Libya Announces Unity Government -- As IS Advances
Rival factions in Libya have announced a unity government that aims to quell the chaos that has erupted since the 2011 uprising against Muammar Qaddafi.
The move comes as the IS group continues attempts to advance in Libya, where it has grown in strength and capability.
IS, which controls the city of Sirte, claimed responsibility for a January 8 suicide truck bombing against a police training academy in Zliten that killed at least 47 people.
The same week, militants attacked oil terminals in Libya's oil crescent and setting oil storage tanks on fire. Last week, IS launched a naval attack against the Zueitina terminal.
More Clashes Between IS, Government Troops In Syria's Deir al-Zor
There are reports of fresh clashes this morning between IS militants and Syrian government troops in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, is reporting this morning that there are clashes in the suburbs of Ayash and al-Baghiliya and on the outskirts of the city. SOHR say some 120 government troops have been killed and 70 IS militants.
The IS-linked Aamaq news agency has posted footage it claims shows IS militants fighting in Deir al-Zor. The video below, uploaded by the pro-opposition Orient News, includes some of the Aamaq footage. The authenticity of Aamaq's video cannot be independently confirmed.
Denmark Trains Its Radar On IS In Syria
Denmark says that it has trained its radar located in Iraq on the IS group in Syria, telling the UN on January 11 that it was "taking necessary and proportionate measures" against IS after it pulled out seven F-16s for rest.
In a letter made public today, Denmark's Foreign Ministry wrote that "Denmark had a radar contribution - this can look, of course, into Syria. This was the contribution while we wait for the planes."
Contact Lost With 3 British Schoolgirls Who Traveled to IS-Held Syria
Contact has been lost with three British schoolgirls who traveled to Syria last February to join the IS group, a lawyer for the girls' families has said.
Lawyer Tasnime Akunjee said that he had been in contact with the three girls -- Shamima Begum, Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase -- in the IS stronghold of Raqqa until a few weeks ago.
But a bombing by the U.S.-led coalition has hindered communications around Raqqa.
Akunjee said Raqqa was "hellishly dangerous" and said "we have no idea what [the girls'] status is at the moment."]
Doubt Cast On Syria Peace Talks After Assad's Battlefield Gains
Doubt has been cast on Syrian peace talks due to start January 25 after recent battlefield victories by government troops backed by Russian air strikes, which have boosted President Bashar al-Assad and plunged rebels into disarray, AP is reporting this morning.
Invitations for the talks in Geneva, scheduled for next week, have yet to be sent but major powers have been in disagreement over which Syrian opposition groups should be invited.
That concludes our live-blogging of the crisis surrounding the Islamic State extremist group. Check back here tomorrow morning for more of our ongoing coverage.
Israel Warns IS Could Attack It, Jordan
Battlefield setbacks for IS in Syria have increased the chance of an attack by the IS group in Israel or Jordan, Israel's military chief Lieutenant-General Gadi Eizenkot has said.
"The successes against [IS] raise the probability, in my eyes, that we will see them turning their guns both against us and against the Jordanians," he told a conference hosted by Tel Aviv University's Institute for International Security Studies (IISS).
As IS continues to gain ground in its three-day offensive on the towns of Ayyash and Begayliya near Deir al-Zor city in eastern city, reports on social media suggest that IS's target is weapons stores near Ayyash.
The pro-opposition Al Aan news is reporting that IS now controls the Ayash weapons stores after Syrian government forces withdrew.
The location of Ayyash and Begayliya are shown on Wikimapia here.
Pro-IS accounts are tweeting that IS has gained control of a missile battalion base near Deir al-Zor.
IS Advances Near Deir Al-Zor
Reuters reports that the IS group has captured ground from Syrian government forces near the eastern city of Deir al-Zor.
IS militants control most of Deir al-Zor province and have been besieging the remaining government-held areas of Deir al-Zor city since March.
According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, IS has now taken control of areas in the south and west of two towns -- Ayyash and Begayliya, which are north west of Deir al-Zor city.
A Syrian government source has said the army repelled the attacks.
There have also been unconfirmed reports that IS has taken control of a missile battalion base on the outskirts of Deir al-Zor city.
Russia, Qatar Expect Syrian Peace Talks To Start This Month: Lavrov
Russia and Qatar expect Syrian peace talks to start "as soon as possible, this month," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
Lavrov's comments followed a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Moscow today.
Lavrov said that Russia and Qatar had confirmed their commitment to agreements made in Vienna and then "enshrined in a UN Security Council resolution and which assume the necessity of ensuring that conditions are such for the Syrian people to freely decide their own fate."