middle east

Rubio Praises Iraq’s Detention of ISIS Members, Warns Against Iranian Influence

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday praised the Iraqi government’s “initiative and leadership” in accelerating the transfer and detention of ISIS terrorists to secure facilities inside Iraq. According to a U.S. Department of State press release, Rubio held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani in light of recent ...

U.S. Launches Regional Air Readiness Drill in the Middle East

The United States will conduct a multi-day air readiness exercise across the Middle East, aimed at demonstrating the ability to deploy, distribute, and sustain combat air capabilities throughout the region, according to a statement issued Sunday by U.S. Central Command, as the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the region ...

2026 NDS: America First Ushers in a New Era of Selective Engagement in the Middle East

The newly released 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) marks a dramatic pivot in American foreign policy, embracing what officials call “pragmatic realism” while fundamentally redefining U.S. engagement in the Middle East. Under an “America First” framework, the strategy moves away from large-scale military interventions in favor of ...

Yoav Gallant: Lebanon at a Crossroads

Former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant wrote an article titled “Written in Ink, Signed in Fire,” in which he offers a description of the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, arguing that agreements alone do not produce lasting peace unless they are backed by military superiority that imposes facts on the ground. In the article, ...

U.S. Weighs Full Military Withdrawal From Syria

The United States is considering a full military withdrawal from Syria, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, which said Washington is reassessing its presence amid rapidly changing conditions on the ground. The newspaper reported that internal discussions within the Trump administration are exploring multiple scenarios to reduce, or ...

Hamas Signals Readiness to Disarm

Hamas has reportedly agreed to surrender its weapons and hand over detailed maps of its tunnel network in Gaza as part of a U.S.-mediated arrangement, according to a Palestinian source cited by Sky News Arabia, a development that would mark a major turning point in the aftermath of the war. The report surfaced after President Donald Trump issued ...

U.S. Urges Syria to Support Jihadist Transfer to Iraq

The commander of US forces in the Middle East has called on Syria's president to support the transfer of thousands of jihadist prisoners from Syria to Iraq, the US military said. In a phone call on Wednesday, Admiral Brad Cooper urged Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to "avoid any actions that could interfere" with the process. The United States ...

Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strike Kills Three Journalists

Gaza's civil defense agency said an Israeli strike in the center of the territory on Wednesday killed three journalists, including a freelancer who regularly contributed for AFP, despite the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Since October 10, a fragile US-sponsored truce in Gaza has largely halted the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, ...

Mossad Director Visits U.S. for Iran Consultations, Axios Reports

The director of Israel's Mossad spy agency, David Barnea, arrived in the U.S. on Friday morning for talks on the situation in Iran, according to an Israeli source and another source with knowledge of the meeting. Barnea is expected to meet in Miami with White House envoy Steve Witkoff, who is managing the direct channel of communication ...

Trump Says Killings in Iran Subsiding

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had received assurances that the deadly crackdown on protests in Iran had come to an end. The U.S. president nevertheless maintained ambiguity over a possible American military intervention, as the international community remains on high alert in the face of a major crisis in the Middle ...

U.S. Evacuating Forces From Key Bases in Middle East

The United States is evacuating forces from several of its key military bases across the Middle East, amid preparations for a possible strike on Iran, an official American source told Reuters news agency. A number of personnel have been told to depart the United States' Al Udeid military base in Qatar "in response to the current regional ...