Archiv: Westasien („Naher / Mittlerer Osten“) / West Asia („Near / Middle East“)


08.02.2025 - 08:44 [ CNN ]

State Department announces $7 billion arms sale to Israel, circumventing review process

The State Department on Friday announced a $7 billion arms sale to Israel, circumventing the congressional review process, according to Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The announcement, which includes thousands of Hellfire missiles and bombs, comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met President Donald Trump and other top administration officials in Washington, DC.

06.02.2025 - 21:14 [ Reuters ]

Trump says Israel would hand over Gaza after fighting, no US troops needed

„The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting,“ he said. Palestinians „would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region.“ He added: „No soldiers by the U.S. would be needed!“

05.02.2025 - 23:09 [ Antiwar.com ]

Report: Jared Kushner Behind Trump’s Call for the US To ‘Take Over’ Gaza

Citing Puck, The Times of Israel reported that Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, helped prepare the shock remarks the president made on Tuesday night during his press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Kushner, who has a long history of friendship with Netanyahu, served as an advisor to President Trump during his first term in office and was involved in negotiating the Abraham Accords, the deals that sought Israel’s regional integration without settling the issue of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.

05.02.2025 - 22:48 [ Common Dreams ]

Trump’s Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza Is a Brutal Form of Colonial Capitalism

The colonial creation of private property from stolen land is the American way, from the theft of Indigenous people’s lands to the urban renewal clearance projects that built the modern New York City in which Donald Trump was able to thrive and build wealth. There can be no shock that the developer president’s first public words on Gaza would celebrate the old method of generating “demolition sites” (terra nullius, or empty land). In a way, Trump actually is daring those of us who support Palestinian sovereignty to understand the interdependence of capitalism and genocidal colonialism. There must be a people, and there must be a land. One without the other presents a windfall to the developers.

05.02.2025 - 22:34 [ ConsortiumNews ]

Trump Wants US to Take Over & Ethnically Cleanse Gaza

Asked by an Israeli reporter if he supported “Israeli sovereignty” over “Samaria, which many believe is the Biblical homeland of the Jewish,” otherwise known as the West Bank, Trump said, “Well, we are discussing that with many of your representatives … who do like that idea, but we haven’t take a position on it yet. We will be making an announcement on that specific topic over the next four weeks.”

05.02.2025 - 18:54 [ CNN ]

Trump’s Gaza ‘Riviera’ plan is the most outlandish idea in the history of US Middle East peacemaking

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu couldn’t keep the smirk off his face.

And no wonder.

04.02.2025 - 23:40 [ Washington Post ]

Trump proposes permanent displacement of Gazans as he welcomes Netanyahu to White House

President Donald Trump on Tuesday proposed moving Gazans to a “good, fresh, beautiful piece of land” in another country, offering a vision of mass displacement that would likely inflame sentiments in the Arab world as he prepared to welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House.

04.02.2025 - 17:34 [ Rudaw.net ]

President Barzani, anti-ISIS coalition commander discuss ISIS ‘dangers’

When ISIS seized swathes of Iraqi land in 2014, Peshmerga played a key role in driving the extremist group out of the areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, especially Kirkuk. The US-led global coalition provided Peshmerga and Iraqi forces with military assistance to defeat ISIS territorially, which was completed in 2017.

Barzani and Leahy also discussed the latest developments in Syria and their impact on neighboring countries.

04.02.2025 - 17:24 [ Associated Press ]

Regime change in Syria has Iraqi factions backtracking on push for US withdrawal

(January 31, 2025)

The U.S. and Iraq announced an agreement last year to wind down the military mission in Iraq of an American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group by September 2025, with U.S. forces departing some bases where they have stationed troops during a two-decade-long military presence in the country. (…)

But the fall of Assad in a lightning offensive led by Sunni Islamist rebels in December led some to reassess that stance, including members of the Coordination Framework, a coalition of mainly Shiite, Iran-allied political parties that brought current Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani to power in late 2022.

03.02.2025 - 03:42 [ CNN ]

Arab nations reject Trump’s call to relocate Gazans to neighboring countries

The foreign ministers of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt issued a wide-ranging statement Saturday, saying they hoped to work with Trump on a two-state solution in the Middle East.

But they pushed back on Trump’s suggestion to relocate Palestinians from Gaza. Without specifically referencing the president’s proposal, the ministers reiterated a commitment to rebuilding the enclave while ensuring “the continued presence of Palestinians in their homeland.”

03.02.2025 - 03:02 [ New York Times ]

Netanyahu Arrives in Washington at Critical Juncture for Mideast

Mr. Netanyahu is expected to be the first foreign leader to meet with Mr. Trump since his inauguration last month. The Israeli leader is expected to hold formative discussions with the Trump administration about several crucial regional issues.

31.01.2025 - 23:38 [ Middle East Eye ]

Exclusive: Palestinian Authority tells US it is ready to ‚clash‘ with Hamas for control of Gaza

Ziad Abu Amr, one of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s longtime advisors, would become the de facto ruler of the Gaza Strip, heading the committee. He would be appointed deputy to Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa but endowed with massive new powers.

Abu Amr was born in the Gaza Strip in 1950. He could be palatable to the Trump administration because he is also a US citizen. He obtained his PhD from Georgetown University and served as deputy Palestinian prime minister from 2013 to 2024.

31.01.2025 - 15:12 [ Jordan Times ]

Jordan faces the plan to displace Palestinians: Challenges and diplomatic moves

The challenges facing Jordan in this context are multiple, most notably the political pressures that may be exerted by the United States and some Western powers to show some flexibility towards this file. In addition, any new wave of displacement may lead to internal tensions, given the sensitivity of the demographic balance in the Kingdom.

The economic impacts cannot be ignored, as Jordan suffers from increasing financial challenges, and any increase in the number of refugees will exacerbate the pressure on resources and infrastructure. In addition, the security aspect constitutes a major concern, as the influx of large numbers of displaced persons could lead to complex security repercussions, especially in light of the tense conditions in the region.

31.01.2025 - 14:57 [ Ahram.org.eg ]

Historic! ‚No to Displacing Palestinian People!‘ Massive Egyptian protest at Rafah on border with Gaza to reject any displacement of Palestinians – VIDEO/Live

Thousands of Egyptians, led by public figures and political delegations, are protesting in the Egyptian Rafah on the border with the Gaza Strip to reject all proposals to displace the Palestinian people from their land and any attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause.

31.01.2025 - 14:49 [ Egypt Today ]

Egyptians gather at Rafah border crossing to protest against US plans of displacing Palestinians to Egypt, Jordan

The delegations, representing various Egyptian political forces, parties, unions, and civil society groups, are united in their opposition to statements made by US President Donald Trump, which suggest forcibly relocating Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan.

29.01.2025 - 22:18 [ Reuters ]

Trump‘s envoy meets Netanyahu, visits Gaza

The U.S. official visited Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Netanyahu has long eyed ties with Riyadh and is due to meet Trump in Washington on Feb. 4, when talks for the next phase of the three-stage Gaza ceasefire are meant to formally start.

29.01.2025 - 22:13 [ Middle East Eye ]

US envoy Steve Witkoff meets Netanyahu after visiting Gaza

According to Hebrew media reports, Witkoff reportedly visited the Netzarim Corridor inside the Gaza Strip with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

28.01.2025 - 19:43 [ Axios ]

Scoop: White House envoy met senior Palestinian official in Saudi Arabia

Why it matters: This was the first meeting between a Trump administration official and a Palestinian official since November‘s election.

– The meeting between Witkoff and Hussein al-Sheikh took place amid efforts by the Trump administration to end the war in Gaza and push for a Saudi-Israeli peace deal that includes a path toward a Palestinian state.

28.01.2025 - 19:29 [ Middle East Monitot ]

Saudi envoy to UK: No normalisation with Israel without Palestinian state

He added that Palestine has been fought over for 6,000 years, and that “it is not an easy thing to find, whether it’s during the Crusades […] I can’t think of anywhere that’s had that much done to it.”

However, he stressed that “good things are never easy. And anyone who is objecting to what almost the whole world sees as the solution cannot be right. So, you know, again, that’s why I’m not optimistic, because we have a lot of problems along the way.”

Al Saud asserted that “there’s no other solution” other than a two-state solution.

28.01.2025 - 13:00 [ LBCI Lebanon ]

Israeli drone drops bomb near Lebanese army and civilians in Yaroun, south Lebanon

The official National News Agency said Tuesday that an Israeli drone dropped a bomb near a gathering of Lebanese army personnel and citizens in the town of Yaroun.

28.01.2025 - 12:55 [ BreakingtheNews.net ]

Israel tells southern Lebanon civilians to await return clearance

This warning comes after South Lebanon residents, accompanied by the army, attempted to return to their villages on Monday, following Israeli fire that killed over 20 people. The ceasefire, extended until February 18, allows Israel more time to withdraw, as confirmed by the White House and Lebanon‘s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

28.01.2025 - 12:39 [ Jordan Times ]

The solution lies in just peace, not displacement

Jordan‘s posture on the Palestinian question has always been firm and clear: Jordan is not, and will never be, an alternative homeland for Palestinians.

This position is not merely a political statement but a historical commitment rooted in the principle of justice and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. Jordan rejects any attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause or deny the rights of Palestinians under whatsoever pretext.

28.01.2025 - 12:36 [ Egypt Today ]

High-profile source negates phone call between Trump, Egyptian president

CAIRO – 28 January 2025: A high-profile Egyptian source negated Tuesday that a phone call had taken place earlier this week between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, noting that phone calls between the chief of state and counterparts are always announced.

28.01.2025 - 12:08 [ Middle East Eye ]

Trump reiterates wish to move Gazans to Egypt, Jordan

„I’ve helped him [el-Sisi] a lot and I hope he’ll help us. I think he’ll do it [take in Palestinians] and the king of Jordan will do it too,“ he added.

27.01.2025 - 19:10 [ LBCI Lebanon ]

Israel maintains occupation in eastern sector of South Lebanon: Civilians and Lebanese Army clash with Israeli forces

In towns like Bani Haiyyan, Markaba, and the region of Borj El Mlouk heading towards Kfarkela, which remains under Israeli occupation, residents defied military checkpoints and moved towards their towns. The Israeli forces responded by opening fire on the civilians and Lebanese Army positions.

27.01.2025 - 19:06 [ New York Times ]

Israeli Forces Again Open Fire as Lebanese Try to Return Home, Lebanese Officials Say

(Jan. 27, 2025Updated 12:07 p.m. ET)

Israeli forces opened fire toward residents of southern Lebanon for a second consecutive day on Monday as people pressed on with attempts to return to their homes along the border, a day after at least two dozen people were killed and scores injured in Israeli attacks, Lebanese officials said.

The Israeli fire on Sunday was the deadliest bout of violence in Lebanon since the war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, ended with a truce in November. In the renewed violence on Monday, at least two people were killed and 17 others injured, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

27.01.2025 - 19:02 [ White House ]

White House Statement on Agreement Extension Between Lebanon and Israel

(January 26, 2025)

The arrangement between Lebanon and Israel, monitored by the United States, will continue to be in effect until February 18, 2025.

The Government of Lebanon, the Government of Israel, and the Government of the United States will also begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after October 7, 2023.

27.01.2025 - 16:27 [ Jerusalem Post ]

IDF begins withdrawing from Netzarim Corridor – report

(11 hours ago)

The IDF has begun withdrawing troops from the western part of the Netzarim Corridor that bisects the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported early Monday morning, citing Palestinian reports.

26.01.2025 - 18:02 [ Caitlin Johnstone ]

Trump Reveals Plan For The Ethnic Cleansing Of Gaza

Well that didn’t take long.

26.01.2025 - 17:48 [ Associated Press ]

Trump wants Jordan and Egypt to accept more Palestinian refugees and floats plan to ‘clean out’ Gaza

Trump has built his political career around being unapologetically pro-Israel. On his larger vision for Gaza, Trump said he had call earlier in the day with King Abdullah II of Jordan and would speak Sunday with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt.

“I’d like Egypt to take people,” Trump said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over.’”

26.01.2025 - 15:15 [ LBCI Lebanon ]

Toll from Israeli attacks rises to 15 in South Lebanon: Health Ministry

A citizen was killed in the town of Odaisseh, while a man and a young woman lost their lives in Meiss El Jabal, and another citizen was killed in Markaba.

These latest casualties bring the total number of fatalities to 15 so far, according to the ministry‘s statement.

26.01.2025 - 15:07 [ LBCI Lebanon ]

Israeli gunfire kills Lebanese soldier, injures another in southern Lebanon

The Lebanese Army announced that one of its soldiers was killed and another wounded in separate incidents of gunfire by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.

In a statement, the army reported that the fatal shooting occurred on the Marwahin-Dhayra road in the Tyre District, while the injury took place in the town of Meiss El Jabal, Marjaayoun District.

26.01.2025 - 15:00 [ Middle East Eye ]

Israel blocks over 600,000 Palestinians from reaching northern Gaza

A drone view shows Palestinians waiting to be allowed to return to their homes in northern Gaza on 26 January 2025

26.01.2025 - 06:18 [ Middle East Eye ]

In photos: Palestinians gather at the Netzarim Corridor to return north

Crowds of Palestinians have gathered near the Netzarim Corridor, a crossing point created by the Israeli army that separates north and south Gaza, in hopes of eventually returning to the north.

Although they are expected to be allowed through on Sunday, the Israeli army has accused Hamas of violating the terms of the ceasefire and said it will not open the corridor.

26.01.2025 - 05:49 [ LBCI Lebanon ]

France‘s Macron informs President Joseph Aoun of ongoing efforts to maintain ceasefire agreement

President Macron explained that he is in contact with various parties to maintain the ceasefire and ensure the full implementation of the agreement.

26.01.2025 - 05:39 [ ClickOrlando.com ]

Israeli military sets up roadblocks in southern Lebanon and announces it won’t withdraw by deadline

While Lebanese army soldiers are dispersed across the south’s western sector, Israeli troops remained in control of most of the southeastern sector.

Members of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said Israeli tanks and bulldozers have unexpectedly moved and set up several roadblocks, apparently in an attempt to prevent displaced Lebanese people trying to return to their villages.

26.01.2025 - 05:34 [ Al Jazeera ]

Uncertainty in Lebanon after Israel delays troop withdrawal

So, this ceasefire agreement is really a test. A test of whether the state can extend its authority across southern Lebanon.

25.01.2025 - 17:17 [ ForeignPolicy.com ]

Israel to Extend Military Presence in Lebanon With Trump Administration’s Blessing

The Israeli security cabinet authorized the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) late Thursday to remain in some areas of southern Lebanon past the 60-day withdrawal deadline set to expire on Sunday. Under the terms of the Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire agreement approved last November, both sides must fully remove all of their troops from the region by Jan. 26 to reinstate the borders laid out in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.

25.01.2025 - 17:13 [ Wall Street Journal ]

White House Calls for Israel to Stay in Lebanon Past Truce Deadline

The White House is calling for Israeli troops to be allowed to remain in Lebanon past the expiration date of a cease-fire next week, giving Israel more time to complete its mission but heightening the risks that the truce will unravel altogether.

23.01.2025 - 23:24 [ Times of Israel ]

Trump administration unwilling to grant extension for IDF withdrawal from Lebanon, wants it done by Sunday — report

The Trump administration expects the IDF to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Sunday, per the terms of the ceasefire agreement with the Hezbollah terror group, Army Radio reports.

The position of the new administration under US President Donald Trump, Army Radio says, differs from that of the Biden administration, which was said to be considering granting Israel an additional 30 days beyond the 60-day withdrawal period stipulated in the truce agreement

23.01.2025 - 23:17 [ allIsrael.com ]

US Envoy Witkoff says Saudi-Israeli normalization would bring end of regional war

Witkoff addressed the possibility of Arab nations like Saudi Arabia joining an alliance with Israel: “Normalization is an amazing opportunity for the region. It’s basically the beginning of the end of war.”

He noted that other countries like Qatar could join the Abraham Accords if the Saudis lead the way. “First, we needed the hopeful moment, and I’d like to think that we’ve achieved that, and we’ll build on that. Then on top of that, we needed to show people that we could stop the violence and that we could have conversation and dialogue.”

23.01.2025 - 23:09 [ Fox News ]

Trump envoy says Gaza ceasefire could pave way for Mideast normalization deal: ‚Inflection point‘

(January 22, 2025)

„I think this is an inflection point,“ Witkoff said on „America‘s Newsroom,“ Wednesday.

„I think you could get everybody on board in that region. I think there‘s a new sense of leadership over there. Qatar was enormously helpful in this. Sheikh Mohammed, plenty of his communication skills with Hamas were indispensable here, so I think the UAE is already a part of it. Egypt was very helpful to us in these endeavors.“

„I think we have the opportunity to get everybody bought in to a better future for the region – more opportunity, more hope,“ he added.

07.01.2025 - 19:49 [ allisrael.com ]

Nagel Commission warns Israel of possible war with Turkey, even as it calls for confronting Iran

The „Committee for the Evaluation of the Defense Establishment Budget and the Balance of Power“ is led by former National Security Council head Yaakov Nagel, and is often referred to in Hebrew media as the Nagel Commission or Nagel Committee.

The commission was established in 2023 before the outbreak of the war, to create recommendations for the defense ministry regarding the possible areas of conflict facing Israel in the years ahead.

07.01.2025 - 19:47 [ NewArab.com ]

Israel must prepare for war with Turkey, gov committee warns

The Nagel Committee issued a report on Monday detailing the defence budget and security strategy, where they raised concerns over Turkey’s aspirations and possible future tensions with Israel, according to Israeli media.

The committee said these tensions could escalate into conflict and highlighted the risk of Syrian factions aligning with Turkey and creating further threats to Israel‘s „security“.

07.01.2025 - 19:34 [ MintPressNews.com ]

Peace with Israel Tops the Agenda for Syria’s New Leaders

(January 3. 2025)

Although the majority of high-ranking officials in the HTS-led administration refrain from making categorical claims about Israel, they constantly stress that Iran and Hezbollah, not Israel, are Syria’s main enemies.
(…)
Ayman Al-Asimi, a senior member of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) and former spokesperson for the Syrian opposition delegations during the Astana talks, made headlines with his remarks to BBC Arabic. He stated unequivocally that Syria’s only opponent is Iran.

07.01.2025 - 19:23 [ MintPressNews.com ]

From ‘Terrorist’ to ‘Freedom Fighter’: How the West Rebranded Al-Qaeda’s Jolani as Syria’s ‘Woke’ New Leader

(December 12, 2024)

In 2003, he went to Iraq to fight against American forces. After three years of war, he was captured by the U.S. military and spent over five years in prison, including a stint at the notorious Abu Ghraib torture center.

While in Iraq, Jolani fought with ISIS and was even a deputy to its founder. Immediately upon release in 2011, ISIS sent him to Syria with a rumored $1 billion to found the Syrian wing of al-Qaeda and participate in the armed protest movement against Assad that arose out of the Arab Spring.

04.01.2025 - 16:07 [ NewArab.com ]

Controversy as Syria‘s de-facto ruler declines to shake hands with German FM Annalena Baerbock

Baerbock and her French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot visited Syria in a sign of support for the transitional government, where they expressed willingness to help the war-torn country after Bashar al-Assad’s regime was toppled last month, making them the first European officials to do so.

04.01.2025 - 16:02 [ MSN.com ]

German, French foreign ministers meet with Syria‘s HTS Islamist group

Syria‘s new de facto ruler and leader of the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) received an EU delegation led by German Foreign Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Friday.

01.01.2025 - 18:16 [ Antiwar.com ]

Foreign Jihadists Appointed to Senior Positions in New Syrian Military

Syrian sources told Reuters that the foreign fighters appointed to the military include Uyghurs, a Jordanian, a Turk, and an Albanian. “This is a small token of recognition for the sacrifices Islamist jihadists gave to our struggle for freedom from Assad’s oppression,” an HTS source told the media outlet.
(…)
HTS is still designated by the US as a foreign terrorist organization, but the Biden administration has celebrated its takeover of Syria. The US has also made clear it’s willing to work with the new government and its de facto leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, who has been going by his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa.

28.12.2024 - 21:38 [ United Nations ]

UN urges parties to re-engage on Iran nuclear deal

(December 17, 2024)

Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the Security Council on developments surrounding the 2015 accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and implementation of Council resolution 2231 (2015) which endorsed it.

The JCPOA set out rigorous mechanisms for monitoring restrictions placed on Iran’s nuclear programme, while paving the way for lifting sanctions against the country.

It was signed between Iran and the Council’s five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – plus Germany and the European Union. The US withdrew in May 2018 under the Trump administration.

28.12.2024 - 20:02 [ Georgetown Security Studies Review ]

The Nuclear Kingdom: Assessing Saudi Arabia’s Nuclear Behavior

(December 17, 2024)

Saudi Arabia has the characteristics of a nuclear hedger: a state that lays the groundwork for the active pursuit of nuclear weapons. Saudi Arabia has stated the conditions under which it would pursue nuclear weapons. It already possesses dual-capable delivery systems and seeks reactors to produce weapons-grade uranium. Its inability to enrich nuclear material alone prevents Saudi Arabia from gaining nuclear latency that it can rapidly convert into nuclear weapons. Saudi Arabia is best categorized as an insurance hedger that seeks to reduce the time needed to build a bomb. Regardless of the categorization of Saudi Arabia’s hedging, its interest in nuclear weapons has entered a new, acute stage.

26.12.2024 - 12:22 [ Antiwar.com ]

Pentagon Admits It’s Been Lying About the Number of Troops in Both Iraq and Syria

The Pentagon said on Monday that the US has more troops deployed in Iraq than it has been disclosing, an admission that comes after it revealed there are significantly more US troops in Syria than the US has said.

25.12.2024 - 17:00 [ Vatikan ]

„URBI ET ORBI“ MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS CHRISTMAS 2024

May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine! May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.

May the sound of arms be silenced in the Middle East! In contemplating the Crib of Bethlehem, I think of the Christian communities in Palestine and in Israel, particularly the dear community in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave. May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war. I express my closeness to the Christian community in Lebanon, especially in the south, and to that of Syria, at this most delicate time. May the doors of dialogue and peace be flung open throughout the region, devastated by conflict. Here I also think of the Libyan people and encourage them to seek solutions that enable national reconciliation.

22.12.2024 - 07:24 [ Antiwar.com ]

Report: US Had Foreknowledge of HTS Offensive To Topple Assad and Prepared Other Rebel Group To Join

(December 19, 2024)

“They did not tell us how it would happen,” Bashar al-Mashadani, an RCA commander, told The Telegraph. “We were just told: ‘Everything is about to change. This is your moment. Either Assad will fall, or you will fall.’ But they did not say when or where, they just told us to be ready.”

In October, the US brought several other Sunni Muslim militias under the command of the RCA, swelling the force from 800 fighters to about 3,000. All of the fighters are armed by the US, and the US pays their salaries of $400 per month.

22.12.2024 - 05:36 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

US ‘prepared Syrian rebel group to help topple Bashar al-Assad’

(December 18, 2024)

RCA fighters who captured the Russian-controlled Syrian air base on the outskirts of the town last week said they had been told to prepare for Assad’s possible fall in early November, nearly three weeks before the offensive began.

Until one month earlier, Capt Mashadani had been second-in-command of the Abu Khatab brigade. This small unit of 150 men was created by US Special Forces and trained by their British counterparts in Jordan until 2016, to hunt down Isis fighters near Deir ez-Zor, a city in eastern Syria.

22.12.2024 - 04:23 [ Antiwar.com ]

US Official Has ‘Good, Productive’ Meeting with al-Qaeda-Linked Julani in Damascus

Julani fought for al-Qaeda in Iraq against American soldiers during the Iraq War. He then founded al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, the al-Nusra Front. In recent years, he has attempted to soften his image by giving friendly interviews to Western journalists, often appearing in a suit and with a trimmed beard to obscure his jihadist ideology.

Leaf said of Julani after the meeting, who is also going by Ahmad al-Sharaa, “I heard him on his priorities, which are very much rooted in getting Syria on the road to economic recovery.”

“We’ve been hearing this for some time, some very pragmatic and moderate statements on various issues, from women’s rights to protection to equal rights for all communities,” she added. “It was a good first meeting. We will judge by deeds, not just by words.”

21.12.2024 - 07:14 [ TKP.at ]

Gaza-Deal zwischen Saudis und Netanjahu?

„Als Gegenleistung für ihre Unterstützung und ihr Geld, so sagte mir der Israeli, würden die Vereinigten Staaten der saudischen Führung ein erweitertes Verteidigungsabkommen anbieten, das Saudi-Arabien in ihren nuklearen Schutzschirm einbeziehen würde – für den Fall, dass der Iran, Israels letzter verbliebener Feind, in den Besitz einer Atombombe gelangen sollte. “
(…)
„Der Israeli sagte mir, dass das saudische Paket einen zusätzlichen Anreiz enthält: Die Saudis würden wegschauen, wenn die Israelis Bombenangriffe durchführen, einschließlich der Bombardierung militärischer Ziele im zerrissenen Syrien, und würden Israel Zugang zu einem Flugplatz innerhalb der saudischen Grenzen gewähren. Auf diese Weise könnten israelische Bomben, die zumeist von den Vereinigten Staaten geliefert werden, innerhalb von Minuten, nicht Stunden, auf wichtige iranische Ziele abgefeuert werden.“

21.12.2024 - 01:56 [ New York Times ]

Israel Found the Hamas Money Machine Years Ago. Nobody Turned It Off.

(December 16, 2023)

Israeli leaders believed that Hamas was more interested in governing than fighting. By the time the agents discovered the ledgers in 2018, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was encouraging the government of Qatar to deliver millions of dollars to the Gaza Strip. He gambled that the money would buy stability and peace.

Mr. Levy recalled briefing Mr. Netanyahu personally in 2015 about the Hamas portfolio.

21.12.2024 - 00:37 [ Seymour Hersh ]

THE NEW CEASEFIRE EQUATION: Saudi Arabia’s entry into talks between Israel and Hamas may change Gaza’s future

In return for its support and money, the Israeli told me, the Saudi leadership would be offered an expanded defense treaty by the United States that would include Saudi Arabia in its nuclear umbrella—its zone of protection—in case Iran, Israel’s last standing enemy, were to acquire a nuclear bomb.
(…)
There is an added inducement in the Saudi package, the Israeli told me: the Saudis would look the other way as the Israelis conduct bombing raids, including bombing of military targets inside fractured Syria, and would give Israel access to an airfield within Saudi borders. This would bring Israeli bombs, most supplied by the United States, within minutes, and not hours, of key Iranian targets.

21.12.2024 - 00:12 [ Middle East Eye ]

Israel, Saudi Arabia closer to normalisation deal: Report

(December 18, 2024)

Israel and Saudi Arabia have reached a breakthrough in talks around normalising relations, Haaretz reported on Tuesday, adding that the normalisation could be related to an elusive ceasefire deal that would bring about an end to Israel‘s war on Gaza.

Sources familiar with the negotiations told Haaretz that rather than Israel agreeing to Saudi Arabia‘s demand for the recognition of a Palestinian state, the two sides agreed that Israel would give a vague commitment on a „path towards Palestinian statehood“.

20.12.2024 - 19:47 [ New York Times ]

Senior U.S. Diplomats Arrive in Syria to Meet With Governing Militias

The State Department said early Friday that three senior American diplomats had arrived in Damascus, the capital of Syria, to meet with leaders of the militias that have seized control of the country, and to look for signs of the journalist Austin Tice and other missing U.S. citizens.

20.12.2024 - 13:10 [ Fox News ]

Pentagon says the number of US troops in Syria is much higher than previously reported

After learning of the fluctuation in number of troops, Fox News’ Pentagon correspondent Jennifer Griffin pressed Ryder about the correction to the number of troops and timing.

„This is more than double the number of troops that we’ve been told for quite some time. So, are we talking about this has been going on for months? For Years?“ Griffin asked. „Is this something that just happened this summer? We need a time frame.“

„Yeah, I think it would probably be fair to say at a minimum, months,“ Ryder said. „I’ll go back and look. But it’s…yeah, it’s been going on for a while.“

18.12.2024 - 03:03 [ Antiwar.com ]

US Launches More Airstrikes in Syria, Claims 12 ISIS Fighters Killed

Since Assad’s downfall, the US, Turkey, and Israel have all been bombing Syria. On December 8, the day Assad fled, the US launched heavy airstrikes in Syria, saying it hit 75 ISIS-related targets.

US officials justify the strikes by saying they don’t want ISIS to reconstitute itself following the regime change. But on the other hand, the US has supported the HTS takeover even though the group is designated by the US as a terrorist organization and has a similar ideology to ISIS.

The US has also made clear it has no intention of withdrawing the approximately 900 troops that it has occupying eastern Syria.

17.12.2024 - 22:16 [ Middle East Eye ]

Germany joins US, UK in making diplomatic contact with Syria‘s HTS

Germany plans talks with representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Damascus on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said, joining the United States and Britain in establishing contact with the group after it led the overthrow of Syria‘s Bashar al-Assad.

16.12.2024 - 12:20 [ Devdiscourse.com ]

EU‘s Diplomatic Shift: Direct Talks with Syria

In a significant development, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced that the bloc‘s top diplomat for Syria will head to Damascus on Monday to initiate contact with the new Syrian government.

16.12.2024 - 12:17 [ Middle East Eye ]

Lammy: UK had ‚diplomatic contact‘ with HTS

„Using all the channels that we have available, and those are diplomatic and, of course, intelligence-led channels, we seek to deal with HTS where we have to.“

On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States has had direct contact with HTS.

15.12.2024 - 07:31 [ New York Times ]

U.S. in Direct Contact With Rebels Who Took Over Syria

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said the United States was communicating directly with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the dominant rebel faction, despite its designation as a terrorist group.

11.12.2024 - 07:34 [ Middle East Eye ]

Germany, France ready to cooperate with new Syrian leadership

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed their willingness to engage with Syria‘s new leadership, following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, under certain conditions, a statement from the German government revealed after a call between the two leaders.

11.12.2024 - 07:21 [ Washington Post ]

U.S. would recognize a Syrian government that comes from inclusive process, Blinken says

The U.S. government would “recognize and fully support” a future Syrian government that results from an inclusive and transparent transition process, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, outlining a first set of principles regarding the Biden administration’s hopes to influence discussions over Syria’s future after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

08.12.2024 - 22:25 [ Rudaw.net ]

US Strikes over 70 ISIS camps in Syria

The United States army announced on Sunday that it carried out airstrikes against 75 Islamic State (ISIS) camps in Syria, to prevent the group from taking “advantage” of the recent kerfuffle in the country.

“The strikes against the ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps were conducted as part of the ongoing mission to disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS,” read a statement from the army’s Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US troops in the Middle East.

08.12.2024 - 22:10 [ C-SPAN / Youtube ]

President Biden on Situation in Syria: „At long last the Assad regime has fallen.“

President Biden: „After 13 years of civil war in Syria, more than half a century of brutal authoritarian rule by Bashar al-Assad and his father before him, rebel forces have forced Assad to resign his office, flee the country.“

29.11.2024 - 23:14 [ theCradle.co ]

KSA abandons US defense pact over Palestinian statehood ‚stalemate‘: Report

As a result of the Saudi and Israeli positions, “Riyadh and Washington hope a more modest defense pact could be sealed before President Joe Biden leaves the White House in January,” according to the Saudi and western sources.

29.11.2024 - 23:11 [ Reuters ]

Saudi Arabia abandons pursuit of US defence treaty over Israel stalemate

In a drive to get a wide-ranging mutual security treaty over the line earlier this year, Riyadh softened its position on Palestinian statehood, telling Washington that a public commitment from Israel to a two-state solution could be enough for the Gulf kingdom to normalise relations.

But with public anger in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East at fever pitch over Israel‘s military actions in Gaza, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has again made recognition of Israel conditional on it taking concrete steps to create a Palestinian state, two Saudi and three Western sources said.

19.10.2024 - 20:50 [ TRTdeutsch.com ]

Bundestag verlängert Irak-Einsatz der Bundeswehr

Der Bundestag hat das Mandat für den Einsatz deutscher Soldaten im Irak um weitere 15 Monate verlängert. Für die Fortsetzung stimmte eine deutliche Mehrheit von 539 der anwesenden Abgeordneten (Nein: 93, Enthaltung: 2), wie das Präsidium nach namentlicher Abstimmung verkündete.

12.10.2024 - 05:10 [ Jonathan Cook ]

War on Gaza: Israel wants to finish the job Washington started after 9/11

In 2007, former Nato commander Wesley Clark recounted a meeting at the Pentagon shortly after the US invasion of Afghanistan. An officer told him: “We are going to attack and destroy the governments in seven countries in five years. We’re going to start with Iraq, and then we’re going to move to Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Iran.”

Clark added of the neoconservatives: “They wanted us to destabilise the Middle East, turn it upside down, make it under our control.”

As I documented in my 2008 book Israel and the Clash of Civilisations, Israel was supposed to carry out a central chunk of Washington’s post-Iraq plan, starting with its war on Lebanon in 2006. Israel’s attack there was supposed to drag in Syria and Iran, giving the US a pretext to expand the war.

This was what the US secretary of state of the time, Condoleezza Rice, meant when she spoke of the “birth pangs of a new Middle East”.

The plan went awry largely because Israel got bogged down in phase one, in Lebanon. It blitzed cities like Beirut with US-supplied bombs, but its soldiers struggled against Hezbollah in a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

The West subsequently found other ways to deal with Syria and Libya.

11.10.2024 - 20:02 [ Washington Post ]

Israel steps up its battles with the United Nations

Netanyahu has issued statements essentially calling for regime change in both Lebanon and Iran, while Israel’s boosters in the United States see in its expanding wars an opportunity to “remake” the political map of the Middle East.

10.10.2024 - 06:08 [ Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists ]

The coming US-Saudi nuclear deal: Keep it honest

(January 5, 2024)

In 1988, the Central Intelligence Agency did discover that Riyadh bought SS-2 medium-range missiles from China but only after the deal was sealed. In 2003, when China exported DF-21 ballistic missiles to the Kingdom, the CIA again found out and was even allowed to verify the missiles were not nuclear-capable, but only after the missiles were delivered.

Several years later, when intelligence finally leaked out that China secretly built missile factories for the Saudis, the Trump administration was mum on whether there was an intelligence failure and allowed speculation that it had blessed the transaction. Then, in 2020, when US intelligence confirmed China was helping the Kingdom mill uranium domestically, it did so, again only after the mining and milling were well underway.

This track record of studied inadvertence, then, brings us to the next worry: MBS wants Washington to green-light the Kingdom enriching uranium…

10.10.2024 - 05:12 [ Institute for National Security Studies - INSS.org.il ]

Normalization for Proliferation? The Saudi Nuclear Strategy and the Price of Peace with Israel

(March 19, 2023)

In general, the Saudis wish to present themselves as Iran’s equals, and if Iran can enrich uranium, say the Saudis, then so can we. In addition, the Saudis want to keep all their nuclear options open, even if they are not intending to work on the development of nuclear weapons immediately.

07.10.2024 - 10:35 [ static1.squarespace.com ]

Appendix to letter of October 2, 2024 re: American physicians observations from the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023

This appendix complements the letter sent to President Joseph R. Biden, Vice President Kamala D. Harris, and others on October 2, 2024 by 99 American healthcare workers who have served in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.

(…)

In total it is likely that 62,413 people have died of starvation and its compilations in Gaza from October 7, 2023 to September 30, 2024. Most of these will have been young children.

As long as aid agencies and public health experts are denied entry to Gaza the true
numbers cannot be known.
However, if these estimates are accurate they will approximately match the projected estimates of 85,750 total (direct and indirect) excess deaths in Gaza by August 2024 under the epidemics and military escalation scenarios published by a joint project from Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. This is the population-adjusted equivalent of 13.3 million deaths and 26.6 million injuries in the United States.

07.10.2024 - 10:06 [ Watson Institute for Internatonal and Public Affairs / Brown University ]

The Human Toll: Indirect Deaths from War in Gaza and the West Bank, October 7, 2023 Forward

Figure 1: Direct Deaths from Violence Reported in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank
(Oct. 7, 2023 – Oct. 1, 2024)
Israeli Fatalities in Israel 1,200
Israeli Fatalities in Gaza 34
Israeli Fatalities in West Bank 339
Palestinian Fatalities in Gaza 41,615
Palestinian Fatalities in West Bank 693
Palestinians Missing/Estimated Dead Underthe Rubble 10,000
Total > 53,887

(…)

Figure 2: Estimates of Indirect Deaths in Gaza (Oct. 7, 2023 – Sept. 30, 2024)15
Estimated Deaths from Starvation 62,413
Estimated Deaths from Lack of Access to Care for Chronic Diseases 5,000
Estimated Deaths from Infectious Diseases, Maternal/Neonatal Deaths, and Others ?
Total > 67,413

07.10.2024 - 09:55 [ Watson Institute for Internatonal and Public Affairs / Brown University ]

United States Spending on Israel’s Military Operations and Related U.S. Operations in the Region, October 7, 2023 – September 30, 2024

Figure 1: U.S. Military Aid to Israel from October 7, 2023 to September 2024 (in millions of dollars)

Foreign Military Financing $6,8009
Missile Defense $4,500
Missile Defense (Iron Beam) $1,200
Enhancing Artillery Production $1,000
Replenishing Arms Delivered to Israel from U.S. Stocks $4,400
TOTAL $17.9 billion

06.10.2024 - 22:00 [ Caitlin Johnstone ]

Never Let Your Government Tell You Who Your Enemies Are

Our real enemies are in Washington and London and Tel Aviv. In Berlin and Paris and Canberra. In secretive government agencies in the state of Virginia, and in imperial propaganda institutions in New York and Hollywood.

04.10.2024 - 19:16 [ Caitlin Johnstone ]

The Middle East Is Always At War Because The West Keeps Pushing It That Way

I hate when people say “Bah the middle east has always been at war, it’s just how they are.” No you asshole, it’s been at war because of western interventionism and Israel.

03.10.2024 - 02:15 [ United Nations ]

Secretary-General‘s remarks to the Security Council – on the situation in the Middle East [as delivered]

Madame President, Excellencies,

The raging fires in the Middle East are fast becoming an inferno.

Exactly one week ago, I briefed the Security Council about the alarming situation in Lebanon.

Since then, things have gone from bad to much, much worse….

03.10.2024 - 02:02 [ Common Dreams ]

Barred From Israel, UN Chief Warns Middle East ‚Fast Becoming an Inferno‘

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday reiterated his urgent call for an end to violence and a diplomatic resolution in the Middle East shortly after Israel‘s foreign minister declared that the U.N. chief was barred from entering the country, a move that drew international condemnation.

„The raging fires in the Middle East are fast becoming an inferno,“ Guterres told a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, denouncing Israel‘s „relentless airstrikes across Lebanon,“ devastation of the Gaza Strip, and obstruction of a cease-fire agreement that could pull the region back from the brink of all-out war.

01.10.2024 - 18:04 [ France24.com ]

Israel calls on residents to evacuate over 20 areas in south Lebanon

The Israeli military on Tuesday called on residents in more than 20 areas of southern Lebanon to evacuate, hours after saying it launched ground raids across the border.

01.10.2024 - 12:19 [ Washington Post ]

U.S. downplays talk of Iraq withdrawal, says troops will stay in Syria

(September 27, 2024)

The announcement, coming two weeks after the Iraqi government said it had reached a deal with the Biden administration to remove most U.S. troops over the next two years, underscored Washington’s hesitancy to telegraph its military movements at a time of extreme volatility in the Middle East. But it also sowed confusion over the eventual end state of the Pentagon presence in the country.

30.09.2024 - 03:20 [ Middle East Eye ]

109 killed in Israeli air strikes on Sunday: Lebanese health ministry

The Lebanese health ministry has reported that Israeli air strikes on Sunday killed at least 109 individuals and left 364 others wounded across the country.

29.09.2024 - 17:14 [ NordicMonitor.com ]

Turkey excludes $2.5 bln Russian S-400 missiles from new air defense system project

(August 9, 2024)

In an earlier statement in 2020 to CNN Türk, Russian Ambassador to Turkey Alexei Yerkhov said, ‘Whether [the system] is used or not is a decision for the country that owns it. Turkey purchased the product they wanted from us. The owner of this system is Turkey. It is entirely dependent on what Turkey decides. Whether you go to the beach with it, carry potatoes or mount a machine gun on it for war, keeping it in the ‘garage’ is your right.”

29.09.2024 - 17:01 [ Al Jazeera ]

Erdogan: Turkey to produce S-500s with Russia after S-400 deal

(May 19, 2019)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey and Russia would jointly produce S-500 defence systems after Ankara’s controversial purchase of the S-400 missile defence system from Moscow.

29.09.2024 - 16:55 [ Anadolu ]

Turkish president condemns Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, calls for global action

Erdogan criticized the international community for enabling Israel‘s actions, saying that as Tel Aviv continues to receive „weapons and ammunition support from its backers,“ it becomes „increasingly reckless, defying all humanity, humanitarian values, and international law.“

He stressed that Israel‘s „politics of madness,“ already seen in Gaza and Ramallah, must not be allowed to spread to Lebanon and other countries in the region.

„No person of conscience can accept, justify, or deem such a massacre legitimate,“ he said.