Majority of Americans now favor ground troops against ISIL
A recent CNN poll shows that 53% of Americans favor sending a US ground force to fight ISIL. This of course comes shortly after the San Bernardino attack and months of frustration in fighting ISIL in Syria and Iraq. Furthermore, a larger majority disapprove of the president’s anti-terrorism policies. The ISIL War is shaping up as part of the 2016 presidential campaign.
Iran may be deploying fighter aircraft to Syria
Reports reaching Israeli policy makers say that Iran is deploying two squadrons of Sukhoi aircraft to a base near Homs. Naturally, this concerns Israel but it has signaled that it is not necessarily problematic. This suggests Israel might be seeing some good from stabilizing a Shia area in Syria. It further suggests that the Russian-Iranian offensive isn’t proceeding well. Syria’s backers are facing the need to ramp up their military commitments.
Syria claims allied airstrike hits its soldiers
The US-led air campaign has state it would not attack Syrian government troops. However, the government is now claiming that coalition aircraft killed several of its soldiers in an eastern province, about 300 miles northeast of Damascus. The government has not stated what country the aircraft came from. Nonetheless, it is sure they were coalition and not Russian or Syrian. The US has denied coalition planes were responsible.