With bold and stunning strokes, Syrian rebels have uprooted the autocratic Assad dynasty, ended the long-running civil war in Syria, and upended the political order in the Middle East. Yesterday, rebel forces stormed Damascus, the capital, after capturing Aleppo, Hama and Homs in a lightning offensive launched on November 27 from northwestern Idlib province. By […]
With Syrian rebels having captured the cities of Aleppo and Hama in the last ten days, Syria’s civil war is burning brightly again after a fairly lengthy period of dormancy. The civil war erupted in 2011 after the totalitarian Syrian regime violently crushed peaceful nation-wide protests demanding long overdue democratic reforms. The bitter conflict, having […]
It appears that Iran, Israel’s deadliest enemy, has suspended its much-anticipated retaliatory attack against Israel. Iranian leaders from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on down had promised to react forcefully to Israel’s air strikes on Iran on October 26, following Iran’s ballistic missile barrage against Israel on October 1. These tit-for-tat exchanges, the first direct clashes between […]
Syria would be wise to heed Israeli warnings that its complicity in the transfer of Iranian weapons and munitions to Hezbollah carries a severe price. For years now, Israel has been busy interdicting Iranian arms shipments to Hezbollah via Syrian territory. Israel stepped up its campaign during the final phase of the third war in […]
A long-awaited ceasefire has finally ended the 415-day cross-border war in Lebanon pitting Israel against Hezbollah. On November 26, the Israeli cabinet ratified it by a vote of 10-1, with only National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir opposing it. He called for the creation of an Israeli security zone in southern Lebanon, but was overruled. Shortly […]
The International Criminal Court (ICC) sullied its image and tarnished its reputation when it issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and the late leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, whose death last summer has yet to be officially confirmed by Hamas. On November 21, all […]
The Israeli government is elated with Donald Trump’s reelection as president of the United States. The reasons are crystal clear. During his first term in office, Trump compiled a strong pro-Israel record. And in the past few days, he has nominated pro-Israel figures as ambassador to Israel and to key foreign policy, defence and intelligence […]
Yesterday, a month after the United States warned Israel it faced a cutoff of military assistance unless it allowed a substantial increase of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip within 30 days, the issue was essentially settled in Israel’s favor. The United States, having announced that Israel had fulfilled some of the conditions it had […]
As he toured Israel’s northern border on November 3, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would restore security there “with or without” an agreement with Lebanon. What he meant is clear. Israel is determined to facilitate the return of some 60,000 displaced Israelis through either diplomacy or military means. Ordered to evacuate their homes […]
Less than a day after Israel struck Iran in retaliatory air strikes, setting back Iran’s abilities to defend itself and build missiles, U.S. President Joe Biden chimed in, saying he hoped that the fourth round of Israeli-Iranian tit-for-tat attacks since April would be the last. “I hope that this is the end,” he said, striking […]