A Syrian aircraft has been shot down over the Golan Heights by Israeli defense systems.
The shooting down of the aircraft is the first time since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War that the battle has crossed into Israeli territory in a major way. Until this point, only stray mortar fire had struck Israeli territory.
Israeli Defense Forces say that the plane was a MiG-21 fighter jet and a surface-to-air missile took the plane down. The wreckage of the plane landed in Syria and the pilot reportedly was able to eject and land in Syrian territory.
Syrian government spokesman tried to claim the shooting down of the plane meant Israel was supporting the terrorist group ISIS. World leaders immediately dismissed the Syrian claim as “absurd.”
A day after the Islamic terrorist group ISIS beheaded a French national, French warplanes struck multiple targets inside Iraq.
France’s air force made multiple bombing raids on oil fields that were under the control of ISIS in an attempt to keep the terrorists from using the oil to fund their activities. The strikes were part of a multinational coordinated assault.
The strikes by France were the country’s first since the start of the assault on ISIS.
The strikes took place as President Obama addressed the United Nations about the ISIS threat.
“The only language understood by killers like this is the language of force, so the United States of America will work with a broad coalition to dismantle this network of death,” Obama said.
Britain is the next country believed to be joining the airstrikes. Prime Minister David Cameron will be seeking authorization from parliament on Friday.
The United States and Arab allies began a series of airstrikes on the terrorist group ISIS.
The strikes happened inside Syria near the town of Raqqa, the self-proclaimed “capital” for the terrorists.
“I can confirm that U.S. military and partner nation forces are undertaking military action against ISIS terrorists in Syria using a mix of fighter, bomber and Tomahawk Land Attack missiles,” Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters. “Given that these operations are ongoing, we are not in a position to provide additional details at this time.”
In addition to U.S. forces, aircraft from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Intelligence reports say that most of the 30,000 ISIS terrorists are inside Syria and without strikes inside that country it would be impossible to break the ISIS command structure.
The strikes come just days after 60,000 Syrian Kurds fled to Turkey because of advances from the terrorists.
Islamic State issued a call to its members in the United States, France and other countries that are connected to the coalition against ISIS to commit attacks.
The call from Islamic State included direct attacks on world leaders, including President Obama.
“O mule of the Jews, you claimed today that America would not be drawn into a war on the ground. No, it will be drawn and dragged … to its death, grave and destruction,” ISIS leader Abu Muhammad al-Adnani said in the video.
ISIS leadership also dismissed the pending airstrikes from coalition countries and said they will have no impact on their reign of terror.
“It will be broken and defeated, just as all your previous campaigns were broken and defeated,” Adnani said.
Observers estimate at least 60,000 Kurds have fled from Syria toward Turkey over a single 24-hour period because of ISIS.
“ISIS came and attacked, and we left with the women, but the rest of the men stayed behind,” 24-year-old Abdullah of Shiran told Reuters. “They killed many people in the villages, cutting their throats. We were terrified that they would cut our throats too.”
Witnesses say that women, children and the elderly were seen fleeing in large groups on foot.
“Islamic State is killing any civilian it finds in a village,” Mustefa Ebdi, the director of local radio station Arta FM, added. “People prefer to flee rather than remain and die. [ISIS wants] to eliminate anything that is Kurdish. This is creating a state of terror.”
Turkish officials reportedly stopped the group at the border and refused to allow them to cross until they confirmed they were fleeing ISIS.
U.N. officials called on world charities to send food and supplies to the region to help the refugees.
The terrorist group ISIS has announced they are releasing a video game similar to Grand Theft Auto in an attempt to recruit western children into their organization.
The media wing of the group says the game will “raise the morale of the mujahedin and to train children and youth how to battle the West and to strike terror into the hearts of those who oppose the Islamic State.”
The trailer for the game shows images of ISIS terrorists attacking various groups and chanting praise when they kill their target. In one instance, an ISIS sniper kills his target and yells “Allahu Akbar” after the kill.
Pope Francis is standing up to the terrorist group Islamic State by heading to Albania for weekend services despite clear warnings the group intends to kill him.
He will be the first sitting Pope since 1933 to visit Albania when he arrives Saturday.
Iraq’s Ambassador to the Holy See has told the Vatican and local newspapers that ISIS had made it clear they want to kill him.
“What has been declared by the self-declared Islamic State is clear – they want to kill the pope. The threats against the Pope are credible,” Habeeb Al Sadr said. “I believe they could try to kill him during one of his overseas trips or even in Rome. There are members of ISIL who are not Arabs but Canadian, American, French, British, also Italians. ISIL could engage any of these to commit a terrorist attack in Europe.”
Al Sadr said when the Pope condemned the terrorists for their killings of innocents he basically put a target on himself. While the Vatican downplayed the threat, Al Sadr said it’s a very real danger.
“This band of criminals does not just issue threats,” Al Sadr said. “In Iraq, they have already violated and destroyed some of the most sacred sites of the Shiite faith. They have struck at Yazidi and Christian places of worship. They have declared that whoever is not with them, is against them. Either convert or be killed. And they are doing it it is a genocide.”
The Pope released a simple statement on the matter.
“I decided to visit this country because it has suffered greatly as a result of a terrible atheist regime and is now realizing the peaceful co-existence of its various religious components,” Pope Francis said.
A Congressman has revealed information that the administration had been trying to hide regarding the capture of four terrorists attempting to sneak into the country through the unsecured southern border.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah told reporters he was informed that four individuals with ties to Middle Eastern terrorist organizations were arrested attempting to enter the country the day before the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Rep. Chaffetz was on a committee questioning Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson who testified in the hearing that “no specific cases came to mind” when asked about terrorists being stopped coming into the country. When the revelations from Rep. Chaffetz were mentioned, Johnson said he’d heard the reports but didn’t know how much credence to give them.
“Over the last 351 days, yet by Homeland Security’s own numbers, 157,000 people got away. And the people we did capture, they come from 143 different countries. Thirteen were from Syria, six were from Iraq, four were from Iran,” Chaffetz said. “We have a porous border. We are worried about every story on the news tonight is about ISIS. I’m worried about them actually coming to the United States and crossing that porous border and getting into the homeland.”
Johnson did admit that since so many people cross the border it would be impossible to stop every terrorist that would try to enter the country.
A New York man has been charged with actively supporting the Islamic terrorist group ISIS.
Mufid Elfgeeh, 30, is a Yemeni born man who had been living in New York City. Elfgeeh ran a halal food market in the city and used the profits to help fund terrorism activities for the group. He also was arranging for the purchase and shipment of weapons.
Reports say that Elfgeeh attempted to buy guns from undercover FBI agents and worked with another undercover agents to help them travel to Syria to take the weapons to ISIS. He even accompanied an undercover agent to Buffalo, New York to pick up a passport for the trip to Syria.
Most disturbing was plans to murder members of the U.S. military.
“Elfgeeh also plotted to shoot and kill members of the United States military who had returned from Iraq,” prosecutors state. “As part of the plan to kill soldiers, Elfgeeh purchased two handguns equipped with firearm silencers and ammunition from a confidential source.”
Attorney General Eric Holder said this is just one of many operations currently underway.
“We will remain aggressive in identifying and disrupting those who seek to provide support to ISIL and other terrorist groups that are bent on inflicting harm upon Americans,” stated Attorney General Eric Holder, according to USA Today. “We are focused on breaking up these activities on the front end, before supporters of ISIL can make good on plans to travel to the region or recruit sympathizers to this cause.”
The Islamic terrorist group ISIS announced plans to attack Israel and eventually the U.S. in a magazine they produced called “Dabiq”.
The terrorists say the conflict with Hamas has made Israel a target for their campaign of violence.
“As for the massacres taking place in Gaza against the Muslim men, women and children, the Islamic State will do everything within its means to continue striking down every apostate who stands as an obstacle on its path toward Palestine,” one article states. “Our actions speak louder than its words and it is only a matter of time and patience before it reaches Palestine to fight the barbaric Jews and kill those of them hiding behind the gharqad trees — the trees of the Jews.”
The magazine was named for a town where the terrorists believe Muslims and Westerners will fight before the apocalypse.
The magazine ends with the group telling their followers that they wlll eventually conquer the entire Arabian Peninsula, Rome and then will defeat the anti-Christ.
“ISIS’s tactics span all media, with devoted Twitter accounts and YouTube channels, including ones that showed the horrifying — and slickly shot — execution of photojournalist James Foley,” Josh Kovensky of the New Republic writes. “… much of Dabiq’s content focuses on a coming apocalypse, while pulling out the same glossy stops that one would expect from an American magazine.”