Anti-government Protest, Syria | featured news

Syria was under growing pressure on Thursday to stop using military force against anti-government protesters after the United States slapped sanctions on President Bashar al-Assad over human rights violations.

Despite a security crackdown, demonstrators hold a 'day of defiance' against President Bashar Assad in a dozen cities after Friday prayers. Witnesses, online videos and tweets report gunfire by government forces.

Syrian army troops backed by tanks and helicopters on Saturday took a prominent mosque that had been controlled by residents in a besieged southern city, killing four people, a witness said.

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.

Tens of thousands of peaceful demonstrators march after Friday prayers in cities across Syria to demand the overthrow of the Assad regime. At least 57 protesters are reported killed as security forces respond to the unprecedented challenge with tear gas and bullets.

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.

A mass protest calling for sweeping changes in Syria’s authoritarian regime turned bloody Friday, with the government and protesters both claiming to have sustained heavy casualties in a restive southern city as the country’s three-week uprising entered a dangerous new phase.

Syria's president appointed a new prime minister Sunday, state television reported, as angry protesters gathered for the funeral processions of four demonstrators killed on Friday.

On a stage once commanded by his brutal father, President Bashar Assad blamed foreign conspiracies for Syria's unrest in a national speech Wednesday that sought to steel his family dynasty against a rebellion similar to those that have toppled regimes across the region.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accepted the resignation of the government on Tuesday, Syrian state television said.