Congress introduces $1.3 trillion, 2,232-page funding bill, hopes for passage this week
House and Senate lawmakers introduced a $1.3 trillion fiscal 2018 spending bill late Wednesday night, and hope lawmakers can pass it all in the next day or two.
Military
Israeli Intelligence Minister: Strike on Syrian Reactor Shows Israel Won’t Accept Nuclear Iran
Israel’s intelligence minister said that the operation to destroy Syria’s nuclear reactor in 2007, which was cleared for publication on Wednesday, shows Israel will not allow ‘those threatening our existence to have nuclear weapons. Syria then and Iran today.’
Israel admits striking suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007
Israel’s military has formally admitted that it destroyed a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007.
U.S., South Korea to restart new round of wargames
Top defense officials in Washington and Seoul plan to restart a new round of massive military drills on the peninsula, initially delayed due to the recent winter Olympic games, within the coming weeks in a move assured to draw a harsh response from North Korea.
Trump, Saudi Arabia prince bond over arms deals, hostility to Iran
President Trump forged a bond Tuesday with Saudi Arabia’s new crown prince over increased U.S. military sales to the kingdom and their shared disapproval of the Iran nuclear deal, as they sought to erase eight years of strained relations under former President Obama.
US, Germany and France blame Russia for nerve agent attack
The leaders of the US, France, Germany have joined Britain’s prime minister in blaming Russia for the attempted murder of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in a nerve agent attack earlier this month.
U.S. Sanctions Russian Intelligence Services
The Trump administration on Thursday imposed economic sanctions on 19 Russians and two Russian intelligence agencies for their role in the 2016 election meddling and costly cyber attacks and penetrations.
Russia says U.S. plans to strike Damascus, pledges military response
Russia said on Tuesday it had information that the United States planned to bomb the government quarter in Damascus on an invented pretext, and said it would respond militarily if it felt Russian lives were threatened by such an attack.
Trump promises ‘one of the largest military buildups’ in history
President Donald Trump said he is overseeing a massive military buildup in remarks to troops at California’s Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on Tuesday.
Hundreds of U.S. Marines, IDF troops train in southern Israel
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers and US Marines trained shoulder-to-shoulder Monday in southern Israel as part of Juniper Cobra 2018, drilling on close urban combat and tunnel warfare.
Turkish Newspaper Close To President Erdogan Calls To Form Joint Islamic Army To Fight Israel
On December 12, 2017, ahead of the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, the Turkish daily Yeni Safak, which is close to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his ruling AKP party, published an article titled ‘A Call for Urgent Action,’ which also appeared on the paper’s website under the title ‘What If an Army of Islam Was Formed against Israel?’
Top US general in Europe pledges support for IDF during joint air-defense drill
The commander of American military forces in Europe on Sunday pledged to support the Israel Defense Forces in times of crisis. He was visiting the army’s Tel Aviv headquarters, during a joint US-Israel missile defense exercise, known as Juniper Cobra.
Report: Hezbollah in Lebanon fears Israeli attack, declares state of emergency
Hezbollah in Lebanon has declared a state of emergency for fear of an Israeli attack approved by the United States.
Iran’s Russian Anti-Aircraft Missile Now Operational, U.S. Says
Iran tested and deployed a Russian-made anti-aircraft missile system last year that has long worried U.S. and Israeli military officials because it gives the Islamic Republic a ‘generational improvement in capabilities,’ the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency disclosed.
China’s hypersonic weapons could sink US aircraft carriers, Pentagon official says
The era of the American aircraft carrier as the premier embodiment of military might could be ending unless the U.S. develops defenses for the next generation of highly maneuverable, super-fast hypersonic weapons under development by Russia and China, the Pentagon’s top weapons researcher said Tuesday.
Full text of U.S. President Trump and Israeli PM Netanyahu White House remarks
Read the complete texts of remarks by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on March 5, 2018.
Netanyahu arrives in D.C. bruised but can gain from elections after AIPAC
The trip to Washington comes at a critical time for Netanyahu. He departed Israel on Saturday night, just one day after he and his wife, Sara, were questioned in the expanding Bezeq probe. Police have already recommended charging the prime minister with bribery in two other criminal investigations.
Coalition leaders warn gov’t on verge of collapse, elections by June
Senior coalition partners have reportedly warned that infighting over legislation exempting ultra-Orthodox students from military service will topple the government in the coming weeks, leading to new elections by mid-2018.
Iran will not discuss missile program until West dismantles nuclear weapons, says military official
Iran will not conduct talks on its ballistic missile program until the US and European countries dismantle their nuclear weapon arsenal, said an Iranian military official on Saturday. Speaking to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, the official claimed that the US’ criticism of Tehran’s program was driven by its own failures in the region.
North Korea threatens to ‘counter’ U.S. over military drills
North Korea threatened on Saturday to ‘counter the U.S.’ if the United States holds joint military exercises with South Korea, and said it would not beg for talks with Washington.