Sound The Trumpet : Report: Syrian Forces Bomb Sunni Targets in Iraq

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“Report: Syrian Forces Bomb Sunni Targets in Iraq”
by Arutz Sheva
June 26th, 2014

Airstrike (illustrative)

Reuters

Iraqi officials accused Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces of taking advantage of the crisis near Baghdad Wednesday, saying that Syrian warplanes struck several border areas in Anbar province Tuesday.

At least 57 Iraqi civilians were killed and 120 wounded in the attacks, local officials told CNN, in cities controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).

This is not the first time this week Syrian forces have fired into a neighboring country. On Sunday, Syrian forces lobbed a mortar shell into the Golan Heights, killing a 13 year-old boy and seriously wounding a Ministry of Defense civilian subcontractor. Israel responded with airstrikes.

If true, the report would indicate an even broader spillover of the Syrian Civil War, which has mushroomed since 2011 from a statewide dispute into an all-out Islamic holy war between Sunni and Shi'te groups.

Sabah Karkhout, the head of Iraq's Anbar provincial council, told CNN that Tuesday's airstrikes hit markets and fuel stations in Rutba, al-Walid and Al-Qaim (see map below).

Syria-Iraq border. Burnt orange X = alleged site of Syrian airstrikes. Several hundred kilometers northwest of clashes near Bagdhad; note - the entire region under ISIS control, locals say. Google Maps/Annotations from A7 staff

Karkhout said he was certain the warplanes were Syrian because they bore the Syrian flag.

"Also, the planes flew directly from Syrian airspace and went back to Syria," he added.

Nickolay Mladenov, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, confirmed Wednesday that the warplanes that bombed the Iraqi cities were not Iraqi jets, but told reporters he did not have information beyond that.

State-based media in Syria called the reports "completely baseless," blaming them on "malicious media outlets."

Meanwhile, the Iraqi military continue to hold the entire area between Samarra and Baghdad, according to several international media outlets, despite constant skirmishes with advancing ISIS forces.

ISIS progress, moving toward Bagdhad. Circles show where ISIS have taeken over full cities; X shows clashes between Iraqi forces and ISIS. Purple: Iraqi military holding, but ISIS clashes common Google Maps/Annotations from A7 staff

The ISIS has already controlled the Iraqi city of Fallujah for five months, and has also led one of the strongest rebel movements fighting Assad in Syria.

This month's offensive has seen the ISIS claim an unprecedented number of victories in a lighting-fast takeover of the flashpoint region.

So far, the Islamists have made a systemic advance from northern Iraq and southward. Several weeks ago, ISIS leaders seized Mosul; just 48 hours later, Tikrit - birthplace of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein - fell to the terrorists.

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13