Middle Orient

IntelBrief: Iran-Backed Militias in Iraq and Syria Standing Down, for Now

U.S. officials are increasingly confident they have deterred Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, which have not attacked U.S. forces for more than one month. U.S.-Iraq talks to limit or potentially end a U.S. military presence in Iraq appear to have contributed to the decision by pro-Iranian groups to halt …

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What is ISIS-K, the group that allegedly carried out the Moscow concert hall attack?

The New Arab looks into who ISIS-K are and why they might have carried out the attack in Moscow that killed over 100 people. A branch of the Islamic State group (IS), which once controlled vast swathes of Iraq and Syria, has claimed responsibility for the deadly terror attack at …

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Iran Update, March 21, 2024

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and other Palestinian militias cooperating against Israel have likely established at least one cell in Jenin to target Israeli civilian areas outside of the West Bank. Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man from Jenin carrying a weapon and “ready-to-use explosive device” in Zeita, along the West …

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On the Horizon: The Future of the Jihadi Movement

Abstract: Following the 9/11 attack, the United States led the international community to fight jihadi terrorism. Over 20 years later, jihadi violence in the West is low, but the number of Sunni jihadi outfits around the world has increased. And while the central leaderships of both al-Qaida and the Islamic …

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Al Jazeera should report, not inflame, the Gaza war

The Qatar-owned channel Al Jazeera has unjustifiably become part of the Gaza war story. In January, two Al Jazeera reporters, Hamzah Dahdouh and Mustafa Thurayya, were killed in the war. On Monday, the Israeli military freed Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza Ismail Al-Ghoul, hours after arresting him during its renewed …

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Iran Update, March 20, 2024

Kataib Hezbollah Secretary General Abu Hussein al Hamidawi said during a meeting with unspecified leaders in Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance” in Tehran on March 20 that the current pause in attacks on US forces does not mark the end of efforts to expel US forces from Iraq .[i] Hamidawi …

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Biden Administration Seeking to Overthrow Israeli Government to Save Hamas

One Israeli expert frequently consulted by American officials says, “I have been asked by a serious administration figure what it is that will force the Netanyahu coalition to collapse. They were interested in the mechanics, what can we demand which will collapse his coalition.” [O]ur intelligence apparatus is rotted through …

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The Gaza War: The Real Problem

With Friends Like Chuck Schumer, Who Needs Enemies? Rather than taking tangible steps towards peace, [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas has done nothing but bypass and evade bilateral negotiations with Israel, while taking extremely tangible steps toward terrorism – from rewarding terrorists, or the families of those who murder Jews, …

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The Case for Palestine

The Palestinian Authority Has Outlived Its Purpose—It’s Time for the State Since the first weeks of the brutal war in the Gaza Strip, Washington has devoted an inordinate amount of attention to the idea that reforming the Palestinian Authority is an essential part of any postwar governance in the territory. …

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