http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-syria-crisis-arms-usa-20140415,0,885364.story Rebel videos show first U.S.-made rockets in Syria [quote]LONDON (Reuters) - Online videos show Syrian rebels using what appear to be U.S. anti-tank rockets, weapons experts say, the first significant American-built armaments in the country's civil war. They would signal a further internationalization of the conflict, with new rockets suspected from Russia and drones from Iran also spotted in the forces of President Bashar al-Assad.[/quote]Finally. The video is above and is safe for work.

Chechens in urban combat. The video is safe for work.

Al Nusrah Front official explains al Qaeda's strategy, conflict with former branch [quote]Abu Sulayman al Muhajir, a high-ranking sharia official in the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda's official branch in Syria, has released a video explaining the group's ongoing conflict with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS). Al Qaeda's general command disowned ISIS in early February after Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the emir of ISIS, repeatedly disobeyed orders. Sulayman was an extremist preacher in Australia until he relocated to Syria sometime last year to serve as a mediator in the intra-jihadist dispute. He recently joined several other jihadist ideologues in calling on Ayman al Zawahiri to issue a more detailed condemnation of ISIS. While parts of Sulayman's video rehash old ground, including ISIS' unwillingness to settle its differences with other groups, the video also covers new areas. Sulayman offers a substantive discussion of al Qaeda's strategy and "hierarchy."[/quote]I encourage everyone to read this, as it sheds some much needed light into how AQ operates.

Syria war creeps towards Assad's coastal heartland [quote]LATAKIA, Syria: For three years, residents of Syria's Mediterranean provinces have watched from their coastal sanctuary as civil war raging further inland tore the country apart, killing tens of thousands of people and devastating historic cities. But a three-week-old offensive by rebel fighters in the north of Latakia province, a bastion of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite minority, has brought the battle ever closer and shattered that sense of relative security. Rebels are now fighting in the hills overlooking the sea, bringing the country's main port of Latakia within their range - rocket-fire killed eight people in one barrage on the city a month ago - and Syria's coast feels under real threat.[/quote]

Hezbollah's Involvement in Syria by Channel 4 News in England. Very interesting report and insight.

In Jordan Town, Syria War Inspires Jihadist Dreams [quote]ZARQA, Jordan — Late one night, Abu Abdullah left his whole life behind. Abandoning his wife, two children and a modest frozen foods business, he sneaked across the border to Syria to join an affiliate of Al Qaeda. He thrived on the blasts and gunfire and relished the feeling of serving what he saw as a celestial cause. But his wife’s anguish soon persuaded him to return to this desert city, where he now longs for his days as an international jihadist.[/quote]

New Claims Of Poison Gas Attack In Syria [quote]Both sides in Syria's bloody civil war said Saturday that a rural village fell victim to a poison gas attack, an assault that reportedly injured scores of people amid an ongoing international effort to rid the country of chemical weapons. What exactly happened Friday in Kfar Zeita, a rebel-held village in Hama province some 125 miles north of Damascus, remains unclear and likely won't be known for some time. It took United Nations weapons inspectors months to say it was likely some chemical weapons attacks happened last year, including an August attack that killed hundreds and nearly sparked Western airstrikes against President Bashar Assad's forces.[/quote]

51 killed in Syria jihadist clashes on Iraq border: NGO [quote]BEIRUT: At least 51 jihadist and Islamist fighters were killed as rival forces clashed in Syria on the border with Iraq on Thursday, a monitoring group said. The fighting erupted at dawn after an assault by the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on posts held by Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front and its allies.[/quote]I hate to say it, but it's always nice when two jihadist groups decide to kill each other. http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/why-refugee-influx-threatens-lebanon-jordan-stability Why Refugee Influx Threatens Lebanon, Jordan Stability [quote]Regardless of how much relief money is spent, life for the refugees in Lebanon and Jordan will become increasingly inhospitable absent a horizon for return to Syria. The self-immolation of a Syrian refugee in Lebanon last month is a harrowing reminder of the desperate circumstances of those who have fled the war. But the hardship extends beyond just Syrians. Today, Lebanon and Jordan provide sanctuary to one million and some 600,000 Syrian refugees, respectively -- about 20 and 10 percent of their respective populations -- and the social and economic stresses are taking a heavy toll. Worse, the prospect that many of these refugees might never return home threatens the long-term stability of these states.[/quote]Very good report on how the influx of Syrian refugees threatens regional stability.

Hezbollah fighting alongside Syrian regime forces. Nothing graphic is shown.

[quote]Omar al Shishani, a Chechen who serves as a senior military commander for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham, verbally attacked the Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, al Qaeda's branch in Syria, for killing a Moroccan military commander. Omar's statement was made in a martyrdom video for Abu Usama al Maghribi, a Moroccan who served as a front line commander for the ISIS, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which obtained and translated the video. The ISIS accused a member of the Al Nusrah Front of killing Abu Usama, and Omar said that Abu Usama had previously saved the life of his killer.[/quote]

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/04/syria-aleppo-kassab-latakia-turkey-rebels-war-regime.html Jihadist attack on Latakia raises fear of deeper sectarian warfare [quote]ALEPPO, Syria — Predictably, as soon as the battle for the strategic Qalamoun area in the mountainous regions between Syria and Lebanon drew to a close — with the regime gaining the upper hand — fresh fronts opened in this seemingly endless civil war. Their location, however, was quite unexpected. Most Syria observers and analysts expected to see the next big battle in southern Daraa province, the birthplace of the Syrian uprising and a stronghold of mainstream rebels backed by the West and regional powers. Crucially, this area is devoid of the radical Islamist groups that have dominated other parts of the war-torn country.[/quote]Very good article over the possible ramifications of a rebel offensive in Latakia. Keep in mind that the rebel groups involved are all mainly radicals, including al-Nusra which is AQ's main group inside Syria. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2014/04/turkey-realization-blunder-kassab-syria.html Turkey realizes its blunder in Kassab operation [quote]What a harebrained scheme it was. You will provide logistical support to al-Qaeda and its allies who captured the Syrian Armenian town of Kassab. When their [Armenian] diaspora rose up, letters were sent to the US Congress and Kim Kardashian, whose family hails from our Kars-Karakale, launched a Twitter campaign with hashtag #SaveKessab, why are we dumbfounded? Then we realized something was not right and started scheming to find a way out. I had earlier written on Kassab when it was captured. People fearing massacres fled to Latakia, leaving behind only the elderly, the infirm and those who say, "If I am going to die, I will die here.” On the eve of the April 24 genocide observance, the Armenian diaspora was thus provided with a current issue to raise. And what did our ambitious official news service Anatolian Agency [AA] do? It started to run stories on how humane the Syrian opposition was by protecting Armenian churches and said that they had actually transported two elderly Armenians to Turkey. [/quote]This a good article that takes a lot into Turkey's alleged role in the Latakia offensive, as well as detailing those groups involved and what is happening on the ground in Latakia. The photo above is from the first article. It shows rebels praying on the coastline.

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/04/former_guantanamo_de_2.php Former Guantanamo detainee killed while leading jihadist group in Syria [quote]Ibrahim Bin Shakaran, a Moroccan who spent more than three years at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility before being released to Moroccan custody, has been killed while leading a jihadist group that fights Syrian government forces. Bin Shakaran, who is also known as Abu Ahmad al Maghribi, Abu Ahmad al Muhajir, and Brahim Benchekroune, was "martyred, Insha'Allah, in battles for Hilltop # 45 in Latakia," according to Kavkaz Center, a propaganda arm of the Islamic Caucasus Emirate. Bin Shakaran led a jihadist group known as Sham al Islam, which is based in Latakia and is comprised primarily of fighters from Morocco, according to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Bin Shakaran created the group "not only to recruit fighters for the Syria war, but also to establish a jihadist organization within Morocco itself."[/quote] Above is a photo of Ibrahim.

You will need a subscription to see this, but if you do not have one I'll give you a short summary. State Dept wants the US to take a more active role in Syria, but the Pentagon is objecting to any military action. They have found common ground in expanding the training mission in Jordan, however, the Pentagon is still wary about making it a Pentagon-led mission. Also talks of US-made anti-tank rockets being seen on the ground in Syria in the hands of an FSA-aligned group. Your thoughts? Personally, I think more active role is needed.

[quote]The danger faced by Britain and other countries from jihadist fighters returning from Syria is "unprecedented" and a terror attack on British soil "inevitable", experts warned last night. Thousands of foreign fighters, including hundreds of Britons, are now in Syria according to government sources. They are gaining "combat experience and forging connections with extremists". As a result they could "return radicalised" and "seek to carry out attacks against the West".[/quote]This is how Syria is becoming a major threat to the West.

Gunman kill Dutch priest in Syria

Above is a photo of Salahuddin al-Shishani, the emir of the al-Muhajireen Army. He is on the far left, while his deputy, Abdul Karim al-Ukraini (a Crimean Tartar) is in the middle. Note the "Imarat Kavkaz" flag on the table. That is the Russian name for the Caucasus Emirate.

This is the full video. Nothing graphic is shown. It goes without saying that I am not supporting the group by posting this.

Armenia Concerned Over Fate Of Families In Syria's Kesab [quote]YEREVAN -- Armenian officials have expressed concern over the fate of ethnic Armenians in Syria's northwestern city of Kesab. More than 600 local Armenian families had to flee their homes in Kesab following the seizure of the city last week by armed groups believed to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda who penetrated into Syria from nearby Turkish territory.[/quote]

The SAA, most definitely. Unless, somehow, Turkey provided it for them.

Nusra Front members plotting in Lebanon [quote]Security reports warn that a large number of Nusra Front fighters have infiltrated Lebanon in the last few days; most have been coming from Yabroud and Qalamoun in Syria. The reports said these fighters would likely join certain extremist groups in Lebanon that are plotting several terrorist operations, backed by fundamentalist and Islamist scholars who live abroad.[/quote] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-02/putin-defies-obama-in-syria-as-arms-fuel-assad-resurgence.html [quote]President Vladimir Putin, condemned by NATO for annexing Crimea, is now defying the U.S. in Syria by sending more and deadlier arms to help Bashar al-Assad score a string of advances against insurgents, military experts say.[/quote]

[url=http://carnegieendowment.org/syriaincrisis/?fa=55085]The Free Syrian Armies: Institutional Split[/url] [quote]On February 16, a controversial decision was made by leaders of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the nebulous network of Western- and Gulf-backed rebel groups in Syria. On that day, the FSA’s Supreme Military Council announced that it had voted to replace the head of its General Staff, Lieutenant General Salim Idris, with a little-known commander from southern Syria, Brigadier General Abdel-Ilah Bashir al-Nuaymi. But hours later, supporters of Idris had begun to protest and declare his ousting a “coup”—and soon, two camps had crystallized, both claiming to represent the real leadership of the FSA. To understand this dispute, which is at the heart of the Western- and Gulf-backed Syrian opposition, it is necessary to first gain an understanding of the different factions and institutions involved.[/quote] Part Two: [url=http://carnegieendowment.org/syriaincrisis/?fa=55104]The Free Syrian Armies: Failed Reconciliation[/url] [quote]Yesterday’s post described the background to the February 2014 split in the Free Syrian Army (FSA), a network of rebels fighting the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad with Gulf and Western support. That split has, superficially at least, taken on an institutional character. Most of the FSA’s General Staff supports its original leader, Lieutenant General Salim Idris. He is opposed by the defense minister in the Syrian opposition’s exile government, Assad Mustafa, and the FSA’s Supreme Military Council. They have backed Brigadier General Abdel-Ilah Bashir al-Nuaymi as a replacement for Idris.[/quote]

12 Azeri's killed in Syria whilst fighting for the Muhajireen Army, a group that is comprised of foreigners and heavily allied with al-Nusra.