Monthly Archives: May 2019

Hezbollah paying the price of Iranian obstinance

Analysis: U.S. sanctions on Iran are taking toll on its Lebanon-based proxy: fighters’ salaries are sliced, assets sold off and even prized Al-Manar TV station is laying off staff; meanwhile, the group itself has not escaped American scrutiny

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WHAT IS U.S. POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST?

The only consistency in the Trump administration’s Middle East policy has been to support autocratic regimes and strongmen, as it has in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.The Trump administration’s top national security officials met with Congress multiple times in May to discuss how the President interprets the threat posed by Iran.U.S. …

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Israel Fires Missile on Syrian Military Site

An Israeli airstrike on a Syrian anti-aircraft position near the Golan Heights Monday killed one soldier and wounded three, Syria said. Israel called the rocket strike on Tal al-Shaar retaliation for a Syrian missile fired at an Israeli military jet it said was a routine flight.

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Surge in US military presence in Mideast creates new risks: Russia FM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that any increase in the US military presence in the Middle East would result in new risks. “As for [US] President [Donald] Trump’s decision to send 1,500 troops in addition to those deployed in the Middle East and North Africa region, well, you …

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Iraqi intelligence arrest senior Islamic State leader in Anbar

Iraqi military intelligence services arrested on Wednesday a senior Islamic State leader in the western province of Anbar. The Iraqi Military Intelligence Directorate, in a statement, said that its troops “arrested Abu Anas al-Samarei, the military adviser of an Islamic State commander, who was responsible for collecting weapons from citizens, …

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Syria group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and al-Qaeda legacy

Who are Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful group in the last province held by rebels in Syria? The ongoing government offensive against the last rebel-held areas in northern Syria has once again put the spotlight on the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the dominant faction in Idlib Province.

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