Free Republic

Syrian rebels have killed a top intelligence officer in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, Syrian state media said on Thursday, according to AFP... Jamaa was head of military intelligence in the province, where the regime has been battling armed opposition fighters seeking to overthrow President Bashar Al-Assad. State media gave no immediate details on where in the province Jamaa was killed or how, but jihadist forums said he died during clashes with jihadist fighters in the city of Deir Ezzor. Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights NGO, said initial reports suggested Jamaa had been...

Treasury Department freezes the generals' U.S.-based assets Washington – The U.S. Treasury Department August 15 froze the U.S.-based assets of two Syrian generals as a result of their support for terrorist organizations and their contributions to Syria’s military occupation of Lebanon. In his position with Syria’s General Intelligence Directorate, Major General Hisham Ikhtiyar contributed to Syria’s policies in Lebanon and provided support for Hezbollah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Treasury says. Another Syrian military chief, Brigadier General Jama'a Jama'a, served as commander of Syrian military intelligence in Beirut. Assistant...