As Islamists increasingly fill the ranks of Syrian rebels, President Bashar al-Assad is waging an energized campaign to persuade the United States that it is on the wrong side of the war
“If the Syrian regime falls, al Qaeda wins.” That’s what Bashar al-Assad wants US officials to believe: By playing off US fears of Islamic terrorism, he’s hoping America will shift its support from the Syrian rebels to the incumbent regime, or at least withhold providing any more material support for the rebels. Because at least one rebel faction is allied with al Qaeda, it’s not an altogether crazy strategy. The regime is reportedly relying on Khaled Mahjoub, a Syrian-American businessman, to relay this message to US officials. “We are partners in fighting terrorism,” said Wael Nader al-Halqi, Syria’s prime minister.
~950 Gaza sites have been struck by IDF attacks since Wednesday
~400Palestinian missiles have hit Israel during the same period of time
180airstrikes were launched at the Gaza Strip today
three rockets have been fired at Tel Aviv from Gaza; all were intercepted
In non-numerical updates: Israeli missiles today hit Hamas police headquarters and the Gaza prime minister’s office (the PM wasn’t inside). Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi is reportedly planning to hold four-way talks with the emir of Qatar, the prime minister of Turkey, and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in an attempt to resolve the crisis. source [1] [2] [3]
I thought that I would find myself in this situation many more years. If they wanted to secure my freedom, they had to pay a price for this.Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit • Discussing his situation on Egyptian television this morning after getting freed from captivity in the Gaza Strip. Freedom for Shalit, who was there for five years, did cost Israel immensely — they had to release over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners to allow for his freedom. Nearly 500 were freed today. In Palestine, those prisoners were welcomed with cheers by Hamas — while Shalit’s own return was much more subdued, with Israeli officials concerned that freeing so many prisoners at once could cause security issues. source (via • follow)
» The fight goes to court: While Shalit’s parents fight for his freedom, families of the victims of militants in Israel aren’t exactly quite happy with this situation, and are trying to fight it in court. It’s unlikely the court is willing to fix this, but Israeli leaders are trying to soft-pedal this nonetheless. “I understand the difficulty in accepting that the vile people who committed the heinous crimes against your loved ones will not pay the full price they deserve,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a letter to families affected by the exchange.
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