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Syria
Senior Hezbollah commander Fawzi Ayoub a.k.a. Abu Abbas was killed while fighting in Nawa in Deraa. An OPCW team investigating alleged chlorine gas attacks in the town of Kfar Zeita in Hama was attacked on the way but managed to visit the town. The Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front battled regime forces in Reef Dimashq, Hama, Deir Izzour, and Idlib. The Islamic Front also clashed with regime forces in Deraa. In Aleppo, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham executed a man for being a “wizard,” and detained a number of civilians in Menbej city, which it…
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Free Syrian Army
Obama Close to Authorizing Military Training of Syrian Rebels
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American took part in suicide bombings, Al Nusrah Front sharia official says
A top sharia official in the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, says that a suicide bomber who recently took part in a coordinated assault was known as Abu Hurayra al Amriki, or Abu Hurayra “the American.” The bomber’s identity has not been confirmed by US officials.
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Qatar
Syrian Rebels Describe US-Backed Training in Qatar
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Syria
The Al Nusrah Front announced the creation of the “Baas Foundation for Production and Military Development” and urged Muslim weapons experts worldwide to submit ideas to improve al Qaeda’s arsenal in Syria and beyond. Al Nusrah carried out two car bombings in Homs city, followed up with rocket attacks on rescuers; and four suicide attacks against regime forces near Ariha city in Idlib. Al Nusrah and the Islamic Front battled regime forces in Reef Dimashq; in Idlib, where they now control the highway from Mourk in northern Reef Hama to M’arat al-Nu’man; and in Aleppo, where they were joined by…
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Al Nusrah Front, Suqour al Sham launch joint suicide assault in Syria
Al Qaeda’s affiliate and a unit in the supposedly moderate Islamic Front executed a complex suicide attack and used three foreign fighters. One is rumored to be an American, although that report is unconfirmed.
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Zawahiri again addresses jihadist infighting in Syria
In a newly released three-page statement, Ayman al Zawahiri again says that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) owed its allegiance to al Qaeda’s senior leadership before disobeying orders. Any pledges of allegiance collected by the ISIS since then “are null pledges, because they arose from a direct violation of my command as his direct emir,” he states.
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Syria
A May 3 message from al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri was posted on jihadist forums, calling for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham to leave Syria and fight in Iraq, and urging clashing jihadists in Syria to submit to an independent sharia court. A three-day truce near Homs city went into effect yesterday between regime forces and rebels. The Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front battled regime forces in Deraa; Latakia; Reef Dimashq; and Aleppo, where they were joined by Al Jabha Al Islameyya and Jaysh Al Muhajireen. The Islamic Front also clashed with regime forces…
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Syria
Syrian opposition scores in US Senate defense bill
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Iran’s Levantine strategy
Sentiments expressed recently on an online forum about the allegiances of Hezbollah run deeper than Lebanon, offering insight into Iranian strategic thinking about the Levant and the Middle East.
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Algeria
Tunisia in the Libyan tempest
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Ahrar al Sham
Harakat Hazm: America’s new favorite jihadist group
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Syria
The Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front battled regime forces in Hama, Homs, Idlib, Reef Dimashq, and Aleppo. The Islamic Front also clashed with regime forces in Latakia and Deraa, and shelled a Christian city in Hama. A rebel mortar attack on a pro-Assad rally in Deraa city yesterday killed 21 people and wounded over 30. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham fought against Al Nusrah and the Islamic Front in Deir Izzour, where the ISIS took over the al-Kharata oil station and killed 26 Al Nusrah and Islamic Front fighters. Regime forces yesterday entered Aleppo central…
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Hezbollah
Lebanon: Terrorism, dialogue and a pope – Sleiman’s tenure
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China
Russia, China veto UN bid to refer Syria to international court
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Al Nusrah Front rejects Syrian rebels’ revolutionary covenant
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has rejected a charter signed by a number of other leading insurgency groups. Al Nusrah argues that the charter is not rooted in proper Islamic principles, among other supposed flaws.
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Morocco
Over 1,000 Moroccan jihadists in Syria
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Syria
The Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front battled regime forces in Hama; Deraa; Reef Dimashq; and Aleppo, where they were joined by Al Muhajireen wal Ansar. Regime forces advanced closer to Aleppo’s central prison. Al Nusrah and the Islamic Front clashed with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham in Deir Izzour, where ISIS is said to now control much of the territory east of the Euphrates river. Regime airstrikes on ISIS checkpoints in Raqqah killed several ISIS fighters. Islamic fighters also clashed with regime forces in Latakia, Homs, Damascus, and Idlib.
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France
Hollande issues warning on chemical strikes
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Syria
The Al Nusrah Front objected to the “revolutionary covenant” announced by the Islamic Front and four other groups. The Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front battled regime forces in Deraa; Hama; Reef Dimashq; and Aleppo, where they were joined by Fajer Al Sham, Al Jabha Al Islamiyya, and Jaysh Al Mujahideen. The body of an Al Nusrah emir who had been kidnapped and killed was found in Aleppo. Al Nusrah and the Islamic Front clashed with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham in Deir Izzour. Regime airstrikes targeted an Al Nusrah office in Idlib.
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Israel
Israel adjusts to Syrian insurgents on Golan border
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Al Nusrah Front
Syrian death toll reaches new grim milestone
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Al Nusrah Front
Syria rebels face setback in south
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Al Nusrah Front
Islamic extremism on rise in Jordan
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Syria
The head of the regime’s air defenses died after being wounded in fighting near Damascus. Syrian National Coalition defense minister Asaad Mustafa resigned. The Islamic Front, Jaish Al-Mujahideen, Ajnad Al-Sham, Failaq Al-Sham, and Alweiat Al-Furqa issued a “revolutionary covenant” declaring that their targets are the regime, Hezbollah, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham. The Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front battled regime forces in Latakia, Aleppo, Reef Dimashq, and Deraa. The Islamic Front also clashed with regime forces in Hama, Idlib, and Damascus. ISIS clashed with Al Nusrah and the Islamic Front in Deir Izzour. The…
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Egypt
Egyptian Brotherhood split on using force
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Al Nusrah Front
Maaloula a ghost town after rebel ouster
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Syria
Detainees in Homs spurned by regime and rebels alike
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Shabaab leader calls for mediation in Syria, says Zawahiri is ‘our Sheikh and Emir’
Abu Zubayr, the emir of Shabaab, restates his support for Ayman al Zawahiri and calls for mediation in Syria.
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Syria
The Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front battled regime forces in Latakia, Aleppo, and Deraa. The Islamic Front also clashed with regime forces in Hama and Reef Dimashq. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham battled rebel and Islamic Front fighters in Aleppo, and clashed with the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front in Deir Izzour. Al Ansar, Al tali’a battalions, Jaysho Al Kadisiyya, Jund Al Aziz brigade, Abna’a Al Islam, and Al Abbas brigade stated jointly that they would be fighting only the Alawites in Deir Izzour city. A car bomb detonated by a mosque in…
