Middle Orient

US Defense Department approves replenishment of Israel’s Iron Dome system

The Secretary of Defense announced during a Thursday congressional session that the request for military assistance has been approved and the US will transfer the requested amount over to Israel. The United States has pledged to replenish and reinforce Israel’s Iron Dome system following the most recent escalation between Israel …

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Is the ‘hardliner’ talking point about Iran’s Raisi a whitewash?

Is the term accurately a descriptive for Iran’s far-right extremist theocratic leaders, or is it used to whitewash and excuse Iran’s politics? A global narrative present in major media outlets uses the term “hardliner” to describe Ebrahim Raisi, the winner of Iran’s presidential election on Saturday. The term “hardliner” was …

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40 years since Operation Opera, attack against Iran ‘would be different’

Unlike the raid on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear project, Iran’s nuclear sites are spread across the country, some deep underground or in mountains, surrounded by air defense systems. Forty years after Israel destroyed Iraq’s fledgling nuclear program, one of the pilots who took part in Operation Opera warned that an attack …

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Turkey is radicalizing extremists to attack Kurdish women

Women have become key targets of Turkey’s extremist government in recent years, videos increasingly showing violence against women in the streets of cities, including women being beaten by men. Photos show Deniz Poyraz smiling and happy. But for Turkey’s far-right, she was a threat, a young woman activist who was …

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Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant has emergency shutdown – state TV

Iran has witnessed dozens of mysterious fires and explosions across the country since mid-2020, many near nuclear facilities. Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant underwent an emergency shutdown, Iranian media reported on Sunday.The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization reported that a technical defect in the power plant led to the plant being …

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Ousted Israel PM plotted with Saudi’s MBS to undermine Jordan king

New details have emerged about the alleged plot to overthrow Jordan’s King Abdullah, indicating that former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu played a starring role along with senior officials within the Trump administration, prominent Jordanians, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Details of the role played by Netanyahu, who …

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Turkey seeks cooperation with Egypt in Gaza

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu suggested cooperation between Ankara and Cairo on the Palestinian issue, a move seen unlikely as Cairo looks with suspicion at the Turkish role in the Palestinian territories, particularly the Gaza Strip. In the latest effort by Turkey to woo Egypt after years of political tension, …

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Erdogan tells Biden Turkey won’t change position on S-400s

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly told his US counterpart that Ankara won’t soften its stance on the Russian S-400 missile systems despite sanctions imposed by Washington over the purchase. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he informed US President Joe Biden that Ankara won’t change its position on the …

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King appoints new commission for political reform in Jordan

Jordan’s King Abdullah has formed a committee to revise two main pieces of legislation related to the political life in the kingdom, but activists are skeptical about the prospects for change. There is a sense of deja vu in Jordan following a royal order June 10 asking former Prime Minister …

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Hamas tests new Israeli government by resuming incendiary balloons

The so-called “night confusion units” in Gaza continue to fire incendiary balloons toward Israel. Only two days into the term of the new Israeli government, tensions flared in Gaza as Hamas-linked groups resumed sending incendiary balloons towards Israel, with the latter responding with strikes on the coastal enclave. On June …

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