Russian and Syrian jets began bombing rebel positions in Idib province today, the last stronghold of rebel opposition to the regime of Bashar Assad.  Western nations and the U.N. are warning Assad not to engage in indiscriminate slaughter as hundreds of thousands of civilians hunker down in anticipation of the onslaught. The U.S. is strongly warning Assad not to use chemical weapons in the coming campaign and is drawing up military options to use in case the Syrian president gases his own people. Meanwhile, a summit involving Iran, Turkey, and Russia failed to achieve a ceasefire that might have spared tens of thousands of civilians. Reuters: Friday's summit had focused on a looming military operation in Idlib, the last major stronghold of active opposition in Syria to the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan pushed for a ceasefire during the summit but Russian President Vladimir Putin said a truce would be...(Read Full Post)