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A roadside bomb hit a military vehicle in northern Sinai. The bomb killed 7 troops and injured 6 others. Islamists in northern Sinai have waged attacks against troops and security forces, since the military overthrew Islamist President Mohammed Morsi last year after mass demonstrations demanding his resignation.Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, an al-Qaida-inspired group, conducted the majority of attacks.

More casual and less official source but does a really good job at contrasting 3 Islamic groups often seen as being essentially the same as they are all perpetrators of Jihad. However, there are key differences between Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIS and these are important to note if we plan to combat them in any way.

Abdelham Al Abaaoud profile

President: Bashar al-Assad In power since succeeding his father 2000, Bashar al-Assad is fighting for control of his country after protests against his rule turned into a full-scale armed rebellion. This source provides a brief overview of Assad's regime and actions in recent years.

Islamic State stands with al-Qaeda as one of the most dangerous jihadist groups, after its gains in Syria and Iraq. Under its former name Islamic State in Iraq, the Levant was formed in April 2013, growing out of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).This article is another synopsis of the rise of ISIS and the role they play in Syria and Iraq today

"The regional impact of the blockade on Qatar will be a lasting one and will not go away with the signing of a declaration". On June 15th, 2017 Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt severed political and economic ties with Qatar. However, recently The "solidarity and stability" agreement has made progress in overcoming this conflict.

"Start Here" videos provide background information and context about a subject

This situation reflects on Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" in an interesting way. It appears that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad prioritized Syria's relationship with Iran, what some might call a civilizational tie, over the political interests of Syria as an individual state in his decision to turn down a deal with Israel that would have returned the Golan Heights to Syria's control. The discussion of the influence of upcoming elections in Israel and the US on the release of this news also adds an interesting dimension. Is it the Obama administration that is manipulating the facts about these peace talks so as to appear more effective in Middle East policy? Or is it Netanyahu who is misrepresenting his involvement in an effort to appear strong and unyielding towards the rest of the Arab world in an election year?

Interesting!

81 more civilians were killed in Aleppo today. Up to 300 people have been killed in the past 3 weeks. In response to Aleisha's article, I think this pretty much proves that the cease-fire (which was created about a month ago) has been obliterated.

The ceasefire in Syria seems to have been truly meaningless; as I understand it the agreement barely stood for an hour. The fact that Russia has no problem shelling civilian areas into dust is absolutely reprehensible, and that the US and its allies haven't done much of anything substantive is quite sad.

Yes, I agree it is disappointing that the ceasefire failed; however, I think it is important to recognize that quite often, the first ceasefire of a conflict is not the last. Even though it was unsuccessful, it was not totally meaningless because it is just the start of a process, and it opened the door for a dialogue that could potentially lead to peace talks.

Turkish foreign minister Davutoglu announces that Turkey will stop sending weapons to Syria. Businessmen who support Assad's regime will have their assets frozen in Turkey. Turkey is hoping that these sanctions will persuade Assad to stop the violent crackdowns

Possible non-militant solution to Syria's chemical weapons. Met with skepticism from White House.

I think the divide among Syrian officials and Assad about ceding control of chemical weapons is very interesting. It seems that in addition to gaining Russia's support, Kerry's proposal has also gained the support of many of Syria's top officials including its foreign minister, Wallid al-Moallem. Nevertheless, it appears that Assad is still extremely against giving up Syria's chemical weapons, even if doing so would avert a U.S. strike on Syria.

Having spent last week trying to persuade other countries to support the U.S.-led military assault on the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham, President Obama used an interview with Steve Kroft, of CBS News' "60 Minutes," to give Americans an update. In general, his tone was upbeat. The article discusses the U.S. military action being taken in Iraq, and discusses the question of the how effective the strategy may be. It says that the strategy seems to be more about causing problem for ISIS and seeing the outcome. The complexity of the situation makes the result especially difficult to predict.

BEIRUT - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has blamed Europe's refugee crisis on Western support for "terrorists", as people fleeing his country's civil war stream towards the European Union. In his first public comments on the mass migration, broadcast on Wednesday, Assad said Europe could expect more refugees.

Let's clarify the substance of Assad's comments with reference to the "Daily Life In Syria" article.

BEIRUT, Lebanon - At least 150 people were killed, and 400 were injured, in a stampede in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday. The deaths occurred on the first day of Eid al-Adha, one of the holiest holidays in the Muslim calendar, and as millions of Muslims were making their pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca.

VIENNA - At the migration center in the east wing of the main train station here, Ragad al-Rachid, a petite 19-year-old psychology student and a Syrian Muslim, is immersed in the logistical details of helping dozens of people a day adjust to new lives in her adopted country.

Thanks, Matthew Schweitzer!