Syria

Syria: Sexual Harassment of Foreign Women

Date: June 13th, 2007 |

The U.S. Embassy in Damascus reported recent incidents of sexual harassment against foreign women in the Syrian capital. In the first week of June, two incidents occurred when women walking alone were groped in the early morning or early evening. Several months ago, two women walking together in a tunnel underneath the Autostrad near Damascus [read more]

Syria: U.S. Embassy Attacked

Date: September 12th, 2006 |

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Islamic militants attacked the U.S. Embassy in Damascus Sept. 12 with automatic weapons, hand grenades and car bombs but failed to breach the walls or cause serious damage. Three attackers and a Syrian guard were killed, and 14 others were wounded, including 10 civilians. Authorities suspect a Syrian offshoot of al-Qaeda was responsible for the [read more]

Syria

Date: October 7th, 2003 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Damascus cited the Israeli bombing of an alleged terrorist camp in Ein Saheb north of Damascus as a reason for Americans in Syria to lie low. The attack was reportedly in response to the October 4th suicide bombing in Haifa, Israel, and the Embassy felt the action could produce anti-American [read more]

Syria

Date: July 19th, 2001 |

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Just when it appeared that Syria was opening its doors wider to Americans, tensions are now developing between visiting American scholars and the Syrian universities where they are in residence. Americans at two of four Syrian universities are being rebuffed by their Syrian colleagues in response to the conflict in Israel. The Syrians don’t want [read more]

Syria: U.S. Travel Warning Remains in Effect

Date: November 14th, 2006 |

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The U.S. State Department has authorized the return of non-emergency employees and their families to the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, but still urges Americans to defer non-essential travel to Syria. The department’s travel warning cites the Sept. 12 attack on the U.S. Embassy as evidence that terrorist groups are present in Syria and “have the [read more]

Middle East: Increased Security for Ramadan

Date: October 4th, 2005 |

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Arab governments are on alert for potential terrorist threats during Ramadan, a time that has seen a surge of attacks in recent years. The Muslim holy month is a time of prayer and introspection, festivity and celebration, a time when good deeds are multiplied by ten. For the militant who believes terrorism against the West [read more]

Syria

Date: April 9th, 2002 |

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The State Department has issued a warning against travel to Syria citing numerous demonstrations that have had an anti-U.S. tone, but acknowledges that authorities have prevented demonstrations from becoming violent. An April 7 rally organized by the government to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Ba’th Party became a support-the-intifada protest, [read more]