Fifteen months after the outbreak of the cross-border war in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s longest, Israel and Hamas have finally reached a ceasefire and hostage release agreement, though the Israeli cabinet has yet to ratify it. The deal, the product of months of on-again, off-again negotiations, will officially take effect on Sunday, January 19, when […]
The downfall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last month has clearly benefited Turkey, one of Syria’s neighbors. A key regional state, Turkey will most likely be a major player in Syrian politics from this point forward. For years, however, Turkey and Syria were estranged, greatly diminishing Turkish influence in Syrian affairs. Turkish President Recep Tayyip […]
Syria has been a work in progress, a nation to be rebuilt, since the downfall of its autocratic president, Bashar al-Assad, a month ago. It is far too early to ascertain in what political direction Syria is heading, but if the past is any guide, Syrians should not expect their country to become a Jeffersonian […]
Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, the lone wolf terrorist who rammed a pickup truck into street crowds in New Orleans on January 1, killing 14 pedestrians, was radicalized by Islamic State, the jihadist organization which has left a legacy of death and destruction around the globe. An American-born convert to Islam, he had no police record of […]
As 2025 gets under way, Israel appears better off strategically than in the previous two years. Israel was dealt a stunning blow when Hamas terrorists breached its high-tech fortified border fence along the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023 and proceeded to kill about 1,200 civilians and soldiers, sexually abuse numerous women, and abduct 251 […]
Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, established a consequential record, at least insofar as the Middle East was concerned. Carter, who passed away on December 29 at 100, was the only former president to reach that age. He will be buried in a state funeral on January 9. By any measure, he […]
Hamas, in a long-established and self-defeating practice, has unconscionably misused schools in the Gaza Strip as command centers, weapons depots and hiding places. This has forced Israel to bomb scores of schools, resulting in the tragic deaths of Palestinian civilians who have sheltered there during the still ongoing Israel-Hamas war. In one of its most […]
The Houthis are recklessly exposing Yemen — a poor and underdeveloped country still caught up in a civil war — to economic ruin. Unprovoked Houthi attacks targeting Israeli cities have driven Israel to retaliate with punishing air raids aimed at Yemen’s critical infrastructure. This can only be detrimental to Houthi interests and the people of […]
With the sudden downfall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iran, Israel’s arch enemy, appears to have suffered a stunning and seismic strategic defeat. In one fell stroke, Iran has lost its sway over Syria, one of the most important Arab countries in the Middle East. According to reports, Iran has withdrawn its military forces in […]
The Houthis of Yemen have morphed into one of Israel’s most relentless and resilient enemies. In the past year, in a demonstrable show of solidarity with the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, they have attacked Israel on a regular basis with missiles and drones. As well, the Houthis have targeted cargo ships plying the waters […]