Morning Brief: Syrian troops bombard rebel strongholds in Damascus

Top news: Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad intensified their bombardment of Sunni Muslim districts in and around Damascus Wednesday in an attempt to reverse recent rebel gains. Syrian jets bombed the neighborhood of Jobar in the southeast of the capital, as well as the southern suburb of Daraya, which is located along a critical highway to Jordan. Meanwhile, rebels captured the eastern town of al-Shaddadeh after several days of heavy fighting that left roughly 100 Syrian troops and 30 members of the Nusra Front dead.

In Washington, newly confirmed Secretary of State John Kerry remained optimistic about the possibility of persuading Assad to agree to a political settlement. "We need to address the question of President Assad's calculation currently," he said after a meeting with the Jordanian foreign minister. ?"I believe there are additional things that can be done to change his current perception. I've got a good sense of what I think we might propose."

Iran: Iranian authorities recently attempted to purchase 100,000 ring-shaped magnets for use in nuclear centrifuges, the Washington Post reported. The sheer number of magnets, which would allow Iran to expand the number of centrifuges it operates by a factor of five, has led some analysts to conclude that the Islamic Republic is planning a major expansion of its nuclear program, though it is not clear if the order was filled.

Source: http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/node/1421281

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