Syria War Reignites, Proof Of Western Powerlessness - Marc Alves (World Crunch News)

Expanding Regional Rivalries: Saudi Arabia And Iran Battle It Out In Azerbaijan – Analysis - James M. Dorsey (Eurasia Review)

The Iranian Militia Problem in Syria - Jackson Doering (Washington Institute for Near East Policy) The presence of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Syria has grown from 700 to 3,000 since the Russian intervention began in September 2015. The IRGC acts not so much as frontline combatants but rather as a command structure and connective tissue for Tehran's allies in Syria. Other militias supplied, funded, and commanded by Iran include Hizbullah, Liwa Fatemiyoun, Liwa Zainabiyoun, and elements from the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) such as the Imam Ali Brigade. 

Russian Foreign Minister: Iran's Statements on Destroying Israel Unacceptable   (RT-Russia)  See also Lavrov Issues Rare Rebuke of Iran - Herb Keinon  (Jerusalem Post)

McMaster to NATO Allies: Stop Funding Iran's Proxy Militias - Jill Aitoro  (Defense News) "And when we look at the biggest trading partners with Iran, we of course see Russia, we see China. But we also see Japan, South Korea and Germany." 

Blocked by Russia, UN Fails to Pass Syria Cease-Fire Resolution - Michael Schwirtz and Nada Homsi (New York Times)
Russia Resists Western Bid to Condemn Iran at UN over Yemen Arms - Michelle Nichols  (Reuters)

ISIS Isn't Defeated, Neither Is Al-Qaeda - Thomas Joscelyn (Weekly Standard)

Israel Thwarts Islamic Jihad Plot to Assassinate Defense Minister Lieberman - Anna Ahronheim  (Jerusalem Post) One cell member said he wanted to carry out the attack in order to be arrested so his family would receive a prisoner's pension. "These terrorist intentions reflect the increasing efforts of the PIJ and other terrorist organizations in Gaza to escalate activity with activists in the West Bank," the ISA said.

There is no limit to how far Palestinians are prepared to go to demonstrate their admiration for terrorists and express their Palestinian nationalism. - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW) Having already named their daughter Dalal Mughrabi after the terrorist who led the most lethal attack against Israel, in which 12 children and 25 adult Israeli civilians were murdered, a couple from Gaza has now named their newborn triplets "Jerusalem," "Capital," and "Palestine."

HR Visits Palestinian President Abbas at the UN (Honest Reporting Video)

Chinese Peacekeepers in Lebanon Clear Border Minefields (Xinhua-China) Of the 400 members of the Chinese military deployed as UNIFIL peacekeepers, 60 are tasked with clearing mines along the Israel-Lebanon border.

Iranian UAV a Copy of U.S. Stealth Drone - Judah Ari Gross (Times of Israel)  The Iranian drone shot down by Israel on Saturday appears to be a new stealth model whose design was stolen from an American RQ-170 Sentinel UAV captured by Iran in 2011, according to aviation analysts.

Iraqi Militia Vows to Back Hizbullah in War with Israel (AFP-Gulf News-Dubai)

U.S. Hunts ISIS Remnants in Libya - Frederic Wehrey (Atlantic)

Partners for peace?

PA Denounces Visit by Arab Journalists to Israel - Khaled Abu Toameh  (Times of Israel) The Palestinian Authority on Thursday denounced a visit by Arab journalists to Israel and called to place them on a "blacklist." Last week, the Israel Foreign Ministry hosted a delegation of nine Arab journalists from Morocco, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Syria. The PA said the visit was aimed at "promoting normalization" between the Arabs and Israel, and called the visit an "inexcusable and unjustified disgrace." 

The Washington Post's Vanishing Act on Palestinian Rejectionism - Sean Durns (CAMERA)

The Palestinian Textbook Problem - Yaakov Ahimeir (Israel Hayom)  books clearly "demonize the Jews and Israel, and encourage the violent struggle to liberate Palestine from the [Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] sea. Palestinian textbooks have not become more moderate - quite the opposite, in fact. 

Assad Quietly Aids Syrian Kurds Against Turkey - Laila Bassam and Tom Perry (Reuters)

U.S. Forces in Syria Come under Second Attack in a Week - Kyle Rempfer (Military Times)

Intersectionality Is Making Teen Vogue’s Editors Stupid - Karen Bekker (CAMERA) CAMERA has written before about Teen Vogue's shift from fashion and beauty to political commentary, including pushing a one-sided Palestinian narrative to its teen readers. As it shifts to digital-only publication, it has continued this trend. 

Iran, Russia, and China's Central Role in the Venezuela Crisis - Joseph M. Humire (Gatestone Institute)

*I've read that the focus on Hezbollah is a result of trying to rein in Iran. What do you think?

*For those in New York next week, Wednesday, February 14, 2018 9:00am – 10:00am,  Undeground Warfare - A breakfast and book discussion with author Daphné Richemond-Barak at the Center for National Security at Fordham

The Atlantic Interview - Steve Coll, podcast about Afghanistan. FYI Mr. Coll has been in the news lately promoting his latest book.

U.S. and Argentina to Work Together Against Hizbullah  (AFP) see alsoHezbollah in South America: The Threat to Businesses (Stratfor)

Egypt Bulldozes Zone by Sinai Airport, Displacing Thousands (Al-Araby Al-Jadeed-UK)

Israel Building Wall on Lebanese Border Aimed at Stopping Hizbullah Infiltration - Yoav Zitun and Liad Osmo (Ynet News) The IDF Northern Command recently began work on a high concrete wall along the Lebanese border at high-risk spots near Israeli towns and kibbutzim to prevent infiltration by Hizbullah special forces into Israel. The wall is being constructed on Israeli territory exclusively and does not involve Lebanese territory.

Lebanon Says It Will Prevent Israel from Building Border Wall - Bassam Hatoum (AP-Washington Post) 

Report: Hizbullah to Store Weapons in Druze Areas of Lebanon to Prevent Israeli Attacks - Daniel Siryoti (Israel Hayom) Hizbullah recently purchased over 100 acres of land in Druze areas near Lebanon's Chouf Mountains for the purpose of storing missiles there, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported on Sunday.

Israeli Nearly Lynched by Arab Mob near Jerusalem - Efrat Forsher and Daniel Siryoti  (Israel Hayom) Palestinian police rescued an Israeli man on Friday who was almost lynched by a mob of 200 Palestinians after accidentally entering Abu Dis, a Palestinian village near Jerusalem.

L'Espresso reveals the secret diaries of Arafat - di Lirio Abbate (L'espresso) The diaries bring also to light the negotiations between Mr. Arafat and the Italian government in 1985, during the hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship by four Palestinian terrorists.

Hamas Tests Five Missiles on Saturday (Asharq Al-Awsat-UK) Hamas is conducting almost daily missile tests.

The Cape Town water crisis— proudly brought to you by BDS  (Times of Israel) Calling Israel an "apartheid state," inviting Hamas to the ruling party's conference, and refusing Israeli expertise to prevent a water crisis  

Syrian Kurds (and everyone should be) outraged over mutilation of female fighter (The Guardian) Barin Kobani fought to the death.

Turkey's President Takes a Victory Lap - Sinan Ciddi (Stratfor)

Video: The Brewing Conflict along the Red Sea - Dore Gold (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)  Of all the nations that are positioning themselves in the Horn of Africa, like Iran, the U.S., Turkey, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia, careful attention should be given to the presence of China in Djibouti where China has constructed one of its first naval bases at the gateway to the Middle East. 

 

Lebanon Issues Gas Exploration Tender for Israeli Territory - Lisa Barrington and Dan Williams (Reuters) Lebanon has issued a tender for offshore oil and gas exploration in an area claimed by Israel. Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday, "...this is very, very challenging and provocative conduct." 

IDF: Lebanon Has Become One Large Iranian Missile Factory - Anna Ahronheim (Jerusalem Post)

 

PA TV to kids: "Follow the example" of arch-terrorist Abu Jihad, he is "a symbol" - Nan Jacques Zilberdik and Itamar Marcus (PMW) A new children's program on PA TV called From My Country teaches children that arch-terrorist Abu Jihad, who the PA has bragged was responsible for the murder of at least 125 Israelis, is a role model to be followed.

 

Macron Warns Turkey Against ‘Invasion’ of Syria   (Al Arabiya)

Syrian Government Slams Turkish Offensive in Afrin as ‘Occupation’ (Al Arabiya)

Behind Turkey's Military Incursion into Syria - Zvi Bar'el (Ha'aretz)  The heads of the Arab tribes living in the three autonomous Kurdish districts of northern Syria, say they will stand "shoulder to shoulder with the Kurds against the Turkish enemy."     The Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, established in 2014, wrote a constitution that granted equal rights to every ethnic and religious group, and also to women. It seeks to establish a secular, liberal, democratic federation that will in the future be part of Syria.     Turkey claims it is acting to prevent the establishment of an independent Kurdish state along the Syrian-Turkish border. But according to the strategy and ideology that unites most Syrian Kurds, they have no intention of establishing an independent Kurdish state that might threaten Turkey. They seem to have successfully persuaded the U.S. of this, as well as Russia and Syria.

Turkey Is Threatening the Only Competent Pro-Western Militia in Syria - Michael J. Totten (World Affairs Journal)  The West is having a hard time processing the fact that Turkey is increasingly hostile. It started when Ankara denied the use of its territory, including Incirlik Air Base, during the war against Saddam Hussein. Later, Erdogan helped Iran transfer weapons to Hizbullah in Lebanon and implicitly sided with ISIS in Syria because he didn't want an independent Kurdish region to rise up in Syria as it had in Iraq. Now he's threatening to destroy the only competent Western-friendly militia in all of Syria. 

 

Guardian Article on Terror in Cities Omits Israel - Adam Levick (UK Media Watch)

BBC News Kicks Israel in the Face - Pesach Benson (Honest Reporting)

Google Partners with Anti-Semitic Islamists - Steven Emerson (IPT News)

Don't Ignore Kushner's Quiet Mideast Gains - Ahmed Charai (National Interest)

U.S. Delegation Flees Bethlehem Event as Palestinians Protest (AFP-Daily Mail-UK)