The Syrian conflict has been going on so long, it might be difficult to remember how it all started. I find it hard to believe that after Hama and Daraa, Assad is still in power and that foreign governments support him. If you have HBO, there you'll find a very moving documentary that begins with the events of 2010: Cries from Syria. See it!

Terrorist Cell in Bahrain Planned U.S. Base Attack - Obaid Al-Suhaymi (Asharq Al-Awsat-UK) "Members of the terrorist cell made 66 visits to Iran." The cell works under the supervision and leadership of Bahraini terrorist members currently present in Iran, who have strong ties with Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Fourteen individuals had been arrested, 11 of whom are suspected of receiving overseas military training under the supervision of the Revolutionary Guards and Hizbullah in Iraq. 

BBC Brazil: London Terrorist Might Be a Freedom Fighter - Simon Plosker (Honest Reporting)

On the Breadline in Sisi's Egypt -  Neil Ketchley, Thoraya El-Rayyes (MERIP)

The Role of Iraqi Security Forces in Defeating the Islamic State - Michael Knights (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)  The pervasive misunderstanding that the Kurds have carried a disproportionate burden in the fighting was exacerbated by the relative ease of reporting from KRG territory. In fact, the ISF fought more battles and liberated more cities than other forces.

Meanwhile In Baghdad, Don't Forget Another City Under Siege - Thierry Oberlé (Le Figaro/World Crunch)

Italian Police Foil Jihadist Plot to Blow Up Rialto Bridge in Venice (AFP-The Local-Italy)

Hizbullah and the Gullible Arabs - Mohammed Al Shaikh (Al Arabiyia)  Lebanon's Hizbullah is the creation of Iran. It receives most of its funding from Iran and secures the rest from drug deals across the world. These factors destroy the idea that the aim of Hizbullah's arms is to resist Israel and protect Lebanon's borders.

Sick Kids Cross Israel's Border - Gareth Andrews (Sydney Morning Herald-Australia)  

Hamas Said to Acquire High-Explosive, Short-Range Rockets - Judah Ari Gross (Times of Israel)

Swedish Government Funds BDS Initiative in France (NGO Monitor)

ISIS Holds Terrified Civilians as Human Shields in Syrian City of Raqqa - Bassem Mroue and Lori Hinnant (AP-Denver Post)

Centcom Commander Briefs Congress on Regional Threats - Jim Garamone (U.S. Department of Defense)

Thousands of U.S. Combat Troops Are Back on the Ground in the Middle East - Doyle McManus (Los Angeles Times) Without much public notice, thousands of U.S. combat troops are back on the ground in the Middle East: roughly 7,000 in Iraq, almost 1,000 in Syria, another 2,500 in Kuwait.

Report: Houthi Rebels Flying Iranian-Made "Kamikaze Drones" into Surveillance Radars - Christopher Diamond (Defense News) Houthi rebels appear to be using Iranian-made drones to ram Saudi and UAE missile defenses in Yemen, according to a report by the group Conflict Armament Research.   The UAE reports that rebels have been flying the drones into the radar sets of the Saudi-led coalition's Patriot missile systems.

I include this item because of what happened in London this week. The most recent incident described in this post occurred in the area where Khalid Masood ("the suspected Islamist terrorist who carried out the deadly rampage") lived: Will the West Please Stop Siding with Criminals? by  Khadija Khan (Gatestone Institute)

Resolute Support spins loss of Sangin district center as a victory - Bill Roggio (Long War Journal) Note:  Operation Resolute Support is a NATO-lead mission in Afghanistan that began January 2015.

Eyeless in Gaza the Movie - Robert Majid and Martin Himel - A look at how the media can be biased and what you can do to change it. Explains why we have "fake news" in this region.

Where’s the Coverage? Iran Sentences Iranian-American to Death (CAMERA) 

Inside an Israeli Hospital that Treats Wounded Syrians - Tim Samuels (BBC News)

Nature Knows No Boundaries: The Role of Nature Conservation in Peacebuilding - Alexandre Roulin, [former Jordanian chief of intelligence] Mansour Abu Rashid, [IDF Brig. Gen. (res.)] Baruch Spiegel, Motti Charter, Amelie N. Dreiss, and Yossi Leshem (Trends in Ecology and Evolution)

Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians Join Forces in Earthquake-Prone Jordan Valley - Judy Siegel-Itzkovich   (Jerusalem Post)

Libyan Cleric Dr. Wanis Al-Mabrouk: The Shari'a Permits a Muslim to Love a Jew or a Christian (MEMRI) 

Israel Strikes "Game-Changing Weapons" Destined for Hizbullah - David Daoud  (Long War Journal)

Fight in Syria more Costly for Russians than Kremlin has Disclosed (Asharq Al-Awsat)

VIDEO: Deaf Refugees Find Hope In Buffalo - Rachel Nussbaum (HIAS)

Linda Sarsour’s Problematic Views on Zionism and Anti-Semitism- Petra Marquardt Bigman (Louis D. Brandeis Center)

Teen Vogue Promotes Palestinian Narrative to Adolescent Readers (CAMERA)

Senators Introduce Comprehensive Legislation to Hold Iran Accountable (U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee)

In Venezuela’s Toxic Brew, Failed Narco-State Meets Iran-Backed Terrorism - Emanuele Ottolenghi, John Hannah (Foreign Policy) FP is subscription only. I encourage you to read this tale that involves not just Venezuela and Iran, but also Bolivian money changers, Hezbollah, and counterfeiting.

Based on President Trump’s tweets, publicized policies (i.e. gutting everything but the military) and choices for appointed positions, it’s hard to believe anything positive is actually happening in Washington; however, if you read the MEMRI report on Russia “Abandoning” Iran, what’s changing at the UN, or IPT’s report on finally getting some help for that former CIA agent in Portugal, it makes you wonder. Is it all a ploy to baffle us with bullshit? Why obfuscate the good stuff? 

 

To anyone in New York this weekend: The Metropolitan Republican Club is hosting a preview of Clarion Project's documentary "Faithkeepers The Movie." Click here for more details.

 

Iranian Official Boasts of "Guerilla Movement" within the U.S. - Candice Malcolm (Toronto Sun-Canada)

 

Freed Jordanian Who Killed 7 Israeli Girls Shows No Remorse - Omar Akour (AP-Washington Post)

Partners for Peace?

Fatah: Kill 37 Israelis, become a role model for Palestinian women - Nan Jacques Zilberdik  (PMW)

Palestinian Marchers Seek Abbas Resignation over Israel Ties- Mohammed Dareghmeh  (McClatchy) ... criticizing his security coordination with Israel.  

Palestinian Children Pretend to Execute Israeli Soldier - as Teachers at Schools Funded by UK Tell Pupils that Terrorists Are Heroes - Ian Birrell  (Mail on Sunday-UK) 

The PA-EU Plan to Seize Land between Jerusalem and Jericho - Josh Hasten  (Jerusalem Post)
How Hamas is Winning Hearts and Minds in Europe - Avi Issacharoff  (Times of Israel)

 

Russia appears to deploy forces in Egypt, eyes on Libya role - Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Lin Noueihed (Reuters) 

Is Russia Abandoning Iran in Syria? - Yigal Carmon, A. Savyon and Anna Mahjar-Barducci (MEMRI) Iran currently feels that Russia is abandoning it in favor of other vital interests, such as reaching understandings with the U.S. to promote the lifting of sanctions, and with Turkey as its senior regional partner.  High-ranking American-Russian coordination (ostensibly for the purpose of defeating ISIS) is taking place at a time when the Trump administration, which is known for its anti-Iranian regime stance, is organizing the Gulf states and other Arab countries into what the Arab media refers to as an "Arab NATO" against Iran.

 

The South African Who Doesn’t Know What Apartheid Is - Daniel Pomerantz (Times of Israel)

 

Islamic nations use debate on freedom of religion to attack LGBT rights - (UN Watch)

US demands UN pull report accusing Israel of apartheid (Times of Israel)

Secretary of State Tillerson to UN Rights Council: Reform or We're Leaving - Colum Lynch and John Hudson (Foreign Policy)

Ex-CIA Officer's Case Shows How to Get Things Done in D.C.  (IPT News) Team Trump worked with their Portuguese and Italian counterparts to secure DeSousa's freedom – a stark contrast with the Obama administration.

Canada's New Blasphemy Laws - Khadija Khan (Gatestone Institute) see also last week's "The West Submits to Blasphemy Laws" by Judith Bergman, Gatestone Institute.

Warming relations between Egypt and Hamas - Elior Levy and Roi Kais (YNet News)

Iran Is Expanding Its Reach - Donna Abu-Nasr (Bloomberg) In Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north, Iran is successfully building enclaves of fervent support way beyond the Middle East, an example that Iran wields growing influence in unexpected places. Saudi cables released in 2015 by WikiLeaks reveal concern about Iran-driven Shiite expansion from Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Nigeria in West Africa to India and China in Asia.

The Defeat of Islamic State in Mosul Advances the Iranian Takeover of Iraq - Zalman Shoval  (Israel Hayom)

Iran Poses the Most Significant Threat to U.S. Central Command - Lisa Ferdinando  (U.S. Defense Department)

Iraqi Shiite Militia Establishes Brigade to Liberate Golan Heights (Tasnim-Iran)

Kurdish Factions Turn Guns on Each Other in Yazidi Homeland - John Rossomando (IPT)

ISIS Tells Supporters to ‘Dress Up Like Jews,’ Carry Out Attacks (CAMERA)

Israel Develops Vest to Shield Astronauts from Radiation - Ori Lewis and Rinat Harash (Reuters)

What Is Israel Doing about the Gaza Tunnels? - Alex Fishman (Ynet News) In reaction to the tunnel threat, Israel is constructing an underground wall dozens of meters deep, to be completed in about a year and a half.

The Internal Collapse Facing Lebanon's Shiites - Hala Nasrallah (Fikra Forum-Washington Institute for Near East Policy)

New Armed Faction Muscling Into Tripoli Reflects Chaos in Libya - Francesco Semprini (La Stampa/WorldCrunch)

Former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath: Saudi King Abdullah Financed the Second Intifada  (MEMRI TV)

U.S. Troops Play New Role in Syria - Shawn Snow (Military Times)

Syrian Government Forces Take Over Positions from U.S.-Backed Militia in Northern Syria (Reuters) Syrian government forces have taken over positions from a U.S.-backed militia in the northern city of Manbij in line with a deal brokered by Russia. 

Assad's Control Erodes as Warlords Gain Upper Hand - Fritz Schaap (Der Spiegel-Germany) For months, Assad's army has been on the advance across Syria. But its military success has only been possible due to significant assistance from Iran and Russia - and from local Syrian militias. Now, these fighters are taking over control in many areas, committing murder, looting and harassing civilians. And nobody can stop them. Indeed, the militias are now more powerful than Assad and have become the real holders of power in Syria.

Another UN figure in Gaza reportedly in senior Hamas position (The Meir Amit Terrorism Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center) Muhammad al-Jamassi, senior engineer in UNRWA's engineering department in the Gaza Strip, was also identified as a newly elected member of Hamas' political bureau

I first saw this headline at Ynet News, but the source is actually Reuters. Or as Honest Reporting noted at Reuters, "If it Bleeds, it Leads."  This was a clear-cut case of self-defense. The story is that a Palestinian tried to kill an Israeli - would you know that from this headline?

• Israeli Kills Knife-Wielding Palestinian Assailant - Elisha Ben-Kimon  (Ynet News) A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli at his home in front of his children at the Mor Farm outpost near Teneh Omarim in the southern Mount Hebron area of the West Bank on Wednesday. The Israeli then shot and killed the terrorist.

Another northern Afghan district falls to the Taliban- Bill Roggio (Long War Journal) The Taliban has increased its footprint in Afghanistan. FDD’s Long War Journal has identified 44 Afghan districts under the Afghan jihadist group’s control, and another 56 that are heavily contested. The number of Taliban controlled and influenced/contested districts has risen from 70 in Oct. 2015 to 100 this month.

Ex-Mossad chief: On thwarting Iran, Netanyahu should be speaking to Putin, not Trump - Judah Ari Gross (Times of Israel)

Palestinian Ambassador to Iran: I Pray that Iran Will Produce 1,000 Nuclear Bombs (MEMRI TV)

Iran Requests 950 Tons of Uranium from Kazakhstan (AFP)

Islamic State Targets China - Michael Martina (Reuters) Vowing to plant their flag in China and that blood will "flow in rivers," a new video released this week by Islamic State shows ethnic Uighur fighters training in Iraq

Sieges, Demographic Shifts and Returns to ‘Liberated’ Cities - Preethi Nallu (Syria Deeply)  This article indicates that the changing demographics of Syria and Iraq and the complexities of displaced people returning to “liberated” cities in both countries have reinforced the sectarian and social divides.

 

 

90 Percent of the Land in the West Bank Is Empty - Nadav Shragai (Israel Hayom) About 7% of the built-up areas are populated by Palestinians and another 3% by Jews.

Israeli Company Unveils Solution to Growing Drone Threat- Roi Reshef (Globes)

Israel is stuck in the tunnels of yesteryear, but Hamas is digging right now - Avi Issacharoff (Times of Israel) Hamas is still tunneling, 24/7, in shifts. Hamas’s tunnel unit has become one of the most prestigious in the Gaza terror-government’s military wing, and the men who enlist in it are accorded superhero status in the Strip, receiving particularly fat salaries.

Pollard pleads against strict parole conditions - Gil Hoffman (Jerusalem Post)

Human Rights Watch (NGO Monitor) HRW is a "blatantly hostile anti-Israeli organization ..."