Kurdish fighters captured six buildings used by Islamic State fighters besieging the Syrian town of Kobani on Tuesday, and seized a large amount of the militant group’s weapons and ammunition, a group monitoring the war said. Islamic State has been trying to take control of the town, also known as Ayn al-Arab, for more than […]
Syria Rebels: Hezbollah occupying border villages
The Syrian Supreme Military Council accused Hezbollah on Thursday of occupying eight border villages in the neighboring country, vowing “to regain control of these towns”.
Iraq PM warns against a victory by Syria’s rebels
Iraq’s prime minister warned Wednesday that a victory for rebels in the Syrian civil war would create a new extremist haven and destabilize the wider Middle East, sparking sectarian wars in his own country and in Lebanon.
Hezbollah fighters dying in Syria will go to hell, Tufaili
Former Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Sobhi Tufaili said the “Shiites in Syria do not need Hezbollah to defend them , besides this could cause them problems and Sayyidah Zaynab does not need to be protected because the Sunni community loves her.”
Over 200 villagers kidnapped in N. Syria released in swap deal
Activists say that more than 200 people kidnapped recently by gunmen from opposing Sunni and Shiite villages in northern Syria have been released, temporarily easing local tensions.
Syrian rebels threaten to hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon- — Syrian rebels on Tuesday threatened to carry out attacks against Hezbollah inside Lebanon, a dangerous escalation of the conflict that could destabilize Syria’s politically volatile neighbor as well as the region. The heightened tensions on both sides of the border came as four mortar rounds hit one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s […]
The militia is the key to Syrian regime’s new war strategy
Beirut, Lebanon- A Syrian government militia that the U.S. has declared a terrorist organization is becoming increasingly important to the Syrian government’s strategy as it attempts to shore up its still-loyal but beleaguered military. The militia, known as the National Defense Force or the People’s Army, is an extension of the shabiha,
Asaib Ahl al-Haq emerging as Iraqi version of Hezbollah
BAGHDAD — The Iranian-backed Shiite group responsible for most of the attacks against U.S. forces in the final years of the Iraq war is busily reinventing itself as a political organization in ways that could enhance Iran’s influence in post-American Iraq — and perhaps beyond.
Deadly car bomb blasts hit Shiite areas in Baghdad
Several car bombs have exploded across the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, killing at least 21 people and injuring scores more, officials say. The attacks are reported to have targeted mainly Shiite areas in the city.
Pakistan faces growing anger over sectarian bombings
Pakistani Shi’ites called on the military on Sunday to take control of the city of Quetta after a bombing by Sunni militants killed 85 people, and threatened to stage a long march to the capital if their demands were not met.