Day 1,188: Syrian planes striking ISIL inside Iraq as US deploys

Further evidence that we are looking at a cluster—-:

We already knew that the Syrian government had stepped up attacks on the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) over the weekend in coordination with the Iraqi government. These attacks came in response to ISIL's advance into Iraq and subsequent transport of Iraqi weapons back over the border into Syria.

Fox News is now reporting, however, that Syrian war planes in fact struck two ISIL convoys inside Iraq during these attacks. The sources for this are "two well-placed senior US defense officials," who added that these Saturday strikes were executed using Iranian intelligence.

ISIL has been active inside Syria as well. They reportedly made a push on Basira, in eastern Syria close to Iraq, late Monday, which led to new clashes with Syrian rebels there. A car bomb in the same Deir Ezzor province killed at least six Syrian rebel fighters.

Meanwhile, it's official: The US is deploying troops to Iraq to help with the ISIL threat. So we've got Iran, Syria, Iraq, and the US all with their hands in this pie. If you're an optimist, you might say "Gee, isn't it nice to see all these folks on the same side for once?" If you are a normal person you will say "Gee, what could possibly go wrong?"

Massive, fatal regime attacks on Aleppo

The Syrian government has been busy. Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 30 people had been killed in a fresh round of regime barrel bombs dropped on opposition-held areas of Aleppo. The photos are graphic and very grim.

The conflict continues.