The Latest - Syria
Al Nusrah Front Commanded Free Syrian Army Unit, ‘Chechen Emigrants,’ in Assault on Syrian Base
The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group that is fighting Bashir al Assad's regime in Syria, commanded a Free Syrian Army unit... more...
Helping to Hurt
Over the last two weeks, the Syrian regime has directed mortar and artillery fire at Turkish villages. The US ambassador to Turkey, Francis Ricciardone, might have stated... more...
2 Zarqawi Cousins Detained in Jordan After Fighting in Syria
Two cousins of Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the slain leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, were arrested by Jordanian security forces as they returned from waging jihad in Syria. more...
A Foreign Policy Without Principle or Prudence
After almost a week of exchanging fire with Syrian troops across its southern border, Turkey finds itself embroiled on another, albeit related, international front. Wednesday the Turkish air force scrambled... more...
Alawites and Alevis: What’s in a Name?
Tensions are rising on the Turkish-Syrian border, as Turkey recently became the first country to take direct military action against the al-Assad regime since Syria’s uprising... more...
Al Nusrah Front Launches Complex Suicide Assault on Syrian Air Force Intelligence HQ
The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group that is fighting Bashir al Assad's regime in Syria, has claimed credit for today's complex suicide assault on... more...
What’s Happening in Qardaha?
Last week, Mohammed Assad, a cousin of President Bashar al-Assad, was shot and critically wounded in Qardaha, hometown of the Assads in the coastal mountains of Syria. For a... more...
America’s Future in the Mideast
When Barack Obama took office four years ago, the United States was fully engaged in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; strongmen sympathetic to the United States ruled Egypt and... more...
Al Nusrah Front Claims 2 Suicide, 2 Car Bombings in Aleppo
The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group that is fighting Bashir al Assad's regime in Syria, has claimed credit for four bombings in Aleppo today... more...
Rebels With a Cause, But Not Much Consensus
As President Bashar al-Assad's forces disintegrate, the Syrian civil war is devolving into a battle between Sunni rebel groups and Alawite-dominated militias fighting in support of the old... more...
Al Nusrah Front Claims Complex Suicide Assault on Syrian Army HQ
The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group that is fighting Bashir al Assad's regime in Syria, has claimed credit for the Sept. 26 complex suicide... more...
The Shredded Tapestry: The State of Syria Today
For many months, rebel groups were on their own when it came to procuring weapons and supplies. The situation changed six months ago, with the establishment of a special Turkish-Qatari-Saudi... more...
The Kurdish Factor
If Syria is a testing ground for the larger struggle of the American-led order in the Middle East against the Iranian-led resistance bloc, it’s also an example of the importance of the Kurds. more...
No Red Lines in Syria
Last week, Iran reportedly dispatched more of its Revolutionary Guard shock troops to Syria to prop up its ally. And with that the Obama administration lost another of its justifications for sitting by idly... more...
Fatah al Islam Emir Killed While Waging Jihad in Syria
Fatah al Islam, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group that operates throughout the Middle East, announced the death of the leader of its Al Khilafah Brigades during an ambush in Syria. more...
Bashar’s Cult of Personality
Last week, the daily Al-Joumhouria published the transcripts of the surveillance tapes in the case of former minister Michel Samaha, who was recently arrested and charged for plotting a campaign... more...
Suicide Bombings Become Commonplace in Syria
For years, Bashar al Assad's regime sponsored the flow of suicide bombers and foreign fighters into Iraq to fight Coalition forces. But suddenly, on Dec. 23, 2011, the regime's own intelligence apparatus... more...
Assad’s Ally Arrested
In Beirut last week, former Lebanese MP and cabinet member Michel Samaha was arrested and later confessed to “planning terrorist attacks in Lebanon at Syrian orders.” A longtime ally of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad... more...
Iranian Islands of Influence
At a Pentagon news conference on Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that Iran is building and training a militia to buttress the Assad regime in Syria. more...
Washington’s Self-Defeating Policy
In a steady stream of leaks and public statements in recent days, a number of US officials have offered a window into the Obama administration’s current thinking on Syria. more...
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