Continue After The Break.
  • There will be a debate and a vote "as soon as Congress comes back into session", Obama says. US President says he is "confident" that he has the authority to launch strikes without that authorisation, but says the decision will be stronger with it.
  • US Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham on Saturday said they could not support isolated military strikes on Syria that are not part of a bigger strategy. "We cannot in good conscience support isolated military strikes in Syria that are not part of an overall strategy that can change the momentum on the battlefield, achieve the president's stated goal of (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad's removal from power, and bring an end to this conflict, which is a growing threat to our national security interests," they said in a statement.
  • US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to the Syrian opposition leader on Saturday to underscore the determination of the United States to hold the Syrian government accountable for using chemical weapons, a US official said. Kerry spoke with Syrian Opposition Coalition President Ahmed Assi al-Jarba to underscore President Barack Obama's "commitment to holding the Assad regime accountable for its chemical weapons attack against its own people on August 21st," a senior State Department official said. Kerry also spoke with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Japan about Syria.
  • Barack Obama will discuss US case for action on Syria with world leaders at G20 summit in Russia next week - US officials
  • Numerous reports are suggesting that the Syrian opposition are shocked at Obama's decision to wait for Congress, the Guardian reports
  • Obama called French President Hollande on Saturday before making statement in White House Rose garden - officials
  • France believes each country's pace of action on Syria should be respected - source close to Hollande
  • Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the second-ranking GOP senator, on Saturday joined the chorus on the Hill calling for a congressional vote. “Before any military action is taken in Syria, the president should call Congress back into session and ask for a vote on the authorization to use force,” Cornyn said just minutes before Obama was to speak.
  • Analysis of evidence collected by UN weapons inspectors will take up to 3 weeks - OPCW agency statement
  • John Boehner and other Republican leaders have issued a statement: "In consultation with the president, we expect the House to consider a measure the week of September 9th. This provides the president time to make his case to Congress and the American people."
  • Sen Mitch McConnell: President’s role as commander-in-chief always strengthened when he enjoys expressed support of the Congress
  • It appears that any US action in Syria will be delayed after Obama said he would wait for authorisation from Congress before launching air strikes. The president said he would wait for a debate and a vote on action in Syria, but said he will not call Congress back from recess early. That will seemingly postpone any action until 9 September at the earliest – the date Congress is due back in Washington.
  • Obama said knows the American people are weary of war, is not contemplating putting US troops on the ground in the Middle East of someone else's war
  • "We are United States of America. We can't turn a blind eye on what happened in Damascus"
  • "I'm comfortable going forward without the UN's approval" said Barack Obama (Screenshot: The White House)

  • "I've made a second decison - to seek authorization from the American people representatives in Congress" - Obama
  • "We're prepared to strike whenever we choose" - Obama
  • 'This attack is an assault on human dignity, and it also presents a serious threat to our national security' - Obama
  • "I've decided to take action against the Assad's regime," US President Barack Obama said.
  • US President Barack Obama started his speech
  • Twitter, @SamwiseEyes: "Someone just left a file on the podium and walked away."
  • On the White House's live stream chanting can be heard in the distance. A protest against conducting military action is taking place in Washington today.
  • Twitter, @suraechinn: "Protestors against US - Syrian involvement growing in front of White House. Just witnessed arrest"
  • President Obama is late for almost 35 minutes with his statement (Screenshot: The White House)

  • Barack Obama to start his speech on Syria in few minutes
  • President Barack Obama will provide an update to Americans on his decisions on how to proceed in Syria, but will not be giving an address to the nation about an imminent military strike in the country, a White House official said on Saturday.
  • US President Barack Obama is to make a statement on the conflict in Syria at 1:15pm (1715 GMT), at the opening of a window of possible times for US forces to act.
  • Members of the US House of Representatives will receive a classified White House briefing on Sunday on the situation in Syria, House Speaker John Boehner's office reported on Saturday.
  • UN inspectors have returned to the Hague with samples taken at sites of alleged chemical weapons use in Syria.
  • Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and other senior U.S. national security officials will hold conference calls about Syria on Saturday afternoon with the Senate Democratic Caucus as well as the Senate Republican Conference, a White House official said.
  • Arab foreign ministers will meet in Cairo Sunday to discuss Syria, Arab League deputy chief Ahmed Ben Helli said Saturday, as the United States appeared to be readying a strike on the country.
  • "We are expecting an attack at any moment. We are ready to retaliate at any moment," said the security official, who wished to remain anonymous.
  • Syria expects an attack 'at any moment' now. That is according to an undisclosed security source.
  • The United Nations team tasked with investigating alleged chemical weapons strikes in Syria arrived in Lebanon on Saturday, a Reuters witness said. The team crossed the land border into neighbouring Lebanon after leaving their Damascus hotel earlier in the morning.
  • The team of U.N. chemical weapons inspectors left their Damascus hotel early on Saturday, a Reuters witness said, and appeared to be leaving the country. The witness saw the team's convoy of vehicles head onto a highway that leads to neighbouring Lebanon.
  • The Obama administration lashed out at Russia on Friday ahead of a visit to that nation next week, blaming Moscow for standing in the way of the United States’ attempt to build an international coalition for potential military intervention in Syria. “Because of the guaranteed Russian obstructionism of any action through the U.N. Security Council, the U.N. cannot galvanize the world to act,” Secretary of State John F. Kerry said as he laid out the administration’s case against Syria’s use of chemical weapons.
  • All Senate Republicans will be briefed on the potential US involvement in Syria during a conference call with the White House Saturday after a request from Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, according to a new report. McConnell has met with White House officials to discuss the Syrian government’s suspected use of chemical weapons, but said Friday it is important for every Republican lawmaker to learn the details of the situation.
  • A bilateral meeting between presidents of Russia and the United States is not on the agenda of the G20 summit in St. Petersburg due in early September, a senior US administration official said on Friday. The Syrian issue will undoubtedly be raised by the G20 leaders during the summit, the White House official said. “There’s, at this point, no formal session or event that would involve Syria, but we know that leaders will be talking about it,” he said.
  • The Tunisian authorities oppose any foreign military intervention in Syria, the Tunisian Foreign Ministry stated on Friday. “This decision (on invasion) will entail serious consequences not only for Syria, but also for all regional countries,” Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi said after a meeting involving the president and the prime minister of the country that was totally devoted to the current tense situation around Syria. The minister noted the need to search for such ways to intensify the political dialogue as a peaceful conference Geneva-2. Jerandi stated that Tunisia calls only for a peaceful settlement of the Syrian conflict to avert casualties and to preserve the territorial integrity of the country.
  • The United Nations weapons inspectors have finished their work in Syria. The last of the group was supposed to have left at 7 Saturday morning, but quite suddenly and with no public explanation their departure was moved forward to 4 am.
  • Italy's coast guard and navy rescued about 350 people, mostly Syrians, off the coast of southeastern Sicily on Wednesday. A port official said he expected more refugees fleeing Syria's civil war to arrive. Among those rescued were 48 children, including a four-day-old girl born during the crossing. The baby and her mother were in good condition, the spokesman said.
  • Washington’s statements threatening to use military force against Syria unilaterally are unacceptable, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said. Given the lack of evidence, any unilateral military action bypassing the UN Security Council – “no matter how limited it is” – would be a direct violation of international law and would undermine the prospects for a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict in Syria and will lead to a new round of confrontation and victims, Lukashevich concludes.
  • UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told the five permanent Security Council members that it may be two weeks before for final results are ready of an analysis of samples experts collected at the site of a chemical weapons attack last week in Syria are ready.
  • The White House has released details of the most recent phone call between Mr Obama and Mr Cameron: The President spoke with Prime Minister Cameron today as part of their continuing consultations on the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons on August 21, which they agree is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated. As always, the United States values the special relationship with the United Kingdom, a close ally and friend. The President and Prime Minister agreed to continue to consult closely on Syria and the broad range of security challenges that our two countries face together.
  • UN chief told Security Council members that analysis of chemical team's Syria samples could take two weeks: diplomat source
  • British Foreign Secretary William Hague tweets: "Spoke to Secretary Kerry. He thanked me for the UK's steadfast friendship. United on ending Syria conflict and use of chemical weapons."
  • Syria said on Friday that accusations by US Secretary of State John Kerry that it has used chemical weapons were "lies and baseless." The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that Kerry's charges were a "desperate attempt" to justify a military strike against Syria.
  • The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that Kerry's charges were a "desperate attempt" to justify a military strike against Syria, adding that accusations by US Secretary of State John Kerry that it has used chemical weapons were "lies and baseless."
  • Hollande and Obama want to send Assad 'strong message': French presidency. "Both heads of state agreed that the international community cannot tolerate the use of chemical weapons, that it should hold the Syrian regime accountable for it and send a strong message," the statement said.
  • twitter @mmcauliff: US Senators McCain and Graham doubt "the response to this historic atrocity being contemplated" by Obama "will be equal to the gravity of the crime. ... The purpose of military action in Syria should not be to help the President save face. It should not be merely cosmetic."
  • David Cameron says he has spoken to Barack Obama and that the two leaders had agreed that US-UK cooperation will continue, despite Britain's decision not to support military intervention in Syria. Mr Cameron said that the US President emphasised his appreciation of the strong friendship between the two leaders and the "strength, durability and depth of the special relationship between our two countries". "They agreed that their co-operation on international issues would continue in the future and both reiterated their determination to find a political solution to the Syrian conflict by bringing all sides together," a spokesman for Mr Cameron said in a statement.
  • "It can't be a 24 hours hit-and-run," Erdogan told reporters at a reception in the presidential palace in Ankara. "What matters is stopping the bloodshed in Syria and weakening the regime to the point where it gives up," he said.
  • Turkish PM Erdogan says any intervention against Syria should be aimed at bringing an end to Assad's rule
  • British Prime Minister David Cameron says he agreed with President Obama that British and US cooperation on international issues will continue despite Syria difference
  • Aleppo has lost internet connectivity, The Washington Post reports. While mobile internet tools like accessing websites or apps might not be available, many social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, allow users to post via SMS, or text messaging. Losing the internet does not necessarily mean people cannot access the web -- it just severely limits their ability to communicate and share multimedia such as photos, videos, and longer form text.
  • Obama says part of US obligation as leader in the world is to make sure that when a government uses prohibited weapons that they are held to account
  • Obama says a lot of people in the world think something needs to be done about situation in Syria but "nobody wants to do it"
  • Obama says if there is no action on chemical weapons use, that sends a signal that international norms have no meaning
  • Barack Obama's comments are beginning to drop. He says he has not yet made a "final decision" on attacking Syria and is mulling a "narrow, limited" strike.
  • Obama says Syrian chemical weapons attack is a challenge to the world, threatens US allies such as Israel and Jordan
  • US President Barack Obama and his French counterpart Francois Hollande are both convinced the Syrian regime used chemical weapons on its own people last week, an aide to Hollande said Friday. The two leaders "share the same certainty that the attack was chemical in nature and that the regime was undoubtedly responsible," the aide said after Obama and Hollande held phone talks Friday. "Francois Hollande repeated France's determination not to leave these crimes unpunished and felt the same determination on Obama's side."
  • US President Barack Obama will speak about Syria during a 2:15 ET White House appearance on Friday with three leaders of Baltic nations, a senior administration official said. Obama will address Syria "to some extent" before a meeting with presidents of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, the official said.
  • Twitter, @rafsanchez: "Intel report makes no mention of Assad or inner circle ordering the attack, only that an unnamed "senior official" knew what was happening"
  • On preparation for the attack, the US intelligence report says that chemical weapons personnel were in the Damascus suburb of Adra from August 18 until August 21.
  • "We assess that the scenario in which the opposition executed the attack on August 21 is highly unlikely" - takeaway from the US intelligence report.
  • John Kerry said America should feel gratified that it is not acting alone, referring to the Arab League, the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, Turkey, France - "our oldest ally", Australia. US Secretary of State did not mentioned Britain."Will Iran feel emboldened? Or Hizbollah?" - Kerry said
  • A US intelligence report disclosed on Friday that there was "high confidence" that Syrian forces had used chemical weapons multiple times in the last year, including the Aug. 21 attack outside Damascus.
  • John Kerry has completed his address on Syria and takes no questions. As he was talking, the US government released its assessment of the Syrian Government's use of Chemical weapons.
  • "It matters if nothing is done." - concluded John Kerry
  • "No boots on ground, no open ended conflict, no taking sides in civil war already underway. Whatever decision Barack Obama makes on Syria will bear no resemblance to Afghanistan, Iraq or Libya. Mr. Obama has been clear, and any action he takes will be limited" - Kerry says
  • "We are the country that has always tried to follow a set of international values" - Kerry
  • "US people tired of war, believe me, I am too. But just longing for peace does not necessarily bring it about. History would judge us harshly if we turned a blind eye" - Kerry
  • "President Obama and United States believes in United Nations. But UN can't tell us anything". Kerry says UN chemical weapons inspectors won't be able to determine who used chemical weapons

  • "America is not alone in our condemnation"
  • Kerry says it matters where chemical attack came from to "our allies Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel all of whom live a stiff breeze away where chemical weapons are Syria"
  • Kerry named Bashar Assad "thug" and "murderer"
  • Kerry says the American intelligence community has "high confidence... this is common sense.. this is evidence. These are facts". The question, he asks is what "we collectively are going to do about it."
  • "Our choice today has great consequences" - Kerry
  • Kerry says 1,429 people killed including 426 children in recent chemical weapons attack near Damascus.
  • "We also know many other disturbing details about Assad's attack. We know that a senior regime official that knew about the attack confirmed that chemical weapons were used by the regime, reviewed the impact and was afraid they would be discovered." - Kerry
  • Kerry: "We saw bodies wrapped in burial shrouds, white linen with not a drop of blood...dead from Assad's gas"
  • Kerry says US officials have reviewed and rereviewed information regarding the attack, and says they have done so with Iraq in mind. "We will not repeat that moment", he declares.
  • Kerry says the findings are as "clear as they are compelling".
  • "We know where the rockets came from and when, and where they landed"
  • "Something we do know we can't discuss publicly. Some of what we know will only be released to members of Congress. But we know that regime used chemical weapons few times"
  • "I'm not asking you to trust my word - read for yourselves the verdict reached by our intelligence community about the chemical weapons attack" - Kerry
  • "It's important to ask tough questions before taking actions" - says Kerry
  • John Kerry is finally arrived to the podium and started his speech
  • The UN has said the chemical experts in Syria have completed collecting their samples, but all analysis must be completed before conclusions are drawn.
  • John Kerry is already 15 minutes late with his statement.
  • US's John Kerry press conference is about to start (Screenshot: US Department of State)

  • Secretary of State John Kerry's statement will be delivered in the department’s Treaty Room
  • The suspected use of chemical weapons in Syria demands an international response but NATO will not take part, alliance head Anders Fogh Rasmussen told Danish media on Friday.
  • UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will meet the five permanent members of the Security Council Friday to discuss Syria, according to Ban's spokesman.
  • Syria will reject any partial UN conclusions on an alleged deadly gas attack last week before full laboratory analyses are undertaken, said state television. The reported comments by Syria's Foreign Minster Walid Moallem to UN head Ban Ki-moon come as UN inspectors in the war-torn country prepare to wrap up their probe of the alleged attack on August 21 and return home.
  • The White House plans on Friday to release an unclassified version of an intelligence assessment of a chemical weapons attack last week in Syria, a US official said.
  • "It's regrettable that the British lawmakers were not able to understand the true situation in Syria," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
  • The Syrian opposition voiced regret Friday at a British parliamentary vote rejecting military action against Damascus over suspected chemical weapons attacks but said it should not stop Western air strikes.
  • Fierce fighting has taken place in a town near the Syrian capital that a UN team visited earlier this week to probe an alleged chemical weapons attack, anti-government activists say.
  • Determining the facts should be a precondition for taking any action in Syria, China's foreign minister said on Friday in a phone call with his French counterpart.
  • "Russia is actively working to avert a military scenario in Syria," Yuri Ushakov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's top foreign policy adviser, has said.
  • Alexei Pushkov, the head of the international affairs committee in Russia’s parliament, said the UK’s decision not to back military action against Syria came as a blow to NATO.
  • Syrian Defence Minister Fahd Jasem al-Freij says his country's army is ready to confront any form of military aggression and will decisively respond, the official SANA news agency reports. Al-Feiji was speaking during a phone conservation with his Iranian counterpart, Hussein Dehghan.
  • Germany will not take part in any military action against Syria, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday. Berlin was urging Russia to join in UN Security Council condemnation of Syria's government for using chemical weapons, she said through her spokesman."We are not considering a military strike," said Steffen Seibert, the spokesman.
  • Russia is doing its best to prevent a military operation against Syria, President Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters Friday."We’re making active efforts now to avert the use of force(/against President Bashar al-Assad and the milieu loyal to him)," he said.
  • The United States still seeks to form an international coalition to act against Syria, despite the rejection of military intervention by Britain's Parliament, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said Friday.
  • UN inspectors arrived in a military hospital in Damascus, where pro-government soldiers are being treated after an alleged poisonous gas, activists say. The UN chemical weapons experts are being accompanied by vehicles affiliated with the government.
  • UN chemical weapons inspectors are heading to a military hospital in an area of eastern Damascus where chemical attacks are said to have taken place, witnesses say.
  • Germany has ruled out taking part in a military strike on Syria, according to the Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, AFP reports.
  • French President Francois Hollande said a military strike on Syria could come by Wednesday and that Britain's surprise rejection of armed intervention would not affect his government's stand. "France wants firm and proportionate action against the Damasacus regime," he said in an interview to Le Monde daily on Friday. The French parliament is due to meet on Wednesday for an emergency Syria session.
  • Carla del Ponte to travel to Syria to investigate alleged chemical weapons strikes
  • UN inspectors investigating an apparent deadly poison gas attack in Syria headed out Friday on the last day of their probe, an AFP journalist said. A security official told AFP they were going to a military hospital in an eastern district of the Syrian capital. The regime says people were reportedly the victims of gas attacks there.
  • Military strike on Syria could come by Wednesday - France
  • French position on Syria unchanged despite British setback - Hollande
  • UN inspectors head out on last day of Syria probe, according to AFP reports.
  • Al Arabiya reports opposition claims that the Syrian government has relocated its political offices to schools and universities, to be safer in case a strike by the West takes place.
  • French President Francois Hollande says that his country could take part in military action against Syria without the UK's backing, Reuters reports. He said that the alleged chemical attack on August 21 has caused "irreparable" harm to the Syrian people and must not go "unpunished".
  • Japan’s Foreign Ministry, Fumio Kishida, believes that the responsibility of aggravation of the situation in Syria lays on President Bashar Assad’s government. He expressed his point of view during the meeting with journalists. Secretary General of Japan's Cabinet Yoshihide Suga that also took part in the meeting stressed that it was necessary to provide humanitarian aid to children, refugees and other residents affected by the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.
  • The Syrian army could possess the S-300 surface-to-air missiles in its arsenal – according to Al Arabiya.
  • The government's defeat in parliament over military action in Syria will spark a debate about whether Britain still wants to play a major role in the world, finance minister George Osborne has said.
  • Israel deployes its Iron Dome missile defence system in Tel Aviv, according to the local media. "We are not involved in the war in Syria. But I repeat: if anyone tries to harm Israeli citizens, the Israeli army will respond with force," Netanyahu said in other remarks broadcast by Israeli television.A poll published by Maariv newspaper on Friday showed 77 percent of respondents saying that if Washington decides not to strike Assad's regime Israel should not take unilateral military action.
  • Russia has not supplied or signed at least a single contract for the supply of even defensive systems or arms to Syria since 2011, said Viktor Komardin, Deputy General Director of Rosoboronexport.
  • Hundreds of people protested at New York’s Times Square on Thursday over possible US plans to strike Syria’s regime which it believes to be behind a deadly chemical attack. "US, NATO, hands off Syria," chanted hundreds of protesters, weaving through thousands of tourists, some carrying pictures of Assad, and some just declaring themselves against another US war.
  • The White House announced Thursday that President Barack Obama would make a decision on the Syria issue proceeding from US interests following Britain's announcement that it would not participate in a military operation against Syria, the AFP news agency reports.
  • A military operation against Syria will be carried out even despite Britain's refusal to take part in it, UK Defence Secretary Philip Hammond stated here on Thursday night.
  • The United States will continue to seek out an international coalition to act together on Syria, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Friday, after Britain's parliament rejected military action.
  • More than 10 NATO countries have "most definitely" refused any forms of involvement in a US contemplated operation against Syria, an informed source told ITAR-TASS news agency.
  • On Friday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will meet with representatives of countries that are permanent members of the UN Security Council – Russia, China, the UK, the US and France – to discuss the situation in Syria.
  • China's foreign minister said on Friday the UN Security Council should not be pushed into any action on Syria before inspectors have completed a probe into allegations of chemical weapons use.
  • Obama administration officials told lawmakers on a conference call on Thursday that they have "no doubt" chemical weapons were used in Syria and that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government had used them, US Representative Eliot Engel, who participated in the call, told Reuters.
  • UK Defense Secretary says he expects military action against Syria will still go ahead despite Britain not taking part, Reuters reports.
  • British MPs vote against possible military action in Syria. Cameron said he would respect the clear wish of the British parliament and people not to see military action.
  • UK MPs vote 332 to 220 against Labour amendment on Syria intervention.
  • British MPs enter division lobbies to vote on government motion and Labour amendment on UK intervention in Syria, BBC reports.
  • UNESCO warned on Thursday that a rich cultural heritage was being devastated by the conflict now in its third year, Reuters reports. Clashes have damaged historical sites and buildings throughout the country, from Aleppo's Umayyad Mosque to the Crac des Chevaliers castle dating from the 13th century Crusades. The most irreversible damage comes from the illegal looting of artefacts from archaeological sites for export, said the UN cultural arm's assistant director-general for culture, Francesco Bandarin.
  • The UN security council meeting is over, the Guardian reports. All the delegations - US, France, Russia and China - other than the British have slunk out through a back exit, avoiding having to face the assembled media of the world. Not exactly a confidence-building display of global accountability.
  • The P5 meeting of the UN security council appears to be over, leaving us none the wiser, the Guardian's Ed Pilkington reports from UN headquarters in New York. The UK ambassador Sir Mark Lyall Grant has just quit the chamber looking quite displeased and issuing a curt "no comment".
  • President Obama has called House speaker John Boehner to discuss the administration's thinking on Syria, Reuters reports. The call followed an open letter sent by Boehner Wednesday urging the president to consult with Congress on any military decision on Syria.
  • The UK ambassador to the UN, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, has just arrived at the security council followed moments ago by the Russian delegation, the Guardian's Ed Pilkington reports from UN headquarters in New York.
  • White House says what US is contemplating in terms of its Syria response is "very discrete and limited," and not open-ended, rejects comparisons to Iraq war.
  • The United States would provide its own legal justification for an eventual response to chemical weapons use in Syria if necessary once President Barack Obama decides how to proceed, the White House said on Thursday.
  • The White House reiterated on Thursday that President Barack Obama would make a decision on how to respond to chemical weapons use in Syria based on US national security interests.
  • President Barack Obama spoke by phone to German Chancellor Angela Merkel about Syria, the White House said. There are no details of the conversation
  • The UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said the investigators have not yet determined what substance was used in the alleged attack and are awaiting the results of the analysis.
  • The UN investigators will return to Syria and continue investigation of the use of chemical weapons after reporting to UN headquarters, UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.
  • The US Navy has deployed a fifth destroyer to the eastern Mediterranean ahead of a possible strike on Syria, said a US Defense Department official.
  • "At the present time the government of Canada has no plans... to have a Canadian military mission," Canadian PM Harper said after recently speaking with his British, French and American counterparts.
  • Canada supports its allies on the need for Western military intervention in Syria but will not join in an attack, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday.
  • The point of the UN investigation is to determine whether chemical weapons have been used in Syria or not. The investigation is not proceeding with no pre-assumptions as to who used the weapons and its goal does not lie in answering that question, said spokesman of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon who is giving a press briefing right now.
  • Five permanent members of UN Security Council will meet to discuss Syria crisis today.
  • Italy would not join any military operation against Damascus without authorization from the UN Security Council, Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta has said.
  • “The government is striving to secure supplies of food, medicine and services,” al-Halqi was quoted as saying by the official SANA news agency, adding that Syria has “a strategic supply of all materials.”
  • Syrian Prime Minister Wael Nader al-Halqi has announced the government has been mobilizing its resources to preserve essential services in case of a military attack by Western states.
  • A US Congressional briefing on the situation in Syria will be held today via conference call. US Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, and President Barack Obama's National Security Adviser Susan Rice are among those participating.
  • Stability in Syria could not be achieved by military action alone, added Ed Miliband.
  • Every effort should be made to bring the civil war in Syria to an end and every action on the part of the international community should assist in that process and not hamper it, said Ed Miliband.
  • The decision on a military intervention in Syria should be made only after UN inspectors have finished their work, said Ed Miliband, leader of the British opposition, who stressed that "evidence should precede decision".
  • UN not some inconvenient sideshow, level of international support for action in Syria vital, says UK's Ed Miliband.
  • Britain’s Defense Ministry has confirmed that six RAF Typhoon jets have been deployed to Cyprus as a “prudent and precautionary measure.”
  • People protesting against possible UK military involvement in Syria and media reporters gathered around the British parliament building as MPs in the House of Commons hold their debate of military action against Syrian President Assad.
  • There is "no 100 percent certainty" on responsibility for Syria chemical attack, said British PM.
  • German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Thursday to use the United Nations Security Council to get a quick, international reaction to Syria's conflict, her spokesman said in a statement.
  • Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday urged the British parliament to back a motion in favour of military intervention in Syria, as he opened a debate for which the body was specially recalled.
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had a phone conversation on Syria, the Kremlin press service reported.
  • US needs prompt departure of UN inspectors from Syria to strike it, said Alexei Pushkov, the head of Russia's State Duma committee on international affairs.
  • The British opposition Labour party will vote against a government motion in favour of military intervention in Syria, a party source says.
  • Russia demanded that UN inspectors in Syria visit more sites of alleged chemical weapons attacks,including Khan al-Asal near Aleppo, where at least 25 people died in March.
  • An escalation of the Syrian crisis in the wake of the apparent use of chemical weapons will worsen the situation in the country where the suffering of civilians has reached unprecedented levels, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
  • The Vatican on Thursday said talks in Syria were "the only option" out of the conflict, following a meeting between Pope Francis and Jordan's King Abdullah II.
  • Any military action against Syria will have consequences beyond the region and leave Israel in flames, Iran's army chief of staff General Hassan Firouzabadi said in remarks reported Thursday.
  • UK publishes internal legal advice backing a strike on Syria. It also published intelligence material on last week's chemical weapons attack in Syria, saying there was no doubt that such an attack had taken place.
  • German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande agreed in a phone call there must be a reaction to the poison gas attack in Syria that violated human rights, said Merkel's spokesman.
  • Mohammad Jihad al-Laham, the Syrian speaker of parliament, has sent a letter to the House of Commons, in which he warned that "by attacking and weakening Syrian targets and institutions you would automatically strengthen our common enemy, al-Qaida and its affiliates."
  • Most Germans would oppose military action by the West in Syria after an alleged chemical attack blamed on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, said a poll published Thursday.
  • Even without a decision on western military intervention, there's been a sharp rise in the number of Syrians fleeing the country. At least 13,000 Syrians have crossed into Lebanon in the last 24 hours, reports Al Jazeera.
  • Syria will defend itself against any aggression, said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
  • Hundreds of people rallied outised British Prime Ministers office on Wednesday to protest against possible military attack on Syria. VoR's Tom Spender was there and asked John Rees, one of the Stop the War Coalition's co-founders, why he had called for this demonstration.



  • The Turkish government's crisis management center has also said a team of 100 chemical weapons experts were sent to the border area which was being screened for any signs of chemical attacks.
  • Officials say Turkey is on alert against possible chemical attacks from Syria and has stocked food and gas masks along their shared border.
  • The UN team investigating chemical weapons attacks in Syria is set to leave the country early Saturday and report immediately to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, he said.
  • French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday a political solution must remain the focus for Syria but that could only happen if the international community can halt the killings and better support the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad.
  • Egypt opposes a military action against Syria and will not take part in it, Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy says.
  • The United Nations team of chemical weapons experts in Syria reached rebel-held territory outside Damascus on Thursday, activists said, and was preparing to start a third day of investigations into an apparent poison gas attack in the area. Activists said the team had arrived in the eastern suburb of Douma and were going to examine the sites where activists say rockets loaded with chemical weapons struck. The team will also run more tests and interviews with the wounded, they said.
  • Britain sends six RAF Typhoon jets to its Akrotiri base in Cyprus in a move to protect British interests as tensions grow over Syria, the Ministry of Defence said Thursday.
  • UN inspectors returned to a suburb of Damascus to further investigate a suspected chemical attackon civilians. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged patience as inspectors complete their mission.
  • Foreign Minister Wang Yi says China opposes any external military intervention in Syria and urges restraint by all sides until a UN team has investigated the suspected use of chemical weapons.
  • Chemical weapons inspection team in Syria to continue investigation until Friday - UN Chief
  • Russia "over the next few days" will be sending an anti-submarine ship and a missile cruiser to the Mediterranean as the West prepares for possible strikes against Syria, according to the Interfax news agency reports. "The well-known situation shaping up in the eastern Mediterranean called for certain corrections to the make-up of the naval forces," a source in the Russian General Staff said. "A large anti-submarine ship of the Northern Fleet will join them (the existing naval forces) over the next few days. Later it will be joined by... a rocket cruiser of the Black Sea Fleet."
  • The opposition Syrian National Coalition urged Western powers to launch a punitive strike against Bashar al-Assad's government quickly and offer real military and political support to stop people being "exterminated".
  • Russian and Chinese representatives have left the UN Security Council session that discussed the draft resolution on Syria proposed by Great Britain, according to Al Jazeera.
  • The UN chemical warfare experts that are currently in Syria should be allowed to perform their mission, Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during their recent meeting. This came in a statement earlier today by the Russian Foreign Minister.
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin has had a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani. Both parties in general consider it impermissible to use chemical weapons by anyone and stressed the need to search for a settlement only through political and diplomatic means.
  • An attempt on the life of Venezuela’s president was to coincide with the US military operation in Syria, says Nicolas Maduro. "The international plan was to combine the two events, as they were trying to do in 2002 in the case of the coup against Chavez, and before the US attack against Iraq," - said the president.
  • China's foreign minister urged restraint on Thursday in the growing tensions over Syria, saying any military intervention in the crisis would only worsen turmoil in the Middle East, Reuters reports.
  • President Barack Obama made the case on Wednesday for a limited military strike against Syria to deter the future use of chemical weapons, Reuters reports.
  • President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that he has not made a decision on making a military strike against Syria, but said the goal of a limited action would be to deter future use of chemical weapons. "I have not made a decision," Obama told PBS NewsHour, but added that he had concluded a direct US intervention in the country's civil war would not help the situation.
  • US House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday urged President Barack Obama to make the case personally to Congress and the American people for potential military action in Syria, Reuters reports.
  • The leaders of Germany and Britain believe that Syria's government should not to go unpunished for an apparent poison gas attack on its own people, Reuters reports.
  • Britain will not take military action against the Syrian regime before United Nations inspectors report back on evidence of chemical weapons attacks, according to a motion published by the government Wednesday that is set to be put to a parliamentary vote, AFP reports.
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani agreed that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable and signalled their shared opposition to military intervention in
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