Uprising, Bashar Assad | featured news

Western powers risk causing a major conflict in the Middle East if they intervene in Syria, President Bashar al-Assad says in an interview with a British newspaper.

The United States called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to "step down now" following the assassination of a prominent Kurdish opposition figure amid continuing violence in the nation.

The Obama administration is trying to avoid a repeat of what happened in Iraq, where the United States was not fully prepared for the aftermath of a leader’s fall.

Reuters reports that Syrian President Bashar Assad and Arab League Chief Nabil Elaraby have agreed to measures that could end months of violence. DP news reports that Syria said Assad and Elaraby agreed on a number of “practical steps” to speed up the reform process.

Security forces in the Syrian capital of Damascus intensify checkpoints and patrols to keep an overnight surge of protests from spreading into the heart of the city, a stronghold for President Bashar Assad.

The downfall of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is likely to pave the way for increased Western attention to Syria and embolden protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

At least seven people are killed in the city of Dara, a flashpoint in the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime. Military officers say troops have been ordered to fire on any protester, but activists report that some are resisting.

Women, children and students took to the streets in Syria on Wednesday, lending their voices to a monthlong uprising that President Bashar Assad insists is the work of a foreign conspiracy.