Middle Orient

In Washington, defense minister emphasizes need to ‘work closely and prepare for any future scenario,’ amid reports Tehran advancing nuclear program Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in the White House and thanked him for the Biden administration’s commitment to Israel’s security. Landing in …

Islamist terror group activists take 28 seats to Fatah’s 18, as PA’s ruling party sees its West Bank support and legitimacy dwindle Hamas activists won a landslide victory in student elections at the flagship Birzeit University north of Ramallah on Wednesday night, in a possible indicator of how West Bank …

The Biden administration is offering military support to bolster the defenses of Sweden and Finland against potential Russian actions as Turkey threatens to delay the two Nordic countries’ admission into the NATO alliance. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sat down with Sweden’s Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist at the Pentagon on …

The Biden administration is offering military support to bolster the defenses of Sweden and Finland against potential Russian actions as Turkey threatens to delay the two Nordic countries’ admission into the NATO alliance. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sat down with Sweden’s Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist at the Pentagon on …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s brinkmanship over Finland and Sweden’s bid to join NATO has put Turkey back at the top of the news. I provided some background, including a scoop on Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s bullying of his Swedish counterpart Anna Linde over her support for the US-backed …

The governments of Sweden and Finland have formally submitted their applications to join NATO after thorough discussion within their respective parliaments. The move will prove to be the latest and arguably the most significant development from the West in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “I warmly welcome the requests …

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is trying to turn what appears to be the most strategic move in NATO’s history into carpet-trading at Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. “The Russian-Kurdish nexus has been a recurring feature of Middle Eastern geopolitics for more than two hundred years, since Catherine the Great commissioned the publication …

Lebanon’s first elections since 2018 were held on Sunday, in a country beset by state mismanagement and endemic corruption, whose currency has lost 90% of its value and where 80% of the population lives in poverty. The results of the elections could determine whether the international community will provide Lebanon …

Iran-backed political and militant group Hezbollah lost its parliamentary coalition majority in the Lebanese elections, officials announced on Tuesday. Reformist political groups, including Lebanese Forces, Hezbollah’s main Christian rival, won around 10% of Lebanon’s seats in the first parliamentary elections since the country’s economic crisis began, which were held Sunday. …

The US military will participate in a major Israeli drill later this month simulating an airstrike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Israel’s Channel 13 reported on Tuesday. The drill, part of an exercise dubbed “Chariots of Fire,” will include the air-to-air refueling of Israeli fighter jets by US Air Force tanker …