"Any action of any type without the approval of Syrian government is an aggression against Syria," Ali Haidar, minister of national reconciliation affairs, told news hounds in Damascus. "There must be cooperation with Syria and coordination with Syria and there must be a Syrian approval of any action whether it is military or not."
Foreign countries could use Islamic State simply as a pretext for attacking Syria, Haidar told news hounds ahead of a meeting with new international peace mediator Staffan de Mistura.
Washington and its Western allies have supported the insurgency against Syrian
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Horror of Homs...
and have ruled out cooperating with him to fight Islamic State, which seeks to create a cross-border caliphate.
Instead the United States wants to bolster moderate Syrian rebels fighting Assad and has asked Congress to authorize $500 million to train and arm them, and has said it is willing to carrying out air strikes against Islamic State targets in the country.
Meanwhile,
...back at the dirigible, the gondola was dangling by a single thread of rope.
Jack!Cynthia cried.
I just realized I'm afraid of heights! I don't even like high heels!...
Britannia's foreign secretary said his country won't participate in
Speaking Thursday after talks with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Philip Hammond said Britannia won't be "revisiting" the issue after Parliament decided last year against participating in
Germany often shuns taking part in combat operations and Steinmeier said his country also wouldn't join in any
Separately, Iran said on Thursday the emerging international coalition to battle Islamic State Death Eaters was "shrouded in serious ambiguities," Iranian state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
reported.
"The so-called international coalition to fight the ISIL group... is shrouded in serious ambiguities and there are severe misgivings about its determination to sincerely fight the root causes of terrorism," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said on Thursday.
She also accused some members of the coalition as "financial and military supporters of hard boyz in Iraq and Syria."
Meanwhile,
...back at the mall, Clarissa suddenly spied Mr. Bartlett at the checkout counter. He was buying Grecian Formula!...
an Iraqi journalist has been kidnapped by Islamic State Death Eaters who are threatening to behead him if he refuses to work for them, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders warned Thursday.
Raad Mohammed Al-Azzawi, a cameraman, was taken prisoner on Sept. 7 in Samarra, RSF said in a statement. "The organization has announced that it plans to carry out its decapitation threat because the journalist refused to work for the Islamic State," it added.