Report: Syrian Islamists led by Nusra Front unite near Israel’s border
Eight Islamist groups active near Israel’s border in southern Syria have united into one bloc as the country’s Druse come under increasing pressure.
According to a report on the website Alsouria.net over the weekend, eight Islamist factions announced the formation of Jaish al-Fatah, or the Army of Conquest, in southern Syria in order to face the Syrian regime.
This decision follows the formation of a similarly named alliance in the north, which was announced in March and includes al-Qaida’s Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham. The name is a reference to conquests that spread Islam across the Middle East starting in the seventh century.
A separate, Western-backed alliance known as the Southern Front of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) is still strong in southwestern Syria. Although it controls comparatively little territory, its fighters maintain an important foothold near the borders with Jordan and Israel.