Free Republic

Baghdad, Iraq -- Reports that Syrian warplanes carried out a cross-border attack on Iraqi towns this week is further evidence of the blurring between the two countries' borders as they face an offensive by Islamic extremists. At least 57 Iraqi civilians were killed and more than 120 others were wounded by what local officials say were Syrian warplanes that struck several border areas of Anbar province Tuesday. These border cities are among those under the control of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, which seeks to create an Islamic caliphate that encompasses portions of Iraq in Syria....

The Jewish community in the West Bank plans to host up to 500,000 Israelis in the event of a future regional war.In the 1991 Gulf war, thousands of residents from the Tel Aviv area fled to the West Bank for safety from Iraqi Scud ballistic missile strikes. In the 2006 war with Lebanon, about 10,000 residents of northern Israel joined relatives and friends in the West Bank to escape Hizbullah rocket attacks. "Judea and Samaria can be a place of refuge for the nation," Naftali Bennett, director-general of the Council of Jewish Communities of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip,...

Syria's government on Sunday promised Israel a firm and immediate retaliation for any possible Israeli attack on its territory. "Any aggression against Syria will be met with a firm and direct response whose timing and methods are unlimited," Syria's official news agency quoted Information Minister Mohsen Bilal as saying. Responding to a report in a pan-Arab daily newspaper that Israel presented Damascus with an ultimatum, an Israel Defense Forces officer said Saturday that targeting Syria is currently not on Israel's agenda. "We're not a gang that shoots in every direction," the officer said. "It won't be right to bring Syria...

While ground forces launch Gaza operation, Air Force conveys harsh message to Syrian president in aerial flight over his palace; Israel points finger at Syria as sponsor of Hamas leaders, headed by Khaled Mashaal, who Israel views as directly responsible for Kerem Shalom operation