Recent news that China and Iran are close to finalizing an economic and security partnership, initially proposed by Beijing in January 2016, has renewed anxieties among some U.S. observers that Washington is gradually ceding the Middle East to its principal strategic competitor. Commenters raised similar concerns after the January 2020 …
Read More »Yearly Archives: 2020
Iran's Missile Violations: Where is the International Community?
“The important point about these missiles is that they are fully equipped with homing. It means they are of the fire-and-forget type. We fire the missile and the data is on the missile itself, it has various navigation systems built in.” — Iran’s Navy chief, Adm. Hossein Khanzadi, Associated Press, …
Read More »FBI Director Warns of 'Drumbeat' of Russian Disinformation, Stoking Trump's Ire
FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday warned lawmakers that Russia is not letting up in its efforts to sway the outcome of the November presidential election by trying to hurt the campaign of Democratic candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden – testimony that appears not to be sitting well …
Read More »China Sends Warplanes Over Taiwan as US Envoy Visits
China sent almost 20 warplanes into Taiwan’s airspace in an unusually large show of force as a response to a senior U.S. official’s visit to the self-governing island.
Read More »Assad loses part of his ground forces in Syria, Hezbollah withdraws
Lebanese politicians predict the imminent departure of the Shiite military-political organization Hezbollah from Syria, where it has been fighting since 2012 on the side of President Bashar al-Assad, learned BulgarianMilitary.com citing local sources.
Read More »US sanctions Iranian intelligence officials, Hizbollah companies, as it moves to counter Iran’s role in the Middle East
The US has announced sanctions on a large number of Iranians who have been involved in cyber attacks, carried out by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS.) It also sanctioned two Lebanese companies and a Lebanese businessman linked to Hizbollah.
Read More »Syria war: US deploys reinforcements to Syria after Russia clashes
The US has ramped up its military presence in Syria after a number of skirmishes with Russian forc es intensified tensions in the country.US officials said six Bradley Fighting Vehicles and about 100 troops were part of the deployment to north-east Syria.
Read More »IRGC Commander: Iran to Target Anyone Directly, Indirectly Involved in Assassination of Gen. Soleimani
Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Hossein Salami warned that Iran is resolved to retaliate for the US assassination of former IRGC Quds Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, and said that all collaborators in the terrorist act are potential targets.
Read More »UAE-Israel normalization gives rise to new risks for Yemen and the region
The U.S.-brokered normalization of ties between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel marks a shift in Abu Dhabi’s strategic thinking that should not be underestimated. To be more precise, it reflects how the UAE perceives threats and opportunities in a volatile regional landscape that has buoyed its ascent in …
Read More »Is the Israel-UAE agreement a game changer for Israel?
In an Aug. 13 tweet, U.S. President Donald Trump celebrated the Israeli-Emirati accord to normalize relations as a “HUGE breakthrough.” Israel’s integration into the region has been a goal of U.S. and Israeli foreign policy for decades, and the mid-August announcement was the first major official step in that direction …
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