The carrier strike groups would include a combined nearly 20,000 troops, up to 150 fighter jets and many destroyers capable of launching and fending off missile attacks, The Post said. There are about 50,000 U.S. troops deployed in the Middle East, U.S. officials have said.
Archiv: Westasien („Naher / Mittlerer Osten“) / West Asia („Near / Middle East“)
US sends additional Patriot batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar: Report
The US sent one additional Patriot battery to Saudi Arabia to protect a key oil facility and another to Qatar to protect a natural gas facility, Axios reported Thursday.
The deployments are notable because Patriot batteries are in high demand worldwide, and the US has a limited supply. The US has just 33 batteries stationed at home and 27 batteries stationed overseas, according to the nonprofit Missile Defence Alliance.
Iraq celebrates National Sovereignty Day as US troops withdraw
Iraq’s security forces held parades in Baghdad and Najaf to celebrate ‘Sovereignty Day’, a national holiday marking the withdrawal of US troops from the country. The remaining soldiers left the country on Wednesday, ending the US-led coalition’s operation against ISIL.
Italy ends twelve-year military presence in Iraq
The final group had stayed behind to recover and ship out logistical equipment, Crosetto said. Italian forces, along with those of other countries in the Global Coalition and NATO, left Iraq by the September 30 deadline agreed with the Iraqi government.
Crosetto said the withdrawal was „not an Italian decision,“ but part of a new phase agreed with Iraqi authorities and partner countries, in which Iraqi security forces take full responsibility for the country‘s security.
The Global Coalition‘s Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the US-led military campaign against ISIS, will continue to operate from other countries, according to the statement.
Operatives Führungskommando der Bundeswehr: Einladung zum Bildtermin beim Rückkehrerappell der deutschen Kräfte aus ERBIL, Irak
Am Donnerstag, den 01. Oktober 2026, würdigen Staatssekretär Hilmer (Bundesministerium der Verteidigung), Generalleutnant Katz (Kommandierender General Luftwaffentruppenkommando) und die Bundeswehr die Rückkehr der letzten deutschen Kräfte aus Erbil mit einem feierlichen Appell in Wunstorf.
Medienvertreterinnen und Medienvertreter sind herzlich zu diesem Bildtermin eingeladen. Im Anschluss an die Veranstaltung wird seitens des Operativen Führungskommandos der Bundeswehr eine Pressemitteilung im Presseportal erfolgen.
US military withdraws from Iraq after two decades: Report
The US military has completely withdrawn from Iraq, DPA reported on 27 September, citing an Iraqi government official.
All US combat troops and logistical support forces have left the country, the official told the German news agency on Sunday.
Iraqi Defence Ministry spokesman tells Al Jazeera US-led coalition forces are out of Iraq
A spokesman for Iraq’s Defence Ministry has told Al Jazeera that no US-led international coalition forces remain in Iraq, one day ahead of the coalition’s planned full withdrawal.
Palestinian death toll in Gaza war rises above 74,000 since the war began and other Mideast news
The Palestinian death toll from the nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 74,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
While a ceasefire that took effect last Oct. 10 has halted the heaviest fighting, Israeli strikes have continued in what the military has said are responses to threats or attacks.
Iraq declares four-day holiday for Sovereignty Days
Iraq is expected to mark the completion of the US-led Coalition’s military withdrawal on September 30, following the handover of its remaining bases and facilities to Iraqi authorities.
Turkish forces to withdraw from strategic military base in northern Iraq
The decision was announced in a joint statement issued after a meeting in New York between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on the margins of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
According to the statement, Turkey will hand over the camp in stages, in line with an agreed timetable.
However, no specific date has yet been set for the withdrawal of Turkish troops.
US: Troop withdrawal from Iraq remains on track for Sept. 30
(September 23, 2026)
The United States remains on course to complete the withdrawal of its military forces from Iraq by September 30, a State Department spokesperson told Shafaq News on Wednesday, one week before the deadline.
Washington is “proceeding with the mutually determined transition timeline for Coalition forces to end military operations in Iraq,” in line with the announced conclusion of Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led campaign against ISIS.
Bombs loaded, targets picked: Why Trump pulled back from striking Houthis
There is another crucial consideration: the Houthis have so far avoided attacking American ships under an understanding reached with Washington.
Trump told Fox News on Sunday that the United States remained in communication with the group and said the Houthis had agreed not to fight the US.
A senior Houthi official separately told AP that the group did not intend to target American vessels. Oman-mediated discussions have also reaffirmed the 2025 US-Houthi ceasefire arrangement.
Trump called off planned US strikes on Houthis at last minute: Report
Trump initially resisted launching airstrikes during meetings with advisers Wednesday but later ordered the Pentagon to prepare for military action following a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday, the report said.
The Saudi crown prince urged Trump to intervene directly amid rapid territorial gains by the Houthis in Yemen, according to the newspaper.
Trump returns to White House earlier than expected
The administration did not give a reason for the change of plans. Trump was originally scheduled to depart Camp David later on Sunday local time.
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Trump’s return to the White House came after the US State Department issued an alert to US citizens in the Middle East, warning that hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen have “the potential to escalate rapidly”.
US Democrats look to stop Trump’s Saudi nuclear deal
Trump sent the proposed agreement to Congress in August, opening a 90-day window for lawmakers’ review and giving them an opportunity to try to pass a resolution of disapproval.
Democrats and nonproliferation advocates have criticized the nuclear pact for not barring Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or reprocessing nuclear waste, two potential pathways to a nuclear weapon. The United Arab Emirates agreed to such measures, known as the gold standard, in its 2009 civil nuclear deal with Washington.
Präsident Lee schließt Truppenentsendung für Kriegseinsatz aus
Die im Golf von Aden stationierte Marineeinheit Cheonghae schütze bereits Seewege und südkoreanische Staatsbürger vor Bedrohungen wie Piraterie, erklärte Lee. Die Regierung prüfe ernsthaft eine Verstärkung dieses Einsatzes.
Lee Cautiously Sets Limits on Possible Deployment to Hormuz
Report: President Lee Jae Myung did not rule out the possible deployment of South Korean troops to the region, but he cautiously set limits on what Seoul can do.
Iraqi military commander dismissed after drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, prime minister‘s office says
An Iraqi military commander was dismissed early on Saturday after investigations confirmed the latest drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia originated from Iraq, according to a statement by Iraq‘s prime minister‘s office.
The commander led operations in Maysan province in southern Iraq, according to the statement.
Iraq faces sovereignty test as US-led military coalition exit nears
(September 7, 2026)
The United States-led international military coalition will conclude its mission in Iraq by the end of this month, the country’s armed forces have confirmed to state media.
Lieutenant General Abdul Amir al-Shammari, director of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, in a statement to the Iraqi News Agency on Monday, said September 30 is the date for the end of the mission of the international coalition forces in Iraq and the transition to a new chapter of relations and cooperation.
Report: Netanyahu Says 9/11 Terror Attacks Good for Israel
(April 16, 2008)
„We are benefiting from one thing, and that is the attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, and the American struggle in Iraq,“ Ma‘ariv quoted the former prime minister as saying. He reportedly added that these events „swung American public opinion in our favor.“
Netanyahu reportedly made the comments during a conference at Bar-Ilan University on the division of Jerusalem as part of a peace deal with the Palestinians.
A DAY OF TERROR: THE ISRAELIS; Spilled Blood Is Seen as Bond That Draws 2 Nations Closer
(12. September 2001)
Asked tonight what the attack meant for relations between the United States and Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister, replied, “It‘s very good.“ Then he edited himself: “Well, not very good, but it will generate immediate sympathy.“ He predicted that the attack would “strengthen the bond between our two peoples, because we‘ve experienced terror over so many decades, but the United States has now experienced a massive hemorrhaging of terror.“
September 11, 2001: Former Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: 9/11 Very Good for Israeli-US Relations
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when asked what the 9/11 attacks means for relations between the US and Israel, replies, “It’s very good.” Then he edits himself: “Well, not very good, but it will generate immediate sympathy.” [New York Times, 9/12/2001]
A week later, the Village Voice states, “From national networks to small-town newspapers, the view that America’s terrible taste of terrorism will finally do away with even modest calls for the restraint of Israel’s military attacks on Palestinian towns has become an instant, unshakable axiom.… Now, support for Israel in America is officially absolute, and Palestinians are cast once again as players in a global terrorist conspiracy.”
Secretive U.S. Base in Somalia Signals New Phase of War
The U.S. has described the dry and rugged mountains of northern Somalia as the main hub from which ISIS controls its global operations. Amid an increasing number of U.S. drone strikes and raids supporting the Somali government in the war against ISIS, the United States is now expanding its presence in the port city of Bosaso and effectively building a new military base, which will be used for combat and surveillance operations targeting “terror groups” in the region as well enhancing maritime security, according to Somali security officials in Puntland. The CIA will also expand its operations there, the officials said.
Merkley’s Response to Trump’s Submission of U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal to Congress
(August 28, 2026)
Washington, D.C. – Following the Trump Administration’s submission to Congress on a proposed U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear cooperation agreement, referred to as a “123 agreement,” Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—co-chair of the bicameral Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group and a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—issued the following statement:
“With this deal, President Trump is not only triggering a nuclear arms race in the Middle East but also weakening America’s security and standing on the world stage.
“The President’s decision to provide Saudi Arabia with a nuclear deal that does not meet the bipartisan Gold Standard nor mandate the Additional Protocol, both necessary to ensure sensitive U.S. technology is not used to help build a nuclear bomb, is dangerous and a strategic mistake for our national security.
US pounds Iran, Tehran strikes back at bases in biggest exchange since July
Iran responded by striking what it said were U.S. assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq, and said its aim was now to drive U.S. forces from the vast network of military bases they have occupied for decades across the Middle East.
this is the biggest blunder in American history. Mark my words
(December 9, 2023)
The Iran War Is Lose-Lose
The on-again, off-again conflict, characterized by tit-for-tat retaliatory strikes, is a lose-lose situation for both parties and for the region as a whole, yet we are unlikely to escape this tragic dynamic unless more realist strategic thinking prevails in both Washington and Tehran. Neither side can “win” this war, but they can cut their losses before they incur even higher human, financial, and military costs. The realist school of thought offers a compelling diagnosis of this conflict, and points the way to a mutually beneficial conclusion.
Folgen des Iran-Kriegs: Trump hat Amerikas Macht verspielt
Die Supermacht USA hat sich mit einer zweitklassigen Regionalgröße angelegt – und ist dabei unterlegen. Das hat geostrategische Folgen, die wir längst noch nicht alle begreifen. Am Persischen Golf sind die Amerikaner jetzt auf dem Rückzug, das Pentagon überlegt ernsthaft, die zerstörten Stützpunkte in der Region nicht wieder aufzubauen.
Pakistan works with Regional Allies to defuse US-Iran Tensions, Foreign Office says
Foreign Office spokesperson revealed that Dar held three telephone conversations with the Turkish foreign minister on August 17, 19 and 25, with the discussions centred on regional developments and the need to advance dialogue and diplomacy.
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The diplomatic push gained further momentum with Field Marshal Asim Munir’s visit to Tehran on August 24. Andrabi said Pakistan had played a sincere role between Washington and Tehran and noted that the Iranian leadership had appreciated Islamabad’s efforts.
PM Shehbaz says Makkah defence pact aimed at peace, not aggression
ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the Makkah defence agreement is not aimed at aggression, but seeks to promote peace, security and prosperity in the region among the three countries.
Briefing the federal cabinet, the prime minister said the Makkah agreement was an extension of the defence cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, noting that the two countries had also signed a defence pact last year.