Middle Orient

White House dodges reporter’s question on Biden removing terrorist designation from Iran proxy group

The White House reiterated that President Biden is ‘going to review’ removing the terrorist designation from the Houthis National Security Council spokesman John Kirby evaded a reporter’s question on Thursday when asked about President Biden’s decision to unlist Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen as a terrorist group.

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Will Turn Beirut Into Gaza If Hezbollah Opens 2nd Front In War: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu

Iran-backed Hezbollah has carried out attacks against Israel since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, but has not yet joined the Hamas’ war-efforts completely. Hours after Lebanon-based Hezbollah mounted a missile attack on Israel on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the Iran-backed group that the Israeli military would turn …

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The Palestinian Authority Can’t Govern Gaza After the War

Haunted by a chaotic post-Saddam Iraq, the U.S. is scrambling to plan for Gaza after Hamas, even as Israel’s victory over the militant group is far from complete (or certain). But even if Hamas is eradicated, no Palestinian power seems ready to fill the vacuum. Israel, for its part, has …

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The Outlines of a Solution in Lebanon?

As the invasion of Gaza continues, several countries are trying to stabilize Israel’s northern border. Israel wants to create deserts all around and call it peace. Since October 7, something has become evident to its leadership, beyond the shortcomings of Israeli security, namely that the Zionist enterprise is at an …

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Houthis in Yemen Target Vessels in Red Sea

Latest Developments The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen fired a ballistic missile and drones at three commercial vessels on December 3. Additionally, the USS Carney, a Navy destroyer, downed a drone headed in its direction, though the “specific target” of the attack was unclear, according to a United States Central Command …

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Iranian Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei: ‘The Two-State [Israel-Palestine] Solution Is No Longer Relevant’; An Islamic Army To Control Security Should Be Established In The Middle East

In two recent television interviews on, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Iranian regime’s Expediency Council – the body of senior officials appointed by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei[1] – called for establishing an Islamic army to control security in the Middle East after U.S. forces withdraw from the region. Rezaei, …

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Change and continuity in India’s relations with Israel and Palestine

India’s response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel and the ensuing Israel-Hamas war have underscored the notable shift in India-Israel bilateral relations that has taken place under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prime Minister Modi tweeted on Oct. 7, “Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist …

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War delays but likely will not fully derail IMEC plans

U.S. President Joe Biden hailed it as a “real big deal.” India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it “a testament to human endeavor and unity across continents.” European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen labeled it the “most ambitious project of our generation.” Saudi Arabia’s Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih went …

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Daniel DePetris: Blaming Iran for all the violence in the Middle East is not the right tack to take for US policy

The sailors aboard the USS Carney, based in the Red Sea, had a busy weekend — one that could have just as easily turned deadly were it not for the professionalism demonstrated on the ship. On Sunday, the Yemen-based Houthi group launched four attacks on international vessels transiting the waterway. …

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