Middle East Updates / Air raid targets Islamic State in Syria, monitor group says

Sep. 23, 2014 | 11:59 PM |

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Haaretz's latest Middle East analyses and opinions: Large scale, showy terror attacks loom on Israel's horizon (Amos Harel) | An impressive coalition vs. the Islamic State - just get ready for the infighting (Zvi Bar'el) | Islamic State closing in on Kurds in Syria (Carl Drott)

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1:35 A.M. U.S. security agencies issued an intelligence bulletin on Tuesday about threats from Syria-based Al-Qaida operatives, a Homeland Security spokeswoman said.

The Department of Homeland Security and FBI alerted state, local and federal law enforcement to the latest threats, said to DHS spokeswoman Marsha Catron.

'Recent intelligence indicated that senior Syria-based AQ operatives were nearing the execution phase for an attack in Europe or the homeland,' she said.

U.S. officials cited an imminent attack planned by an Al-Qaida group in Syria as one reason they launched airstrikes in Syria on Tuesday. (Reuters)

12:14 P.M. The U.S. informed Iran in advance of its intention to strike Islamic State militants in Syria and told Tehran that it would not target the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.

'This issue was first discussed in Geneva and then was discussed thoroughly in New York where Iran was assured that Assad and his government will not be targeted in case of any military action against Daesh (Islamic State) in Syria,' the official said on condition of anonymity. He added that Iran was informed separately in advance of the airstrike.

Asked about the assurance that Syrian government forces would not be targeted, a senior U.S. State Department official told Reuters: 'We communicated our intentions, but not specific timing or targets, to the Iranians. As we've said, we won't be coordinating military action with Iran. And of course we won't be sharing intelligence with Iran either.' (Reuters)

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