Middle East

Beirut (AFP) – Syrian regime forces backed by Russia made sweeping advances on Monday against rebels holding out in the country’s vital southern zone. For nearly one month, Syria’s government has worked to capture the provinces of Daraa and Quneitra with a mix of heavy bombardment, ground attacks and surrender deals brokered by Moscow. Despite […]

Israel/ Palestine

Gaza: Israel Unleashes Heaviest Airstrikes Since 2014 Assault

TeleSur

Caracas (TeleSur) – Israeli occupation forces struck 40 targets in the besieged Gaza Strip Saturday, in the most extensive Israeli military assault since the 2014 “Operation Protective Edge” in which over 1,400 Palestinians were killed. Tensions in Gaza have been on the rise since Israeli forces have killed over 130 people participating in the Great […]

Syria

With 5 Powers fighting in Syria, who will come out on top? Netanyahu, Putin, or Trump?

Reese Erlich

San Francisco (48 Hills) – Russian bombs rained down on towns of southern Syria as an estimated 320,000 civilians fled for their lives. Over the past several weeks tens of thousands walked to the Jordanian and Israeli borders hoping to escape the onslaught. Rula Amin, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, based in […]

UAE

United Arab Emirates Committing War Crimes in its Yemen Prisons: Amnesty

AFP

Dubai (AFP) – Human rights violations in a string of Yemeni prisons run by the United Arab Emirates could amount to war crimes, Amnesty International said Thursday in a report promptly rejected by the UAE. It called for investigations by the UAE and allies including the United States into a network of unofficial prisons across […]

Syria

Syrian Army Raises Flag in Daraa, Cradle of Failed Revolution

Mohamad Abazeed

With Tony Gamal-Gabriel in Beirut Daraa (Syria) (AFP) – Syria’s army entered rebel-held parts of Daraa city on Thursday, state media said, raising the national flag in the cradle of the uprising that sparked the country’s seven-year war. After securing Damascus in May, President Bashar al-Assad is determined to oust rebels from a key southern […]

Featured

Trump Threatens Iran with “Escalation;” Could it Spin out of Control?

Juan Cole

Both Trump and his hyperactive but ineffectual secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, ratcheted up their rhetoric on Iran on Thursday. In fact, Pompeo has been more or less threatening acts of war for the past week. Trump said at a NATO news conference, “I would say there might be an escalation between us and the […]

Arab World

Emerging Superpower China Offers Arab States $20 bn. in Development Loans

AFP

Beijing (AFP) – China will provide Arab states with $20 billion in loans for economic development, President Xi Jinping told top Arab officials Tuesday, as Beijing seeks to build its influence in the Middle East and Africa. The money will be earmarked for “projects that will produce good employment opportunities and positive social impact in […]

Iran

Iranians Dance To Protest Detention Of Teen Over Instagram Videos

contributors

Washington, DC ( RFE/RL) – Iranian social-media users are expressing support for a teenager who was detained over her Instagram dance videos by posting their own clips showing them dancing in solidarity. Maedeh Hojabri, who had more than 40,000 followers on Instagram, recently appeared in a program on state-controlled Iranian television in which she acknowledged […]

Israel

Open Apartheid? Israeli Bill that would allow Jewish-Only Communities worries President

AFP

Jerusalem (AFP) – Israel’s president raised alarm Tuesday over a proposed law seen as opening the door to the establishment of Jewish-only communities in the country. Reuven Rivlin’s comments marked a rare intervention in politics by the country’s president, whose role is mainly symbolic. He voiced his concerns in an open letter, pointing to a […]