Middle Orient

Iran Update, October 2, 2024

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has advanced into southern Lebanon along at least two axes. Geolocated imagery shows Israeli forces separately approaching Odaisseh and Maround al Ras.[1] The IDF 36th and 98th divisions participated in these advances and both have elements that fought in the Gaza Strip.[2] The Lebanese Armed …

Read More »

Jaish al-Adl claims responsibility for twin attacks in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province

The Islamist and Baluch separatist group Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for two attacks on October 1 that killed six Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Islamic Republic law enforcement personnel in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province. Jaish al-Adl gunmen targeted a vehicle transporting the local IRGC commander and two IRGC …

Read More »

Time to Cut the Cord in Lebanon

Don’t pop the champagne corks yet. While there is certainly reason to cheer for the termination of the bloody terrorist leadership of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel’s military strikes in and around Beirut only addressed part of the problem. Israel’s approach, using airstrikes, beeper strikes, and walkie-talkie strikes, is nothing short …

Read More »

Experts react: Hassan Nasrallah is dead. What’s next for Hezbollah, Israel, and Iran?

His end may be just the beginning. On Saturday, Hezbollah confirmed that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli air strike on Friday in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, the site of the group’s headquarters. Nasrallah had run Hezbollah for more than thirty years, orchestrating and inspiring its …

Read More »

Iran Update, October 1, 2024

The Iran Update provides insights into Iranian and Iranian-sponsored activities abroad that undermine regional stability and threaten US forces and interests. It also covers events and trends that affect the stability and decision-making of the Iranian regime. The Critical Threats Project (CTP) at the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute …

Read More »

Writers And Politicians In Lebanon And Arab World: Nasrallah’s Assassination – A Golden Opportunity For Lebanon To Retake Control Of The Country From Hizbullah

The assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbullah’s secretary-general for more than 30 years, in a September 27, 2024 Israeli airstrike is being viewed by anti-resistance-axis politicians and journalists, both inside and outside Lebanon, as a rare historic and “golden opportunity” to remove Hizbullah from the equation and rebuild Lebanon. This opportunity, …

Read More »

Hezbollah c’est moi: The Party of God without Hassan Nasrallah

On September 27, the unimaginable happened. At approximately 5:22 p.m. local time, reports emerged of a massive Israeli strike on the predominantly Shia southern suburbs of Beirut, known colloquially as Dahiyeh. Six buildings had been flattened, throwing up pillars of thick reddish smoke against Beirut’s skyline, and an anchor with …

Read More »

What to know about Iran’s missile attack and Israel’s operations in Lebanon and Gaza

Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel caused few casualties and little damage, but it marked a further escalation of tensions in the Middle East as Israeli forces battle Tehran’s militant allies in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Israel has vowed to retaliate against Iran. At the heart of the recent …

Read More »

Israelis Emerge from Bomb Shelters after Iranian Missile Barrage with Very Few Injuries Reported

The Israeli military cleared the public to exit their bomb shelters and announced that very few injuries were reported after Iran launched a barrage of some 180 ballistic missiles toward the country on Tuesday. Fire could be seen over the night skies of Israel as missiles exploded overhead. The Israel …

Read More »

RAF spy flights over Gaza risk complicity in Israeli torture

Britain’s military could be receiving intelligence from Israel that was obtained under torture, campaigners fear. Israel’s torture of Palestinian prisoners should have serious consequences for UK intelligence cooperation with Tel Aviv, human rights groups have warned. It comes as Keir Starmer suspended some arms exports to Israel last week, which …

Read More »