Israel planning to house Syrian refugees if regime falls

Israel is preparing to offer refuge to Syrian citizens if the regime of President Bashar al-Assad falls.

Although Syria has long refused officially to recognise the Jewish state, Israel's military chief has revealed that should it be necessary, the country would help house refugees from the Syrian minority Alawite sect.

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Hamas exits Syria - and orbit of Iran

Hamas has largely deserted its headquarters in the Syrian capital in recent weeks, in what has become an unofficial departure by the Palestinian movement.

The exodus reflects both the widely-held belief that the Assad regime is entering its dying days, and the proximity of Hamas to Islamist elements in the Syrian opposition.

Hamas was founded 24 years ago in the Gaza Strip by Palestinian mem

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Rockets from Lebanon: Assad's last stand?

The launch of two Katyusha rockets across the Lebanese border at an Israeli village in the Western Galilee in the night between Monday and Tuesday did not cause any casualties and succeeded only in setting light to a gas storage unit, but it served as a reminder that the growing Syrian civil war could boil over into neighbouring Lebanon and Israel.

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What next for Syria after Assad?

Anyone who studies human rights abuses in modern dictatorships is susceptible to one of two ailments: atrocity fatigue or a disconcerting level of anger and resentment.

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Syria has two friends left - and more enemies

The double blow this week to the Syrian régime - official isolation in the Arab world and the audacious attack by defectors against an Air Force Intelligence compound near Damascus - is further proof that time is running out for Bashar al-Assad.

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Syrian chaos forces Hamas to relocate

The Hamas leadership is seeking to relocate its headquarters from Damascus, in the wake of continuing unrest and pro-democracy protests in Syria, now in their eighth month.

Hamas has three main leadership centres: its political and military wings in the Gaza Strip and the political bureau in Damascus, which functions mainly as the Hamas foreign wing and co-ordinates the shipment of arms and tra

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Iran denies aiding Syria crackdown

Claims that Iran is arming and training Syrian forces in support of President Assad's crackdown on the anti-government uprising have been denied by Tehran.

Iran has signalled it is making steps towards a U-turn in its support of Assad after softening its tone and apparently indicating a degree of backing for the protesters.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's initial support for Presiden

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Syria's chemical weapons may land in the lap of Hizbollah

Control of large stockpiles of chemical weapons manufactured and held by the Syrian army is a major concern for Israel following a possible breakdown of control by the Assad regime.

While they have never used them on the battlefield, the Syrians are known to have manufactured, with North Korean and Iranian assistance, large quantities of chemical agents, mainly nerve gas such as Sarin and VX.

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The real story today is in Syria

Even at a time of global economic crisis, and with huge events seemingly taking place every day this month, the revolution against the Syrian Baathists ought to be at the top of any editor's news list. Let me count the ways in which the Assad crime family is worthy of our attention.

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How UK should foil Hizbollah and Syria

The UK is uniquely positioned to lead the EU in severely clamping down on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's blood-soaked campaign against pro-democracy activists.

The pressing question is how, short of military strikes, the UK and Europe can dislodge the regime and end his alliance with Iran's rulers and Hizbollah, while showing solidarity with the Syrian democracy movement.

Sadly, the pass

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Arab Spring unleashes extremist Arab street

For years, Europe's liberal and progressive left derided American neoconservatives. Their advocacy for a US policy devoted to the spread of democracy in the Middle East was depicted as a ploy to change the subject in the region in order to get Israel off the hook. Hosni Mubarak, Bashar al Assad and all the other autocrats represented an order Israel and the West should reckon with.

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Israel in bind over policy towards Assad regime

Five months into the nascent Syrian revolution and Israel has yet to come up with a new policy towards its northern neighbour.

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