There is reason for pessimism about this week’s conference in Geneva on the Syrian civil war. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has shown that he cannot be dislodged through force, and the rebels insist that they have no interest in any plan that does not involve his immediate departure...

  The Obama administration first learned last November about a harrowing trove of photographs that were said to document widespread torture and executions in Syrian prisons when a State Department official viewed some of the images on a laptop belonging to an antigovernment...

  A message purportedly from al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri addressed militants fighting in Syria to unite. The message, more than five minutes long, was posted online on militant websites.   In the message, Zawahiri calls upon all jihadi factions...

Here's a list of key fighting groups inside Syria: — SYRIAN GOVERNMENT — Despite major defections early in the conflict and the loss of significant territory to rebels, the Syrian military remains a potent force against an outgunned opposition. President Bashar Assad's inner circle...