Middle Orient

The Donald Trump administration is working to help Middle Eastern and African countries reintegrate thousands of fighters who joined the Islamic State (IS) and its affiliates, a senior administration official said Dec. 5.

The U.S. State Department announced Thursday it was offering $15 million for information related to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Commander who planned one of the most sophisticated attacks against coalition troops in Iraq, killing five soldiers in 2007.

Israel successfully tested on Friday a new rocket propulsion system as part of country’s missile defence modernization, the Israeli Defence Ministry said.

Turkey is fully abiding by the agreements it reached with Russia and the United States regarding northeast Syria and is not resuming its military offensive, a security source said on Monday.

The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened the U.S. and its allies Monday as he addressed a pro-government demonstration attended by tens of thousands of people denouncing last week’s violent protests over a fuel price hike.

Heavy fighting has continued despite a cease-fire deal in northern Syria after Turkey vowed to clear Syrian Democratic Forces from a 20-mile-deep “safe zone” between the border cities of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn.

A top general said that America’s addition of 14,000 troops in the Persian Gulf since the spring would probably not deter Iran from carrying out a major strike.

Security forces used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse protesters in southern Iraq Sunday, killing at least 13 people and wounding dozens more.

Leader is expected to receive jail time for praising the actions of three Israeli Arabs who killed two Border Police officers in Jerusalem’s Old City in 2017.

Clashes broke out between anti-government demonstrators and supporters of the Shi’ite groups Hezbollah and Amal in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, early on Monday, as tensions escalated when demonstrators blocked a main bridge.