Middle Orient

IS kills 11 pro-regime fighters in Syria clashes: monitor

Clashes in the Syrian desert between Russia-backed Syrian government forces and Islamic State group jihadists killed 11 regime loyalists Wednesday, a Britain-based war monitor said. Mobile IS units have remained active in the Badia desert since the jihadists lost the last shred of their self-proclaimed caliphate in March last year.

Read More »

156 UN nations affirm West Bank settlements, east J'lem not part of Israel

The 2016 UN Security Council Resolution 2334 called on its member states to ensure that they do not participate in actions of de facto annexation. The UN General Assembly’s Second Committee pushed back at the concept of de-facto Israeli annexation on Wednesday night, approving a draft resolution by 156-6 member …

Read More »

As Israel Destroys EU Projects in Palestine, European Foreign Policy Remains Impotent

Belgium is furious. On November 6, the Belgian government condemned Israel’s destruction of Belgian-funded homes in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank. Understandably, Brussels wants the Israeli government to pay compensation for the unwarranted destruction. The Israeli response was swift: a resounding ‘no’.

Read More »

The US's long financial war on Hezbollah – and Lebanon

The United States has piled sanctions on the Lebanese movement, but to what effect? Over the past two decades, Lebanon has been under close scrutiny from the US Treasury for potential money laundering or financing of US-designated terrorist organisations.

Read More »

Arabs Warn Biden: Do Not Embrace Islamists

“These observers pointed out that, behind the Council’s statement, there is a Saudi message saying that the Brotherhood’s rush to welcome and embrace Biden and its attempt to win his sympathy while inciting against important countries in the region will not change Saudi Arabia’s steadfast position of considering the group …

Read More »

Hamas Urges Regional Mobilization After New Israeli Offensive

This Wednesday, Israel launched a missile attack from the occupied Golan Heights on Syria’s capital, Damascus, claiming it was in response to discovering some landmines found on its territory. Syrian air defense units succeeded in shooting down several missiles, while others hit military targets, leaving at least three dead and …

Read More »