Middle Orient

I’ll be the first to admit that two of the main themes on this blog – the United States’ sovereign debt crisis and the deterioration of the petrodollar – have been extraordinarily slow-moving theses. In both cases, there have been developments that stand at odds with my contentions. For example, …

The combat arena: Fighting continues in the northern and southern Gaza Strip. IntegratedIDF forces continued to expand their presence in the area, attacking hundreds of Hamasterrorist targets. The local media reported fierce fighting and the surrender of dozens ofGazans. Senior Hamas terrorists claimed they had the upper hand, were successfullycombatting …

AI is a broad term that refers to the ability of machines or software to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence such as perception, reasoning, learning, decision making and problem solving. AI has many applications and implications for modern warfare, both on and off the battlefield. Here, we will …

The Yemeni Armed Forces announced that it had launched two direct attacks on Israeli ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait off Yemen’s coast on December 3. The spokesperson for the Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Sare’e, confirmed the operation, stating that it was in response to the demands of the Yemeni …

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will travel to Moscow on Thursday, December 7. Heading a high-ranking political and economic delegation, the Iranian president will visit Russia at the official invitation of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The main topics of discussion during the one-day visit will be the expansion of economic …

In their recent military campaigns, America and Israel have waged what to the inexpert, keen observer is largely old-fashioned, Third-Generation Warfare—a blitzkrieg, by any other name, against civilian populations. The ostensible use of “tanks, mechanized infantry, and close air support” to “collapse an enemy’s defenses” are really unthinking, disproportionate shows …

Hostilities escalated on Monday on the southern front of Lebanon between Hezbollah and the Israeli army. A preliminary report said that a Syrian national was injured as a result of Israeli shelling targeting the Al-Wazzani border village. Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army spokesperson, said that “three soldiers were slightly injured” …

The 193-member United Nations General Assembly is likely to vote Tuesday on a draft resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip, diplomats said on Sunday. The move comes after the US vetoed on Friday a UN Security Council …

The United States, attempting to contain the spread of Israel’s war in Gaza, is pitching allies on expanding a multinational naval task force to address an alarming rise in attacks on commercial vessels traveling near Yemen that have posed a significant threat to global shipping. The White House says it’s …

Ramallah is a dusty city built, you soon realise, around a fort. This is the Mukataa, or the “headquarters”, separated from the streets by walls and watchtowers. Mandate officials, Jordanian officers and the IDF have all been based here — running prisons, courts and successive occupations. Today, it is the …