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FBI Expects Islamic State to Retaliate for Air Strikes

U.S. authorities believe the Islamic State jihadists will try to stage an attack in America in reprisal for U.S.-led air strikes in Syria, the head of the FBI said Thursday.

"There's no doubt," said director James Comey told reporters. "They want to do things in retaliation for America's actions or its allies."

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Britain Votes to Join U.S.-Led Airstrikes against Jihadists

British lawmakers on Friday voted overwhelmingly to join anti-jihadist air strikes in Iraq as U.S.-led raids in Syria disrupted the Islamic State group's lucrative oil-pumping operations.

The House of Commons voted by a majority of 524 to 43 after the main political parties all approved military action saying that "lessons from the past" of the 2003 Iraq war had been learned.

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Yemen Leader Urges Shiite Rebels to Leave Capital

Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi Friday urged Shiite rebels who overran Sanaa at the weekend to pull out of the capital, accusing them of breaching a U.N.-brokered peace accord.

Hadi's call came as Washington ordered a cut in the number of American government staff in Yemen due to the "unpredictable" security situation, and an updated travel advice urged U.S. citizens in Yemen to leave.

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Spain, Morocco Arrest Nine Suspected Jihadists

Spain and Morocco on Friday arrested nine suspected members of a group in north Africa linked to the violent Islamic State jihadists, the Spanish government said.

Spanish police and Moroccan security forces "today detained nine members of a terrorist cell... linked to the terrorist organization Islamic State", Spain's interior ministry said.

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Qatar Emir Denies Funding Syria Extremists

The emir of Qatar has denied accusations that his country funds extremist groups in Syria, while stressing the Gulf state's commitment to the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State jihadists.

"We don't fund extremists," Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said in an interview with CNN aired Thursday. "If you talk about certain movements, especially in Syria and Iraq, we all consider them terrorist movement."

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Youth Arrests Fan Anger in Arab East Jerusalem

Palestinian teenagers taunt riot police at a barricade in east Jerusalem, just moments after stun grenades fired by Israeli security forces send stone-throwing youths scattering.

The arrests and alleged mistreatment of hundreds of young Palestinians have deepened anger in Arab parts of the Holy City following the killing of a 16-year-old by Jewish extremists in July.

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New Coalition Raids in Syria as UK Votes on Iraq Action

A U.S.-led alliance launched new air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria Friday, targeting oil facilities for a second day, as Britain weighed joining the campaign in Iraq.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported fresh strikes in the oil-rich eastern province of Deir Ezzor, and northeastern Hasakeh, both of which were also targeted a day earlier.

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Syria Refugees Leave Cruise Liner after Cyprus Standoff

Hundreds of mostly Syrian refugees rescued by a cruise liner in the Mediterranean agreed to disembark in Cyprus on Friday after a standoff triggered by their demand to go to Italy.

A total of 345 migrants were plucked by the Salamis Filoxenia from a trawler in rough seas off the coast of Cyprus on Thursday.

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Obama Speaks to Erdogan about Anti-IS Strikes in Iraq, Syria

President Barack Obama spoke briefly with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday about the war against the Islamic State group and the U.S.-led coalition which the Turks have yet to join.

Officials said Obama called Erdogan from Air Force One as he returned from the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where the Turkish leader met with Vice President Joe Biden.

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Arab Resolution on Israel Defeated Again at IAEA Meeting

A resolution proposed by Arab states expressing concern about Israel's nuclear arsenal was defeated on Thursday at a meeting of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The measure, brought by 18 Arab member states, was rejected by 58 votes to 45, with 27 countries abstaining at the annual general conference.

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