The intensifying regional spillover of Syria’s civil war were felt in several neighboring countries on Monday, including Iraq where Sunni jihadist groups allied with Al-Qaida franchises in Syria and Lebanon battled government troops and local tribes in a battle which observers say killed dozens of people. The clash took place in restive Anbar province, which borders Syria to the west. Several bombs and shootings killed dozens of people in other parts of Iraq on Monday, along with another suicide bomb attack in Beirut also tied to the war in Syria. Meanwhile, the London-based defense consultancy IHS Janes published a report on Monday showing a massive buildup of military capabilities by countries in the Middle East, with Israel coming in surprisingly low on the list of major weapons purchases.Read More
