Today's Headlines and Commentary

We begin with security concerns posed by rebel groups in Paraguay, like the Paraguayan People's Army, who are making headway and intensifying their operations against security forces in the country. The New York Times reports. Congratulations! Mullah Fazlullah has been appointed as the new leader of the Pakistani Taliban after his predecessor, Hakimullah Mehsud, was killed by a drone. The Wall Street Journal has the story. The Times also discusses the new risks that have arisen for United Nations peacekeepers after the Congolese rebel group M23 stepped down earlier this month. The Associated Press reports on Al Shabaab militants who have turned against their fellow terrorists and are now helping Somali security services to locate Shabaab fighters. Syria's civil war rages on---and peace negotiations between the warring factions remain far out of sight. President Bashar Al-Assad's forces recaptured the suburb of Hujeira, south of Damascus, and rebel groups pushed back in a continuing standoff. The rebel group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant issued "a call to arms" in Aleppo, Syria as the Syrian army continued to make advances in the area. The BBC has more. Some domestic developments: The Journal, Times, and Washington Post all report on the Obama administration's appeal to Congress to slow a new round of sanctions against Iran. The Journal reports that the State Department rejected Israel's assessment of the effects of delaying the sanctions. Josh Gerstein of Politico has more on the developments. President Obama's surveillance review board delivered its interim report to the White House, according to USA Today and Politico. No news yet about what's actually in it; the group's final report is due by Dec. 15. ODNI General Counsel Bob Litt warned of the costs of too much transparency during a hearing at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing yesterday. One Dylan Davies, who was hired to provide security at the American consulate in Benghazi, has rejected an account he is said to have given to the FBI about the night of the attack on the compound last year. In it, he said he was not on the scene until the morning of the attack---but in a book and a "60 Minutes" interview, he claimed that "he left the villa that night to visit a hospital where he said he saw the body of the deceased ambassador, J. Christopher Stevens, and twice rushed to the scene of the attack." Here is the Times. Remember Tarek Mehanna? A federal appeals court upheld his 17.5 year prison term for traveling to Yemen, plotting to attack American soldiers in Iraq, and promoting Al Qeada's ideology in the United States. The Boston Globe has more, as does the Post. The opinion is here. Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, wants to scale back the Air Force's use of drones. Two Secret Service officers were removed from President Obama's detail after one agent was accused of trying to force his way into a woman’s room to retrieve a bullet he had left there, and both agents were accused of sending sexually suggestive e-mails to a female subordinate. The Post has the story. Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.