Donald Trump faces yet another test this week. His administration must provide Congress with a detailed strategy for defeating ISIS and dealing with the Syrian civil war in order for his latest government spending plan to be approved. Ironically, this comes on the heels of the massive cruise missile attack the United States launched against Assad’s forces last month, an… Read more »
US President Donald Trump may use his visit to Israel next month to announce the moving of the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Congressman Ron DeSantis (R-Florida) said on Thursday. DeSantis, who is chairman of the House committee with oversight of US embassies around the world, said the timing of Trump’s visit – two days before Jerusalem Day,… Read more »
Accounts from witnesses and survivors cast doubt on American suggestions that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was to blame for the deaths of more than 100 people taking refuge in a house hit by a U.S. airstrike earlier this year in Mosul, the deadliest single incident of the months-long campaign to retake the Iraqi city. U.S. officials said soon… Read more »
Dozens of children and adults huddle around the steps of a field clinic where they have been waiting since the early hours. They are waiting to see one of 32 American doctors and nurses who are visiting as part of a medical mission led by the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) at this camp near the Syria border. About 1.5… Read more »
The government spending bill expected to pass Congress this week would require President Trump to submit a plan to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and outline his strategy for the civil war in Syria. Lawmakers have been asking for Trump’s Syria strategy since he decided to launch 59 cruise missiles at Syrian air field last month. That… Read more »
Once again the Assad regime has used chemical weapons against the Syrian people. Images of the wounded lying in hospital beds and children dead in the streets were seen around the world. I find the current situation in Syria anything but acceptable. This is precisely the brand of tyranny and stunning human rights violations that the world should abhor, yet… Read more »
Thousands of Palestinians took the streets of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to mark Prisoners Day on Monday and express their solidarity with hunger striking prisoners in Israeli prisons. One of the largest demonstration took place in Ramallah, where thousands gathered in Yasser Arafat Square, raising flags emblazoned with the face of imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti and… Read more »
The leaders of the three main Islamic parties in Kurdistan Region met in Sulaimani on Saturday holding their first summit ahead of the crucial parliamentary and provincial elections this year which will likely be coupled with an anticipated public vote on Kurdish independence. Representatives of the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), the Kurdistan Islamic Society (KIS) and the Kurdistan Islamic Movement… Read more »
Iran wants to turn Yemen into a “missile base” from which it can threaten Saudi Arabia, according to a Saudi general. Saudi Gen. Ahmed Asiri claimed Saudi Arabia prevented an “Iranian plot” from threatening the country’s security and stability in an interview with Saudi Arabia’s al-Arabiya news Sunday. He added that the Iranians planned to use Yemen’s Houthi rebels to implement… Read more »
The final days of the Islamic State group may be nearer than ever. Nearly three years after the founding of its caliphate, ISIS faces almost total expulsion from Iraq and a formidable showdown with forces backed by the U.S. and Russia in its two remaining hubs of control in Syria. In Iraq, ISIS is poised for defeat in the city of Mosul despite… Read more »