Pentagon to ‘Revamp’ Anti-ISIS Rebel Training

The U.S. Pentagon is presently drafting plans to “revamp” its training program for Syrian rebels who fight against Islamic State reports the New York Times.

The Pentagon received criticism for its training program after several U.S.-trained rebels – a group called Division 30 – were attacked by Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian arm of al-Qaida, just minutes after entering the country from Turkey back in late July.

Jabhat al-Nusra was able to capture several of the rebels, and only a handful has been released to date. Just 54 rebels were trained and deployed as part of the $500 million program approved by Congress last year.

“After a year of trying, however, the Pentagon is still struggling to find recruits to fight the Islamic State without also battling the forces of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, their original adversary,” adds the New York Times.

Israel to Refuse Syrian Refugees: PM Netanyahu

Israel will not take in any Syrians as refugees continue to flee that country’s ongoing civil war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed over the weekend.

“Israel is not indifferent to the human tragedy of the refugees from Syria and Africa,” Netanyahu said, nonetheless adding that a wall is being built along the Syrian and Jordanian borders.

“Israel is a small country, a very small country, that lacks demographic and geographic depth,” Netanyahu added, as reported by NBC. “Therefore, we must control our borders, against both illegal migrants and terrorism.”

Netanyahu’s declaration came in response to opposition leader Isaac Herzog’s call for Israel to accept Syrian refugees. “Jews cannot be apathetic when hundreds of thousands of refugees are searching for safe haven,” said Herzog.

Anti-Assad Druze Cleric Killed in Car Blast

Along with dozens of others, an anti-Assad Druze cleric was killed in a car bomb in the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Friday.

Sheikh Wahid Balous has urged Druze youth to refuse conscription in Syria’s military and has pledged his support for anti-Assad rebels’ efforts to topple the government, Al Jazeera English reports.

Local residents clashed with security forces following his death. According to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, armed residents killed six state security officers and others toppled a statue of the former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.

Although many Syrian Druze have tried to stay neutral throughout more than four years of the civil war, they have been targeted by both government forces and rebel groups in recent months. In July, Jabhat al-Nusra fighters killed dozens of Druze in Qalb al-Lawzah.

Top photo: Syrian Druze in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights wave flags near the boundary line between that territory and the rest of Syria. (Associated Press/Ariel Schalit)

Recommended Reads

• Haaretz: Putin’s Military Build-Up in Syria Could Be a Game-Changer for Israel
• CNN: How to End Syrian Children’s Living Hell
• Middle East Eye: Tragedy of Aylan Kurdi Brings Out Britain’s Split Personality Over Refugees
• Al Jazeera English: Refugee Crisis: Where Are the Gulf Countries?
• Al Jazeera English: We’re Missing the Point About Syrian Refugees
• Haaretz: At Mercy of Human Smugglers, Syrian Refugees Don’t Know What Lies Ahead