Middle East

‘Declare war on Lebanon, take out Syria’s S-300s’: Outgoing Israeli general on handling neighbors
Israel has the full arsenal needed to take on Hezbollah in Lebanon and eliminate the Iranian threat in Syria, the outgoing IDF Northern Command chief boasted, warning Damascus against using S-300s to protect its sovereignty. [...]
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Trump May Recognise West Bank as Israeli Land After Jerusalem & Golan – Analyst
The Israeli elections on 9 April resulted in the victory of Benjamin Netanyahu, who was officially appointed as the country's prime minister on 17 April. Speaking to Sputnik, Israeli publicist Avigdor Eskin shared his opinion on what to expect from the Netanyahu cabinet in the near future. [...]
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Israel run by Netanyahu’s ‘rightwing racist government’, Bernie Sanders says
Democratic 2020 hopeful Bernie Sanders called the government of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu “racist” during a CNN town hall. Another blue candidate, Beto O’Rourke, used similar wording to blast the Israeli leader. [...]
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Israeli PM Netanyahu says he’ll name Golan settlement after Trump
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will name a settlement in the Golan Heights after Donald Trump, in a show of gratitude for the US president's decision to recognize the region as Israeli territory. [...]
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Mogherini Reiterates EU’s Non-Recognition of Israel’s Sovereignty Over the Golan
The statement follows a warning by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem that Damascus hasn't ruled out a military solution to the Golan Heights issue, which came to the fore in late March when US President Trump recognised Israel's sovereignty over the Golan. [...]
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Netanyahu thanks Trump for designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guards ‘terrorists’
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed the US decision to label Iran’s Revolutionary Guards a “terrorist organization” for allegedly financing and promoting terrorism in the region. [...]
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Pentagon Working on Secondary Supply Sources for Turkish-Made F-35 Parts
The US Defence Department is searching for new sources to replace Turkish-made F-35 aircraft parts after Washington suspended activities associated with Turkey's F-35 operational capability, Pentagon spokesperson Charles Summers said in a statement. [...]
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US suspends F-35 deliveries to Turkey over Russian S-400s purchase – Pentagon
The United States has stopped shipping equipment related to the F-35 fighter jet to Turkey. Washington’s move comes after Ankara insisted on purchasing the Russian S-400 missile defense system. [...]
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Saudi Arabia ‘absolutely rejects’ any steps impacting Syrian sovereignty over Golan heights
Saudi King Salman said he “absolutely rejects” any steps that would undermine Syrian sovereignty over the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, after US President Donald Trump recognized the area as Israeli territory. [...]
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Trump’s America lost mediator’s role in Arab-Israeli conflict – Palestinian Authority’s Abbas
The pro-Israeli bias of Washington under President Donald Trump has become so glaringly obvious that the Palestinian Authority will not accept the US as a mediator in the conflict with the Jewish state, Mahmoud Abbas said. [...]
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Turkey can buy Su-35s from Moscow if US doesn’t ship promised F-35s – military analyst
Washington risks losing the Turkish arms market if it continues to delay the delivery of F-35s agreed upon with Ankara, as Turkey can simply switch to buying warplanes from Russia, RT was told. [...]
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US senators draft bill to stop transfer of F-35 jets to Turkey unless it ditches S-400 deal
US senators have proposed a bipartisan bill to make good on Washington's blackmail of Turkey – by halting the agreed transfer of 100 F-35 jets until Ankara tears up its deal with Moscow to buy S-400 air defense complexes. [...]
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Road to next war begins in Golan
When Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austro-Hungary, took a wrong turning in Sarajevo in 1914 the world found itself on the road to WW1. With Donald Trump’s self-serving recognition of Israel’s illegal annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights, a similar wrong turn has been taken, and it has paved the way to the next Middle East War. [...]
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Deal of the Century, minus one: Is Trump’s peace plan for the Middle East the deletion of Palestine?
It has become clear that US President Donald Trump, despite his vaunted prowess as the Dealmaker-in-Chief, isn't interested in brokering peace between Israel and Palestine. His Middle East peace has no room for Palestine at all. [...]
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Trump’s Golan Move Could ‘Lead to NATO’s Collapse’ in the Long Run, PhD Claims
This week, President Trump announced that the time had come for the US to recognise Tel Aviv's claim to the Golan Heights following over 50 years of illegal occupation of the Syrian region by Israel following the 1967 Six Day War. Sputnik spoke with American writer Dr. E. Michael Jones to get a sense of what drove Trump to make his decision. [...]
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Trump’s Golan gift to Israel condemned by UN, Gulf & European allies
Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israel's annexation of the Syrian Golan has been met with condemnation by the international community, with the UN and Washington's Gulf and European allies slamming the move. [...]
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Did the West really ‘lose’ in Syria?
Eight years after the conflict in Syria began, gloomy ‘how did it all go wrong for the West’ articles are appearing. Actually, there was no defeat for ‘the West’. The alternative to the Assad government prevailing was far worse. [...]
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Rouhani’s visit to Iraq is a slap in the face to Trump
While the US has had a strategy to contain and isolate Iran, Iran continues to seek and build friendships with its regional neighbors. There are many indications that the US will not tolerate this for much longer. [...]
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‘Time to declare victory!’ US senators seek to end ‘forever war’ in Afghanistan
Senators Rand Paul and Tom Udall have introduced a bill to end the ruinously expensive conflict in Afghanistan, declaring ‘victory’ in the longest war in US history after 18 years, some $6 trillion and over 100,000 dead. [...]
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