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Image: SANA/dpa/picture alliance
Image: SANA/dpa/picture alliance
Bashar Assad
Born on September 11, 1965, Bashar Assad took control of Syria after his father died in 2000.
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All Content on this topic
Syrian quagmire
DW takes a look at the opposition groups' makeup and goals as the deadly confict continues.
No to military intervention
Hours after China and Russia vetoed a UN resolution on Syria, Germany's defense minister again ruled out the use of foreign military force. The Security Council has voted to extend the UN observer mission by 30 days.
Syrian rebels claim border posts
Syrian rebels have taken control of a number of the country's border posts. Fighting in Damascus rages on after the global community failed within the UN Security Council to reach agreement on a way forward.
Syria bomb attack hailed as key
A bombing in the Syrian capital Damascus on Wednesday that killed several top officials has been hailed as a turning point by opponents of the ruling regime. Two organizations have claimed responsibility for the attack.
'Symbolic victory'
Wednesday's attack on the Syrian leadership is a temporary success for the rebels.
Security Council Syria vote
UN chief Ban Ki-moon and international envoy on Syria Kofi Annan have called on the UN Security Council to take strong action in a vote that was delayed to allow an agreement to be reached.
Report: Syrian minister killed
Syria's defense minister has reportedly been killed in a suicide bombing in Damascus. President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law and others were present in the government building at the time of the blast.
Looking for a Syria solution
UN-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan is in Moscow for talks with Russian leaders on the crisis in Syria as Damascus is rocked by violence.
Russia accuses West of blackmail
The Russian foreign minister has accused the West of using blackmail to force Moscow to back UN sanctions against Syria. His comments come ahead of talks with UN-Arab League crisis envoy Kofi Annan.
'Fierce fighting' in Damascus
Fresh clashes in the Syrian capital Damascus have been described as the heaviest to take place in the city since fighting began over 15 months ago. The Red Cross has designated the conflict effectively as a civil war.
Russia to meet with Annan
The Russian president and UN special envoy Kofi Annan are set to hold talks on the crisis in Syria on Tuesday. Observers have visited the Syrian village where regime forces are said to have killed scores of people.
Terror in Tremseh
The massacre in Tremseh is the latest in a widening series of bloody massacres in Syria.
Clinton urges action on Syria
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said there was indisputable evidence that Damascus was to blame for an alleged massacre. International Syria peace envoy Kofi Annan has urged the UN Security Council to act.
Russia against UN Syria proposal
Russia has said it will veto any new Western-backed UN resolution against Syria, pouring cold water on plans to up pressure on the regime. But recent defections betray cracks in the Syrian government according to some.
Top Syrian diplomat defects
Syria's ambassador to Iraq has become the most senior diplomat to abandon President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Nawaf Fares is the second prominent Syrian to defect in less than a week.
Syria rebels can't sway Russia
After meeting the Russian Foreign Minister, the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) said on Wednesday that there was "no change" in Russia's position on intervention or its support for President Bashar Assad.
Syria deadlock
Russia remains at loggerheads with the West on what to do about Syria.
Annan: Hope for Syria 'deal'
The Syrian President is open to ending the bloodshed in his country through an incremental process, according to UN envoy Kofi Annan. The revelations coincide with calls for Syria peace talks to be more inclusive.
Assad interview
Assad blames the violence in Syria on terrorist groups.
Annan, Syria agree new approach
UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have decided on a new political "approach" after talks in Damascus. Annan did not give further details.
Annan returns to Assad
UN-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan has met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, calling their encounter "constructive." The talks followed an outspoken interview with Assad on German television.
Assad blames US for violence
The Syrian president blames the US and 'terrorists' for more than a year of conflict in his country. In an exclusive interview with German television, he also said certain countries had thwarted Kofi Annan's peace plan.
Annan to hold talks in Syria
Kofi Annan has arrived in Damascus in an effort to resuscitate his stalled peace plan after admitting that it had failed. President Assad has accused foreign powers of undermining the plan's success.
Syria defections welcomed
Global leaders meeting for the 'Friends of Syria' conference in Paris have welcomed the defection of a former close ally of President Bashar Assad. The US slammed Russia and China for blocking progress in the conflict.
Defected general heads to Paris
A high-level military official close to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is heading to Paris after defecting to Turkey, as delegates from some 100 nations meet in the French capital to seek an end to the crisis in Syria.
Friends of Syria in Paris
At the start of the third meeting of the Friends of Syria organization, French President Francois Hollande said support for the democratic opposition in Syria is to be increased.
Military commander flees Syria
A military commander and former member of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's inner circle has fled, the first desertion by an individual of such high army ranking. Meanwhile foreign ministers headed to Paris for talks.
Paris talks on Syria to start
Leaders have headed to Paris for fresh Syria due to kick off tomorrow. But China and Russia look set to snub the event, as the bloodshed on the ground continues.
Syrian opposition divided
Rivalries between Syria's various opposition groups have plagued two-days of unity talks in Cairo sponsored by the Arab League. The opposition was able to agree only on a general vision for a post-Assad future.
Assad regrets downing plane
In an interview with a Turkish newspaper, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he regretted that a Turkish plane was shot down by Syrian forces last month.
Syrian opposition talks
The head of the Arab League has called on Syria's various opposition groups to unite to form a credible alternative to the Assad regime. Meanwhile, a Syrian general and two colonels are among 85 defectors to Turkey.
Syria unity talks under way
Members of the Syrian opposition are due to meet in Cairo for two days of Arab League-sponsored talks, aimed at finding a transition plan for Syria. Meanwhile, aid workers have evacuated civilians near Damascus.
Syria plan falls flat
The initial excitement over an international plan for transition to democracy in Syria seems to be waning as both the Syrian opposition and state media have deemed it a failure. Meanwhile, the death toll is mounting.
Syrians criticize latest plan
The government in Damascus and Syrian opposition groups have both said key talks on the conflict were a failure. World leaders agreed to usher in a transitional government to stop the bloodshed, but it's not clear how.
Syria impasse
A summit in Geneva agreed a new Syria plan, but there is still deadlock on at least one key issue.
Syria plan agreed
Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League special envoy to Syria, said that world powers have all agreed to his political transition plan for Syria. The deal does not take a firm stance on the future of President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria talks under way
Kofi Annan warned divided powers that history "will judge us all harshly" if talks in Geneva fail to end the conflict in Syria. Differences between the US and Russia make it unlikely that unanimous agreement will result.
Still divided on Syria
World leaders are hedging their bets on whether they will find agreement in discussions about a possible political transition in Syria. The talks are set to get under way in Geneva.
Moment of truth for Syria plan
As the United Nations gets set to launch preliminary discussions on international envoy Kofi Annan's proposal for a transitional government in Syria, Russia has voiced tepid assent.
Turkey heads for Syria
Turkey has sent troops and military equipment to the border with Syria, causing tensions between the two countries to soar. Meanwhile, the UN mooted a potential power-sharing solution for the troubled country.
Unity government for Syria?
United Nations diplomats say envoy Kofi Annan has sent a plan for a power-sharing Syrian government to major world powers ahead of their crisis talks in Geneva on Saturday. It could exclude President Bashar al-Assad.
UN probe slams Syrian regime
United Nations investigators have said Syria's 16-month conflict resembles civil war. They accuse government forces of violations on an "alarming scale," including executions, and rebels of torturing captured soldiers.
Assad: 'Syria at war'
Fighting in Syria reportedly has intensified, especially in the capital, Damascus. The UN hopes an international conference at the weekend will reduce tensions.
No escalation
Ankara's approach to Syria is unusually cautious - for good reason, say analysts.
Syria defiant, EU ups sanctions
Syria's Bashar Assad has defended the shooting down of a Turkish jet last Friday. It comes after EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday announced further sanctions on Syria.
Putin visiting Israel
Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun a Middle East tour, starting in Israel, which wants him to press Iran to abandon its uranium program. Putin will also visit senior West Bank Palestinians and Jordan.
Iran urges restraint
Iran has called for restraint and tolerance after a Syrian anti-aircraft battery shot down a Turkish warplane over coastal Mediterranean waters.
Lost 'brotherhood'
Turkish-Syrian relations have now turned icy, but the two nations were on good terms for years.
Syrian humanitarian crisis
Syrian opposition activists say around 50 people were killed in violence across the country on Friday. This comes as the UN warns of a growing humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing fighting.
Moscow’s behavior
A global boycott of the Sochi Olympics would make Russia pay a price for its support for Assad.
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