Unknown gunmen shot at an Egyptian military checkpoint in the Rafah area of North Sinai on Sept. 17, injuring a soldier, a security source told Aswat Masriya, Ahram Online reported.
Russia is prepared to meet with the leaders of the Syrian opposition coalition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sept. 16, Itar-Tass reported.
A Syrian helicopter was shot down Sept. 16 by the Turkish air force after it violated Turkey's air space, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said, Dogan news agency reported.
Syrian President Bashar al Assad's forces have begun moving some of the regime's chemical weapons to Lebanon and Iraq in recent days to evade possible U.N. inspections, rebel leader Gen. Selim Idris said Sept. 14, Reuters reported.
Separate factions of Syrian opposition fighters clashed near the Iraqi border on Sept. 14, leaving at least five people dead, activists with the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, AP reported.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reached an agreement Sept. 14 on a framework for Syria to destroy its chemical weapons arsenal, AP reported.
A U.S.-Russian deal to remove Syria's chemical weapons arsenal contains nothing about the possible use of force if Syria fails to comply, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sept. 14, Reuters reported.
Although popular uprisings and widespread calls for change continue throughout the region, the Arab Spring has not led to regime change. Even in the exceptional case of Libya, where the regime collapsed, a new order remains elusive. The mass unrest that broke out in 2011 has destabilized the region and plunged it into a lengthy period of uncertainty.
