Russia is close to seizing all of Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region, according to an updated assessment, although it would likely be a victory more for Moscow’s propaganda war than a game-changing win for Russia along the front lines in the embattled east of Ukraine. As of October 3, Russian troops …

Israeli conducted strikes near the Syrian coast this morning, with explosions reported in the vicinity of the Russian-operated Khmeimim Air Base, near the city of Latakia. At this stage, it’s not clear if the Russian airfield was actually hit, deliberately or otherwise — which would be a first. Either way, …

And with Tehran threatening to respond to such moves with even greater force, the scope and scale of the looming Israeli operation could determine whether or not the Middle East ultimately slides into an all-out war after a year of tit-for-tat escalations. Sima Shine, a former head of Mossad’s Research …