Rebel forces killed a regional Syrian Intelligence Chief in the eastern part of the country, according to state TV.  General Jameh Jameh was a veteran operative linked to bombings and terrorism outside Syria’s borders.

A top rebel commander for the eastern front said the 59-year old Jameh was shot and killed near his home in the al-Joura neighborhood of Deir al-Zour city, the provincial capital.  Jameh was questioned by the United Nations about the 2005 car bomb assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, a former Lebanese prime minister and an outspoken critic of the Syrian army’s presence in his country at the time.

Chemical weapons inspectors in Syria say they have completed nearly half of their work in the country.  The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical weapons (OPCW) said the team was making good progress in its mission to inspect more than 20 sites. 

However, security remained a concern for the 60 inspectors – who have been working in Syria since 1 October.  In just the last week, there has been a mortar attack near the inspectors’ hotel in Damascus, and a number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were detonated in cars nearby their work locations.