US says will recognize new Syrian regime if it renounces terror, supports women

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Tuesday it will recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the US would work with groups in Syria and regional partners to ensure that the transition from President Bashar Assad’s deposed government runs smoothly. He was not specific about which groups the US would work with, but the State Department has not ruled out talks with the main Syrian rebel group despite its designation as a terrorist organization.

The qualified pledge of support for a post-Assad Syria comes as the Biden administration continues to look to target Islamic State fighters to prevent the group from reemerging as an international threat and maintains support for Israel as its forces conduct their own operations inside Syria.   (Read More)

Syrian rebel chief says working with international groups to secure chemical sites

Syrian rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, told Reuters Wednesday that the jihadist group he leads, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is working with international organizations to secure possible sites where chemical weapons may be located.

HTS, which is rooted in al-Qaeda’s Syria branch but has in recent years sought to moderate its image, had already said that it will not use those weapons under any circumstances.

Shaara said in a written statement shared exclusively with Reuters by his office that the group is now working to “dissolve the security forces of the previous regime and close the notorious prison,” where the government of toppled dictator Bashar al-Assad is estimated to have held tens of thousands of detainees. He reiterated that he will form a government of technocrats. The current transitional government is set to rule until March 2025, according to a statement by his group.   (Read More)

Netanyahu: Syria buffer zone troops temporary

Israeli troops positioned inside the buffer zone along the Syrian border are there as a temporary measure to prevent terrorists from committing an Oct. 7-style attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.

“The collapse of the Syrian regime created a vacuum on Israel’s border and in the buffer zone established by the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement,” his office stated.

“Israel will not permit jihadi groups to fill that vacuum and threaten Israeli communities on the Golan Heights with October 7-style attacks. That is why Israeli forces entered the buffer zone and took control of strategic sites near Israel’s border,” the statement continued.  (Read More)

Made in Israel: Ministry of Defense buys Israeli missile cruisers

The Director General of the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD), Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir, approved a procurement agreement for several new missile ships today (Thursday) at the IMOD's headquarters in Tel Aviv. Under this contract, the IMOD will acquire five advanced "Reshef" missile ships from Israel Shipyards, with a total value of approximately $780M (NIS 2.8B).

The acquisition received approval from both the Ministerial Procurement Committee and the Joint Committee of Defense Budget in the Knesset. Under the agreement, Israel Shipyards will produce and supply the ships to the Israeli Navy over approximately six years, with an option for additional vessels in the future. Manufacturing the ships in Israel will strengthen security and ensure continuity of production and support for the IDF.

The 'Reshef' Missile Ship will be the Israeli Navy's newest and most advanced Sa'ar-class ship. This multi-mission vessel was developed in collaboration with the Israeli Navy, incorporating the best advanced weapon systems from Israel's defense industry. The ship integrates advanced technologies to provide exceptional capabilities and naval superiority for the IDF. These will replace the "Nirit" Sa'ar 4.5-class missile ship, which will be decommissioned after four decades of service.  (Read More)

Christians in Syria Face Dual Threat of Al-Qaeda Offshoot, Turkish Proxy Jihadis

Archbishop Boutros Marayati of Syria’s second city, Aleppo, told his congregation last week the city’s Islamist conquerors provided “assurances” Christians and other religious minorities could “continue living normally.”

A week later, with dictator Bashar Assad in exile, Syrian Christians are holding their breath and hoping those promises are kept by the country’s new rulers. Aleppo’s Armenian Catholic Saint Barbara Church was able to hold services a few days after the city was taken by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the al-Qaeda splinter group that came roaring out Syria’s hinterlands to conquer a string of cities and then take the capital, Damascus, in just eleven days.

“Do not fear, dear brothers. We have received assurances from all parties. Continue living normally, and everything will remain as before, even better,” Archbishop Marayati told the church community, which is much smaller than it was before the Syrian civil war began in 2011. Christians made up about ten percent of Syria’s population in 2011, but have declined to barely two percent today.  (Read More)

Turkish-Backed Militias Push Deep into Kurdish Territory, Displacing Thousands

The Syrian National Army (SNA), a Turkish proxy force in the neighboring country, captured the Kurdish-held city of Manbij, the Kurdish outlet Rudaw confirmed on Tuesday, a day before Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) claimed to take the city of Deir ez-Zor.

Manbij – along with several other major population centers in Rojava, or Syrian Kurdistan – have been under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) since the fall of the Islamic State “caliphate” in the country in 2017. The SDF is a U.S. ally that did much of the fighting against ISIS in Raqqa and is primarily composed of the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).

The Kurdish control of Deir ez-Zor (or Deir Ezzor) was much shorter – the SDF essentially filled the vacuum there left by the collapsing regime of former dictator Bashar Assad for some days. Assad fled the country on Saturday after fighters associated with HTS, an al-Qaeda offshoot, arrived in Damascus.   (Read More)

Inflation Accelerated in November, Rising 2.7% For the Year

Prices rose at the fastest pace in four months in November, the second consecutive month of accelerating inflation.

The consumer price index rose 2.7 percent from a year earlier, the Department of Labor said Wednesday. Core inflation, a metric that excludes volatile food and energy prices, climbed 3.3 percent over the previous 12 months.he results matched the forecasts of economists surveyed by Econoday.

Compared with a month ago, the broad index of consumer prices rose 0.3 percent, the fastest pace of inflation since March. If that pace of inflation were to continue for a year, prices would rise 3.8 percent. Core prices also rose 0.3 percent for the month—which was also the fastest pace since March.  (Read More)

‘Arrow of Bashan’: Israel destroys most of Syria’s strategic weapons

(Dec. 11, 2024 / JNS)

Israel struck most of Syria’s strategic weapons arsenal since the ouster of President Bashar Assad, the IDF announced on Tuesday night, preventing them from falling into the hands of Islamic terrorists.

The military confirmed earlier reports that the Israeli Air Force conducted more than 350 aerial strikes, with hundreds of hours of flight time logged over Syrian airspace. The targets included anti-aircraft batteries, Syrian Air Force airfields and dozens of weapons production sites in Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia and Palmyra.

Strategic weapons were neutralized, including Scud tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, surface-to-sea, surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, drones, fighter jets, attack helicopters, radar systems, tanks and hangars. The IDF has named the large-scale operation “Arrow of Bashan.”  (Read More)

Syria's collapse creates major divisions between IRGC officials

Iranian military officials are heavily blaming one another for the fall of former Syrian president Bashar Assad, the Telegraph reported on Tuesday. 

After Tehran spent billions of dollars propping up Assad’s regime, Iranian Revolutionary Gaurd Corps are blaming each other “in angry terms” about the fall of a cornerstone of Khamenei's  'axis of resistance,' according to reporting from The Telegraph.

“The atmosphere is like something between almost punching each other, punching the walls, yelling at each other and kicking rubbish bins. They are blaming each other, and no one is taking responsibility,” an anonymous Iranian official told the Telegraph.  (Read More)

Israeli Navy carries out large-scale operation to destroy Assad regime’s fleet

Last night, the Israeli Navy carried out a large-scale operation to destroy the former Assad regime’s navy fleet in Syria.

Numerous Syrian navy vessels armed with sea-to-sea missiles were destroyed in strikes carried out by Israeli Navy missile boats, at the Minet el-Beida bay and Latakia port on the Syrian coast, according to military sources.

The strikes were carried out to prevent the Syrian navy capabilities and weaponry from falling into the hands of hostile forces, following the collapse of the Assad regime. The Israeli Air Force, meanwhile, has carried out some 300 airstrikes in Syria since the collapse of the regime, destroying advanced weapons and other capabilities that Israel seeks to prevent from reaching hostile forces.  (Read More)

US Army thwarts Houthi attack on ships in Gulf of Aden

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Tuesday that its forces defeated attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on US Navy and US-flagged ships in the Gulf of Aden.

The statement said that US Navy destroyers USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USS O’Kane (DDG 77) successfully defeated a range of Houthi-launched weapons while transiting the Gulf of Aden, in attacks that took place on both Monday and Tuesday.

“The destroyers were escorting three US owned, operated, and flagged merchant vessels. The reckless attacks resulted in no injuries and no damage to any vessels, civilians or US Naval,” said CENTCOM. It added that the destroyers successfully engaged and defeated multiple one-way attack uncrewed aerial systems (OWA UAS), and one anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM), ensuring the safety of the ships and their personnel, as well as civilian vessels and their crews.  (Read More)

Khamenei: US, Israel responsible for Assad's ouster, 'resistance' to span entire region - IRNA

Tehran has evidence that the events that took place in Syria leading to the ousting of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad were planned by the United States and Israel, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.

"There should be no doubt that what happened in Syria is the result of a joint American and Zionist plan." Khamenei reportedly noted.

"Yes, the neighboring country of Syria has played a clear role in this matter and continues to do so—this is evident to all—but the primary conspirator, the main planner, and the central command room are in the United States and the Zionist regime. We have evidence. This evidence leaves no room for doubt." the ayatollah continued.  (Read More)

Why are Iran and Turkey moving to condemn Israel’s role in Syria? - analysis

Iran and Turkey, as well as media and commentators linked to both countries, are seeking to condemn Israel for its recent bombing of Syrian military sites. They are also condemning Israel for its operations in a buffer zone on the Golan.

The IDF seized the buffer zone and the peak of Mount Hermon after the Syrian regime collapsed on December 8. The IDF has also struck various threats in Syria, such as warplanes and naval vessels so that they do not fall into the hands of enemies.

Why are Iran, Turkey and other countries and groups associated with them seeking to condemn Israel? They want to try to deflect from what is going on in Syria and their own role in the country. Iran has backed militias smuggling weapons in Syria and Turkey illegally occupies a large part of northern Syria. Turkey has carried out numerous airstrikes in northern Syria, targeting Kurdish groups. Turkish-backed militias have also filmed themselves kidnapping women and killing civilians.  (Read More)

Report: Syrian Rebels Execute Opponents, Impose Sharia, Threaten Kurds

Syrian rebels who overthrew the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad on Sunday are reportedly executing their opponents, imposing Islamic sharia law, and threatening non-Muslim minorities, including the Kurdish population in the north.

Videos are circulating on social media showing Syrian rebels killing people associated with the regime — some of whom may have been part of the state security services, and others who appear to have been ordinary employees. The New York Times reported Tuesday:

Islamic State forces on Tuesday killed 54 people in the Homs region in central Syria who had been part of the Syrian government’s military and fled during the collapse of the Assad regime, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group. The killings highlight the chaos in Syria as various rebel factions operate in different regions.

One video also shows thousands of smashed bottles of liquor at the duty free store of the Damascus airport, where Islamist rebels apparently enforced the Islamic ban on alcohol by force, as Islamists did in Lebanon in the 1980s.   (Read More)

Druze mayor: We fear that ISIS will take over Syria

Wael Moghrabi, the mayor of Ein Qiniyye, a Druze village that sits adjacent to the border with Syria, spoke to Radio 103 FM about the mood among the Druze community after the fall of the Assad regime and the IDF's operations in Syrian territory.

According to him, the Druze people in Syria were "very surprised by the speed at which the regime fell. No one knows what's going to happen and who's going to take control there."

Moghrabi says that among the rebels, there are groups that seek to make peace in the Middle East, "If they come to power, I see a light at the end of the tunnel," he added, "I fear the al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State."  He says that when he hears rebel leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani praise the Jihadists for toppling the regime, it "sets off a red light."  (Read More)

US warns Islamic State will attempt to re-establish capabilities in Syria

WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Monday that Islamic State will try to use this period to re-establish capabilities in Syria, but said the United States is determined not to let that happen.

Blinken said Syrians have to choose their future, adding that statements by rebel leaders toward building inclusive governance are welcome but that the real measure will be in the action they take, not just what they say.

Syrian rebels seized the capital Damascus unopposed on Sunday after a lightning advance that sent President Bashar al-Assad fleeing to Russia after a 13-year civil war and more than five decades of his family’s autocratic rule.  (Read More)

IDF: Troops will stay in Syria buffer zone and strategic Mount Hermon as long as needed

After the Israel Defense Forces on Sunday captured the Syrian side of the strategic Mount Hermon, along with a buffer zone that has existed between the countries since the 1970s, the military stressed that the move was temporary, but also acknowledged that troops would likely remain inside Syrian territory for the foreseeable future.

Israel is preparing for potential chaos following the lightning-fast fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

On Monday morning, Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered the IDF to complete its takeover of the buffer zone separating Israel and Syria on the Syrian side of the border in the Golan Heights, a day after the military began its deployment there.  (Read More)

Reports: Israeli tanks are about 20 km from Damascus

The Lebanese Al-Mayadeen network, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, reported early Tuesday morning that Israeli tanks are now positioned approximately 20 kilometers from the Syrian capital of Damascus.

Reports also indicated the IDF has taken control of nine villages in the southern outskirts of Damascus, near the border with Lebanon. At the same time, there were reports of extensive strikes in the Damascus area.

Earlier, Syrian media outlets reported Israeli strikes on the Al-Shuairat military airport, east of Homs, and on Syrian army targets in the provinces of Raqqa and Al-Hasakah.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition organization based in Britain, stated earlier that Israel had struck more than 250 targets across Syria in less than 48 hours, following the collapse of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's regime.

Sources told Fox News on Monday evening that Israel and the US are taking advantage of the fact that Russian fighter jets that had been deployed to Syria are grounded.

On Sunday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted dozens of precision air strikes targeting known Islamic State (ISIS) camps and terrorists in central Syria. “The strikes against the ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps were conducted as part of the ongoing mission to disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS, in order to prevent the terrorist group from conducting external operations and to ensure that ISIS does not seek to take advantage of the current situation to reconstitute in central Syria,” CENTCOM said.   (Read More)

Some 250 Israeli strikes hit Syrian military targets after fall of Assad — reports

Israel appeared to be continuing its aerial campaign in Syria on Monday,  targeting weaponry that Jerusalem feared could fall into the hands of hostile forces in light of the dramatic fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime on Sunday.

Two Syrian security sources said on Monday that Israeli planes bombed at least three major Syrian army air bases that housed dozens of helicopters and jets in the biggest such wave of strikes on air bases since Assad was toppled.

The strikes hit Qamishli air base in northeast Syria, Shinshar base in the countryside of Homs, and Aqrba airport southwest of the capital Damascus, the sources said The reports came after Israel Air Force strikes on Sunday hit advanced missile storage sites, air defense systems, weapon production facilities, and chemical weapons sites, and also took out planes, helicopters, and tanks that belonged to the Assad regime’s military.  (Read More)

Report: Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu to Attend Trump Inauguration

Netanyahu’s visitation would come at a time when Israel has made considerable gains with its war against Hamas in the Gaza war through its weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon. As Breitbart News reported this weekend, Netanyahu welcomed the news that dictator Bashar al-Assad had been toppled in Syria while warning against “significant dangers.”

“This is a historic day for the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus, offers great opportunity but also is fraught with significant dangers. This collapse is the direct result of our forceful action against Hezbollah and Iran, Assad’s main supporters. It set off a chain reaction of all those who want to free themselves from this tyranny and its oppression,” he said.  (Read More)

US A-10s, B-52s, target dozens of ISIS sites in Syria

U.S. Air Force planes, including multiple B-52s, F-15s and A-10s carried out a series of strikes targeting a large ISIS gathering in central Syria in the early morning of Sunday, Dec. 8. 

U.S. Central Command announced that the bombers and fighter jets targeted more than 75 targets in the Syrian desert, going after known ISIS fighters and camps. It’s unclear how many ISIS members or leaders were killed in the attacks but a senior U.S. administration official, speaking on background to reporters, called the strike “significant” given the size of the area targeted and the number of ISIS members gathered there. 

The strikes were carried out the same day that the Syrian capital of Damascus fell to rebel forces. The capture marked the end of the Assad regime, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled the country to Moscow, according to Russian state media. The Syrian prime minister has agreed to hand over power to opposition forces. The strikes on ISIS targets was not directly related to the fall of Assad, but CENTCOM said in a statement that it is not looking to let the terrorist group — which once controlled large swaths of Syria and Iraq — to take advantage of the upheaval.   (Read More)

US will remain in eastern Syria and seek to prevent IS resurgence, Pentagon says

MANAMA (Reuters) - The United States will maintain its presence in eastern Syria and will take measures necessary to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Daniel Shapiro said on Sunday.

Speaking hours after Syrian rebels announced they had toppled Bashar al-Assad's government, Shapiro called on all parties to protect civilians, particularly minorities, and to respect international norms."We are aware that the chaotic and dynamic circumstances on the ground in Syria could give ISIS space to find the ability to become active, to plan external operations, and we're determined to work with those partners to continue to degrade their capabilities," he told the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain's capital.  (Read More)

Report: Israel considering advancing further into Syria

The Israeli political echelon is considering deepening the IDF's control in the Syrian Golan Heights to prevent the rebels from entering the area, Kan News reported on Sunday

The cabinet unanimously approved the decision to take control of the buffer zone and commanding positions only a few kilometers into the Syrian Golan.

According to the report, a source with knowledge of the matter said that later it will be decided whether or not to expand this area even more "before someone else enters the vacuum that was made." At the same time, the IDF has taken the opportunity to strike weapons sites, airbases, and areas with advanced weaponry to prevent the rebels from getting their hands on Assad's advanced arsenal.  (Read More)

Kremlin: Assad and his family were granted asylum in Russia

Overthrown Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow after being granted asylum in Russia, Russian state media TASS reported on Sunday.

“Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow. Russia, for humanitarian reasons, has granted them asylum,” said a Kremlin source quoted in the report.

Assad's regime issued a statement saying it had "ordered the non-violent transfer of power." Ukrainian intelligence claimed that Assad's escape operation from Syria to Russia was meticulously planned and included a deception maneuver, during which the Syrian President's plane disappeared from radar, sparking speculation that it had crashed. (Read More)

Assad flees to Moscow as victorious rebel leader al-Golani enters Damascus

Ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow on Sunday, Russian state media confirmed, hours after a stunning rebel advance took over the capital of Damascus and ended the Assad family’s five decades of iron rule. Victorious rebel leader Abu Muhammad al-Golani greeted crowds in the freshly liberated capital city.

A Kremlin source told Russian news agencies on Sunday that Assad was in Moscow with his family after Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds and a deal was made to ensure the safety of Russian military bases.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said earlier that Assad had left Syria and given orders for a peaceful transfer of power, ending nearly six decades of his family’s iron-fisted rule.The privately-owned Interfax news agency cited an unnamed Kremlin source as saying Russia favored a political solution under the auspices of the United Nations to the crisis in Syria, where Moscow supported Assad during the long civil war. (Read More)

As Assad falls, Israeli jets destroy his deadly arsenals before they fall to rebels

Israeli Air Force fighter jets on Sunday struck dozens of targets across Syria, taking out weaponry that Israel feared could fall into the hands of hostile forces, in light of the dramatic fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime some two weeks into a lightning offensive by rebel groups.

Also on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces seized control of a buffer zone between the Israel-Syria border in the Golan Heights, in what it described as a temporary defensive measure.

Dozens of IAF aircraft struck numerous targets, with a focus on destroying “strategic weapons,” defense sources told The Times of Israel, describing the strikes as “very intensive.” (Read More) 

IAEA: Iran ‘dramatically’ accelerates uranium enrichment

Iran has in recent weeks sharply increased its uranium enrichment efforts, according to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi.

“Today the agency is announcing that the production capacity is increasing dramatically, of the 60% inventory,” said Grossi at the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain, according to Reuters.The Islamic Republic already has enough 60% enriched uranium for four nuclear weapons in principle, should Tehran decide to enrich it further to the roughly 90% level, according to the agency.

Enrichment levels were set to rise to “seven, eight times more, maybe, or even more” than the previous rate of five to seven kilograms a month, said Grossi, according to the report.  (Read More)

Iran 'accepted the fall of Assad' and abandoned the regime - NYT

Iran has turned its back and abandoned its ally Syria as opposition forces topple the regime, an exclusive New York Times report on Saturday revealed.

According to an internal memo from a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps that the NYT viewed, the situation in Syria was described as “unbelievable and strange.” It is as if “Iran accepted the fall of Assad and has lost the will to resist,” the memo said.

In addition, Iran's media had switched from calling the Sunni rebels “infidel terrorists” to “armed groups” and reported that they had so far treated Shiite minorities well, the NYT reported. Iran has admitted that the current setbacks to the Syrian regime are a challenge for its regional “axis of resistance,” which consists of Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, Iraqi militias, the Syrian regime, and other groups.  (Read More)

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad flees into exile as Islamist rebels conquer countr

JERUSALEM — Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, who used chemical weapons multiple times on his population, has fled Syria after rebels stormed the capital city of Damascus, according to Reuters.

Assad, who was trained as an eye doctor in the United Kingdom before succeeding his father, and his British-born wife, Asma al-Assad, fled with their three children, according to Syrian television reports. It was not known where they were headed.

A video statement from a group of men on Syrian state TV said that Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners have been set free. The man who read a statement said the Operations Room to Conquer Damascus is calling on all opposition fighters and citizens to preserve state institutions of "the free Syrian state."  (Read More)

Assad has left Damascus, senior army officers say; Syria rebels in capital

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments. Thousands in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus waving and chanting "Freedom," witnesses said.

"We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of freeing our prisoners and releasing their chains and announcing the end of the era of injustice in Sednaya prison," said the rebels. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments.

Thousands in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus waving and chanting "Freedom," witness said. "We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of freeing our prisoners and releasing their chains and announcing the end of the era of injustice in Sednaya prison," said the rebels.  (Read More)

Not our war: Trump warns against interfering in Syrian civil war

President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States should not interfere in Syria in a post on social media site Truth Social.

"Syria is a mess but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!" Trump said.

He also said that the rebels in Syria are on the outskirts of Damascus and are preparing for a major move to remove Assad.Trump said that because Russia is busy fighting a war with Ukraine, it "seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they have protected for years."  (Read More)

IDF says it is aiding UN forces to repel attack on post on Syrian side of Golan

The IDF says it is assisting United Nations forces on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights to repel an attack by gunmen on a UN position.

According to the IDF, a group of armed men attacked a UN post near the Syrian town of Hader, close to the Israeli border.

“The IDF is now assisting the UN force to repel the attack,” the military says. Over the weekend the IDF bolstered its forces on the border with Syria, amid the developments in the civil war. The military says it “will continue to act to protect the State of Israel and its citizens.”  (Read More)