President Bashar Assads

President Bashar Assads: Fighting between President Bashar Assads forces and mainly Sunni rebels has already spilled over Syrias borders into Turkey and Lebanon, where factions that support opposing sides have frequently clashed. From the Israeli side of the Golan, tanks and armoured vehicles could be seen from about a kilometre away in the Syrian-controlled part of the territory. Thick smoke and flames rose from the area and a large fire raged, according to The Star. Also Thursday, Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri tapped into the deepening Sunni-Shiite rift stemming from the conflict, calling on Sunnis everywhere to devote their lives, money and expertise to the overthrow the regime, set up Islamic rule in Syria and prevent a U.S.-allied government from taking over after Assad, whose regime is dominated by the Alawite sect, an offshoot group of Shiite Islam and BEIRUT Austria announced it is withdrawing 377 UN peacekeepers from the Golan Heights after Syrian rebels briefly overran a crossing point near the border with Israel on Thursday, a development that has deepened concerns the civil war is spreading to neighbouring countries. Syrian army cleanses town (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.