Israel\’s Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor said on Thursday a deadly Syrian mortar strike on a Turkish town had to be considered an attack on a member of the NATO alliance.
When a popular uprising started in Tunisia less than two years ago, it took the world by surprise. Not many observers had anticipated the outbreak, let alone the success, of popular uprisings in a region far better known for the longevity of its tyrants and despots.
Syria shot down a Turkish plane believing it was an Israeli plane, a Syrian government minister said.
Russia said on Tuesday Syria\’s shooting down of a Turkish warplane should not be seen as a provocation and warned world powers against using the incident to push for stronger action against Damascus.
The Arab League stepped up sanctions against Syria over its violent suppression of a popular revolt.
Syrian forces killed at least 30 civilians in tank assaults on Tuesday and moved into a town near the Turkish border, activists and witnesses said, even as Turkey\’s foreign minister pressed President Bashar Assad to halt assaults on protests against his rule.
Turkey has informed a UN Security Council panel that it seized a cache of weapons Iran was attempting to export in breach of a UN arms embargo, according to a document obtained by Reuters on Thursday. Security Council diplomats said the report of the seizure from an Iranian cargo plane reflected positively on Turkey, which some U.S. and European officials say has taken a lax approach to implementing international sanctions against Iranian financial institutions.
As the Annapolis peace parley rapidly approaches, some of the Arab and Muslim players expected to play a key role in creating conditions for a favorable outcome are proving to be more of an obstacle than an asset.
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