Syrian rebels who seized an entry to a Christian town north of Damascus this week have now withdrawn to protect religious and archaeological sites there, an opposition statement said. “Free Syrian Army (FSA) units on Wednesday destroyed posts at Maalula and

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged G20 nation leaders at their summit in the Russian city of St. Petersburg to find a political solution to the “unprecedented” humanitarian crisis in Syria. At a Friday morning meeting on the sidelines of the summit, the UN chief called on world leaders …

Any military operation against Syria should be thorough and aim to end the country’s vicious civil war, according to Ankara, which believes that this requires the removal of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. An intervention against Syria that is forceful and extensive enough to end the war will achieve greater legitimacy …