United Nations blacklists Syria's al Nusra Front

The UN Security Council has blacklisted Syria's al Nusra Front on Friday as an alias of al-Qaeda in Iraq, a move that will subject the group to sanctions including an arms embargo, travel ban and assets freeze, diplomats said. Al Nusra, one of the most effective forces fighting President Bashar al-Assad, last month pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri. The US State Department designated al Nusra as a terrorist organisation in December 2012. Experts have long said Nusra is receiving support from al-Qaeda-linked fighters in neighboring Iraq. The group claimed responsibility for deadly bombings in Damascus and Aleppo, and its fighters have joined other Syrian rebel brigades. Al Jazeera's James Bays reports from New York.