Syria

Compared to where it was a year ago, the group is far stronger in the south and is gaining steam even as it faces large-scale military campaigns against its forces in the north.

In the president's usage, the term "ground forces" conjures up massive numbers of troops obviously superfluous to the task of defeating the ill-trained, ill-equipped militias of the Islamic State.

The devastation next door, combined with Islamic State attacks and rising sectarian tensions at home, could send Lebanon into round two of its civil war.

Moscow's lack of easy retaliatory options and Ankara's longstanding fear of Russia should forestall any showdown requiring NATO intervention, and the recent shootdown incident will help bring Ankara closer to the alliance in the long term.

Although their close tactical coordination has prevented any bilateral flare-ups so far, Israel needs to plan for the likelihood that its relative freedom of operation in Syria will diminish the minute its actions interfere with Moscow's interests.

The reported frontrunner has close ties to the Syrian regime, so his selection may not help mitigate sectarian tensions as hoped.

The group's much-vaunted media machine seems to have slowed down over the past half year, suggesting that military efforts against its forces are taking a toll.

A yes vote is important not just for the expected increase in tactical effectiveness it would bring on the Syrian battlefield, but also for signaling that the strategic alliance within the EU and between Europe and the United States is seamless.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on the sidelines of the UN climate summit in Paris today to discuss the situation in Syria, fighting terrorism, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to Russian and Western press reports. Earlier, at Israel's initiative according to a Kremlin