Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said that, with Iran’s help, Al Qaeda is opening up shop in Syria, Fox News reports.
Clapper explains how Tehran and the terror group are cozying up:
In a rare public admission, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Al Qaeda and the Iranian regime have a "shotgun marriage, or marriage of convenience." More significantly, given the series of attacks this week linked to Iran, Clapper said Tehran appears to see Al Qaeda as an insurance policy—a "surrogate or proxy"—against future Western aggression.
This public confirmation comes as U.S. officials investigate the release of five Al Qaeda members after "years of house arrest" in Iran. The men include Saif al-Adel, who was tipped as the likely replacement for Usama bin Laden.