Middle Orient

Operation Iron Swords (Updated to 1 p.m., March 7, 2024)

The southern arena: The IDF forces continued the integrated ground maneuver, focusing on the southern Gaza Strip, especially the Hamad neighborhood in the northwest of Khan Yunis. They also operated in the central Gaza Strip refugee camps and the Jebalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, mainly against the …

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Cairo Truce Talks Falter as Hamas Stalls

Latest Developments The latest round of Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks ended fruitlessly on March 7, with Hamas failing to provide details on hostages it holds in Gaza. The Palestinian terrorist group recalled its delegation from Cairo after four days of negotiations with Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Unlike previous rounds of talks, …

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The Ukraine-Turkey defense partnership with the potential to transform Black Sea and Euro-Atlantic security

The burgeoning defense partnership between Ukraine and Turkey has helped Kyiv in its fight to fend off Russia and shored up Ankara’s security while bolstering the two partners’ economies. But now, there’s an opportunity to expand that partnership—and in so doing, secure the Black Sea and Europe at large. The …

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Palestinian Women in Gaza: Cruel Realities of Displacement

The story of Reham, a young mother sheltering in Rafah, illustrates the impact of Israel’s war on women and families. According to recent estimates, since October 7, 70 percent of civilians killed in Gaza have been women and children and nearly a million women and girls have been displaced. Israel’s …

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The Power Vacuum in the Middle East

A Region Where No One’s in Charge Wars can clarify, and wars can confuse. The conventional wisdom about the Six-Day War in 1967 holds that Israel swiftly crushed the wave of Arab nationalism that was sweeping the Middle East and toppling monarchs. According to the tale of the 2006 war …

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Iran Update, March 6, 2024

IRGC Quds Force Commander Brig. Gen. Esmail Ghaani said on March 6 that Iran’s proxies and partners have taken a more “offensive stance” in the Israel-Hamas war, which frames the war in terms consistent with Iran’s regional military doctrine.[i] Ghaani issued this statement during a speech to the Assembly of …

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Drone Strike Risks Dangerous U.S.-Iran Escalation

An attack from Iran-aligned forces that killed U.S. service members near Jordan’s border with Syria risks direct U.S.-Iran conflict in a region already embroiled in widening violence. The January 28 drone attack that killed three U.S. troops near the Jordan-Syria border follows more than one hundred attacks by Iran-backed militias …

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Hezbollah Barrage of Rockets Targets Northern Israeli City

Latest Developments Hezbollah fired 30 rockets toward the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona on the evening of March 5. Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system intercepted 13 of the projectiles, while 17 fell in open areas. One rocket fell in the yard of a house in a community. The …

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Shooting near Jerusalem: One killed, eight Israelis wounded

One Israeli was killed, and eight others were wounded in a shooting that occurred Thursday morning near the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, east of occupied East Al-Quds/Jerusalem. According to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, Palestinians opened fire on Israeli vehicles, killing one Israeli and injuring eight others, two of whom …

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