June, 2021

• 30 June

  Turkey arrests 26 in raids against Islamic State

  

  There are concerns about the Islamic State’s ability to still operate within and close to Turkish territory. Turkish police arrested 26 people on Monday for allegedly being linked to the Islamic State (IS). Police intelligence identified 30 suspects in the capital Ankara, including 28 Iraqi citizens and two Syrians. They …

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• 30 June

  Intel: Blinken urges allies to repatriate IS fighters from Syria

  

  The Syrian Democratic Forces are holding an estimated 10,000 suspected Islamic State fighters, a situation Secretary of State Antony Blinken said is “untenable.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on US allies Monday to take responsibility for their citizens suspected of joining the Islamic State and who remain in …

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• 30 June

  Raisi’s election brings rise of Iran’s Hezbollahis

  

  The election of Ebrahim Raisi as president of Iran reflects a more revolutionary turn under the direction of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Nothing came unexpectedly in the Iranian presidential race. While Ebrahim Raisi’s election was a done deal, the only questions were about the size of voter turnout …

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• 30 June

  Netanyahu plots comeback

  

  Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not giving up on his hopes to topple newly appointed Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Up until June 28, Benjamin Netanyahu’s official website referred to him as prime minister of Israel. More than two weeks after being removed from office, former Prime Minister Netanyahu still …

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• 30 June

  Reports on Turkey-Qatar military training accords questioned by Erdogan critics

  

  A military education agreement between Turkey and Qatar drew backlash from opposition members in Ankara after local media reporting misrepresented its content, though rumors persist. The deepening cooperation between strategic allies Turkey and Qatar has long drawn scrutiny from opposition parties in Ankara, and an accord published in the nation’s …

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• 30 June

  Will US airstrikes be a gamechanger for Biden’s Mideast policy? – analysis

  If the US rate of response is only two retaliatory rounds of strikes to dozens of attacks since January, the US is not deterring the pro-Iran groups. For the second time this year, the Biden administration has responded to threats to US forces in Iraq by carrying out airstrikes.

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• 30 June

  Has Mossad done enough damage that IAEA inspection pause not a disaster?

  

  It has been four days since the IAEA-Iran inspections cooperation deal expired and the Islamic Republic seems to indicate it’s in no rush to answer whether cooperation would continue. You would think the sky was falling, but it isn’t. It has been four days since the IAEA-Iran inspections deal expired, …

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• 30 June

  The wild world of the Mossad in Sudan – analysis

  Could normalization between Israel and Sudan endangered by internal Israeli rivalries? Is it possible that the coup of Israeli-Sudanese normalization could be endangered by internal Israeli rivalries?Earlier this week, Axios reported that senior Sudanese civilian officials were complaining to both Israeli and US government officials about uncoordinated side contacts between …

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• 30 June

  Bennett, Sisi discuss Israeli captives in Gaza, agree to meet

  

  Leaders spoke in phone conversation about bilateral issues and affirmed the importance of the 1979 peace treaty to regional stability. The two Israeli men and the remains of two soldiers held captive in Gaza must be returned, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday. It …

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• 30 June

  Bennett expected to meet Biden at White House in coming weeks

  

  Alternate prime minister Yair Lapid departed to UAE for first official visit since Abraham Accords * Bennett and Biden’s meeting to take place in coming weeks Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is expected to meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House in July or August, Bennett’s spokesman said …

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