August, 2021

• 16 August

  LITHUANIA STEMS FLOW OF MIGRANTS LURED TO BORDER BY BELARUS IN ITS WAR WITH EU

  Lithuania appears to have stemmed the recent surge in irregular crossings by migrants cynically being sent to the border by Belarus as part of its hybrid war with the West. The problem is far from over. Lithuania, subjected to a deliberate and vengeful influx of irregular migrants coming across the …

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• 16 August

  Montenegro Criticised for Lack of Action against Migrant Smugglers

  Montenegro is failing to go after the organised crime groups preying on migrants and refugees trying to cross the country, experts say. With just four cases ending in convictions in the past five years, Montenegro is facing calls to step up prosecution of the smugglers who prey on migrants and …

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• 16 August

  POLAND FURTHER RESTRICTS MEDIA FREEDOM, ANGERS US WITH CONTROVERSIAL MEDIA LAW

  Despite losing its parliamentary majority, Poland’s ruling party managed to force through a media law that could spell the end of the largest private television station in the country. After a stormy day in the Polish parliament, Law and Justice (PiS) finally managed to scrape enough support late on Wednesday …

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• 13 August

  Israel rolls out red carpet for senior Bahraini official’s third visit

  

  Visiting Israel for the third time, Bahrain’s undersecretary for international relations at the Foreign Ministry, Sheikh Abdulla bin Ahmed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, met with President Isaac Herzog, visited the Peres Center for Peace and innovation and even went diving in the Mediterranean. Visitors to the Peres Center for Peace …

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• 13 August

  Iran sending more weapons to Yemen’s Houthis amid cease-fire effort: Pentagon

  

  Pentagon allegation comes as Iranian and Saudi officials are reportedly preparing to meet in Baghdad later this month Tehran has been sending increasingly complex weapons to Yemen’s Houthi rebels even as Iranian officials have engaged in separate talks with the United States and Saudi Arabia about reducing tensions in the …

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• 13 August

  Syrian jihadi group in Idlib goes after gas stations

  

  Security forces affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham forced gas stations to close in areas controlled by Turkish-backed factions and set up a temporary checkpoint there. Well-informed sources told Al-Monitor that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s security apparatus has shut down several gas stations near the Ghazawiya crossing in the western countryside of …

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• 13 August

  CIA chief Burns, Israel’s Bennett meet to discuss Iran

  

  CIA Director William Burns met with the new Israeli prime minister on Wednesday as talks to revive the landmark nuclear deal remained deadlocked. CIA Director William Burns and Israeli Prime Naftali Bennett met in Tel Aviv on Wednesday to discuss Iran amid increased tensions over the faltering nuclear deal talks …

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• 13 August

  Iran’s new foreign minister may bring ‘tough line’ to nuclear talks

  

  Amir-Abdollahian previously served as Iran’s deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has tapped conservative diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian as his foreign minister, state media outlets reported on Wednesday. Following his expected approval by parliament, Amir-Abdollahian will replace Mohammad Javad Zarif, the US-educated architect of the …

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• 13 August

  Israel’s new US ambassador intimately familiar with Washington

  

  Israel’s new envoy to the United States, Michael Herzog, is the only Israeli official to have participated in all diplomatic negotiations between Israel and Arab states over the past two decades and he knows Washington by heart. Israel’s designated ambassador to the United States is a leading expert on the …

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• 13 August

  Explosion reported on ship at Syria’s Latakia port, fire put out

  

  An explosion at the Latakia port in Syria on Tuesday left an unidentified ship on fire, according to local reports, with some suggesting that the affected vessel had been used to transfer Iranian oil to Syria in the past. Smoke was seen billowing from a ship moored at Latakia port …

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