09/26/14

* Air raids disrupt jihadist oil operations in Syria US-led air strikes in Syria disrupted the Islamic State group's lucrative oil-pumping operations as Britain's parliament on Friday debated joining anti-jihadist raids in neighboring Iraq.

* ISIS shifts strategy in face of air strikes Islamic State militants are changing tactics in the face of US air strikes in northern Iraq.

* FBI says it has identified man in IS beheading videos The United States has identified the masked Islamic State terrorist who murdered two kidnapped American journalists in separate videotaped beheadings, FBI chief James Comey said Thursday.

* As U.S. takes on the Islamic State, al-Qaeda remains degraded but not defeated Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of al-Qaeda's founders and its leader for the past three years, released a video announcing the formation of a new affiliate in India and lamenting the turmoil being caused by the rival Islamic State in Syria.

* Abbas denounces 'genocidal' Israel, urges UN to back timetable for Palestinian statehood Without a "firm timetable" in place to end the Israeli presence in Gaza and the West Bank, there's no value in continuing peace talks President Mahmoud Abbas said during his speech at the UN General Assembly Friday.

* Middle Israel: Person of the year Our person of the year 5774 may well have been an Arab, yet another protagonist of the gruesome epoch that has been unfolding about us since autumn 2010.

* Syria's Islamist rebels fear US could hit them next When the United States opened its aerial campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria this week, its first salvo also hit an al-Qaeda cell it says was planning terror attacks - a move that has injected more chaos into the conflict and could help Syrian President Bashar Assad.

* Obama meets with el-Sissi, says Egypt key to Mideast security US President Barack Obama on Thursday touted the longstanding relationship between the United States and Egypt as a cornerstone of American security policy in the Middle East.

* Palestinians see UN session as window for US to show support WEST BANK - There are no surprises expected when Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas takes to the podium at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday even if different parties come away with vastly different reactions.

* MPs support UK air strikes against IS in Iraq The UK Parliament has backed British participation in air strikes against Islamic State extremists in Iraq.