Middle Orient

Is Israel’s Antidemocratic Government Cracking Up? – OpEd

It is puzzling to witness a coalition government that enjoys a comfortable majority in parliament rushing through radical legislation with far-reaching implications for the future of the Israeli democratic system, or taking deliberate measures that inflame relations with the Palestinians, instead of taking time to consider the consequences of its …

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A US Trump Card In Gulf Geopolitics: Capacity-Enhancing Security Cooperation – Analysis

If played well, security is the United States trump card in stabilizing relations with its Gulf partners and competing with China for regional influence. In a just-released report, Middle East scholar and former Pentagon official Bilal Y. Saab argued that security entails far more than arms sales and defining the …

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Iran Holding Air Defense Drill To Practice Shielding Nuclear Sites

During the main stage of a large-scale military exercise at nighttime, the Iranian air defense forces are going to employ tactics to protect the country’s sensitive nuclear and military sites, a commander said on Monday. The commander of the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base -the central headquarters of Iran’s Air …

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Iran: Son Of Former Shah Urges West To Back Dissidents

The eldest son of the last shah of Iran has urged Western governments to support popular efforts to topple the regime in Tehran. Reza Pahlavi, who is in Europe to drum up support for young activists in his country, told the Guardian that the West should proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary …

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Iran File Crucial To Netanyahu-Biden Relationship – OpEd

The US-Israel relationship is at the center of Washington’s vision of the region. This status has been evident ever since 1967, when Israel demonstrated its military superiority over neighboring Arab states. To cement this, the US has provided more aid to Israel than any other state since the end of …

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The Palestinians’ New Terror Groups

If the Biden Administration were serious about de-escalating tensions and preventing further violence between Israelis and Palestinians, it could have achieved this goal by demanding that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas take action against the numerous armed gangs roaming Palestinian streets. Instead of holding a summit in Jordan or any …

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Turkish Drone Kills 3 PKK-affiliated Fighters In Iraq: Kurds

A Turkish drone attack Monday in northern Iraq killed at least three fighters from the minority Yazidi community affiliated with the rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Iraqi Kurdish officials said. “A drone from the Turkish army targeted a vehicle” in the region, killing an officer and two combattants from the …

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1 killed as ISIL terrorists renew attack on Iraq’s Diyala

According to the reports, the ISIL terrorist group renewed its attack on the northeast of Diyala province on Monday, leaving an Iraqi citizen killed and two others wounded. The terrorist attack occurred near an area in the east of Lake Hamrin in Iraq’s Diyala Governorate. In another development, the Iraqi …

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Iraqi army kills 17 ISIL members in Al Anbar

Iraqi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasoul in a statement announced that the country’s anti-terrorism unit clashed with ISIL terrorists on Monday morning in the Akashat area located in the desert of Al Anbar province, killing 17 members and one of the leaders of the group. In December 2017, after …

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IRGC Quds Force finances terrorism through money laundering scheme

High-level Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commanders have set up a host of shell companies used to launder money in a scheme that was brought to light by documents obtained by Iran International, a Washington DC-based Persian language news organization. According to the Iran International report, the …

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