WORLD
April 22, 2008 | Borzou Daragahi, Times Staff Writer
It's the midmorning commute, and time for the horoscope on "Good Morning Syria," the nation's hottest radio show. "Cancer," host Honey Sayed addresses listeners first in Arabic, then in English, with an air of sisterly candor, "don't get all worked up for nothing." On the other side of the window, deejay Abdullah Shaaban cues an oldie from John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. "I got chills, they're multiplying," Travolta sings. "And I'm losing control."
WORLD
August 26, 2009 | Liz Sly
An Al Qaeda-affiliated group claimed responsibility Tuesday for the devastating suicide bombings at two government ministries in Baghdad last week, while Iraq and Syria recalled their ambassadors in an escalating dispute over whether Damascus may have aided the attacks. The claim of responsibility came in a statement posted on the Internet by the Islamic State of Iraq, the name now used by the Al Qaeda in Iraq organization. The group does not often acknowledge a role in bombings, and the ones it does claim tend to be among the most spectacular.
WORLD
April 14, 2009 | Borzou Daragahi
David Lesch remembers how, as the first-round winter draft pick for the Dodgers in 1980, he was singled out by Tommy Lasorda to throw against all-stars Ron Cey, Reggie Smith, Davey Lopes and Bill Russell on his very first day of spring training. His initial pitch to Cey sailed over his head. Cey got up from the dirt and shot him an angry glance. But Lesch calmed down and pitched the rest of the practice without a hitch.
WORLD
January 7, 2004 | Amberin Zaman, Special to The Times
Syrian President Bashar Assad began a landmark visit to Turkey on Tuesday, marking a dramatic shift in relations between the two countries that were close to war just five years ago. Assad's visit -- the first by a Syrian head of state -- is likely to focus on a growing number of mutual concerns, including the U.S. occupation of Iraq, fears of resurgent Kurdish nationalism in that country and regional instability.
NEWS
December 19, 2001 | MICHAEL SLACKMAN, TIMES STAFF WRITER
The outdoor cafe was crowded with men drinking beer when Osama bin Laden suddenly appeared on a television screen in the corner. The men rose, cheering and toasting, when Bin Laden said America would not know security until the Palestinians do. Bin Laden says he is waging a jihad, or holy war, in the interest of Islam. So Abdel Razzak was a bit taken aback to see his friends and neighbors toasting the zealot with alcohol, which is prohibited by the Muslim faith.
NATIONAL
April 6, 2007 | Joel Havemann, Times Staff Writer
Vice President Dick Cheney scolded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday for "bad behavior" in traveling to Syria, a country that he said promoted terrorism. In a conversation with fellow conservative Rush Limbaugh on Limbaugh's radio show, Cheney belittled Pelosi's public statement after she met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Wednesday.
WORLD
October 28, 2008 | Greg Miller and Josh Meyer, Miller and Meyer are Times staff writers.
U.S. commandos crossing into Syria in an unprecedented raid this weekend killed a senior Al Qaeda associate accused of funneling fighters, weapons and cash to the insurgency in Iraq, U.S. officials familiar with the operation said Monday. Abu Ghadiyah, the chief of a Syrian smuggling network who was killed in the controversial operation Sunday, was "one of the most prominent, if not the most prominent, facilitators of foreign fighters going into Iraq for Al Qaeda," a senior U.S. official said.
WORLD
July 14, 2006 | Paul Richter, Josh Meyer and Sebastian Rotella, Times Staff Writers
The Bush administration was quick to pin responsibility on Iran and Syria when Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers this week. Yet those countries may not have specifically planned and ordered the raid that has brought the Middle East to the edge of war, U.S. officials and terrorism experts say. Iran and Syria each have long-standing ties to Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim militant group, and no Western government doubts that they provide financial, political and logistical support.
NEWS
April 27, 2003 | Azadeh Moaveni, Times Staff Writer
Efforts by Syria to seal its border with Iraq and prevent smuggling of Iraqi antiquities through its territory are easing tensions with the Bush administration. However, trickier challenges lie ahead that are expected to keep alive the political conflicts between the United States and Syria. Foremost is Washington's demand that Syria expel extremist Palestinian groups operating here in the Syrian capital and cut ties to the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Secretary of State Colin L.
NEWS
April 16, 2003 | Sebastian Rotella, Times Staff Writer
Syria has functioned as a hub for an Al Qaeda network that moved Islamic extremists and funds from Italy to northeastern Iraq, where the recruits fought alongside the recently defeated Ansar al Islam terrorist group, according to an Italian investigation. The investigation, which began last year, could intensify the growing debate about Syria's alleged ties to terrorism. Two weeks ago, Italian police arrested seven alleged Al Qaeda operatives.