Middle Orient

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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Irremediable Defeat: On Israel’s Other Unwinnable War

Historically, wars unite Israelis. Not anymore. Not that Israelis do not agree with Benjamin Netanyahu’s war; they simply do not believe that the prime minister is the man who could win this supposedly existential fight. But Netanyahu’s war remains unwinnable simply because liberation wars, often conducted through guerrilla warfare tactics, …

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Iran says senior Daesh member and others arrested

Iranian police on Saturday announced the arrest of a senior operative of Daesh with two other members of the group accused of planning a suicide attack during next week’s celebrations marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The police said Mohammad Zaker, known as “Ramesh”, and the …

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The US’ Red Sea strategy has failed to deter the Houthis

More than three months have elapsed since the United States launched its naval task force Operation Prosperity Guardian, accompanied by American and British airstrikes in January, that aimed to deter Yemen’s Houthis from attacking Red Sea trade. Despite these efforts, the Houthis have not relented on their drone and missile …

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Five years since al-Baghouz battle
The caliphate ended but the Islamic State is still present

In the Syrian village of al-Baghouz, in the eastern Deir Ezzor province, the last battles between the Islamic State organization and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by the International Coalition Forces, took place on February 9 and ended on March 23, 2019, marking the end of the organization’s geographical …

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