Syrian Groups Announce End of Hezbollah Ceasefire

A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Syrian opposition groups in three Syrian towns came to an end on Saturday, reports the Associated Press.

Ahrar al-Sham, one of the opposition groups involved in the suspension of hostilities, on Saturday announced the termination of the ceasefire, which was initially supposed to last 48 hours starting at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday August 12. Negotiations to extend the ceasefire collapsed over the weekend, the group said.

Brokered with Iranian and Turkish assistance, the ceasefire was in effect in three towns – Fou’a and Kafraya, Shiite majority towns in the Idlib province, and the rebel-controlled Zabadani.

Shells were fired in Fou’a and large explosions were heard in Zabadani, according to reports.

High-ranking U.N. Official Meets with Syrian Government in Damascus

United Nations humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien met with Syria’s foreign minister on Saturday for talks about how to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country as the civil war shows little sign of letting up.

Syrian foreign minister Walid Muallem stressed “the Syrian government’s commitment to meet the basic needs of the people, who face a fundamental battle against takfiri(extremist) terrorism,” Agence France Press reports, citing the Syrian state media outlet SANA.

O’Brien also visited Homs, where he met with local governor Talal Barazi. “Visited Homs today. Beyond destruction of buildings lies destruction of lives. Syria needs peace,” O’Brien remarked on his Twitter account.

U.N. efforts to alleviate the many humanitarian catastrophes in Syria have failed to put an end to the fighting. Since March 2011, more than 4 million Syrians have become refugees and an estimated 7.6 million are internally displaced. More than 240,000 have died throughout the civil war, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Hostage Kayla Mueller Raped by ISIS Leader Before Being Killed: U.S. Officials

Kayla Mueller was repeatedly raped by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before she died while in the group’s custody earlier this year, according to U.S. officials.

Mueller, 26, died when Jordanian forces bombed a building in which she was being held in February, according to ISIS.

The U.S. learned that Mueller had been sexually assaulted by al-Baghdadi through interviews with Yezidi girls who had been held as sex slaves, Reuters reports, as well as during interrogation of the wife of Abu Sayyaf, an ISIS figure in whose Syrian home Mueller was held. Sayyaf’s wife was captured by U.S. forces

“We were told Kayla was tortured, that she was the property of al-Baghdadi. We were told that in June by the government,” Mueller’s parents told ABC.

Mueller, who began working with a Turkish aid organization for Syrian refugees in 2012, was captured by ISIS in Aleppo in August 2013.

Recommended Reads:

• International Business Times: ISIS Throws Gay Men From Roof in Syria, Releases Photos and Recording of Executions: Video
• BBC: Syria: What’s Behind the Fresh Diplomatic Push?
• Al-Arabiya: To Those Who Preached About Changes in the Middle East
• Daily Mail: ISIS Posts ‘Pictures of Christian Women Kidnapped in Syria Threatening That They Will Become Sex Slaves If Ransom Not Paid’
• Public Radio International: The Making of a Syrian Refugee Celebrity Chef – in Gaza