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Syrian Forces Storm Damascus Districts, Pound Aleppo

Syrian security forces stormed at least two districts of Damascus in the hunt for rebels, in one area using tanks and army vehicles, according to activists on Wednesday.

It is the third straight day security forces have swept central areas of the capital, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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Rebels Claim Damascus Bomb Attack near U.N. Hotel

A massive bomb blast rocked the heart of Damascus on Wednesday, setting off a fireball near the hotel used by the U.N. observer mission in Syria in an attack claimed by the rebel Free Syrian Army.

The blast, which tore a huge hole out of a petrol tanker near the Dama Rose hotel, wounded at least five people, a military officer at the scene said, while Syria's deputy foreign minister said U.N. staff were unscathed.

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U.S. Accuses Iran of Forming Pro-Regime Militia in Syria

The United States on Tuesday accused Iran of setting up a pro-regime militia in Syria as Washington increasingly ties the crisis there to interference by its long-time foe Tehran.

Western powers are already locked in a diplomatic stand-off with Iran over what they say is its plan to develop nuclear weapons, and tensions are high between U.S. and Iranian patrols in the oil shipping lanes of the Gulf.

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U.S. Says New Egypt Defense Minister Pledges Close Military Ties

The new defense minister appointed by Egypt's Islamist president has pledged to uphold the strong military ties between Cairo and Washington, Pentagon chief Leon Panetta said Tuesday.

In a surprise move Sunday, President Mohamed Morsi retired Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi -- head of the military council that assumed power after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak -- and replaced him with Abdel Fattah al-Sissi.

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Panetta: Israel has not Decided on Iran Strike

Israel has not yet decided whether to strike Iran over its suspect nuclear program, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday, as Tehran dismissed the threat of an imminent attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak in recent days had stiffened their rhetoric on Iran, suggesting they were thinking more seriously of military action against Tehran's nuclear facilities.

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OIC to Suspend Syria amid Iran Opposition

An emergency summit of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) began late Tuesday with a proposal to suspend conflict-wracked Syria, a move strongly opposed by Iran.

A draft final statement obtained by Agence France Presse said the summit "approves the suspension of Syria's membership," a measure recommended by a preparatory ministerial meeting held Monday in the western Saudi city of Jeddah.

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Syrians Agree to Lakhdar Brahimi's Bid as Annan's Successor

The Syrians have agreed to the candidacy of Algeria's Lakhdar Brahimi as successor to Kofi Annan, who has resigned as the United Nations and Arab League mediator in Syria, Annan's spokesman said Tuesday.

"I was asked if it was true that the Syrians had consented to his candidacy and I said yes," said Annan's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi.

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Clinton, Western FMs Discuss 'Hastening' End of Assad Regime

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke with Western foreign ministers to coordinate ways to hasten the end of Syrian President Bashar Assad's embattled regime, her spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Clinton, following up on weekend talks in Turkey, held a conference call for more than an hour Monday with British Foreign Secretary William Hague, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

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U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Syrian PM after Defection

The United States on Tuesday lifted sanctions against former Syrian prime minister Riad Hijab, who defected earlier this month, as it urged more top officials to abandon the regime.

In a move aimed at convincing members of the inner circle of Syrian President Bashar Assad's embattled regime that they have not been permanently blacklisted, the U.S. Treasury Department unfroze Hijab's assets.

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Egypt Sentences 14 Islamists to Hang for Sinai Attacks

An Egyptian court sentenced 14 Islamists to death on Tuesday for the 2011 murder of seven people at a bank and a police post in the Sinai Peninsula, scene of mounting violence near the border with Israel.

The court in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya convicted the 14 of carrying out the attacks in June and July last year on behalf of the hardline group Tawhid wal Jihad (Monotheism and Holy War).

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