Syria
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Syrian Defense Minister and Assef Shawkat Killed in Damascus Blast, FSA Claims Responsibility

A suicide bomber on Wednesday struck at the heart of Syria's security apparatus, killing the country's defense minister and President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law, state television said.

The attack, which for the first time in a 16-month anti-regime uprising targeted members of Assad's inner core, came hours ahead of a U.N. Security Council debate on Syrian sanctions, when a showdown between Western powers and Russia and China is expected.

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Ship with Helicopters for Syria Heads to St. Petersburg

A Russian ship that tried to supply attack helicopters to Syria last month before being forced back will dock in Saint Petersburg in coming days, its owners said on Wednesday.

The privately-chartered Alaed had to return to Russia after its initial attempt to deliver the controversial cargo to President Bashar Assad's regime in June was exposed by the U.S. State Department.

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More than 60 Soldiers Killed in Damascus

More than 60 soldiers have been killed in clashes with the rebel Free Syrian Army in Damascus in the past 48 hours, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday.

"Between 40 and 50 soldiers of the regular Syrian forces were killed the day before yesterday (Monday) in fighting in Damascus, and at least 20 were killed yesterday," the Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman told Agence France Presse.

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2 Syrian Brigadier Generals Cross into Turkey

Two Syrian brigadier generals crossed into Turkey overnight, a Turkish foreign ministry official told Agence France Presse Wednesday.

"Some 330 Syrians including two brigadier generals fled to Turkey Tuesday night," the official said.

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U.N. Security Council Worried about Syria Fallout in Lebanon

The U.N. Security Council expressed concern Tuesday about fallout from the Syria conflict in Lebanon, diplomats said.

Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees have fled across the border and the Lebanese army has moved troops from the border zone with Israel to the Syrian frontier region, where there have been deadly incidents in recent weeks, U.N. officials said.

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Hollande Presses Russia over Syria Stance

French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday pressed Russia over its stance on the conflict in Syria and described the continued bloodshed there as "unacceptable and intolerable."

The daily killings are creating "instability in the region that is detrimental to all," Hollande said at a press conference with visiting Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki.

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Syria Defector Tlass Urges Transition, Slams Army Attacks

General Manaf Tlass, a key military defector and ex-ally of Bashar Assad, called Tuesday for a political transition in Syria and condemned military attacks on civilians in a statement sent to Agence France Presse.

In his first statement to the media since his defection was announced on July 6, Tlass said the regime held "the majority of responsibility" for the crisis and confirmed he was in Paris.

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Ban Urges Russia to Step Up Pressure on Assad

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon urged Russia to step up pressure on Syria's President Bashar Assad during talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, a U.N. spokesman said Tuesday.

"He called on Russia to use its influence to ensure the full and immediate implementation" of the peace plan of U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, said U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky.

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Lebanese Pilgrims Appear in New Video, Abductors Say Will Free Two Captives

Al-Jazeera television aired Tuesday a video it received from the abductors of 11 Lebanese Shiite pilgrims who were kidnapped in Syria in May, in which the kidnappers announced they will release two of the captives.

“In response to the appeal of the Muslim Scholars Committee in Lebanon, we will hand over two of the guests in our custody to their families under the supervision of the Muslim Scholars Committee in Lebanon and the state of Qatar,” the abductors said in what they dubbed “Statement Number 3.”

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Israel: Assad Moving Troops from Golan to Damascus

Syrian President Bashar Assad has moved army forces from the Golan Heights area next to Israel toward Damascus and other internal conflict zones, the Israeli army intelligence chief said on Tuesday.

As fighting rages between Assad's forces and rebels trying to oust his government, he has moved troops from the Syrian side of the disengagement line that divides the Golan Heights between Syria and Israeli-held territory, he said.

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