CIA Ramps Up Training for Moderate Rebels. As extremist groups gain power on the ground in Syria, the Washington Post reports on the CIA “expanding a clandestine effort to train opposition fighters in Syria amid concern that moderate, U.S.-backed militias are rapidly losing ground in the country’s civil war.”

But Greg Miller writes that the program “is so minuscule that it is expected to produce only a few hundred trained fighters each month even after it is enlarged, a level that officials said will do little to bolster rebel forces that are being eclipsed by radical Islamists in the fight against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.”

The CIA move comes as Islamist groups have gained growing influence, even as they splinter into rival camps. Six powerful Islamist brigades called on al-Qaida to leave Azaz, a town on the Syrian-Turkish frontier. The groups called for al-Qaida to declare a cease-fire and take its grievances to an Islamic court established in Aleppo, AFP reports.

Asma al-Assad’s Shift from Desert Rose to “Lady in Black.” Al Arabiya reports on the changing image of wife of President Bashar al-Assad; in the past she’s been both praised and denounced for her glamorous, fashion-clad public profile.

“On Tuesday, the Syrian presidency’s official Facebook page published photos of Asma [sic] she paid her respects to families who lost relatives in the ongoing conflict,” says Al Arabiya. “Dressed in black to visit the mourners, the First Lady appeared in one of the photos holding a young boy’s arm.

“The pictures come after Asma was criticized for bombarding the official Syrian presidential Instagram account with photos showing her waving to cheering crowds, visiting hospital patients and meeting with officials … the new images of the First Lady dressed in black could be her latest attempt to show compassion.”

Suggested Reads from Our Editorial Team: 

Reuters: Al Qaeda Linked Groups Advance on Rebels Near Turkey

WSJ: Regime Chokes Off Food to Town that was Gassed

TIME: Weapons Experts Start Syria Mission Amid Clashes

Washington Post: U.S. Credibility Still on the Line with Syria’s Chemical Weapons

The New York Times: Missed Opportunity in Syria Haunts U.N. Official 

Reuters: Putin, Obama May Discuss Syria in Bali

The Guardian/Opinion: Syria Must Unite to Fight al-Qaida

WSJ/Opinion: Syria, Russia 1; U.S., Democracy 0

Reuters: Saudi Arabia Cancels U.N. Speech in Protest Over Syria