He called it "ethnic cleansing" and a "war crime" and called on others to censure Trump for making the suggestion. Trump's comments received little outrage from leading progressives and puzzled some of his Republican allies (Read more at Middle East Eye).
The Harvard Management Company reinvested $150 million in Booking Holdings Inc., a company under fire for its operation in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. In 2018, Human Rights Watch found that Booking.com connects travelers to rental properties in the Palestinian territories and alleged the company is complicit in human rights abuses against Palestinians. The student governments of at least three graduate schools — Harvard Law School, Harvard Divinity School, and the Harvard Graduate School of Design — passed resolutions urging the HMC to divest from institutions and companies that “aid the ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine.” (Read more at Crimson)
Brian Hughes, the spokesman for the National Security Council of the White House, said on Friday that a “short, temporary ceasefire extension” was “urgently needed.” “The government of Lebanon, the government of Israel and the government of the United States will also begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after Oct. 7, 2023,” the White House stated (Read more at JNS).
Speaking at a press briefing in Berlin, Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Wagner said that Germany maintains its commitment to the international consensus regarding Gaza's status. “There is a common position shared by the EU, our Arab partners and the United Nations, which is very clear: The Palestinian population cannot be expelled from Gaza, and Gaza must not be permanently occupied or resettled by Israel,” he said (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
“Good place, good leader, too,” Trump said during a meeting with ambassadorial nominees. Trump’s comments reinforced investor expectations that Ankara would face little international political pressure in response to the crackdown. The Turkish lira, which plunged following İmamoğlu’s detention, was trading largely unchanged early Wednesday, as markets showed signs of stabilizing (Read more at Turkish Minute).
A Pentagon readout states that the two men “discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats.” Hegseth stressed that the United States “is fully committed, under President Trump’s leadership, to ensuring that Israel has the capabilities it needs to defend itself. “ (Read more at JNS)
“Thank you President Trump for keeping your promise to give Israel the tools it needs to defend itself, to confront our common enemies and to secure a future of peace and prosperity,” the premier said in a video message (Read more at JNS).
“We released them. We released them today. And they’ll have them. They paid for them and they’ve been waiting for them for a long time. They’ve been in storage,” Trump told reporters (Read more at Guardian).
Washington “celebrates the release of the four Israeli hostages held in captivity for 477 days. It is critical that the ceasefire implementation continues and that all of the hostages are freed from Hamas captivity and safely returned to their families,” according to a statement from the State Department (Read more at JNS).
"I'd like Egypt to take people," Trump said. "You're talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, 'You know, it's over.'" Trump said he complimented Jordan for having successfully accepted Palestinian refugees and that he told the king, "I'd love for you to take on more, cause I'm looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it's a mess. It's a real mess." (Read more at NPR)
The Lockheed Martin company will integrate mission systems and equipment designed according to IAF specifications and build a separate production line exclusively for modifying each aircraft. Sikorsky is currently assembling the CH-53K fleet at its Stratford, Connecticut, headquarters as part of Israel’s $2-billion foreign military sales order from the US in 2021 to replace its CH-53 Yas’ur helicopters, which have been operational since 1969 (Read more at Defense Post).
Watchdog groups contacted by USA TODAY said they’re concerned that the call suggests Trump may seek to exploit his vast new political power and influence to help the Trump Organization and its sprawling business empire (Read more at USA Today)
The intelligence indicates a similar number of Hamas fighters have been killed during that period, the sources said. The latest official U.S. estimates have not been previously reported (Read more at AOL).
Two US lawmakers said Friday that the United Arab Emirates has violated its promises and kept arming Sudan's Rapid Support Forces, which Washington has accused of genocide. The two Democrats last month agreed to lift objections to a $1.2 billion arms sale to the UAE by the then administration of fellow Democrat Joe Biden after the White House said the Gulf power assured it was "not now transferring any weapons" to the paramilitary group (Read more at Barrons).
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Friday from Damascus that his country was engaged in an active dialogue with Europe and the U.S. to help lift economic sanctions imposed on Syria (Source: Yahoo News).
The Biden administration alienated traditional Middle Eastern allies like Egypt and Saudi Arabia by punishing them for human rights concerns. The Trump team seems to be signaling a return to friendlier ties. Egypt has been a bit of a spoiler recently, turning a blind eye to Hamas smuggling that helped fortify the terrorist group in Gaza. Perhaps the new administration’s carrot and stick approach will yield positive results (Read more at JNS).
In a statement, National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said President Donald Trump is committed to ensuring Israeli citizens can safely return to their homes in northern Israel, and also supported Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and the new Lebanese government. "All parties share the goal of ensuring Hezbollah does not have the ability to threaten the Lebanese people or their neighbors," said Hughes (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
But he appeared to suggest that this was a possibility if the Islamic Republic does not accept a deal on its nuclear program. “We’ll have to see. I’m going to be meeting with various people over the next couple of days. Hopefully, that can be worked out without having to worry about it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, when asked about the possibility of an Israeli strike (Read more at JNS).
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said that the move, which will impose harsher economic penalties than the Biden administration had applied to the Houthis, was “an excuse to apply anti-human sanctions against the Yemeni people” (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
Judicial sources and lawmakers confirmed that those convicted of attacks against American forces in Iraq could benefit from the law. Sunni blocs in the Iraqi parliament have been pushing for the law (Read more at Arabnews).
On his first day in office this week, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order which reinstated an earlier executive order that could serve as a legal basis for future sanctions against the ICC and its personnel. No specific sanctions have been announced yet. In a statement, the ICC’s governing body said that sanctions against the Court and its personnel – and anyone assisting them – could severely hamper ongoing investigations (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
The stakes for Netanyahu are high -- keeping his coalition government on the one hand and on the other, satisfying U.S. President Donald Trump who wants to use the ceasefire momentum to expand Israel's diplomatic ties in the Middle East (Read more at MSN).
The commitment comes from President Donald Trump’s first call with a foreign leader in his second term. “I’ll be asking the crown prince, who’s a fantastic guy, to round it out to around one trillion,” Trump said. “And I think they’ll do that because we’ve been very good to them.” (Read more at SAN)
Rubio underscored that “maintaining the United States’ steadfast support for Israel is a top priority for Trump,” the State Department said in a statement. The Secretary also conveyed that he looks forward to addressing the threats posed by Iran and pursuing opportunities for peace,” the State Department said (Read more at The Print).
The Biden administration revoked the designation on 16 February 2021. “It is the policy of the United States to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate Ansar Allah’s capabilities and operations, deprive it of resources, and thereby end its attacks on US personnel and civilians, US partners, and maritime shipping in the Red Sea,” said the White House statement (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
The contractors are poised to help secure a key zone that splits Gaza in two and is known as the Netzarim corridor. The contractors are intended to screen vehicles ferrying Palestinians from the enclave’s south for weapons (Read more at New York Times).
"We did not know about October 7... We were supposed to have a meeting with the Americans on JCPOA renewal on October 9, which was undermined and destroyed by this operation," Zarif said at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Read more at Barrons).
'I'm going to be a part of an inspection team at the Netzarim corridor, and also at the Philadelphia corridor,' Steve Witkoff says. The team’s role is to verify that those entering the areas are not armed and pose no threat (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
A senior Hamas official has told Newsweek that the Palestinian movement was surprisingly encouraged by the comments made by President Donald Trump during his inaugural speech and expressed hope he would commit to lasting peace and stability in the Gaza Strip. "It is striking that Israel was not mentioned in the president's inauguration speech, which is unusual, and that the president does not want wars and seeks to achieve peace," Hamas Political Bureau member and spokesperson Basem Naim said (Read more at Newsweek).
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud also said in Davos that he hoped President Trump's approach to Iran would be met with a willingness by Tehran to positively engage with the U.S. administration and address the issue of its nuclear programme (Read more at USNews).
US President Donald Trump has rescinded sanctions on far-right Israeli settler groups and people accused of being involved in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the new White House administration said (Read more at The National).
A Muslim imam from Dearborn, Michigan, who was scheduled to deliver a prayer at President Donald Trump’s inauguration has been pulled out of the event without explanation, following criticism from at least one American Jewish group (Read more at Tempo).
U.S. President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden have provided Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an official missive confirming that “the State of Israel will be able to return to the war on day 43” if talks fail during the 42-day first phase of the agreement, Smotrich said, speaking at a meeting of his Religious Zionism Party in the Knesset in Jerusalem (Read more at JNS).
“We are confident that he is the leader to bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region,” Ahmed Al-Sharaa said (Read more at Arabnews).
The vice president of Yemen's U.N.-recognised government on Tuesday welcomed Donald Trump's return as U.S. president, saying it was a decisive turning point to curb the Iran-backed Houthis, who he said threaten regional stability and maritime security. Aidarous al-Zubaidi told Reuters that Trump's strong leadership and willingness to employ military strength were in sharp contrast to the Biden administration, which he said had allowed the Houthis to consolidate power, bolster their military capabilities and extend their reach beyond Yemen (Read more at MSN).
The pro-settler Smotrich, in a message to Trump on Tuesday, called the move an “expression of your deep connection to the Jewish people and our historical right to our land.” (Read more at Arabnews)
“It’s not our war. It is their war. I am not confident. But I think they’re very weakened on the other side,” he said in response to a question in the Oval Office while signing orders in the first hours of his presidency. Asked about the future governance of the Gaza Strip, the president said he believed “you certainly can’t have the people that were there,” in an apparent reference to the Iranian-backed Hamas terror organization. “Most of them are dead, by the way, right?” continued Trump. “But they didn’t exactly run it well. Run viciously and badly. You can’t have that.” (Read more at New York Post)
“This week, I met with an Israeli hostage family who had been released from Gaza,” tweeted Cruz. “The beautiful children drew pictures for President Trump, and they asked me to deliver them.” (Read more at JNS)
B’nai B’rith International cited collaborating on “combating antisemitism, safeguarding Jewish communities, ensuring Israel’s security, strengthening the vital U.S.-Israel alliance and other key policy priorities.” AIPAC stated that it looks forward to working with Trump to “strengthen and expand the U.S.-Israel relationship.” The Republican Jewish Coalition wrote that “America’s new Golden Age begins now. America is back.” (Read more at JNS)
Some 25% of Democrats and 19% of Republicans favor Islamists over the Jewish state and 82% back the ceasefire. The 25-34 age group showed the highest support for Hamas, with nearly a third favouring the organisation over Israel (Read more at Middle East Eye).
A large delegation representing the Yesha Council has been invited to attend Trump's inauguration. Moreover, the Yesha Council umbrella group of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria launched a campaign in Times Square on Sunday to celebrate President-elect Donald Trump’s support of the biblical heartland (Read more at JNS).
Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Israel's strongest allies, says Saudi Arabia and the UAE "want Hamas gone at least as much as you do." In response to a question about what course Trump should take regarding Iran, Graham was unequivocal. “While I don’t speak for the administration, I believe we face an unprecedented opportunity to diminish Iran’s power in a way I’ve never witnessed before,” he said. “Israel and Trump’s America must act decisively to eliminate Iran’s nuclear facilities permanently.” (Read more at JNS)
Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, prior to attending President Donald Trump’s inauguration “We are very excited today ... He’s a friend of Israel.” The members of the Trump administration with whom Danon met told him that “we are here to support Israel. Be strong.” Danon thinks that the new White House will focus largely on domestic issues in its opening days and weeks. But he believes that Trump understands what’s happening in Israel’s neighborhood and will be responsive (Read more at JNS).
President Biden's decision to halt the delivery of one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs last May triggered one of the biggest crises the U.S-Israel relationship has faced during the 15-month war in Gaza. Israel expects President Trump to lift the Biden administration's hold on the supply of 2,000-pound bombs in his first days in office, outgoing Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Mike Herzog said (Read more at Axios).
As part of ceasefire agreement, the U.S. began to partially lift the arms embargo it had imposed on Israel; As part of this, 70 D9 bulldozers will leave the United States for Israel in the coming days. These heavy engineering tools play a critical role on the battlefield, as they can open traffic routes, pave roads for the fighting forces, and expose explosives (Read more at JFeed).
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, plans to be a near-constant presence in the region in an attempt to prevent the deal from unraveling. For now, a top concern for Trump’s envoy is a rogue incident sparked by inevitable day-to-day interfacing between Israelis and Palestinians on the ground in and near Gaza, even given the ceasefire agreement (Read more at NBCNews).
The State Department said in a statement that it had convened a “virtual donors meeting” on Thursday “with partners and allies to discuss critical security assistance needed for Lebanon to fully implement the cessation of hostilities.” It said the new assistance to Beirut would support both the country’s armed forces and internal security forces “as they work to assert Lebanese sovereignty across the country.” Lebanon has struggled for years to finance its public institutions including the army following a 2019 economic crisis (Read more at Defense Post).
He also added that if Hamas rejects the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, the United States will support Israel "in what it has to do." (Read more at RBC-Ukraine)
He said, “There’s a one in trillion chance you’ll degrade the Iranian nuclear program through diplomacy...There’s a 90% chance you’ll degrade it through military action by Israel, supported by the United States. So the next topic I will be engaging in with President Trump is to take this moment in time to decimate the Iran nuclear program because they’re so exposed.” (Read more at Politico)
Palestinian Americans across the United States, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib, celebrated a ceasefire between Hamas and Israeli fighters in Gaza that went into effect Sunday. Tlaib, the only Palestinian American serving in the U.S. Congress, made a post on Sunday condemning the "genocide" in Gaza and noting that she voted against banning TikTok, a platform where users had shared strong support for Palestinians that went dark Sunday (Read more at Yahoo News).
Both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have given Israel full backing to resume the war in Gaza if Israel concludes that talks with Hamas on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement prove “futile,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday night. “As soon as he was elected, President Trump joined the mission of freeing the hostages. He talked to me on Wednesday night. He praised the agreement and rightly emphasized that the first step of the agreement is a temporary ceasefire. This is what he said—‘a temporary ceasefire,’” the prime minister continued (Read more at JNS).
The mother of American journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in August 2012, arrived in Damascus on Saturday to step up the search for her son and said she hopes she can take him home with her (Read more at Arabnews).
Several journalists who are outspoken critics of American support for Israel loudly lambasted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the war in Gaza on Jan 16, repeatedly interrupting his final press conference as he sought to defend his handling of the 15-month-old conflict (Read more at Strait Times).
The U.S. Education Department on Thursday noted concerns about discrimination against Muslim, Arab and Palestinian students at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and reached a settlement with the institution to resolve the issue. The university agreed to revise its nondiscrimination policies and procedures, including pertaining to protests and a definition of harassment that includes harassment based on actual or perceived shared ancestry (Read more at AOL).
Mr. Biden spoke with the MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell in his last television interview while in office and said, in the days after the war in Gaza began, He pushed Netanyahu to prevent civilian deaths during the Gaza war. He also defended his steadfast support for Israel (Read more at New York Times).
President-elect eyes Joe Kent, a right-wing former congressional candidate, to head the country's top counterterror agency. Kent has been publicly vocal about his views on foreign policy regarding the Middle East and has called on the US to withdraw its forces from the region. "We've gotta get serious, and we've gotta just get our troops out of there," Kent said in a podcast in response to a question about an attack on US forces at a base in Jordan (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Israel wants to annex the occupied West Bank and further weaken Iran, but Trump's other priorities may hold those back. Trump’s “stick” to keep Netanyahu in the deal is the same one Biden refused to use during 15 months of war: withholding arms transfers (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Biden’s last day as president, on 19 January, is also the first day of the planned Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal that was reportedly pushed to the finish line by the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. This has raised more significant criticism of Biden’s role in Israel’s bombing campaign on Gaza, with the US providing $17.9bn in military aid since 7 October 2023 (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Washington announced the measures just a week after imposing sanctions on Burhan’s rival in the two-year-old civil war, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Two sources with knowledge of the action told Reuters one aim of Thursday’s sanctions was to show that Washington was not picking sides. Speaking earlier on Thursday, Burhan was defiant about the prospect that he might be targeted. Washington also issued sanctions over the supply of weapons to the army, targeting a Sudanese-Ukrainian national as well as a Hong Kong-based company (Read more at NBCNews).
The Gaza Strip ceasefire should begin on Sunday (Jan 19) as planned, despite the need for negotiators to tie up a "loose end" at the last minute, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said (Read more at CNA).
The South Carolina Republican added that “Israel has the right under this deal, as I understand it, to go back in if they need to.” “There’s no such thing as a perfect deal,” Graham said (Read more at JNS).
He has pleaded guilty to leaking secret documents about Israel’s plans to strike Iran last year during a period of escalating regional tensions linked to Israel’s war on Gaza and Lebanon. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison (Read more at Aljazeera).
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning Yemen-based Yemen Kuwait Bank for Trade and Investment Y.S.C (Yemen Kuwait Bank) for its financial support to Ansarallah, commonly known as the Houthis. The designation builds on previous Treasury sanctions that have targeted Houthi-affiliated exchange houses and international finance networks (Read more at U.S. Department of the Treasury).
Sala, 29, a freelance reporter for Il Foglio newspaper and a podcaster at Chora News, returned to Italy last week after being released by Iran following her arrest in Tehran on December 19 (Read more at ANSA).
The U.S. Department of Justice vigorously opposed at a French court hearing in December the release of a Lebanese militant jailed for attacks on American and Israeli diplomats in France more than 40 years ago, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The former head of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Brigade (LARB), Georges Ibrahim Abdallah was sentenced to life in 1987 for his role in the 1982 murders in Paris of U.S. military attache Charles Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov, and the attempted murder of U.S. Consul General Robert Homme in Strasbourg in 1984 (Read more at USNews).
There has been much shock and awe among many Arabs in recent weeks at the brutal repressive campaign dubbed "The Protection of the Homeland" that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has launched against Palestinian resisters to the Israeli occupation in the West Bank. The campaign's ultimate failure led the Israelis to intervene again this week by bombing the Jenin refugee camp, killing around 12 Palestinians (Read more at Middle East Eye).
In the wake of November’s election, the Trump and Biden teams began working together. “I think a lot of progress has been made. The fact that you have an outgoing and an incoming administration that have worked hand in hand to make the case for urgency, I think, has been noticed by all parties,” the ambassador said (Read more at The Hill).
Days before he handed over his duty to Donald Trump, U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued a directive to boost his country's aid to Greek Cypriots by issuing a memorandum that makes the southern side eligible to receive American defense articles, military sales and training (Read more at Daily Sabah).
Trump had dispatched his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to join the negotiations in Doha, and Witkoff was there for the last 96 hours of talks leading up to the deal. A senior Biden administration official, in a briefing with reporters, credited Witkoff with helping deliver the deal, working alongside Biden's envoy, Brett McGurk, who has been in Doha since 5 Jan (Read more at Business Standard).
Joe Biden will hand over to Trump. U.S. State Department officials have identified hundreds of potential incidents of civilian harm during Israel's military operations in Gaza involving U.S.-furnished weapons, but have not taken further action on them. the State Department spokesperson said, "But I can tell you that the obligation that the State Department has to investigate potential violations of international humanitarian law through the use of U.S. weapons are not obligations that expire on Jan. 20th. They are obligations that carry over from this administration into the next administration." (Read more at USNews)
Chuck Schumer: “It couldn’t have happened without steadfast diplomacy and until the potency of Hamas was radically reduced.” John Barrasso: “I think that the world is seeing Donald Trump coming into power in the United States, and we're seeing changes around the world to reflect a new strength in America." Hakeem Jeffries: “This long-overdue agreement will secure the release of many of those hostages, set the stage for others to come home.” Bernie Sanders: “Both sides must honor the deal and implement it as quickly as possible… The United Nations and other aid organizations must finally be allowed unfettered access to all areas of the Gaza.” Claudia Tenney: "After Biden's repeated failure to free the Israeli & American hostages being held by Hamas, President Trump has already negotiated a deal to release the hostages, & he hasn't even been sworn in yet. The world is a safer place with President Trump as America's Leader." (Read more at USNews)
Biden said. “I’ve worked on foreign policy for decades. This was one of the toughest negotiations I’ve ever experienced. We reached this point because to the pressure Israel built on Hamas, backed by the United States.” (Read more at The Hill)
Biden's Middle East record is likely to be remembered not so much for how conflicts ended on his watch but mainly for how they unfolded, seemingly beyond his ability to contain them. "The upside is Biden came to Israel's defense as a reliable ally," said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East adviser to Democratic and Republican administrations. "The downside is he had little success constraining (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu in Gaza, and that's done serious reputational damage to the U.S." (Read more at USNews).
Trump, who repeatedly threatened there would be "hell to pay" if hostages were not released ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration, said he was "thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home". "With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform (Read more at AOL).
Asked whether Iran is willing to promise that there will be no attempt on Trump’s life, Pezeshkian said, “We have never attempted this to begin with, and we never will.” (Read more at NBC News).
U.S. prosecutors argued on Tuesday that an engineer could flee to Iran if he was granted bail while awaiting trial on charges related to a deadly drone attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan carried out last year by Iran-backed militants (Read more at MSN).
Member of the Knesset Benny Gantz, the former Israeli military chief of staff, and former defense minister praised President-elect Trump’s strategic approach to global challenges, expressing confidence in his leadership. “Now, President Trump has a very full metastrategic plate … but I know he will succeed. Why? Because he naturally differs between what’s good and what’s bad and he will choose the good.” (Read more at Media Line)
Speaking at the Atlantic Council in Washington in his final days as the U.S. top diplomat, Blinken said Washington envisioned a reformed Palestinian Authority leading Gaza and inviting international partners to help establish and run an interim administration for the enclave. A security force would be formed from forces from partner nations and vetted Palestinian personnel (Read more at AOL).
Outgoing ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew says US public's pro-Israel views could change in coming years, with Israel facing a 'generational' problem. American public opinion “is still largely pro-Israel” but that could shift in the next decades as a result of the war in Gaza (Read more at Middle East Eye).
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel 'must accept' Gaza Strip and West Bank united under Palestinian Authority. Blinken’s remarks provide a rare window into US intelligence assessments of Hamas’s strength, which is likely to ruffle Israel’s positioning after a potential ceasefire, given its stated objective of “total victory and the eradication of Hamas” (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US President Joe Biden emphasized Tuesday the importance of overcoming obstacles and showing flexibility to secure a cease-fire agreement in Gaza. The remarks were made during a phone call between the two leaders (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
The head of an American organisation focused on hostage releases said on Monday he believes U.S. journalist Austin Tice was still being held in Syria by people loyal to toppled leader Bashar al-Assad in order to do an exchange or a deal (Read more at Reuters).
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said there’s a “distinct possibility” that Israel and Hamas will be able to reach a ceasefire deal before President Joe Biden leaves office in a week. “The pressure is building for Hamas to come to yes,” (Watch more at Bloomberg).
Netanyahu updated Biden on progress in the talks and on the mandate he has given his top-level security delegation now in Doha in order to advance a hostage deal. During their call, Netanyahu also thanked Biden for his lifelong support of Israel and "the extraordinary support from the United States for Israel’s security and national defense" (Read more at Reuters).
The world must return to a policy of "maximum pressure" against Iran to turn it into a more democratic country, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's incoming Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg told an Iranian opposition event in Paris on Saturday (Read more at MSN).
“We are very hopeful that the incoming [U.S.] administration will put an end to the lack of accountability and lawlessness that the Iraqi government is allowed to get away with,” Emma Tsurkov told JNS on Saturday. Emma’s sister Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton University researcher, has been held captive in Iraq by Shi’ite militia Kata’ib Hezbollah since 2023 (Read more at JNS).
A senior Syrian Kurdish official indicated that talks are underway on the possibility of US and French troops securing a border area in northern Syria. Ankara has warned it will carry out a cross-border offensive in northeast Syria against the Kurdish YPG militia if the group does not comply with Turkish demands (Read more at Atalayar).
The war games take place as Iranian leaders face the risk that Trump could empower Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attack Iran's nuclear sites, while further tightening U.S. sanctions on its oil industry through his "maximum pressure" policy (Read more at Reuters).
He met with President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, in what was described as a “surprise visit” to discuss the multilateral negotiations with Hamas for the release of Israeli hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza. Channel 12 cited a “senior Israeli” saying that Trump has been personally involved in the matter over the last couple of days, expressing his desire to urgently cement a deal before he enters office on Jan. 20 (Read more at JNS).
Turkey's chief diplomat has ruled out French military support in Syria after accusing France of ignoring Ankara’s security needs, saying it preferred partnering with the United States to diffuse Kurdish tensions in the country’s northeast (Read more at France 24).
But it is not enough to seal a deal. "We're making some real progress," Biden told reporters at the White House. "I'm still hopeful that we'll be able to have a prisoner exchange," he said, adding Hamas was getting in the way of that. The president said he met with negotiators. a Palestinian official close to the mediation effort said the absence of a deal so far did not mean the talks were going nowhere and this was the most serious attempt so far. However, Israel still insists on keeping a 1 km landscape along the eastern and northern borders of the Gaza Strip, which will restrict the return of residents to their homes and represent a retreat from what it (Israel) had agreed upon in July (Read more at Reuters).
Yakuza leader Takeshi Ebisawa and a co-defendant had previously been charged in April 2022 with drug trafficking and firearms offences, and both were remanded. The military weaponry to be part of the arms deal included surface-to-air missiles (Read more at Guardian).
Abedini is wanted by the United States on suspicion of involvement in a drone strike against U.S. forces in Jordan. Iran has denied involvement and said last week the detention of the Iranian national amounted to hostage-taking (Read more at DeccanHerald).
Turkish officials will tell U.S. Under Secretary of State John Bass during talks in Ankara this week that Syria needs to be rid of terrorist groups to achieve stability and security. The YPG spearheads the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which played an important role in defeating Islamic State in Syria (Read more at Reuters).
Legislators in the lower chamber of the US Congress passed the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act” by an overwhelming margin, 243 to 140, on Thursday in a signal of strong support for Israel. 45 Democrats joined 198 Republicans in backing the bill. No Republicans voted against it. The legislation proposes sanctions for any foreigner who helps the ICC in its attempts to investigate, detain or prosecute a US citizen or citizen of an allied country that does not recognise the authority of the court. The bill now heads to the Senate, where a Republican majority was sworn in earlier this month (Read more at Aljazeera).
Sebastian Gorka, the president-elect's deputy assistant on national security, suggested the UK-US relationship had been weakened. It signals the incoming Trump administration aims to apply greater pressure on its allies. "Any nation which wishes to be seen as a serious ally and friend of the most powerful nation in the world should act in a fashion that reflects that serious commitment," he said. Around 70 Britons are thought to be held by US-backed Kurdish-led forces in detention camps - including 20 women and up to 40 children (Read more at Middle East Eye).
A prominent American Quaker organisation has cancelled its advertising with the New York Times (NYT) after the newspaper refused to allow an advertisement referring to Israel’s aggression in Gaza as genocide (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
In separate notices sent to Congress, the State Department said it was moving $95 million in military assistance intended for Egypt and $7.5 million for Israel toward supporting the Lebanese army and its government (Read more at AP).
"I welcome the recent issuance of a new temporary General License by the United States government. But much more significant work in fully addressing sanctions and designations will inevitably be necessary," the U.N. special envoy on Syria, Geir Pedersen told the Security Council (Read more at USNews).
The university has agreed to review its anti-harassment policies and to provide training to staff and students on addressing discrimination and harassment based on ancestry and ethnicity. The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights said Johns Hopkins University received 99 complaints of harassment based on shared ancestry from October 2023 through May 2024 (Read more at USNews).
The U.S. Department of Defense is expected to finalize an agreement for the delivery of 32 F-35 Lightning IIs, at an estimated cost exceeding $17 billion over 45 years, covering both procurement and maintenance. If confirmed, this acquisition would expand the Royal Moroccan Air Force’s inventory, which is currently centered on fourth-generation F-16 aircraft (Read more at Army Recognition).
Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani promised a $20 billion investment in the booming U.S. data center industry in the coming years, he and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday at Trump's home in Palm Beach, Florida. The investment by DAMAC Properties in the United Arab Emirates is intended to highlight Trump’s personal ability to attract new money for big projects (Read more at AP).
“Well, I think we’re making a lot of progress, and I don’t want to say too much because I think they’re doing a really good job back in Doha,” Witkoff said at a Trump press conference in Palm Beach, Florida (Read more at Arabnews).
Hamas says it will free its remaining hostages only if Israel agrees to end the war and withdraw all its troops from Gaza. Israel says it will not end the war until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are free (Read more at Arabnews).
The United Arab Emirates has discussed with Israel and the United States participating in a provisional administration of post-war Gaza until a reformed Palestinian Authority is able to take charge (Read more at USNews).
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration slashed the prisoner population at Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba by nearly half on Monday, sending 11 detainees to Oman (Read more at AOL).
it is issued for six months after the end of Bashar al-Assad's rule in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance. The exemption, known as a general license, also allows some energy transactions and personal remittances to Syria until July 7. The action did not remove any sanctions (Read more at Reuters).
In Riyadh meeting, US and Saudi Arabia agreed they had 'once in thirty-year opportunity' to sideline Hezbollah with election of new president. The US has told Lebanese officials that Saudi Arabia is prepared to deploy hundreds of millions of dollars to reconstruct their war-torn country if Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun is elected president (Read more at Middle East Eye).
It led to the death of a non-U.S. coalition soldier and wounded two other non-U.S. personnel. U.S. officials have said Islamic State is hoping to stage a comeback in Syria following the fall in December of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (Read more at Reuters).
Hochstein’s statement on Monday came as Israel was withdrawing its forces from Naqoura in the western sector of the border, with the Lebanese army deploying in the area. However, the US official did not specify a timetable for the Israeli withdrawal (Read more at Aljazeera).
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Monday for a final push for a Gaza ceasefire before President Joe Biden leaves office, after a Hamas official told Reuters the group had cleared a list of 34 hostages as first to go free under a truce (Read more at Globe and Mail).
The Palestinian Authority (PA) asked the United States to approve a four-year $680m plan to boost the training of its special forces and bolster its supply of ammunition and armoured vehicles. The US delegation expressed satisfaction with the campaign in Jenin and pledged to deliver armoured vehicles and ammunition (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Armed clashes between militants affiliated with the Assad regime and policemen affiliated with the new administration took place last week in the city of Tartus. Fourteen policemen and several militants were killed, according to the Syrian Interior Ministry (Read more at Axios).
Huthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam called the strikes "an American aggression" and "a blatant violation of the sovereignty of an independent state and a blatant support for Israel." (Read more at Tribune)
The US supplied 78% of Israel's arms from 2019 to 2023, with deliveries totaling 50,000 tons of weapons by August 2024 (Read more at Anadolu Agency).
Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi was transferred to his home country after being held without charge since the detention facility opened in January 2002. The 59-year-old appeared in one of the detention centre’s most iconic photographs, showing detainees kneeling in the open-air compound of Camp X-Ray (Read more at Guardian).
Official tells The National Washington wants to see new Syria rebuilt 'in spirit' of UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and Syria's elections “should be free and fair, and carried out in a transparent and inclusive manner”. The response comes after Mr Al Shara stoked concerns at the weekend when he told Al Arabiya that Syria would not hold elections for another four years, and that it may not ratify a constitution for three years (Read more at The National).
Carter’s presidency brought the groundbreaking Camp David Accords but faced challenges from Iran’s revolution and the Cold War (Read more at Media Line).
“In recent years I had the pleasure of calling him and thanking him for his historic efforts to bring together two great leaders, [Menachem] Begin and [Anwar] Sadat, and forging a peace between Israel and Egypt that remains an anchor of stability throughout the Middle East and North Africa many decades later,” wrote Herzog on X (Read more at JNS).
“In this moment of sorrow, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of former American president Jimmy Carter, as well as to the president and the people of the United States of America,” El-Sisi wrote on his social media accounts (Read more at Al Ahram).
According to the US paper of record, Israel never intended to ‘erase the Gaza Strip from the face of Earth’ – it simply ‘weakened its [nonexistent] system of safeguards meant to protect civilians (Read more at Aljazeera).
With the Camp David Accords, the late US president set in motion the gradual abandonment of the Palestinian cause by Arab states (Read more at Aljazeera).
Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is using media appearances to spell out well-scripted scenarios ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Sharaa seemed to be speaking from professionally-prepared talking points as he relaxedly answered even tough questions trying to reassure his domestic and foreign audiences while at the same time making no secret of his intent to cement his hold on power for the time being (Read more at Arab Weekly).
The US military convoy, including 50 trucks carrying armored vehicles, military equipment, and logistics, is on its way to one of the US military bases in the east and north of Syria through the Al-Waleed border crossing (Read more at News.AZ).
It is needed to ensure the completion of the transition period in an orderly manner, the ministry said. In a phone call, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Blinken that Ankara would not allow Kurdish YPG militia to take shelter in Syria, the ministry spokesperson said (Read more at Reuters).
A former engineer at a semiconductor manufacturer pleaded not guilty on Friday to U.S. charges that he illegally procured technology for an Iranian firm that made a key component of a drone used in a January attack by Iran-backed militants in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members (Read more at Reuters).
Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has accused the United States and the United Kingdom of plotting 'terrorist attacks' on Russian bases in Syria to remove its forces from the country. In a statement released on Saturday, the intelligence agency accused the UK's MI6 and US CIA are directing commanders of the Islamic State to carry out the attacks using drones (Read more at New Arab).
The spokesman of the armed forces of the Houthi movement, officially known as Ansar Allah said that the drone was shot down while it was carrying out missions in the Bayda governorate, an area located between the cities of Sanaa and Aden. He added that the drone was shot down using a "locally-made surface-to-air missile". With each drone costing approximately $31m, that would mean that the total cost of the downed drones is more than $400m (Read more at Middle East Eye).
the cash-rich kingdom has encountered multiple impediments in purchasing the stealthy US combat aircraft. For one, Saudi Arabia has been accused of carrying out widespread human rights violations and civilian deaths through its intervention in Yemen’s civil war. Currently, only three countries have an operational fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, including the United States, China, and Russia. China has two fifth-generation stealth aircraft: the J-20 Mighty Dragon and the newly unveiled J-35. Since China is unlikely to export the J-20 for security reasons, the J-35A, designed with an eye on export, is the only available option for an interested buyer. Unlike the US and China, Russia has one stealth fighter to offer, Su-57 Felon. The latest reports in local Turkish media claim that Saudi Arabia is mulling the purchase of 100 KAAN fifth-generation stealth fighter jets from Turkey (Read more at Euroasiantimes).
The US called on all parties in the Eastern Mediterranean to avoid actions that could escalate tensions, emphasizing the need for regional resource development to foster collaboration, energy security, and economic stability (Read more at Ekathimerini).
U.S. airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen will continue as long as the specially designated global terrorist group continues to pose a threat to Israel and international shipping, a White House adviser said. John Kirby, the White House national security communications advisor, said that the focus is on undermining the Houthis’ ability to launch attacks in the Red Sea (Read more at JNS).
An advanced U.S. military anti-missile system was used in Israel to try to intercept a projectile for the first time since President Joe Biden placed the system in Israel in October (Read more at Reuters).
The attack targeted the September 21 Park in the Ma'ain district of Sanaa. The broadcaster, however, didn't provide details about injuries or damage from the strike. There was no immediate comment from Washington or London on the report. The attack came one day after Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes on Sanaa and the coastal province of Al-Hudaydah in western Yemen (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
Emblematic of institutionalised Islamophobia, the detention centre has placed Muslims outside of the law and continues to be used by US authorities to threaten their lives and rights (Read more at Middle East Eye).
This represents a strategic own goal. To invest in a Creole service but ignore a country of nearly 90 million people is national security negligence. Turkey today is among the most anti-American countries on earth; according to the Pew Research Center, Russians have a more positive attitude toward the United States than Turks. Yet neither Democratic nor Republican administrations address the problem by effectively countering Erdoğan’s poisonous, terror-sympathizing, and racist ideology and narratives (Read more at American Enterprise Institute).
the reality is that the sanctions on HTS are a drop in the bucket, compared to an overlapping sanctions regime on Syria that was five decades in the making, predating even the 2011 Arab Spring and Syrian civil war. American exports to Syria were all but prohibited, except for food and basic medicines. US sanctions on Syria ramped up massively after Assad's brutal crackdown on protesters and as the civil war raged. In 2020, a US company was awarded a sanctions waiver to develop oil fields in the region, but that project withered. (Read more at Middle East Eye).
To put it very simply, Qatar is willing to be (almost) everyone’s friend. It hosts Hamas and Taliban representatives along with a U.S. embassy and a U.S. military base, while even Israeli officials stop by now and then. Qatar’s open-door policy has made it a go-to mediator in many of the world’s conflicts; indeed, mediation is a pillar of Qatar’s foreign policy, giving it outsized influence. But that approach also has left Qatar open to questions in the U.S., Israel and beyond about whether it is truly a friend to anyone. Some argue the U.S. shouldn’t depend on Qatar as a partner or an intermediary (Read more at Politico).
The initial diplomatic signals from President-elect Trump’s team suggest a shift, with reports indicating a call for Qatar to reinstate Hamas leaders to Doha. This starkly contrasts with recent moves by the Biden administration, which pressured Qatar to distance itself from Hamas. The Trump administration must address Qatar’s international positioning. As host of the 2025 U.N. anti-corruption summit, Qatar has portrayed itself as a global leader in combating corruption. The administration should challenge this narrative by ensuring accountability for Doha’s domestic and international actions. For Trump, the path forward is clear: Qatar must earn its privileges as a U.S. ally. A failure to reset the relationship would allow Qatar to continue benefiting from U.S. trust while undermining shared values and priorities (Read more at ASEAN News).
Under the deal, Egypt will acquire $630 million worth of Lockheed Martin Hellfire missiles, spare parts, and training, alongside $30 million worth of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS). Additionally, Egypt will acquire $4.69 billion worth of equipment to support its M1A1 Abrams tank fleet, which it co-produces with the US. Meanwhile, Morocco received approval to purchase 500 GBU-39B Small Diameter Bombs valued at $86 million and $88.4 million worth of AIM-120C-8 air-to-air missiles for its F-16V jets (Read more at Africa.com).
An F/A-18 Super Hornet was forced to take “evasive maneuvers” after an SM-2 missile fired from the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg passed within 100 feet (30 meters) of the aircraft (Read more at Defense Post).
Houthi Supreme Political Council Member Mohammed Ali al-Houthi issued a stark warning to Washington in a video on X. "We caution Americans against targeting Yemen. If they do not stop, we will strike US interests in the region, ignoring any red lines," said al-Houthi. "Either Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Yemen will cease, or we will target sensitive American assets to deliver our message." (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı)
Elbridge Colby has said the US should stop focusing on the Middle East, and turn its military's attention to China. Colby did, however, emphasise that the US priorities in the region include ensuring Israel's security, preventing the Gulf states from becoming hostile and lastly preventing transnational terrorism. But he argued that all three could be pursued without the expansive physical footprint that the US employs in the Middle East (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Six current and former students allege the school violated the students’ constitutional rights. The federal lawsuit was filed on Friday in the US District Court in Detroit. The plaintiffs allege that the school violated the students’ constitutional rights to free speech, due process and equal protection under the law (Read more at Middle East Eye).
The Pentagon said that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown, and Chief of General Staff, Gen. Fayyad Al-Ruwaili, spoke about the importance of peacefully de-escalating tensions in the region. The two generals spoke about ways to increase the strength of the bilateral relationship between the US and Saudi Arabian militaries, including capacity building, military training, and exercises (Read more at Al Arabiya)
The developments came hours after a rocket from Yemen struck Tel Aviv, prompting US air strikes in Houthi-controlled territory, which it claims were in response to attacks on US Navy ships and commercial vessels. Two US Navy pilots ejected safely after their F/A-18 fighter jet was downed (Read more at TRTWorld).
The equipment includes 555 US-made M1A1 Abrams tanks operated by Egypt, $630 million in 2,183 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, and $30 million in precision-guided munitions. Egypt has become an increasingly close partner in mediating the Gaza crisis despite serious human rights concerns. US President Joe Biden took office in 2021 vowing a harder line on Egypt over human rights concerns under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, but his administration has repeatedly gone ahead with arms deals with Egypt. The US Congress can still block the sales, but such attempts are usually unsuccessful. Cairo is one of the largest recipients of US security aid since its peace treaty with Israel in 1979 (Read more at Defense Post).
Rostislav Panev, 51, was arrested in Israel in August and is awaiting extradition to the United States. Panev was a developer at Lockbit from its inception some time in 2019 through to at least February 2024, during which time the group grew into "what was, at times, the most active and destructive ransomware group in the world," the U.S. Department of Justice said (Read more at Reuters).
Over the past week, Israeli news outlets reported that Paragon, which was founded by former Israeli intelligence officers and backed by ex-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, had been bought by AE, an investment group focused on national security-related businesses (Read more at Reuters).
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham introduced the "Countering Turkish Aggression Act of 2024" in the hope the sanctions threat would move the parties toward a ceasefire. But they said Washington should work with Turkey diplomatically to facilitate a sustained ceasefire and demilitarized zone between Turkey and Syria (Read more at Reuters).
U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, ruled on Friday in favor of Meta Platforms' (META.O), opens a new tab WhatsApp in a lawsuit accusing Israel's NSO Group of exploiting a bug in the messaging app to install spy software allowing unauthorized surveillance (Read more at Reuters).
Washington has stepped up military action against the jihadist group since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government earlier this month, hitting areas that were shielded by Syrian and Russian air defenses before a lightning offensive by rebels who now control the country. The strike took place Thursday in Deir Ezzor province in eastern Syria, killing IS leader “Abu Yusif” and another operative (Read more at Defense Post).
Morocco is set to acquire 500 GBU-39B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB-I) from the United States, marking another significant step in the country’s military modernization efforts. The package also includes two GBU-39 (T-1)/B inert practice bombs with fuze, along with tactical training rounds, support equipment, spare parts, technical data, and personnel training (Read more at Morocco World News).
During the operation, American forces also shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea. The US attack on Sanaa came the same day that a Houthi missile struck Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv, wounding 16 people in the second such strike in days (Read more at Defense Post).
Given that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned this week the Houthis that they would pay a heavy price, a reporter asked the Pentagon if it assesses that Israel might target the Yemen-based group next, after Hezbollah and Hamas. “I won’t speak for Israel in terms of its operations. They certainly have a right to defend themselves, and as you know, the Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel,” Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the U.S. Defense Department press secretary, told a reporter at the Pentagon’s Dec. 19 press briefing (Read more at JNS).
US official: ‘When it comes to a determination of something like genocide, the legal standard is just incredibly high, and so the finding in this scenario we just disagree with ... That does not take away from the fact that there is a dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza’. (Read more at Arab News)
Last month, the US Treasury said Gazprombank and its six foreign subsidiaries were subject to sanctions due to their involvement in the Ukraine war. US officials accuse the bank of facilitating payments to Russian soldiers. Turkey, which imported more than 40 percent of its natural gas from Russia last year, paid billions of dollars for these imports through the bank (Read more at Middle East Eye).
The FBI has arrested an 18-year-old student from George Mason University (GMU), accusing him of being involved in a plot to attack the Israeli consulate in New York, in a case involving an undercover informant or agent who helped the teenager come up with the plan. Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, a first-year student and an Egyptian national, has been charged with one count of distributing information related to explosives that could be used to murder internationally protected persons (Read more at Middle East Eye).
The Pentagon claimed it had over 2,000 military personnel in Syria to target Islamist rebels before the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Washington has for years said it has some 900 military personnel in Syria as part of international efforts against Islamist groups, which seized swathes of territory there and in neighbouring Iraq before being defeated by local forces backed by a US-led air campaign (Read more at New Arab).
“Now the opportunity is there, and I know this is something that the president (Trump) will be focused on, to broaden that out with the Saudis,” Blinken said (Read more at Arab Weekly).
The US, however, had designated HTS a “terrorist” organisation in 2018. Al-Sharaa — also known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani — is the group’s leader and was once aligned with al-Qaeda. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf said “Based on our discussion, I told him we would not be pursuing the Rewards for Justice reward offer that has been in effect for some years” (Read more at Aljazeera).
The United States has charged an alleged officer of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with “terrorism and murder” over the killing of a US citizen in Iraq in 2022 (Read more at Aljazeera).
Two lawmakers said the United Arab Emirates made the promise to address their concerns and that as a result, they would drop their attempt to block $1.2 billion in arms sales to the Gulf power (Read more at Defense Post).
They met with the leader of the opposition group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Ahmad al-Sharaa. A U.S. official said the meeting with al-Sharaa was "good and productive." U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Barbara Leaf said al-Sharaa committed to not allowing terror groups to operate in Syria and threaten the U.S. or neighboring countries. Leaf said that as a result, the U.S. made clear it won't pursue the $10 million "reward for justice" on al-Sharaa (Read more at Axios).
In the beginning of the current administration’s tenure, Lloyd Austin, the U.S. defense secretary, had regular access to U.S. President Joe Biden. But over the past two years, “a period when the wars in Ukraine and Gaza demanded the president’s attention,” Austin was rarely invited for scheduled briefings (Read more at JNS).
When, in January, Donald Trump is sworn in for his second, and final, term as president of the United States, he will find the Middle East undergoing tectonic geopolitical shifts that his Israel-firsters and neocon supporters could not have imagined, even in their wildest dreams. Trump must seize this opportunity and accept that lasting peace in the Middle East can only be achieved through a comprehensive approach that leaves nobody behind (Read more at Middle East Eye).
If he is urging Israel to “finish the job” meaning the continued killing of Palestinians and raze what is left of Gaza to the ground, then Israel is definitely complying. Could "finish the job" also mean crossing borders into Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah, Iran's key paramilitary ally in the region? Well, a fragile ceasefire is in place in Lebanon with Hezbollah, and Iran is considerably weakened. In comments made to Israeli media in November, Trump advisor and evangelical leader Mike Evans said the directive to "finish the job" included instructions for Israel to attack Iran's oil facilities and strategic interests (Read more at TRTWorld).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised the mother of U.S. journalist Austin Tice that the IDF isn't conducting airstrikes in areas in Syria where he might be located (Read more at Axios).
Burns is due to meet Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Doha (Read more at Dohanews).
Unnamed US officials have warned that Washington is increasingly concerned that Turkiye and its allied militias in northern Syria – predominantly under the umbrella of the Syrian National Army (SNA) – are preparing for a large-scale military incursion into Syrian territory controlled by US-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Citing a reported significant Turkish military build-up and presence – including the deployment of uniformed Turkish commandos, artillery units and allied militias to strategic positions along the border – near the town of Kobani, or Ayn Al-Arab, the officials told the paper that the movements resembled those seen ahead of Turkiye’s 2019 incursion into northern Syria, with one warning that “a cross-border operation could be imminent” yet again (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
The lawsuit, opens new tab filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleged that the State Department under Secretary of State Antony Blinken has deliberately circumvented a U.S. human rights law to continue funding and supporting Israeli military units accused of atrocities in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank (Read more at Rueters).
The letter comes after the Biden administration concluded Israel made efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, despite record-low aid deliveries. A group of 20 US members of Congress led by Congressman Greg Casar signed the letter (Read more Middle East Eye).
Mike Casey, one of only two people explicitly focused on Gaza, left over inaction and doing ‘what the Israelis want’. Mike Casey arrived in Jerusalem in 2020. “The more informed you become on this issue, you can’t avoid realizing how bad it is,” Casey said. Casey resigned in July after four years at the job, discreetly leaving the post unlike other recent high-profile government departures. Now Casey reflected on how, as one of only two people in the entire US government explicitly focused on Gaza, he became an unwilling chronicler of a humanitarian catastrophe (Read more at Guardian).
However, Matthew Miller, the department's spokesperson, in Washington acknowledged that previous hopes for a ceasefire had ultimately been dashed, making the current outlook more tentative (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
Group used facility to coordinate its operations, including recent attacks on US Navy warships and merchant vessels, says CENTCOM (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
"I know this year's Hanukkah falls on the hearts that are still very heavy. It's the second Hanukkah since the horrors of Oct. 7. Over 1,000 slaughtered, hundreds taken hostage, unspeakable sexual violence and so much more. The trauma of that day and its aftermath is still raw and ongoing," Biden said (Read more at ABCNews).
Adam Boehler is visiting Israel this week amid ongoing negotiations to secure the release of the remaining Hamas captives in Gaza. He also discreetly met with Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. Trump said Monday he is working to secure the release of the hostages in Gaza, who number 100, according to the latest Israeli estimates. Thirty-six have been declared dead (Read more at New York Post).
An international war crimes prosecutor said on Tuesday that evidence emerging from mass grave sites in Syria has exposed a state-run "machinery of death" under toppled leader Bashar al-Assad in which he estimated more than 100,000 people were tortured and murdered since 2013 (Read more at Reuters).
The ceasefire around the northern Syrian city of Manbij has been extended until the end of this week. Washington brokered an initial ceasefire last week after fighting that broke out earlier this month. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "We continue to engage with the SDF, with Turkey about a path forward." (read more at Reuters)
He added Turkey wanted control of Syria 'for thousands of years' and now they have it. "He's a very smart guy and he's very tough. But Turkey did an unfriendly takeover without a lot of lives being lost. I can say Assad was a butcher, what he did to children," Trump said during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, adding that he didn't know what the outcome of Assad's collapse would be (Read more at Middle East Eye).
He said they discussed the need to complete Israel’s victory. A Trump spokesperson on Sunday declined to give further details about the call (Read more at Guradian).
The Pentagon is also considering redesignating Iranian-backed Houthis as a terrorist group. Tim Lenderking, the US special envoy for Yemen, last week visited Djibouti where the UN Verification and Inspection Mission for Yemen (UNVIM) is based on the opposite side of the Red Sea. UNVIM’s chief focus is on inspecting ships for armaments entering Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports (Read more at Guardian).
The security operation to regain control in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp from militants is the largest conducted by Palestinian security forces in years. Palestinian and U.S. officials said Palestinian leadership launched the operation out of fear that Islamist militants — emboldened after armed rebels took control of Syria — could try to overthrow the Palestinian Authority (Read more at Axios).
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Brett McGurk, the US Middle East and North Africa Coordinator, in Cairo and attended by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Egyptian Intelligence Chief Hassan Rashad, and US Ambassador to Egypt Herro Mustafa Garg, focused on recent regional developments and joint efforts to establish a cease-fire and facilitate the exchange of detainees in Gaza (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı)
“The problem is, what comes next?”, said Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Republican and Democratic US senators say it is too soon to consider lifting sanctions on Syria (Read more at Arab Weekly).
The Trump Organisation plans to build a Trump Tower in the Saudi capital Riyadh as part of a real estate expansion in the region. London-listed Dar Global’s chief executive said the other new joint project planned in Riyadh is a Trump Golf community similar to one launched in Oman in 2022 (Read more at Arab Weekly).
Travis Timmerman, 29, was imprisoned in Syria after crossing into the country on a Christian pilgrimage in June. United States officials have revealed that Travis Timmerman who disappeared into the Syrian prison system seven months ago, has been released and taken out of the country (Read more at Aljazeera).
The arrests occurred during a sit-in at NYU, where students were nonviolently blocking access to the Bobst Library. According to the American Association of University Professors, the professors were not involved in the protest itself but were there to ensure the safety of the student demonstrators (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Washington sees this moment as an opportunity to further push back Iran’s influence in the region. Blinken visited the US embassy in Baghdad and said he spoke to Sudani about the situation in Syria. Blinken and Sudani discussed “the conviction of so many countries in the region and beyond that, as Syria transitions from the Assad dictatorship to hopefully a democracy, it does so in a way that, of course, protects all of the minorities in Syria that produces an inclusive, non-sectarian government,” Blinken said, adding that Syria should not become a “platform for terrorism” (Read more at Arab Weekly).
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Jordan’s King Abdullah in the Red Sea town of Aqaba on Thursday as he arrived in the region for talks on Syria following the ousting of Bashar Al-Assad, Reuters has reported. He will also meet Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi today before heading for Turkiye (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
Additionally, the package covers cables, wiring harnesses, hydraulics, fuel oil pumps, starters, generators, AGT1500 engine parts, testing and limited repair services for communication systems, fire control, night vision, and laser devices (Read more at Army Technology).
Mufid Abdulqader was convicted in a terrorism case civil liberties groups say highlights US's disproportionate targeting of Muslim charities. In 2020, Abdulqader had put in a plea for compassionate release on the grounds of the Covid-19 pandemic, which was tearing through the Seagoville federal prison in Texas where he was serving his sentence (Read more at Middle East Eye).
"What Israel is doing is trying to identify potential threats, both conventional and weapons of mass destruction, that could threaten Israel, and, frankly threaten others as well," Sullivan told a press conference in Tel Aviv following a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Read more at Reuters).
“We’re now looking to close a hostage release deal and a cease-fire, which would stop the war and reunite hostages with their families,” Sullivan said. “Just over one year ago, we reached a deal that brought 78 hostages out of Gaza and home to their families. It’s time to finish the job and bring all of the hostages home.” Sullivan will travel to Doha and Cairo from Jerusalem to advance these negotiations (Read more at Media Line).
The US is mounting a fresh diplomatic effort in the Middle East, hoping to end the war in Gaza and push rebels who have taken power in Syria to form a “credible, inclusive, and non-sectarian governance” (Read more at Guardian).
The clashes in Manbij, an Arab-majority city, have killed 218 combatants since Turkish-backed groups launched offensives in the north following the ouster of Assad on Sunday. Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazloum Abdi said, “Our goal is to reach a ceasefire across Syria and start a political process for the future of the country” (Read more at Defense Post).
Two-pronged diplomatic push sees Blinken covering Jordan, Turkiye, while Sullivan holds talks in Israel, Qatar and Egypt. Washington has acknowledged Ankara’s right to defend itself from what it perceives as a security threat, but has also said it will continue working with the SDF (Read more at Aljazeera).
For the second time in 10 days, the U.S. military said it defeated attacks by Houthi militia. Destroyers USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane turned back a range of Houthi missiles and drones Dec. 9-10 in the Gulf of Aden (Read more at Freight Waves).
U.S. troops will be staying in Syria after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad as part of a counter-terrorism mission focused on destroying Islamic State militants, a top White House official said on Tuesday (Read more at USNews).
Washington was caught off guard by the rapid overthrow of Assad by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-aligned forces, which occurred in just 11 days. Reports suggest that US officials had been attempting to negotiate a deal with Assad that would have normalised his position in exchange for severing ties with Hezbollah and Iran. The US has expressed concern over Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) operations targeting the SDF, a US partner force (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Tom Barrack, the chair of his 2016 inaugural committee, has been chosen as the next ambassador to Turkey. He is a longtime friend of the Republican president-elect. He’s also a private equity executive and has previously been charged with unlawfully acting as an agent of the United Arab Emirates and was acquitted in 2022 of all nine counts he faced (Read more at Cyprus Mail).
