Syrian security forces clashed with gunmen today in an upmarket area of the capital Damascus that is home to embassies and senior officials.

Syrian president Bashar Assad replaced his defence minister with the army chief of staff in the midst of a brutal military crackdown on a five-month-old uprising, the state-run news agency said.

Syrian Prosecutor-General Ghada Murad has invited the chief UN investigator into the assassination of Rafik Hariri for talks on co-ordinating his probe with Syria’s newly appointed investigation.

The chief UN investigator into the assassination of a former Lebanese premier has summoned six senior Syrian intelligence officers, including President Bashar Assad’s brother-in-law, for questioning, a Lebanese official said today.

THE UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution last night demanding Syria's full co-operation with a UN investigation into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister and warned of possible "further action" if it doesn't.

THE brother-in-law of Syria’s president has been implicated in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, according to a UN inquiry.