Syria Launches Airstrikes After ‘Islam Army’ Targets Damascus

Syria launched airstrikes that killed at least 57 people Wednesday in Eastern Ghouta after the Islam Army launched rockets into Damascus earlier that day, killing at least five people, Reuters reports.

On Tuesday, a message on a Twitter account thought to belong to Jaysh al-Islam (Islam Army) leader Zahran Alloush said his group considered Damascus a “military zone” and the attack was a “taste” of what the Syrian military had done to Ghouta.

The statement comes following an attack on the capital with at least 38 rockets on January 25, one of the heaviest attacks on Damascus this year.

The Syrian army responded to the second major Islam Army attack in two weeks with at least 70 airstrikes in eastern Ghouta, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“Government forces have been regularly attacking Douma and its surrounding areas, a stronghold of Alloush’s group, by air raids and helicopter barrel bomb attacks. Hundreds of civilians have been killed alongside opposition fighters,” the BBC writes.

The Islam Army follows an Islamist doctrine and was formed by a merger of rebel factions in 2013. It has reportedly received support from Saudi Arabia in the past.

U.N. Plan for Local Ceasefires in Syria ‘Frozen’

The U.N. plan for local ceasefires in Syria is deadlocked, with Damascus unwilling to make concessions to disparate armed groups, Reuters reports.

Since October, U.N. special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura has been trying to put together a plan for local cease-fire or “incremental freeze zones” across Syria, starting with the city of Aleppo, in an attempt to halt the fighting in the country and provide humanitarian aid to civilians.

“The freeze is frozen. It is just going from bad to worse,” an unnamed diplomat told the paper.

Aleppo has witnessed almost daily regime airstrikes, including barrel bombs, with many civilian casualties. It is at the heart of clashes between the government, opposition and various insurgent factions.

“There is no reason for the regime to enter into the freeze, they believe they are militarily doing quite well, that they could potentially close the corridor to Aleppo and put it under siege,” a second diplomat told Reuters.

He added that the plan was deadlocked because the government wanted the plan to resemble pervious truces that effectively forced the opposition to surrender, something the U.N. wants to avoid.

In an interview with Foreign Affairs last month, President Bashar al-Assad hinted that the plan should be modeled on previous truces.

“We implemented it in another city called Homs, another big city. We implemented it on smaller scales in different, let’s say, suburbs, villages and so on, and it succeeded,” he told Foreign Affairs magazine. “So the idea is very good.”

Jordan Launches New Round of Airstrikes Against Islamic State in Syria

The Jordanian air force launched a new round of airstrikes against the Islamic State after the group executed a captured Jordanian pilot, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The new round of airstrikes came a day after officials from the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State said the country was considering expanding its role in the alliance.

On Wednesday Jordan confirmed the death of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh after a video was posted online by the Islamic State claiming to show him being burned alive.

Jordan’s army vowed to avenge the killing of its pilot, calling for an “earth shattering response” to his death.

“Tens of Jordanian fighter jets staged repeated attacks against the group in Thursday’s operation, which was dubbed “Moaz the Martyr,” the military said. U.S. officials said that the targets were in Syria and that American planes provided support,” writes the Wall Street Journal.

Jordan, one of four Arab states in the U.S.-led coalition, has played a lead role in airstrikes against the Islamic State and could be propelled into a larger role in retaliation for the pilot’s killing. On Thursday, U.S. officials confirmed that the United Arab Emirates, a key member of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, had not flown combat missions over Syria since December but has remained involved in non-combat roles, AFP reported.

The Gulf state dropped out of the alliance of countries conducting airstrikes against ISIS targets after a Jordanian pilot was captured, citing fear for its pilots’ safety.

“U.S. military officials are hopeful that Jordan’s response will compel other Arab nations, most notably the UAE, to resume flying airstrikes in Syria,” writes the Wall Street Journal.

Recommended Reads:

• ABC: Damascus, Syria Wake Up to Massive Rocket Attacks
• BBC: Dozens Killed in Heavy Damascus Fighting
• Reuters: Islamic State in Syria Seen Under Strain But Far from Collapse
• New York Times: Promise of Europe Lures Syrians and Smugglers
• NBC: Twelve-Hour Work Days are Normal for Syria’s Refugees

Photo Courtesy of AP Images