Netanyahu to meet Pence, Pompeo at Polish Middle East summit
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet US Vice President Mike Pence and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a Middle East conference in Warsaw later this week.
Middle East
China, Russia Concerns Top Pompeo Agenda in Central Europe
U.S. fears about China and Russia’s growing influence in Central Europe will top Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s agenda as he heads to the region this week, Trump administration officials say.
Top Saudi official: Barack Obama lied, set Middle East back 20 years
Former US president Barack Obama lied to Saudi Arabia when violating the redlines he famously declared regarding Syria’s use of chemical weapons and then not acting when they were used, a former senior Saudi official said in an interview with Independent Arabia.
Senate rebukes Trump, advances measure on Syria troops
In a rebuke of President Donald Trump, the Republican-led U.S. Senate advanced largely symbolic legislation on Thursday opposing plans for any abrupt withdrawal of troops from Syria and Afghanistan.
Russia calls on Israel to ‘rule out practice’ of striking Syria
Russia called on Israel to ‘rule out’ the ‘practice’ of carrying out airstrikes in Syrian territories, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a press briefing on Wednesday.
Israel calls on UN Security Council to block Iranian terror funding: ‘Israel will not hold back’
Israel’s United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon called on members of the United Nations Security Council Tuesday to take action to help stop Iran’s funding of global terrorism — and warned that Israel will act if attacked by terrorists.
PLO calls for UN to restore ‘Zionism is racism’ resolution
The United Nations must restore the defunct resolution declaring that ‘Zionism is racism,’ the Palestinian Authority said on Thursday, in response to Israel’s opening of an ‘apartheid road’ in the West Bank outside of Jerusalem.
Pompeo Vows US to Stand with Persecuted Believers: ‘Christians Central to Middle East’
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Egyptian leaders in Cairo Thursday where he made a key speech addressing the region, denouncing the Obama administration for diminishing America’s role in the Middle East. Pompeo says America is back and will be a force for good. It’s the latest stop in his nine-nation tour of America’s Arab allies.
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.
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.
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.
Pompeo Launches Middle East Tour to Galvanize Region Against Iran
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to depart on a tour of the Middle East next week in a bid to galvanize regional leaders to confront Iran and remind allies that the United States is not disappearing from region amid the Trump administration’s decision to pull American troops out of Syria and possibly Afghanistan, according to senior State Department officials.
Pompeo to Netanyahu: U.S. still committed to protecting Israel
Syria and Iran were on the agenda Tuesday when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met in Brasilia against the backdrop of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s inauguration.
Iranian cargo plane suspected of bringing arms to Hezbollah departs Tehran
A Fars Air Qeshm cargo 747 airliner left Tehran at 8 a.m. on Sunday and landed in Damascus at 10:30 a.m., returning to Tehran at 5 p.m. The 747 allegedly transported weapons to Hezbollah in September, according to a report from Fox News that was based on Western intelligence assessments. The aircraft also made suspicious flights in July and August to Damascus and Beirut.
Spike in Arrests of Christians in Iran Especially Severe this Christmas Season, Sources Say
Arrests of Christians in Iran usually spike as Christmas approaches, but this year has been especially severe, sources said.
U.S. Military Preparing for a Full Withdrawal of Its Forces From Northeastern Syria
In an abrupt reversal, the U.S. military is preparing to withdraw its forces from northeastern Syria, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday, a move that throws the American strategy in the Middle East into turmoil.
Nikki Haley in farewell talk: U.N. ‘hopelessly biased’ on Israel
Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, described the world body as ‘hopelessly biased’ against Israel on Tuesday in her last address to the monthly Security Council meeting in New York.
Iran vows to continue with missile tests despite US accusations
Iran said Sunday that it would continue to develop its missile program after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the Islamic state of testing a medium-range ballistic missile capable of ‘carrying multiple warheads,’ which he said could strike ‘anywhere’ in the Middle East and even parts of Europe.
Trump: US troops remain in Mideast because of Israel
US President Donald Trump told The Washington Post on Tuesday that Israel is the reason behind US Military’s prolonged stay in the Middle East.
Iran’s parliament speaker says US peace plan a ‘plot’ to strengthen Israel
Iran is determined to fight against US President Donald Trump’s anticipated Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, parliament speaker Ali Larijani said Tuesday, according to the semi-official news agency ISNA.