The United Nations security council unanimously voted to adopt a resolution to investigate if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against innocent civilians. However, the honeymoon did not last long when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blasted these claims.
Contents: As Iran rises in the Mideast, Kurds benefit in Iraq and Syria; Saudi Arabia suffers deadliest terrorism attack in years; Puerto Rico default triggers selloff in municipal bond funds
A month after Turkey agreed to allow U.S. and allied forces to use its airfields for operations in Syria, the first armed drone strike has been conducted by the United States.
The Jerusalem Post presents a dismaying roundup of reactions from the Arab world to the performance of the U.S.-trained and equipped New Syrian Force, the tiny group of “moderate” rebels that hit the battlefield just a few weeks ago, and was swiftly picked apart by al-Qaeda, with nearly two dozen of its fighters and officers taken captive.
U.S. officials announced Sunday that the Pentagon will defend American-trained Syrian rebels against attacks from the Syrian Armed Forces – the military forces controlled by Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Damascus.
A matter of days after 54 American-trained moderate Syrian Rebel Army fighters reported for duty, the New York Times reports that the commander of the unit plus seven of his fighters—including his second-in-command—have been kidnapped by the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda franchise, while they were returning from a meeting in Turkey.
Discussing Turkey’s recent military action in Syria and Iraq, CNN quotes Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blaming the Western world for creating ISIS by failing to remove Bashar Assad from power in Syria–a long-standing strategic objective of the Turks.
An alliance of Sunni Islamist militias in Syria that includes the al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra have reportedly mounted a major offensive toward the country’s Alawite heartland in the home province of President Bashar al-Assad where many Christians reside.
Republican members of the House made headlines for grilling Secretary of State John Kerry on the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday, but Democrat Rep. Ted Deutch landed a solid punch by noting the Administration is absurdly downplaying how much damage Iran can do with all the money Obama wants to give them, long before they detonate a nuclear bomb.
Australia’s ABC News reports on dictator Bashar al-Assad’s “remarkably frank assessment of the strains affecting the Syrian military.” Assad used his first public address in a year to admit he has lost control of a good deal of his country, and is digging in to defend what his regime has left.
Contents: US military says China is lying about its artificial islands; China state TV shows mock military attack on Taiwan; China faces nightmare political scenario with stock market plunge; Turkey-US ‘ISIS-free zone’ in Syria becomes increasingly controversial
The Syrian Kurdish YPG/YPJ–or People’s Protection Units–issued a statement on Monday condemning Turkish airstrikes on strategic Kurdish posts. The Turkish government announced a new campaign, accompanied by the United States, against the Islamic State in Syria, but the Kurds and anti-Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) Syrian militant claim they are the real targets of the campaign.
Contents: Syria’s Bashar al-Assad admits that regime army is in decline; Al-Assad announces general amnesty for Syria’s army deserters; Turkey invokes Nato article 4 with ‘territorial integrity and security’ threatened
The Turkish government has faced strong criticism, including criticism from its own Kurdish citizens, for not doing enough to fight ISIS and help Kurds in Syria. A massive suicide bombing attributed to ISIS earlier this week greatly exacerbated these tensions.
International inspectors failed to stop Syria from stockpiling chemical weapons, in spite of an international agreement in 2013, according to a new report by the Wall Street Journal on Friday. International inspectors were skeptical of Syria’s claims to have disposed of its stockpiles, but were afraid that reporting violations would destroy the overall deal: “Members of the inspection team didn’t push for answers, worried that it would compromise their primary objective of getting the regime to surrender the 1,300 tons of chemicals it admitted to having.”
Contents: Turkey’s politics become vitriolic after Suruç massacre; In major reversal, Turkey will let US use Incirlik to fight ISIS in Syria; Turkish soldier killed by ISIS in first gunfight across Syrian border
Contents: Riots and violence across Turkey after Monday’s suicide bombing in Suruç; PKK kills 2 Turkish police officers in retaliation for Suruç blast; Syria’s war comes to Turkey after Monday’s terror attack on Suruç; Greece’s parliament approves European lender reform demands
The Center for Research on Globalization, a Canada-based research group that claims to be “committed to curbing the tide of globalisation and disarming the new world order,” has released an alleged interview with a Turkish nurse who claims to have worked in a clandestine Turkish hospital for wounded ISIS jihadists run by the daughter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad sent a personal letter of congratulations to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Tuesday, celebrating the occasion of a nuclear agreement between Tehran and the P5+1 world powers, state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.
Contents: Greece’s Tsipras shows up at Brussels empty-handed; Greece’s finance minister tells himself not to gloat; Report on Obama’s plans for the Mideast strategy into total fantasy; China halts trading on 1,000 companies as stock bloodbath continues
As Norway’s exposure to home-grown jihadis grows, a 24-year-old Norwegian faces up to nine years in prison for “support for a terrorist organisation” having been accused of pledging allegiance to one or both of Islamic State (IS) and an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. Some
Contents: Greece’s chaos continues as banks are closed; Turkey considers invasion of Syria to prevent a Kurdish state; Jordan makes plans for Syria invasion to protect its northern border
Al-Jazeera reports that a brainstorm by the Syrian state news agency, SANA, to boost the image of that war-torn nation—and its dictatorship—did not pan out. SANA’s English-language division asked its Twitter following to contribute photos to a #SummerInSyria hashtag.
Saudi Arabia, a Sunni country, provided financial support to a charity foundation that has been linked to Iran’s proxy Hezbollah, a Shia terrorist group based in Lebanon, according to an Arabic-language cable released by WikiLeaks.
Contents: Syrian Kurd militias deal a heavy blow to ISIS; Turkey’s support splits between Kurds and ISIS; US support for Kurds further alienates Saudi Arabia; Understanding men’s moustaches in Turkey
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi told a visiting Lebanese delegation this week that the Assad regime may soon tumble under the weight of a strengthening Sunni rebellion, a Lebanese paper has reported.
New refugee laws in Turkey appear to give Syrians more rights, but they stop short of granting them full refugee status. Despite approval from the UN, Syrian refugees fleeing Bashar al-Assad and the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) still cannot find work or receive full residency in the NATO country.
Five Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IL) jihadists attempted to take advantage of the open Akçakale border crossing between Turkey and Syria to escape Kurdish forces in the latter, only to be arrested on the other side by the Turkish government. The ISIS contingent on the Syrian border is in disarray, as Kurdish forces have officially retaken the pivotal town of Tal Abyad.
Contents: Druze community split on Syria war after al-Nusra attack; History of the Druze religion; Jihadist Attack on Druze population could bring Israel into Syria war
Kurdish media outlet Rudaw has released a comprehensive report on the death toll of the Syrian Civil War, which has been ongoing for over four years.
Recent reports from Syria suggest the military forces of dictator Bashar Assad are crumbling under the strain of fighting a five-year-long civil war, and dealing with the rise of the Islamic State, which has been scoring military victories in Syria as well as Iraq.
The population of Kafranbel, Syria, which has made a name for itself by spreading weekly images of homemade banners condemning President Bashar al-Assad and asking for international aid to take down his government, has made waves online this week using transgender celebrity Caitlyn, formerly Bruce, Jenner as a symbol of the kind of freedom they want for their town.
Troops loyal to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, backed by Kurdish fighters, repelled an Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) offensive to capture the city of al-Hasakah in northeastern Syria, a monitor group reports.
The regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad appears ready to “accept de facto partition” of Syria, a move that would leave most of the country in the hands of rebels and jihadists, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports, quoting experts and diplomats.
Contents: With Syria’s army nearing collapse, Iran plans massive troop deployment; Iran and Syria may invoke 2006 mutual defense agreement; Greece and Europeans fail once again to reach an agreement
Contents: Hamas and ISIS-linked group clash in the Gaza Strip; ISIS and Hamas turn on each other after Yarmouk invasion
Contents: Report: Russia may end support for Syria’s Bashar al-Assad; Russia searches for a plan for a post-Assad Syria; Greece faces new financial crisis with no solution in sight
Contents: ISIS stokes sectarian Sunni-Shia clashes across the Mideast and Asia; Iraq’s government changes name of military operation to recapture Ramadi; Sunni Arabs are being forced to choose between ISIS and Shias
A trial of gendarmerie officers in Turkey accused of being members of a terrorist group organized by Fetullah Gulen to allegedly undermine the country’s elected government has raised suspicion that Turkey is actively arming radical Islamists in Syria, reports Al Monitor.
ISIS has reportedly commenced beheading prisoners immediately in the captured Syrian city of Palmyra.
