Middle Orient

Iran's Guards launch aircraft carrier-scale warship amid tensions with US

The Islamic Republic reiterated that any attack on it by the United States would face a “crushing” response. Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have added a warship capable of carrying aircraft, missile launchers and drones to its naval fleet, state media said on Thursday, at a time of high tension between …

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Lebanon army chief: No compromise with Israel on sea border sovereignty

Israel’s energy minister, overseeing the talks with Lebanon, said Lebanon had now changed its position seven times and was contradicting its own assertions. Lebanon’s army chief said on Friday that there would be no compromise on the country’s sovereignty in maritime border negotiations with Israel, the Saudi-based Arab News reported.

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IDF: Terror cell behind placing of IEDs is Unit 840 of Iran's Quds Force

The military has been following cells of the Quds Force for several months that have been trying to plant explosives on the border. The terrorist cell responsible for anti-personnel mines and other improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the Golan Heights is being operated by Iran’s Quds Force, according to the …

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UN Watchdog Says Iran Has Again Breached Nuclear Deal With Step To Fire Up Centrifuges

The UN’s atomic watchdog says Iran has again breached its nuclear deal with major powers by firing up advanced uranium-enriching centrifuges installed underground at its Natanz site. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi told a press conference on November 18 that centrifuges in a buried part of …

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Qatar calls UAE and Bahrain's normalization with Israel 'sovereign decision'

Qatar’s foreign minister also stressed a “united front” of Arab states on the Israel-Palestine issue and discussed Qatar’s relations with Israel. Qatar’s foreign minister said at a Monday forum that the Gulf state does not have a position on its neighbors the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain normalizing relations …

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Iraqi armed factions form Sharia Youth group

Several Shiite armed groups, which in recent months have targeted the US presence in Iraq, are setting up youth groups to prepare the next generation. Little-known armed groups — possibly linked to pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah — have in recent months targeted “vice” in Baghdad by attacking shops selling alcohol while …

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Rockets fall in Baghdad after Pentagon announces Iraq troop reduction

One child was killed and at least five other people were injured, the Iraqi military said. Five people were injured and a child was killed after a barrage of rockets landed in Baghdad on Tuesday evening, shortly after the Pentagon announced the United States would pull another 500 troops from …

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Resurgent ISIS kills 11 regime soldiers in Syria

In recent months, “Islamic State” extremists have been demanding tax payments from residents of towns and villages in eastern Syria. Clashes in the Syrian desert between Russia-backed Syrian government forces and “Islamic State” (ISIS) group extremists killed 11 regime loyalists Wednesday, The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a Britain-based …

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