As Syria urges local voting, UN puts death toll at 5,000
BEIRUT — The Syrian government called Monday for voters to turn out for local elections that it portrayed as good-faith reform efforts, but activists said that most citizens, observing a second day of a general strike, rejected the polls as irrelevant to a country in such turmoil.
Armed attacks on Syrian sites appear to rise
BEIRUT — Deserters from the Syrian army reportedly carried out attacks against the offices of the Syrian ruling Baath party in northwestern Syria on Thursday, a day after they claimed an assault on an intelligence base that Russia, Syria’s closest ally, said was bringing the country closer to civil war.
King of Jordan calls for Syria’s leader to step down
James Kanter contributed reporting from Brussels, and Neil MacFarquhar from Cairo.
Syria lets Red Cross visit prison as crackdown on protestors continues
BEIRUT — Syria opened its main prison in Damascus Monday to a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross for the first time since the uprising started in mid-March, amid hopes the move could begin to reveal the fate of thousands of political detainees.
Hezbollah Threatens New Attacks On Israeli Targets After Leader’s Death
Accusing Israel of killing one of his top commanders, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, threatened Thursday to intensify his group’s conflict with Israel and to retaliate against Israeli targets anywhere in the world.
Lebanon Presidential Vacancy Broken After Support Voiced for Army Chief
The political logjam over Lebanon’s vacant presidency was broken Thursday when a leader of the Syrian-backed opposition announced his support for the compromise candidate accepted by the pro-Western alliance. The deal follows Syria’s participation in the American-sponsored Middle East peace conference.