Middle Orient

The drone attack against an Israeli-managed oil tanker last week revealed Israel’s soft underbelly at sea, and forces its leadership to consider how to retaliate. Had Prime Minister Naftali Bennett been Israel’s defense minister or just a member of its Security Cabinet, he would have surely banged on the table …

Tensions are soaring on Wednesday after two rockets of a three-missile barrage fired into Israel from Hizbullah-controlled southern Lebanon fell near the city of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel. Residents took to the bomb shelters as the army retaliated with artillery fire. Although no injuries or damage were reported, concern …

Ebrahim Raisi will be sworn in as Iran’s next president on August 5, marking a defining moment in the situation around the nuclear issue. Having weathered the brunt of Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’, Tehran is in a better situation today. The international situation works in its favour too. Iran has gained …

The Saudi state-owned oil company said reports it will engage in the process of creating cryptocurrency are “false.” Saudi Arabia’s state oil company has denied reports it will make more of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Aramco called claims they would engage in Bitcoin mining “false and inaccurate” in a Monday press …

There are indications the Kremlin is about to revise its approach to Israel in order to force the Israel Defense Forces into accepting new rules of the regional game. The end of Benjamin Netanyahu’s grip on power in Israel fueled media speculation of what it means for Russian-Israeli coordination in …

The new Iranian president said he will push to get harsh sanctions lifted without hinging Iran’s battered economy on the West. As he was officially endorsed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran Aug. 3, Iran’s new President Ebrahim Raisi pledged to get the country’s sanctions-stricken economy back on …

В миграционном кризисе, который возник из-за конфликта Литвы и Белоруссии, примечательнее всего индифферентное отношение Евросоюза к проблемам государства-члена. Литовские руководители подчёркивают, что проблема носит общеевропейский характер, не является продуктом исключительно белорусско-литовских отношений, и даже утверждают, что получают серьёзную поддержку от ЕС. Однако это больше похоже на сохранение лица и своего …

Iran, which has denied involvement in the attack on the Israeli-linked oil tanker, responded by summoning the British chargé d’affaires in Tehran. The United Kingdom and Romania summoned Iran’s ambassadors to their countries on Monday after a suspected Iranian attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman last …

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said there is clear evidence that Iran was involved in the July 29 drone attack on an Israeli-managed ship. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Aug. 1 his government believes the drone attack July 29 on the Mercer Street ship oil tanker was “deliberate, targeted, …

There are increasing reports of foreign jihadist fighters in Afghanistan. Just after Maghreb prayers, tired Afghan police lugging weapons and backpacks clamber up a rocky outpost to serve as lookouts as night falls. Much of the fighting around here is done at night. The city is the Taliban’s former stronghold …