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Obama — “Assad Gave Up His Chemical Weapons”
Iraq and Syria Analysis: Speech by Islamic State’s al-Baghdadi “Could Lead to Lone-Wolf Attacks”
Iraq & Syria Document: 33-Minute Speech of Islamic State’s Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Advancing in Homs Province in central Syria, the Islamic State is threatening the capture of the ancient city of Palmyra.

The militants moved rapidly on Wednesday, taking the desert town of Sukhna to the east, cutting the highway to Deir ez Zor Province in eastern Syria, and even entering northern and eastern sections of Palmyra.

Syrian forces appear to have repelled the initial assault, but fighting continued on Thursday, particularly in the al-Amariyah district in northern Palmyra. The Islamic State is positioned 1.5 km (1 mile) to the west of the city, and they have taken fuel depots to the east.

Settlement of Palmyra dates to the Neolithic era. The city developed as a stop for travelers across the Syrian desert and was prominent during the Roman Empire, with columns, tombs and temples dating to the 1st century AD.

Witnesses in Palmyra described anxiety and chaos, as residents tried to flee the northern neighborhoods amid shelling.

“People are scared, staying home, we’re hearing loud noises outside but we don’t know what’s happening,” said the owner of an antiques shop near the gates of the ancient ruins. “If the roads were safe, we would leave the town, but pray for us, and pray for peace.”

A Syrian soldier, who has served in Palmyra said colleagues called him in desperation from Sukhna before it fell: “I could feel the fear in their voice. They told me they ran out of ammunition.”

State news agency SANA says of the fighting:

Units of the army clashed with terrorists of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on the eastern outskirts of Palmyra city in the countryside of Homs.

The clashes resulted in the killing of a large number of terrorists and the destruction of their vehicles, weapons and ammunition, a military source told SANA….

SANA reporter in Palmyra city said an army unit clashed with ISIS terrorists in the area around Fakhr Eddin al-Maani castle in the western side of Palmyra city, killing and injuring many of the terrorists.

The Islamic State took parts of eastern Homs Province last year, including oil and gas fields, but was checked from moving into Palmyra.

Reports: Scores Killed in Airstrike on Bakery in Manbij in Aleppo Province

Activists say at least 40 people were killed by an airstrike on Manbij in Aleppo Province on Friday.

Local sources blamed a regime barrel bomb, with some saying the death toll was up to 100.

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Video: Rebels Overrun Regime Checkpoint on Damascus-Daraa Road

Rebels capturing the regime’s al-Faqi checkpoint (see map) on the old highway from Damascus to Daraa in southern Syria:

Activists claim rebels also took over the nearby village of al-Faqi.

Rebels Announce Formation of Southern Front Command

Rebel factions have announced the formation of a Southern Front Command to oversee operations in southern Syria.

Groups were already involved in a Southern Front operations room, which supervised a series of opposition victories across the south of the country since the start of the year.

The Front has more than 35,000 fighters from 35 factions. Its Joint Command has seven leaders, elected from the various groups, including Major Hassan Ibrahim of the Free Syrian Army’s 1st Army.

State Media Proclaims Iran’s “Constant and Unlimited Support” — But No Word on Syrian Request for Billions of Dollars

Syrian State media is proclaiming Iran’s “constant” and “unlimited” support for the Assad regime, following a two-day visit by prominent Iranian MP Alaeddin Boroujerdi which included a meeting with President Assad.

“We came to Syria to stress once again that our support for Syria-government and people-is consistent and enduring support, and we are proud of this support for a resistance that stands up to the criminal Zionist entity,” Boroujerdi said a a press conference.

According to Syrian state news agency SANA, Boroujerdi — head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Commission — said there are no “limits” to Tehran’s cooperation with Damascus and to rendering support and help to the latter since “the front of resistance is one unified entity.”

However, SANA made no reference to the state of Syria’s appeal for billions of dollars from Tehran.

Since November, the Assad regime has asked for an extension of a $3.6 billion line of credit granted by Iran in July 2013. The Islamic Republic, facing its own economic difficulties, has refused to allocate the money: the Assad regime has reportedly cut its request from $6 billion to $4 billion, while Iran is offering no more than $1 billion.

Regime Forces Fail in Move to Rescue Troops in National Hospital in Jisr al-Shughour

Syrian forces have suffered a setback in their attempt to reach more than 200 troops trapped in the National Hospital in Jisr al-Shughour, the city near the Turkish border captured by rebels on April 26.

Rebels moved into Kufayr, less than 3 km (2 miles) from Jisr al-Shughour, on Thursday. After days of proclaiming victory, a pro-Assad website has acknowledged the defeat.

Rebels are also attacking Syrian forces in the Sawmill checkpoint and have blocked regime attempts to take the village of Ishtabraq.

President Assad pledged last week that his elite forces would break through the rebel lines and reach the soldiers in the National Hospital, who are holding out in fortified underground floors.

State media put out the false story this morning that the Syrian Army somehow “destroyed a large refrigerator truck loaded with huge amounts of explosives before reaching the wall of the hospital, killing scores of terrorists who were near the vehicle and their ammunition and weapons were destroyed”.

The Islamist faction Jabhat al-Nusra said it detonated the vehicle on Thursday because it had become stuck near the building in a previous operation.

Meanwhile, to the southeast of Jisr al-Shughour, rebels are maintaining pressure on the town of Ariha — footage of fighters on the hilltops above the town:

US-Gulf Statement Calls for Departure of Assad; Makes Almost No Reference to Action Against Regime

A joint statement between leaders of the US and Gulf States, meeting at Camp David in Maryland, says President Assad “has lost all legitimacy and has no role in Syria’s future”.

The statement, issued after meetings among President Obama and representatives of the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, looks for a “sustainable political resolution” which “establishes an inclusive government that protects all ethnic and religious minorities, and preserves state institutions”.

The main declaration makes no reference to specific action, such as military operations against Syrian forces, no-fly zones, and safe havens.

See Syria Feature: Senior US Official “No-Fly Zones, Safe Havens Are Not Happening”

Instead, the statement backs the US Government’s emphasis on operations against the Islamic State, “strongly support[ing] increased efforts to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL/DAESH in Syria”. It also “warned against the influence of other extremist groups, such as Al-Nusrah” — the Islamic faction Jabhat al-Nusra, which has fought alongside rebels — “that represent a danger to the Syrian people, to the region, and to the international community”.

The one reference to possible cooperation in initiatives to remove Assad comes in a single sentence in an annex, “The United States and the GCC member states committed to increasing support to the moderate opposition.”

It is not clear whether that support refers to the efforts of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, working with Turkey, to arm and supply rebels who are making advances across northwest and southern Syria — or whether it is about the US-funded program to train 5,000 fighters for action against the Islamic State, which has yet to begin in Turkey.