LATEST: Islamic Front’s Military Commander Holds Press Conference
Syrian warplanes are suspected of airstrikes in western Iraq which killed at least 50 people and wounded 132 on Tuesday.
A provincial official and a doctor said missiles hit a municipal building, a market, and a bank in al-Qaim. They said the firing came from what appeared to be Syrian jets.
Neither Syrian authorities nor Iraqi air force officials confirmed that Syrian fighters had entered Iraqi airspace.
Islamic Front’s Military Commander Holds Press Conference
Zahran Alloush, the Islamic Front’s military commander, has been holding a press conference in Damascus Province tonight — with a live feed:
Insurgents Claim They Repelled Regime Attack on Key Town in Hama Province
Insurgents claim they have repelled another regime attack on Morek, a key town in Hama Province, killing at least 30 Syrian troops and militia while suffering four casualties.
Syrian forces have tried for weeks to take Morek, which lies on the main highway from Hama to Idlib and Aleppo Provinces.
Jabhat al-Nusra Commander in Abu Kumal in Eastern Syria Pledges Loyalty to ISIS
Reports are circulating that a Jabhat al-Nusra commander, Abu Yusuf al-Masri, has pledged his loyalty to the Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham in eastern Syria.
Photographs showed al-Masri embracing ISIS leaders, including the Chechen commander Abu Umar al-Shishani.
Al-Masri led the Islamist faction Jabhat al-Nusra in Al Bukumal on the Iraqi border.
In recent days, ISIS has taken crossings on the Iraqi side of the border, boosting its ability to move funds, men, weapons, and supplies. An activist said ISIS fighters were moving from Iraq towards the entrance to Al Bukumal.
Another opposition activist in Al Bukamal said, “There is a lot of tension, and the situation is only going to get worse….(This will) cause a big problem with the local tribes, who will not welcome this change”.
An insurgent spokesman in Deir Ez Zor Province, Omar Abu Leyla, warned that “Al Bukamal is a red line”. If ISIS fighters crossed over from Iraq, “(We) will fight them.”
Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS broke from each other in spring 2013, when the Iraqi-led group claimed control of the jihadist movement in Syria.
In recent weeks, ISIS has put pressure in Hasakeh and Deir Ez Zor Province on insurgents, who have also been fighting regime forces. Concerns have grown that ISIS will move into towns such as Mayadin and even Deir Ez Zor city.
A Shopping Festival in Damascus
In some all-is-well news, State news agency SANA features the opening of a Shopping Festival in Damascus, ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
Tourism Minister Bisher Yazigi opened the four-day festival, which displays food, children and women’s clothes, handicrafts, accessories, and cosmetics.
Yazigi said the event “reflects the culture and traditions of the Damascene people” and promised more activities during the week that “showcase the genuine heritage of the Syrian people”.