Middle Orient

Iran Update, April 6, 2024

Key Takeaways: Central Gaza Strip: Palestinian fighters have claimed several attacks targeting Israeli forces near Deir al Balah in the central Gaza Strip in recent days.Southern Gaza Strip: Hamas claimed to conduct a multi-stage attack targeting Israeli forces in eastern Khan Younis.Political Negotiations: A senior US official said that US …

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The Iran-Israel Quasi-War in Syria

Although Israel’s behavior may seem ill-calculated, the rationale behind its recent attacks in Syria is understandable and may not encourage a direct Iranian retaliation. Since the terror attacks of October 7, which led to the massacre of over 1,100 Israeli citizens, the general assumption was that Israel, for the foreseeable …

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Who was Syria’s Al-Nusra founder Abu Maria Al-Qahtani?

Abu Maria Al-Qahtani was the founder of Al-Nusra Front, one of the key groups in Syria’s war, and was killed in bombing on Thursday. As a leading military commander in the revolt against the Syrian regime and Islamic State group, Abu Maria Al-Qahtani, who was killed on Thursday, was a …

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Bulgarian Police Uncover Hamas Weapons Stash

Latest Developments Bulgarian police uncovered a stash of weapons that Hamas-affiliated terrorists intended to use against Jewish institutions in Europe, Agence France-Presse reported on April 4. Authorities discovered the arms buried under a tree in southern Bulgaria. Bulgarian police were tipped off to the site by German police, who had …

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Killing Humanitarians: Israel’s War on Aid Workers in Gaza

Eulogies should rarely be taken at face value. Plaster saints take the place of complex individuals; faults transmute into golden virtues. But there was little in the way of fault regarding Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom’s messianic purpose, whose tireless work for the charity, World Central Kitchen (WCK) in northern Gaza had …

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Israel bombs Iran’s embassy in Damascus: The Middle East on the brink of region-wide war

Emergency services work at a building hit by an air strike in Damascus, Syria, Monday, April 1, 2024 Israel’s bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus on Monday, which killed three senior leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and three others, is an act of war against Iran …

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Watch out, Iran is putting a foot in Niger. Report Soufan Center

Tehran is trying to exploit the divisions between Western countries and the juntas in the Sahel. Also in the crosshairs is the country that hosts 250 Italian soldiers Iran is exploiting the growing rift between several coup leaders in the Sahel – in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – and …

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Israel’s Syrian spy network ‘enabled airstrike’ on Iran commanders

Israel has been building up its assets in Syria, says a former CIA agent The suspected assassination of an Iranian commander by an Israeli air strike at the Iranian consulate in Damascus would have required on-the-ground intelligence from local operatives, according to an Israeli security analyst and a former CIA …

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IntelBrief: Iraq Navigates the Mideast Crisis

The March attack by Islamic State (IS) on a Moscow theater has dimmed the prospects for a substantial drawdown of the U.S. contingent of 2,500 military advisors and trainers still in Iraq.The upcoming U.S. visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani will focus on the U.S. troop presence as …

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IntelBrief: Iran Extends its Influence in Africa

Iran is capitalizing on the widening rift between several post-coup leaders in the Sahel and Western countries, including the United States and France.Iranian leaders perceive that expanded relations with Africa’s leaders can help Iran circumvent U.S.-led sanctions and enhance Iran’s role as a supplier of sophisticated weaponry, particularly armed drones.Iran’s …

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