US military begins moving equipment out of Syria as pullout begins
The US military has removed some equipment from Syria, a defense official confirmed Thursday, following a report that the pullout ordered by President Donald Trump is now underway.
Israel
Senate Democrats back BDS anti-Israel movement with filibuster of Mideast partnership bill
Angry at the government shutdown and peeved over attempts to stifle anti-Israeli boycotts, Senate Democrats on Tuesday filibustered a bill that would have strengthened U.S. relationships in the Middle East while punishing the anti-Israel boycott movement.
Iran’s supreme leader calls US officials ‘idiots,’ but hints sanctions hurting
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that American sanctions are putting pressure on Iran and its people.
Ex-national security advisor to ‘Post’: Israel needs to review China deals
In news stories that were scarcely noted last year, Prof. Avi Shimhon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top economic advisor, and Meir Ben Shabbat, Israel’s National Security Advisor, were reportedly instructed to develop a mechanism to assess the threat of strategic investment by external actors in Israel’s critical infrastructure. Their task was described as a run-of-the-mill bureaucratic one. But it was clear that Israel’s leadership was reassessing foreign strategic investment in the state, including Chinese plans for the reconstruction and operation of the state’s largest seaport in Haifa.
Jordanian FM to Pompeo: Israel must eventually withdraw from Golan
As Israel lobbies the US to recognize its sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Jordan’s foreign minister on Tuesday presented his visiting American counterpart with an opposing view of the matter.
Iron Dome intercepts rocket fired at Ashkelon from Gaza
Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired a single rocket into Israel early Monday, which was intercepted by the Iron Dome system, the army said. There were no reports of injuries.
Republican senators call on US to recognize Israeli sovereignty over Golan
US Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Tom Cotton of Arkansas on Sunday again called on the United States to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
US pullout from Syria to be done in ‘prudent’ way, Trump says
US President Donald Trump on Monday sought to end fears of an abrupt US pullout from Syria, saying the fight against the Islamic State group was not over and that withdrawal would be done in a ‘prudent’ manner.
Erdogan says only Turkey has power to ‘shoulder the heavy burden’ of Syria
In an op-ed published by The New York Times on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria and said that Turkey ‘is the only country with the power and commitment’ to protect the interests of Washington, the international community and the Syrian people.
In ‘dramatic statement,’ PM demands he be allowed to face his accusers
In a live statement to the press on prime time Monday evening, advertised ahead of time as ‘special’ and ‘dramatic,’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that police allow him to face the state’s witnesses who have testified against him in the three corruption cases in which he is a suspect.
Pompeo: 99 Percent of ISIS Caliphate Now Defeated
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be ‘singularly focused’ on rallying Middle East leaders to help the United States counter Iran’s global support for terrorism and military intervention during a weeklong jaunt across the region, the Secretary of State told the Washington Free Beacon aboard his plane en route to his first stop in Jordan.
U.S. ambassador to Israel: Trump’s peace plan to be presented in months
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said Sunday that the Trump administration’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan – the ‘deal of the century’ – will be presented ‘within the next several months.’
Israel calls on U.S. to recognize rule over Golan Heights
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on the U.S to recognize Israeli sovereignty of the disputed Golan Heights.
Iran deploying warships to western Atlantic amid rising tensions with US
Iran is set to deploy a fleet of warships to the western Atlantic Ocean in the coming months, a naval commander said Friday, in an apparent bid to counter the presence of a US aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.
Bolton cautions Syria against using chemical weapons amid plan to pull US troops
Following the decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, National Security Adviser John Bolton reportedly cautioned the Syrian government on Saturday that the drawdown should not be viewed as an opening to use chemical weapons.
Bolton tells Netanyahu of U.S. concern with Chinese presence at Haifa Port
National Security Adviser John Bolton raised US concerns on Sunday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over China’s creeping role in Israel’s critical infrastructure, particularly its upcoming management of Haifa Port, a frequent dock for the US Sixth Fleet.
Islamic Jihad tells Iran: We will create second front in any Israel-Lebanon war
The Iranian-backed Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad has committed to spark an escalation on the southern front if Israel enters a military conflict with Lebanon’s Hezbollah on the north, said the Palestinian faction’s leader, Ziad Nakhala, in an interview to the state-owned Iranian TV channel Al-Alam.
Pompeo accepted almost all Netanyahu’s requests, senior Israeli official says
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had almost all of his requests accepted during his meeting in Brazil with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a senior Israeli diplomatic official said Wednesday.
Hamas, Fatah tensions rise; accuse each other of collaborating with Israel
Tensions between Hamas and Fatah have intensified in the past few days as the two Palestinian rival parties continue to exchange allegations and insults.
No deal to end shutdown; Trump says ‘could be a long time’
No one budged at President Donald Trump’s closed-door meeting with congressional leaders Wednesday, so the partial government shutdown persisted through Day 12 over his demand for billions of dollars to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. They’ll all try again Friday.