Members of the Free Syrian Army react as they fire a homemade rocket toward regime forces in Deir al-Zor on Sunday, June 16. Tensions in Syria flared in March 2011 during the onset of the Arab Spring, escalating into an ongoing civil war. View the most compelling images taken since the start of the conflict. 
Syrian rebels leave their position in the northwestern town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday, June 13. The White House said that the Syrian government has crossed a "red line" with its use of chemical weapons and announced it would start arming the rebels. 
Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are seen near Qusayr on Thursday, May 30. 
Syrian rebels take position in a house during clashes with regime forces in the old city of Aleppo on May 22. 
Syrian army soldiers take control of the village of Western Dumayna north of the rebel-held city of Qusayr on Monday, May 13. Syrian troops captured three villages in Homs province, allowing them to cut supply lines to rebels inside Qusayr town, a military officer told AFP. 
Rebel fighters fire at government forces in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday, May 12. 
Searchers use a flashlight as they look for survivors among the rubble created by what activists say was a missile attack from the Syrian regime, in Raqqa province, Syria, on April 25. 
A Kurdish fighter from the "Popular Protection Units" (YPG) takes position inside a building in the majority-Kurdish Sheikh Maqsood area of Aleppo, on Apri. 21. 
People walk past destroyed houses in the northern Syrian town of Azaz on Sunday, April 21. 
Free Syrian Army fighters take positions prior to an offensive against government forces in the Khan al-Assal area, near Aleppo on Saturday, April 20. 
Men inspect damage at a house destroyed in an airstrike in Aleppo on April 15. 
Syrian and Kurdish rebel fighters walk in the Sheikh Maqsud district of Aleppo on April 14. 
A female rebel monitors the movement of Syrian government forces in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsud neighborhood on April 11. 
A rebel runs to avoid sniper fire from Syrian government forces in Aleppo on Thursday, April 11. 
Syrian rebels observe the movement of Syrian government forces around Al-Kendi hospital in Aleppo on Wednesday, April 10. 
Rescue teams and security forces check out the scene of a deadly car bomb explosion in Damascus on April 8. 
The fighting has taken a toll on buildings in Aleppo's Saladin district, seen here on April 8. 
A Syrian rebel runs for cover in Deir ez-Zor on April 2. 
A rebel checks for snipers across the street toward the Citadel in Aleppo, Syria, on Saturday, March 30, in this photo taken by iReporter Lee Harper. 
A Free Syrian fighter mourns the death of a friend in Aleppo on March 30, in this photo taken by iReporter Lee Harper. 
A Syrian opposition fighter runs for cover from Syrian army snipers in Aleppo on Wednesday, March 27. 
A Syrian girl covers her face to protect herself from fumes as a street covered with uncollected garbage is fumigated in Aleppo on Sunday, March 24. 
A Syrian man and his family drive past damaged buildings in Maarat al-Numan, on Wednesday, March 20. 
Syrians carry the body of a Syrian army soldier during a funeral ceremony in Idlib province on Tuesday, March 19. 
Syrian rebels take position in Aleppo, the largest city in the country, on March 11. 
Syrian men search for their relatives amongst the bodies of civilians executed and dumped in the Quweiq River on March 11. 
A Free Syrian Army fighter looks back as smoke rises during fighting between rebel fighters and forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on the outskirts of Aleppo on Saturday, March 2. 
Residents read Shaam News newspapers published by the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo on March 2. 
A member of the Free Syrian Army reacts to the death of a comrade who was killed in fighting, at Bustan al Qasr cemetery in Aleppo on Friday, March 1. 
A rebel fighter throws a home-made grenade at Syrian government forces in Aleppo on February 16. 
A member of the Free Syrian Army stands with his weapon as he looks at a rainbow in Aleppo on February 16. 
A Syrian woman looks through a bus window in Aleppo on February 14. 
Free Syrian Army fighters walk through a dust-filled stairwell in Damascus on February 7. 
A Syrian rebel gestures at comrades from inside a broken armored personnel carrier in Al-Yaqubia on February 6. 
A rebel fighter throws a hand grenade inside a Syrian Army base in Damascus on February 3. 
People stand in the dust of a building destroyed in an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria on February 3. 
Free Syrian Army fighters run as they enter a Syrian Army base during heavy fighting in the Arabeen neighborhood of Damascus on February 3. 
An unexploded mortar shell fired by the Syrian Army sits lodged in the ground in Damascus on January 25. 
Fighters from Fateh al Sham unit of the Free Syrian Army fire on Syrian Army soldiers at a check point in Damascus on January 20. 
A Free Syrian Army fighter walks between buildings damaged during Syrian Air Force strikes in Damascus on January 19. 
A Syrian rebel fighter tries to locate a government jet fighter in Aleppo on January 18. 
Syrian rebels launch a missile near the Abu Baker brigade in Albab on January 16. 
A Syrian boy walks near rubbish next to tents at a refugee camp near the northern city of Azaz on the Syria-Turkey border, on January 8. 
Syrians look for survivors amid the rubble of a building targeted by a missile in Aleppo on January 7. 
A father reacts after hearing of a shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on January 3. 
A patient smokes a cigarette at Dar Al-Ajaza psychiatric hospital in Aleppo on December 18, 2012. The psychiatric ward, housing around 60 patients, has lacked the means to function properly since fighting broke out there in July. 
Syrians mourn a fallen rebel fighter at a rebel base in the al-Fardos area of Aleppo on December 8. 
Members of Liwa (Brigade) Salahadin, a Kurdish military unit fighting alongside rebel fighters, monitor the area in the besieged district of Karmel al-Jabl in Aleppo on December 6. 
A member of Liwa Salahadin aims at a regime fighter in the besieged district of Karmel al-Jabl in Aleppo on December 6. 
Two young boys sit underneath a washline in a refugee camp on the border between Syria and Turkey near Azaz on December 5. 
The bodies of three children, who were allegedly killed in a mortar shell attack that landed close to a bakery in Aleppo, on December 2, are laid out for identification by family members at a makeshift hospital at an undisclosed location of the city. 
Smoke rises in the Hanano and Bustan al-Basha districts in Aleppo on December 1 as fighting continues through the night. 
Damaged houses in Aleppo are seen after an airstrike on November 29. 
A Syrian rebel mourns the death of a comrade in Maraat al-Numan on November 20. 
Syrians protesters stand on Assad's portrait during an anti-regime demonstration in Aleppo on November 16. 
A Syrian rebel takes cover during fighting against Syrian government forces in Aleppo on November 15. 
Syrian opposition fighter Bazel Araj, 19, sleeps next to his pistol in Aleppo on November 11. 
A rebel fighter fires at a Syrian government position in Aleppo on November 6. 
A Syrian rebel leaps over debris left in the street while running across a "sniper alley" near the Salahudeen district in Aleppo on November 4. 
Rebels hold their position in the midst of a battle on November 3 in Aleppo. 
A man cries while being treated in a local hospital in a rebel-controlled area of Aleppo on October 31. 
A man is treated for wounds after a government jet attacked the Karm al-Aser neighborhood in eastern Aleppo on October 31. 
A Syrian rebel interrogates a handcuffed and blindfolded man suspected of being a pro-regime militiaman in Aleppo on October 26. 
Smoke rises from a fuel station following a mortar attack as Syrian women walk on a rainy day in the Arqub neighborhood of Aleppo on October 25. 
A Syrian rebel fires at an army position in the Karm al-Jabal district of Aleppo on October 22. 
A wounded Syrian boy sits on the back of a truck carrying victims and wounded people to a hospital following an attack by regime forces in Aleppo on October 21. 
A man lies on the ground after being shot by a sniper for a second time as he waits to be rescued by members of the Al-Baraa Bin Malek Battalion, part of the Free Syria Army's Al-Fatah brigade, in Aleppo on October 20. 
Syrian army soldiers run for cover during clashes with rebel fighters at Karam al-Jabal neighborhood of Aleppo on October 20. 
Smoke rises after a Syrian Air Force fighter jet fired missiles at the suburbs of the northern province of Idlib on October 16. 
A Syrian opposition fighter stands near a post in Aleppo on October 11. 
A Syrian man mourns the death of his father, who was killed during a government attack in Aleppo on October 10. 
A rebel fighter is carried by his friends and laid on a gurney to be treated for gunshot wounds sustained during heavy battles with government forces in Aleppo on October 1. 
Syrian rebels help a wounded comrade to an Aleppo hospital after he was injured in a Syrian army strike on September 18. 
Free Syria Army fighters are reflected in a mirror they use to see a Syrian Army post only 50 meters away in Aleppo on September 16. 
A Syrian man carrying grocery bags tries to dodge sniper fire as he runs through an alley near a checkpoint manned by the Free Syria Army in Aleppo on September 14. 
A woman walks past a destroyed building in Aleppo on September 13. 
Free Syrian Army fighters battle during street fighting against Syrian army soldiers in Aleppo on September 8. 
A Syrian man wounded by shelling sits on a chair outside a closed shop in Aleppo on September 4. 
A woman sits in her wheelchair next to her house, damaged by a Syrian air raid, near Homs on August 26. 
Members of the Free Syrian Army clash with Syrian army soliders in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district on August 22. 
A man mourns in front of a field hospital on August 21 in Aleppo. 
Wounded civilians wait in a field hospital after an air strike on August 21 in Aleppo. 
People pray during the funeral of a Free Syrian Army fighter, Amar Ali Amero, on August 21. 
A man cries near the graves of his two children killed during a recent Syrian airstrike in Azaz on August 20. 
A Syrian woman holds her dead baby as she screams upon seeing her husband's body being covered following an airstrike by regime forces on the town of Azaz on August 15. 
A Syrian rebel runs in a street of Selehattin during an attack on the municipal building on July 23. 
Syrian rebels hunt for snipers after attacking the municipality building in the city center of Selehattin on July 23. 
Members of the Free Syrian Army's Mugaweer (commandos) Brigade pay their respects in a cemetery on May 12 in Qusayr. 
Syrian rebels take position near Qusayr on May 10. 
A Free Syrian Army member takes cover in underground caves in Sarmin on April 9. 
Rebels prepare to engage government tanks that advanced into Saraquib on April 9. 
Men say prayers during a ceremony in Binnish on April 9. 
A young boy plays with a toy gun in Binnish on April 9. 
A Free Syrian Army rebel mounts his horse in the Al-Shatouria village near the Turkish border in northwestern Syria on March 16, a year after the uprising began. 
Syrian refugees walk across a field before crossing into Turkey on March 14. 
A rebel takes position in Al-Qsair on January 27. 
A protester in Homs throws a tear gas bomb back towards security forces, on December 27, 2011. 
A man stands under a giant Syrian flag outside the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on December 24, 2011. 
A member of the Free Syrian Army looks out over a valley in the village of Ain al-Baida on December 15, 2011. 
Members of the Free Syrian Army stand in an valley near the village of Ain al-Baida, close to the Turkish border, on December 15, 2011. 
Displaced Syrian refugees walk through an orchard adjacent to Syria's northern border with Turkey on June 14, 2011, near Khirbet al-Jouz. 
A Syrian man holds up a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad during a rally to show support for the president in Damascus on April 30, 2011. 
Syrians rally to show their support for President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on April 30, 2011. 
A screen grab from YouTube shows thick smoke rising above as Syrian anti-government protesters demonstrate in Moaret Al-Noman on April 29, 2011. 
A screen grab from YouTube shows Syrian anti-government protesters run for cover from tear gas fired by security forces in Damascus on April 29, 2011, during the "Day of Rage" demonstrations called by activists to put pressure on al-Assad. 
Syrians wave their national flag and hold portraits of al-Assad during a rally to show their support for their leader in Damascus on March 29, 2011. 
A woman sits by the hospital bed of a man allegedly injured when an armed group seized rooftops in Latakia on March 27, 2011, and opened fire at passers-by, citizens and security forces personnel according to official sources. 
Syrian protesters chant slogans in support of al-Assad during a rally in Damascus on March 25, 2011. 
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- NEW: Differences remain between the U.S. and Russia, an official says
- "There is no proof" that Damascus has used chemical weapons, Vladimir Putin says
- G8 leaders call for international conference but offer little new to end crisis
- "Reconciliation minister" says all of the Syrian government should be up for negotiation
Lough Erne, Northern Ireland (CNN) -- The Group of Eight leaders meeting in Northern Ireland on Tuesday called for an international conference on the ongoing crisis in Syria to be held "as soon as possible" but offered little new that might end the civil war there.
In their final statement, the G8 leaders said peace is a shared goal, noted that Jordan and Lebanon are playing a "vital humanitarian role" on refugees and vowed to give nearly $1.5 billion more to meet the humanitarian needs of Syria and its neighbors.
The leaders also expressed concern about the presence of al Qaeda and other extremist elements in Syria.
Though the statement condemned "any use of chemical weapons" and asked for an international team to be allowed to investigate their possible use, it did not say whether such weapons have been used. Nor did it mention Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he had seen no proof that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons and that he was not alone. "Not all of the G8 members take the view that the chemical weapons were in fact used by the Syrian army," he said. "Some actually agreed with us that there is no proof."
'Presidency to be decided by Syrians' 
Columnist: Diplomacy won't work in Syria 
Obama, Putin disagree on Syrian solution 
UK, Russia differ over Syria 
On front line with al-Assad fighters He called the discussion on Syria "good" despite disagreements.
"The bloodshed has to be stopped, and this will be called for," he told reporters. "This can be achieved only by political and diplomatic means."
Putin implied that shipments of Russian arms to al-Assad regime's could continue. "This is the legal government of Syria, the government of Assad," he said. "There is no other legal government of Syria so far, and we're fulfilling our legal contracts."
He warned his "European partners" that the arming of rebels could prove dangerous. "Who is going to control and verify who is going to have these weapons?" he asked. "So, we call all our partners -- before making this dangerous step -- think about it very carefully."
In his remarks, U.S. President Barack Obama told reporters that the U.S. and French governments have evidence that al-Assad has used chemical weapons "in the past."
Obama said he and French President Francois Hollande agreed that it is important to "move to a political transition in Syria, to build a strong opposition to function in a post-Assad world."
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki acknowledged that differences remain between the United States and Russia.
"There is still a disagreement, as we all know, that we have with the Russians on some issues, but having an international body like the G8 signify that they agree on the path forward, we felt is significant," she told reporters during a briefing on Tuesday.
But al-Assad's government offered no indication Tuesday that it was going anywhere. Al-Assad's appointee to the newly created post of minister of national reconciliation, Ali Haidar, told CNN's Frederik Pleitgen in an exclusive interview that he believes Syrians can still unite for a political solution at the Geneva, Switzerland, conference, for which no firm date has been set.
"The best compromise that we can achieve today is that the regime and ... the homeland peaceful opposition agree to the negotiating table without any preconditions, without excluding anybody from the opposition -- which means everything is subject to discussion," Haidar said.
And that includes the presidency.
"The office of the president is a matter related to the whole political structure of the country ... and we believe the shape and structure should be discussed among Syrians and should be decided by the Syrians in a referendum because only the Syrian people can decide what happens."
Preconditions have been a sticking point, with members of the opposition saying they won't negotiate with the regime unless al-Assad steps down from four decades of family rule. Similarly, the government has said it won't deal with "terrorists" -- a term it uses to describe rebels.
The death toll has reached 92,000, a figure growing by about 5,000 people a month, according to the United Nations.
"The military problems on the ground only deal with the problem of violence. It does not resolve the political crisis," Haidar said. He said the only solution is a political one, not a military one.
Haidar's comments came days after the United States announced it will start arming Syrian rebels, who have sought more weapons to fight al-Assad's better-equipped military. The Obama administration said Syria's government had crossed a "red line" by using chemical weapons -- including sarin gas -- against the opposition.
But Haidar disputed those assertions, which have also been made by Britain and France.
"The talk about chemical weapons is only for political reasons," Haidar said. "So far, no one has proved anything about who used them and where they were used, and who was behind using the chemical weapons."
But with a precondition of having no preconditions for a political dialogue, it's unclear if or when "national reconciliation" will take place.
West of Syria, in Beirut, Lebanon, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres expressed alarm Tuesday over the growing number of refugees in Lebanon.
A possible spillover of the Syrian crisis into neighboring countries must be addressed "to prevent the flames of war from spreading across the Middle East," Guterres said, according to a UNHCR statement.
Guterres and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati appealed to international donors for $1.7 billion in aid.
The number of Syrians fleeing to Lebanon is projected to exceed 1 million by the end of the year.
"There is not a village, city or town in Lebanon that is not hosting Syrian refugees," Guterres told reporters in Beirut.
"The international community must overcome its divisions and come together to stop the fighting if we want to prevent the flames of war from spreading across the Middle East," Guterres said.
Iran's semiofficial news agency Mehr reported Tuesday that a Foreign Ministry spokesman has denied a report first published Sunday in British newspaper The Independent that Iran has decided to send 4,000 troops to support Syria's government.
"These news media reports are pure lies and unrealistic fabrications," said Abbas Araqchi, the spokesman. "Iran has never and will never send Iranian forces to Damascus."
U.S. officials and Syrian opposition fighters say they have intelligence that Iranian forces are in Syria.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reported from Damascus; Holly Yan and Tom Watkins reported and wrote from Atlanta; and Jill Dougherty reported from Washington.
