Syria

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A senior White House official raised the possibility Friday of a broader American military campaign that targets an Islamic extremist group's bases in Syria, saying the U.S would take whatever action is necessary to protect national security.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- At the heart of President Barack Obama's quandary over the Islamic State militants is their haven in Syria.

GIOIA TAURO, Italy (AP) -- A United States cargo vessel loaded with hundreds of tons of Syria's chemical weapons has pulled out of an Italian port, as part of the final phase of the international effort to rid Syria of its chemical weapon stockpile.

BEIRUT (AP) -- The Syrian rebels that the U.S. now wants to support are in poor shape, on the retreat from the radical al-Qaida breakaway group that has swept over large parts of Iraq and Syria, with some rebels giving up the fight. It is not clear whether the new U.S. promise to arm them will make a difference.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is asking Congress for $500 million to train and arm vetted members of the Syrian opposition, as the U.S. grapples for a way to stem a civil war that has also fueled the al-Qaida inspired insurgency in neighboring Iraq.

JERUSALEM (AP) -- The Israeli military says it has carried out airstrikes on a number of military targets inside Syria, including the military headquarters, in response to a cross-border attack that left an Israeli teenager dead.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The humanitarian situation in Syria is worsening and the number of people needing urgent help has reached 10.8 million - almost half of Syria's population of 22 million, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The State Department confirmed Friday that a U.S. citizen from Florida launched a suicide bombing against Syrian government troops earlier this week in what is believed to be the first time an American has been involved in such attacks since the start of the Syrian civil war.

Thousands of supporters of Bashar Assad flocked to their embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday as expat voting started ahead of Syria's June 3 presidential election — a vote highly contentious amid the civil war but one that is widely expected to give the Syrian president a third seven-year term in office.

In an open move that would significantly boost U.S. support to Syrian rebels seeking military help in their quest to oust President Bashar Assad, the White House may soon sign off on a project to train and equip moderate forces.