Middle Orient

The Middle East came “perilously close to a much broader regional conflict” in the days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, President Biden’s senior Middle East adviser said in an interview with FRONTLINE for the documentary Netanyahu, America & the Road to War in Gaza. In the Dec. …

A Japanese-owned chemical tanker struck Saturday off the coast of India was targeted by a drone “fired from Iran,” the Pentagon said, a sign of expanding risks to commercial shipping beyond the Red Sea. It was the first time the Pentagon has openly accused Iran of directly targeting ships since …

The war that began on October 7 between the terrorist group Hamas and the state of Israel is many things. It is, of course, part of the Palestinian-Israeli struggle, but also a new episode in the history of Islamism and Islamist terrorist organizations. It is many other things. It is …

The United States and Finland formalized a defense cooperation agreement (DCA) on December 18th, marking a pivotal development in their military collaboration. The accord entails Helsinki’s commitment to facilitating access to its military bases for U.S. forces, thereby fostering joint training initiatives and implementing various cooperative measures. U.S. Secretary of …

Kurdish autonomous regions in Iraq and Syria are increasingly coming under threat by regional powers, namely Iran and Turkey. They are also increasingly becoming vulnerable to internal challenges posed by the central governments in Baghdad and Damascus. The United States, at different stages, played a central role in the establishment …

The combat arena: The IDF forces continued the integrated ground maneuver in the Gaza Strip, with fighting in Jabalia, Shejaiya and Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip; there was also activity in Gaza City. In the southern Gaza Strip IDF forces continued taking control of Khan Yunis. Palestinian sources …

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy has established a popular unit consisting of voluntary local sailors that can carry out operations in oceans with their vessels armed with rockets, a top commander said. Addressing a conference on Tuesday, IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri said the naval Basij …

Introduction Nearly 20,000 Gazans dead, including 10,000 children; 288 Palestinians killed in the West Bank; 1200 Israelis murdered, 150 held hostage by Hamas and 3 killed by IDF soldiers; ambulances blocked, hospitals destroyed, 90% going hungry in Gaza; and 1000 complaints of repression of pro-Palestinian speech in the US (Palestinelegal.org). …

The Israeli military on Wednesday said it had uncovered a major Hamas command center in the heart of Gaza City, inflicting what it described as a serious blow to the Islamic militant group as pressure grows on Israel to scale back its devastating military offensive in the coastal enclave. The …

The U.S. is mustering an international armada to deter Iranian-backed Houthi militias from Yemen from attacking shipping in the Red Sea, one of the world’s most important waterways for global trade, including energy cargos. The Houthis’ drone and missile attacks are ostensibly a response to the war between Israel and …