact on our national security over the long term."

Syria

Arsal clashes a threat to Lebanon's future

The outcome of the clashes in Arsal between the Lebanese army and fundamentalists supporting the Syrian opposition may hold the key to how Lebanon can resolve its political crises.

Lebanon