Evening Update:

Things are happening really fast right now. Missing a few hours of a news cycle now is equivalent to missing weeks of the news a few short years ago. Since this morning's update, we see this:

Syrian Rebels Start "Liberate Damascus" Operation

Rebels will intensify attacks inside the Syrian capital and target sensitive security installations in what they call an operation to "liberate Damascus", a rebel commander said on Tuesday, after three days of fierce fighting in the city.

Colonel Qassem Saadeddine, spokesman of the joint command of the Free Syrian Army inside Syria, told Reuters via Skype that many fighters arrived in Damascus from several provinces 10 days ago to take part in the operation and more would be sent soon.

"There is no going back. The Damascus battle has priority for us. We have started the operation to liberate Damascus," Saadeddine said, adding the rebels had called their operation "Damascus volcano and Syrian earthquake".

"This has been planned for some time now. We sent many groups and fighters to Damascus and its suburbs 10 days ago. We have sent at least 50 groups, each with around 50 fighters," Saadeddine said.

"We will hit security buildings. There is major coordination between all military councils regarding this. We will not stop, there is no return."

Rebels Plan To Intensify Attacks In Damascus

“The Syrian military is acting very brutally, which shows the regime is desperate. Its control of Damascus is getting weaker,” Major-General Aviv Kochavi told a parliamentary committee.

“Assad has moved many of his forces that were in the Golan Heights to the conflict areas," Kochavi said. “He's not afraid of Israel at this point, but primarily wants to bolster his forces around Damascus.”

Nawaf Fares, the first Syrian ambassador to defect since the uprising against Assad began, told the BBC on Monday that Assad will not hesitate to use chemical weapons against opposition forces.

Mofaz: I Am Willing To Compromise But Won't Cross Red Lines

Kadima leader speaks after the party overwhelmingly votes to leave the coalition over a breakdown in talks to replace the Tal Law; only three Kadima MKs vote to stay

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Kadima left the national-unity coalition and its leader Shaul Mofaz resigned from the government on Tuesday night after he and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu were unable to agree on a bill to replace the “Tal Law.”

In a stormy meeting at the party’s Petah Tikva headquarters, the Kadima faction decided to leave by vote of 25 to three.

Netanyahu’s associates said Mofaz made up his mind to leave long ago and even if the prime minister would have proposed drafting every yeshiva student at 18, Kadima would have said no.

MK Danny Danon (Likud) said, “Kadima is a political corpse that will soon disappear from the pages of history.

The trendy, values-lacking party harms the citizens of Israelonce again, in an attempt to survive in the political arena.”

“Goodbye Kadima, and I hope not to see you later,” MK Ofir Akunis (Likud) quipped. “Too bad that instead of behaving responsibly to reach equality in the burden of service, Kadima preferred to create divisions in the public in order to try to survive among left-wing parties.”

An Inside Look In Eastern Jerusalem: Daily Arab Attacks On Jews

Jews in the Beit Hanina neighborhood of Jerusalem, a hotbed of angry Arabs in one of the areas claimed by the Palestinian Authority, are attacked almost daily by stones and firebombs. Police are passive, according to Jewish residents.

Hezi Hovav told Arutz Sheva there have been dozens of Arab attacks, and he has filed complaints without any results.