• Turkey made it clear Thursday that it officially recognized a newly formed rebel coalition as the legitimate leader of the Syrian people, an important step in the group's effort to attract legitimacy and, it hopes, more weapons to bring about the end of President Bashar Assad's rule.
• Rebels took control of a fourth border crossing with Turkey after killing or capturing the remaining government soldiers in the city of Ras al-Ayn on Wednesday evening. There were no airstrikes there Thursday for the first time in three days as the Syrian government apparently gave up holding the city, at least temporarily. With the fighting over, calm appeared to reign.
