General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the United States last week, has been described as the “single most powerful operative in the Middle East today”. His two-decade leadership of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp’s Quds Force has seen the Islamic Republic’s influence and power in the region seemingly expand – but Read more…
Israel was established as a home for the Jewish people, to provide a haven for the victims of millennia of persecution and to attain the self-determination needed to rebuild their lives in security and prosperity. As the fledging state thrived, over the last 70 years, the population of Israel has Read more…
Less than one in five Britons support boycotts of Israel and most view the Jewish state as the UK’s most important Middle Eastern ally in the fight against terrorism, according to polling released last week by BICOM. The annual poll also found an increase in the number of people who Read more…
Israel and Hamas appear to be edging towards a long-term truce, designed to bring peace to the border region and relief to the Gaza Strip. Israeli media reports in recent days have emphasised that the IDF’s killing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata last month has breathed new Read more…
Israel is facing unprecedented political chaos after Benjamin Netanyahu was formally indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The announcement from attorney general Avichai Mandelblit came less than 24 hours after opposition leader Benny Gantz gave up his efforts to form a government. Both he and Netanyahu Read more…
Mass protests swept Iran over the weekend after the regime abruptly cut fuel subsidies and raised petrol prices. Protests occurred in 100 cities and towns, including Tehran, Shiraz, Tabriz, Kermanshah and Sanandaj. Amnesty International says over 100 people have been killed in clashes between demonstrators and baton-wielding security forces. Unofficial reports from Read more…
More than 250 rockets have been launched at Israeli towns and cities by terrorist groups in Gaza over the past two day. The attacks followed an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday morning which targeted and killed the military commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Baha Abu al-Atta, Israel says, was responsible Read more…
Hamas security forces arrested dozens of Palestinian activists last week in a bid to prevent anti-government protests similar to those which have rocked Lebanon. The arrests – believed to have targeted left-wing and moderate opponents of Gaza’s Islamist rulers – came as a court in the West Bank ordered the Read more…
Israel’s opposition leader, Benny Gantz, will this evening be formally invited to form a government by President Reuven Rivlin. The president made the move after Benjamin Netanyahu failed to assemble a coalition in the required 28 days. Netanyahu did not request a 14-day extension. It is the second time this Read more…
President Trump’s decision last week to abandon the Kurds and give the green light to Turkey’s invasion of north-eastern Syria has sent shockwaves through the Middle East, including in Israel. Even as the US now apparently scrambles to rein Turkey in, the impact of the president’s actions may be far-reaching. Read more…
“The enemy is on the defensive — we have always been on the defensive, now we are in attack mode,” Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah (pictured), declared last week. Although he has often issued blood-curdling threats against Israel, this was no mere sabre-rattling by the terror group head. As a newly updated Read more…
Benjamin Netanyahu’s decade-long spell in power may be coming to an end. A pre-indictment hearing into charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust levelled against the Israeli prime minister commenced in Jerusalem today, as his attempts to form a government following inconclusive elections last month appeared close to collapse. Read more…