Syria in 2013 - never-ending civil war?
More than 120,000 people have been killed in Syria's civil war, and millions have fled abroad. There is no sign of reconciliation on either side.
A country fighting for survival
Government troops have set ablaze a petrol and oil depot in Aleppo. Children, men and women are running for their lives. More than 120,000 people have died in Syria's drawn-out civil war. Millions are on the run. A diplomatic solution is still a long way off.
Poison gas in Damascus
August 21, 2013: The Syrian opposition reported a poison gas attack by government troops on two rebel-held Damascus suburbs. Pictures and videos of the victims quickly found their way into the Internet. The two children pictured here were lucky - they survived the attack.
Obama's red line
More than 1,400 people died in the poison gas attack. The US government saw itself forced to act after it had warned Syria that using chemical weapons would be crossing a red line and have serious consequences. On August 30, Obama declared that the attack could not go unpunished.
Assad claims innocence
Assad denied the use of chemical weapons by his troops. Instead, the regime said the opposition was being manipulative, so as to provoke Western involvement. Even Assad's allies in Russia, however, were skeptical. Later, under mounting international pressure, Assad agreed to a UN inspectors' mission in Syria.
Looking for clues
The UN inspectors traveled to the Damascus suburbs several times to take samples and talk to victims. Their findings confirmed that an attack using sarin gas had taken place. But they were not allowed to say who was behind the attack - it is not part of their mandate. For the US government it is obvious that Assad was responsible.
Obama's military options
Because his red line had been crossed, US President Barack Obama felt compelled to intervene. And, indeed in the first few days after the sarin attack, it looked like military intervention was imminent. But the US population was not in favor of a military strike against Syria.
An opportunity for diplomacy
In the end, it was Assad's Russian allies who offered Obama an alternative: Moscow's proposal called for the inspection and subsequent destruction of Assad's chemical weapons by UN experts. Syria agreed to the plan. On September 14, US Foreign Secretary John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, announced the agreement.
From pariah to partner
Assad's supporters applauded the agreement. Granted, the regime was forced to give up its chemical weapons, but a military strike was averted. Assad's position was now strengthened; he had returned to the negotiating table after having been written off. But the Syrian opposition was frustrated - its hopes of Western intervention had been dashed.
Opposition under fire
The rebel fighters were hard-pushed from a military perspective. "Assad's forces have regained control over 80 percent of the territory," Syria expert Hamadi el-Aouni reported. The regime was getting support from Lebanese Hezbollah fighters. Advisers of Iran's Revolutionary Guard are also said to be in Syria.
Fragmented opposition
The opposition had also been weakened through fragmentation. Secular and moderate forces were competing with Islamists and Jihadists, civil opposition leaders abroad against armed groups in Syria itself. In 2013, there were numerous fights between rival opposition groups. Islamist groups like Jabhat al-Nusra - or the Nusra Front - are gaining ground.
Everyday life
Rebels of the Free Syrian Army took a break in fighting for a dip in the pool. Moments like this one, captured in Aleppo, are rare. The city is split, like the rest of the country, into government-controlled and rebel-held areas. There are skirmishes every day. Food is expensive and getting supplies to people in need is difficult.
Epidemics return
Providing health care to the population is extremely difficult, as hospitals are bombed and medication is hard to come by. In October, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported the first outbreak of polio in Syria for 14 years. The government has promised to implement a comprehensive vaccination program.
Fleeing the civil war
This teenager has had enough of war and violence. Like many thousands more, he has fled the fighting across the Turkish-Syrian border. The UN says that roughly three million Syrians have fled abroad, most of them to neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
Children in crisis
Around one million refugees from Syria are children. They often grow up in families without a father, families that have been torn apart. Some have to work to make a living for their families. The children pictured here live with their mother in a tent in the Kfar Zabad refugee camp in Lebanon.
Skeptical outlook
The keenly awaited Syria peace conference has been postponed several times. It is now scheduled for January 22 in Geneva. But not all opposition groups plan to attend, and Assad shows little inclination to compromise. No one is expecting a quick diplomatic solution. But a military victory for one of the parties is also unlikely.