United States

Blinken Arrives in Israel to Push for Ceasefire

This marks his 11th trip to the Middle East since Hamas's attack on Israel over a year ago, which triggered the Gaza war, and his first visit since the conflict with Hezbollah escalated late last month. Blinken is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials as Israel considers its response to Iran's missile ...

Oil-Rich Iraqi Kurdistan Votes, Shadowed by Economic Struggles

Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region voted on Sunday to elect a new parliament for the oil-rich region, where voters express concern over economic struggles and disenchantment with the political elite. Iraqi Kurdistan presents itself as a relative oasis of stability in the turbulent Middle East, attracting foreign investors due to its close ...

BRICS Summit in Russia: Putin Seeks to Counter Western Influence

24 world leaders will meet in Russia from October 22 to 24, for a summit of the BRICS group (an acronym for core members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), an alliance of emerging economies that the Kremlin hopes will challenge Western "hegemony". The summit will be the biggest in Russia since the Ukraine conflict began and comes as ...

UN: 345,000 Gazans Face 'Catastrophic' Hunger this Winter

Some 345,000 Gazans face "catastrophic" levels of hunger this winter due to falling aid deliveries, UN agencies said Thursday, warning of the persistent risk of famine across the Palestinian territory. This is up from the 133,000 people currently categorized as experiencing "catastrophic food insecurity", according to a classification compiled by ...

US Conducts B-2 Bomber Strikes Against the Houthis

The United States on Wednesday conducted multiple B-2 bomber strikes on weapons storage facilities in areas of Yemen controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, according to the US military and defense department. "US forces targeted several of the Houthis' underground facilities housing various weapons components of types that the Houthis have ...

Israeli-Iranian Conflict: The Strait of Hormuz as a Pressure Tactic

Iran may have to resort to a strategic tool: control of the Strait of Hormuz. According to several analyses, this tactic could be as devastating as a nuclear weapon. However, unlike a nuclear weapon, whose use would bring catastrophic consequences for Iran itself, the threat of closing the Strait of Hormuz serves as a form of "asymmetric ...

Kamala Harris Promises a Clean Break From Biden's Presidency

A combative Kamala Harris pledged a clean break from Joe Biden's presidency Wednesday in a feisty interview with right-wing Fox News aimed at reaching Republican voters wary of Donald Trump. Harris clashed with interviewer Bret Baier on hot-button issues including immigration and gender transition surgery, with the Democratic nominee repeatedly ...

Blinken Weighs Presenting Gaza Post-War Plan After Presidential Election

According to US officials interviewed by Axios, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is considering a post-war plan for Gaza, based on ideas developed by Israel and the United Arab Emirates, which would be presented after the US presidential election. In July, Brett McGurk, President Biden’s top Middle East advisor, and State Department ...

US Sanctions Hezbollah Finance Network and Syrian Captagon Trafficking

The United States issued sanctions against individuals and entities on Wednesday, that it describes as part of a Lebanon-based sanctions evasion network that funnels millions of dollars to Hezbollah. The action targeted four Lebanon-based companies registered to conceal ties to Hezbollah as well as three individuals linked to the group’s ...

Blinken and Austin Warn Israel to Address Gaza Humanitarian Situation

United States Secretaries of state and defense on sunday issued a highly irregular warning to their Israeli counterparts, that failure to drastically improve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza within 30 days would have severe ramifications, potentially including the suspension of US arms sales. An Israeli diplomatic source stated that the US has ...

Israel to Consider US Opinion on its Attack on Iran, Based on 'National Interest'

Israel will consider the United States's opinion but will act against an Iranian missile attack based on its own "national interests", Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Tuesday. US President Joe Biden has cautioned Israel against striking Iran's nuclear or oil facilities to avoid a further regional escalation and amid concerns over ...