Using Yanbu, as well as air bases at Tabuk and Taif along the Red Sea, would give the American military more options along a crucial waterway that has come under increased attack from Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi militias.
Read More »Turkey maintains presence in Gulf of Aden despite de-esclalation with Saudi Arabia
The Turkish presidency has sent a memorandum to Parliament to extend the mission of the Turkish Navy in the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the territorial waters of Somalia for an additional year, starting February 10, 2021. It does not seem that Turkey will put an end to …
Read More »Indian Army: Indian, Chinese Troops Face Off Along Border
Indian and Chinese soldiers were involved in a fresh clash last week along their disputed border in the eastern Himalayas according to the Indian army. China has not confirmed the incident. The latest scuffle took place amid a tense eight-month long standoff between their militaries and indicates that the border …
Read More »Turkey, Greece hold first round of exploratory talks since 2016
Greece and Turkey have started a new round of exploratory talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul to settle a long-running dispute over energy exploration and territorial rights in the eastern Mediterranean. The dialog was held following a five-year hiatus on Monday, after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu invited Greece …
Read More »Biden’s ‘Low Bar’ for Improving Ties With Nigeria
President Joe Biden will need to combine prudence with creativity to forge a more productive relationship with Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and its largest economy. Notwithstanding Nigeria’s relative decline as a power within Africa, U.S.-Nigeria ties remain extensive by regional and continental standards. But they’ve been stymied in recent …
Read More »Biden Must Make Hard Choices Quickly on Afghanistan
Afghanistan may not rank in the top tier of U.S. President Joe Biden’s policy priorities, given the host of pressing crises in the United States. But Afghanistan’s fate hinges in large part on how the Biden team decides to approach the country’s conflict and its tenuous, still-nascent peace process. Biden …
Read More »Iraqi Kurdish officials call Iran’s Soleimani film ‘insult’ to Peshmerga
Peshmerga that fought on the front lines against the Islamic State see the film as an “insult and belittling the role of Peshmergas.”
Read More »Explosions over Riyadh as CENTCOM commander visits region
No group has yet claimed credit for the blasts, which came three days after the Saudi military said it shot down an enemy projectile over Riyadh. Two explosions were heard over Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on Tuesday afternoon, Reuters reported. Video circulated on social media showing puffs of smoke suspended …
Read More »Turkey enraged by Clintons’ TV show exalting Syrian Kurdish women fighters
Turkey’s state-run press agency is churning out angry coverage of former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea producing a TV series about the Syrian Kurdish women fighters who were key in defeating the Islamic State.
Read More »PA vows to sue US ambassador over support to Israeli settlements
The Palestinian Authority has threatened to sue former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman after he recognized the City of David settlement project in Jerusalem.
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