Iraqi Tribes to Take Lead in Falluja Fight, U.S. Says

-        The Iraqi army is planning to cordon off a key Sunni city now occupies by Jihadists so that Sunni tribes can secure it one neighborhood at a time

-        The Iraqi plan reflects a recognition that having the Shiite dominated Iraqi Army mount a frontal assault on a Sunni city that has long been wary of outsiders could lead to an especially violent round of urban warfare and fan sectarian tensions

-        ISIS captured about a dozen Iraqi soldiers near Falluja paraded the through the city in a truck flying the black flag of Al Qaeda, then videotaped their execution the next day

-        The ISIS militants drove into Falluja and the nearby city of Ramadi in as many as 100 trucks equipped with heavy machine guns and antiaircraft guns

-        The Obama administration has not offered to assist the Iraqi forces that are preparing to retake Falluja with American-operated drones or airstrikes

-        The U.S. plans to lease six Apaches in the late summer or early fall, the Iraqi government is buying 24 more but the delivery time can be as long as three years

-        The group took three villages in a northern province, Salahuddin, and it also continued its attacks in Baghdad

Spy Chief Says Assad Has Strengthened Hold on Power in Syria

-        The country’s top intelligence official said President Bashar al-Assad’s hold on power in Syria had “strengthened” over the past year, and that he has benefited from a deal to abandon his chemical weapons arsenal

-        Syrian activists reported that government helicopters dumped barrel bombs onto neighborhoods in Aleppo suspected of housing insurgents

-        Concern has been mounting in both Congress and in the Obama administration that the policy toward Syria is faltering on several fronts.

-        Assad government has delayed taking its most dangerous chemicals to the port of Latakia so they could be shipped out of the country for destruction under the terms agreement that calls for Syria to give up its arsenal of poison gas

-        They have also blocked shipments of medicine and food to besieged areas.

-        No one in this administration (Obama) thinks we are doing enough until the humanitarian crisis has been solved and the civil war ended.

-        Critics say such talks are unlikely to succeed unless Mr. Assad is weakened militarily and has some incentive to negotiate

-        The C.I.A warned that the chaos in Syria had become fertile ground for militant groups to stage attacks outside the country

-        Syrian government’s explanations for the missed deadlines are that security dangers posed by the Syrian civil war had created problems in transporting the chemicals to the port of Latakia. Western officials have suggested this is merely an excuse

-        Four percent of the dangerous chemicals have been sent to the port for removal

U.S. Penalties Over Violations of Iran Sanctions

-        The Obama administration penalized nearly three dozen companies and individuals in eight countries on Thursday, accusing them of evading Iranian sanctions

-        These actions should leave no doubt that those who seek to evade our sanctions, support Iran’s nuclear program or assist in Iran’s promotion of international terrorism will continue to be called to account

-        Joint Plan of Action- temporary agreement was devised to allow more time to negotiate a permanent accord

-        Iran froze much of its uranium enrichment activities will provide more access to United Nations nuclear inspectors

-        The Treasury said the network had helped supply money to Al Qaeda and affiliates, including the Nusra Front in Syria, which is among the groups fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian ally