Erdogan also said he stands behind a peaceful resolution to the violence in Tigray. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered Thursday to mediate a bloody border dispute between Ethiopia and Sudan. Speaking alongside Ethiopian President Abiy Ahmed following their meeting in Ankara on Wednesday, Erdogan also said his government supports …
Read More »Turkish airstrike kills members of US-backed Kurdish force in Syria
A Turkish airstrike has killed four members of a US-backed Syrian Kurdish force. Four members of a US-backed Syrian Kurdish force were killed in a Turkish air attack on the town of Tal Tamar Thursday, according to the Syrian Democratic Forces, part of an escalating multi-pronged campaign against Kurdish militants …
Read More »Hezbollah, America, and the race to supply Lebanon with power
Amid typical governmental absenteeism, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah announced on Aug. 19 that the party had secured fuel shipments from Iran. He asserted that the first of many fuel tankers would set sail to Lebanon that same day. Hours later, U.S. ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea declared that the U.S. …
Read More »Israel and Egypt top growth expectations in MENA: A tale of two divergent strategies
The two countries in the Middle East with the highest growth expectations for 2022 are Israel and Egypt. Fitch Solutions estimates that MENA-wide GDP will grow by 3.6% in 2021, after a contraction of 4% in 2020. Egypt and Israel are the only countries within the region expected to grow …
Read More »The race to reset the Middle East’s maritime map
One of the most consequential changes in the Middle East’s geopolitical map is happening at the water’s edge. Along the entire eastern rim of the Mediterranean basin, global and regional actors are engaging in a spate of port capacity expansions, new private port construction, and the sell-off of major state-owned …
Read More »Scoop: CIA director raised China concerns with Israeli prime minister
While visiting Israel last week, CIA director Bill Burns told Prime Minister Naftali Bennett the U.S. was concerned about Chinese investments in Israel, particularly in the tech sector, and involvement in major infrastructure projects, Israeli officials tell Axios. Why it matters: That’s the highest level at which the Biden administration …
Read More »Israel Bombs Syrian Cities in the Middle of the Night
The Israeli attack was the second to hit Syria within two days, after a missile attack targeted military sites in Quneitra province on Tuesday On Thursday night, Israel launched missile strikes at some sites in the Syrian capital of Damascus and the central province of Homs. At 11:00 pm local …
Read More »U.S. Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland’s Visits to Egypt, Turkey, and Morocco
U.S. Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland visited Egypt, Turkey, and Morocco August 10-16. Ambassador Norland met with senior officials in Cairo and Ankara, and with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in Rabat. The Ambassador’s travel focused on the urgency of establishing the constitutional basis and legal framework …
Read More »PM says Israel will respond to Gaza rocket fire ‘at a time of our choosing’
Visiting troops at the Gaza border, Bennett says Israel holds Hamas responsible for attack which ended three months of relative calm; Gantz says Hamas is the real enemy of Gazans, not Israel A day after rocket fire from the Gaza Strip resumed, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned on Tuesday that …
Read More »Syrian state TV: Israel fires missiles in southern Syria
Syrian state media reported that Israel carried out a missile attack on southern Syria late on Tuesday, targeting an unspecified military position. There was no immediate comment from Israel. The state TV report did not specify if there were any casualties. It said two missiles were fired toward the military …
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