Bashar al-Assad
'Victory is near'
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad yesterday told his troops they were close to winning the country's seven-year civil war after inflicting a succession of defeats on rebels.
Haunted by a sinking ship
Thamer & Thayer, brothers from Syria, escaped war, then unrest in Libya only to be faced with death on the Mediterranean
Life-threatening sea journey / Mouhamad’s journey
Mouhamad, a 40-year-old dentist and poet, lived in Aleppo, Syria, for many years.
IS advance near Turkish border, civilians trapped
Islamic State fighters capture territory from Syrian rebels near the Turkish border and inch closer to a town on a supply route for foreign-backed insurgents fighting the jihadists, a monitoring group said.
Twin car bombs kill 46 in Syria's Homs as truce efforts flounder
Double car bomb attacks kill at least 46 people in Syria's central city of Homs on Sunday as international efforts to bring about a ceasefire in the war-torn country have floundered.
Syria conflict: France calls on Russia to stop bombing civilians
French PM Manuel Valls urges Russia to stop bombing civilians while carrying out airstrikes in Syria - but Moscow denies harming them.
Syria conflict: Rebels pledge to keep fighting
Rebel groups in Syria have told the BBC they will not stop fighting because they do not believe that Russia will end its bombing campaign in support of the government.
Turkey challenges Russia over IS oil trade claim
Turkey has challenged Russia to prove its claim that Ankara shot down a Russian plane in order to protect its oil trade with Islamic State (IS).
THE WORLD IN WORDS / The Assad Dead End
Forget principles and morality. Forget, or try to forget, the quarter-million deaths for which Bashar al-Assad is responsible, directly or indirectly, since choosing to respond with violence to a peaceful uprising of the Syrian people.
Assad in surprise visit to Moscow
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has visited Moscow on his first overseas trip since the civil war broke out in his country in 2011.
Syria conflict: Air strikes 'kill 40 IS militants'
40 militants with the so-called Islamic State are killed in air strikes in Syria, a British-based monitoring group reports.
Syria conflict: Putin defends Russia's air strikes
Russian President Vladimir Putin defends Russia's military operations in Syria, saying the aim is to "stabilise the legitimate authority" of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Nato 'concern' over Russia Syria role
Nato defence ministers will assess the "troubling escalation of Russian military activities" in Syria, the alliance's secretary-general says, ahead of talks in Brussels.
Syria war: 'Assad must go' to ensure IS defeat - Obama
US President Barack Obama has said defeating Islamic State in Syria would only be possible if President Bashar al-Assad stepped down.
Syria crisis: 'Deadly air raids' against IS in Palmyra
Syrian government war planes have launched one of the heaviest bombardments yet on the city of Palmyra, which is held by Islamic State (IS) militants, activists say.
Ending Syria war ‘key to migrant crisis’
Ending the conflict in Syria and Iraq is key to solving the migrant crisis facing Europe, a senior US official tells the BBC.
Russian cargo planes 'carrying aid' arrive in Syria
Two Russian cargo planes carrying 80 tonnes of humanitarian aid have landed in Syria, Syrian state media say.
Islamic State in Syria demolishes al-Qaryatain monastery
Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria have demolished a Christian monastery in al-Qaryatain town in Homs province.
US army shuts website after hacking attack
The US army has temporarily taken down its website after a hacking attack.