Islamic terror groups see opportunity in global chaos from virus

Al-Qaeda, Islamic State view pandemic both as threat and as opening to recruit and to strike harder, taking advantage of armies busy fighting a silent enemy By Agencies Today, 1:48 pm JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Both the Islamic State (IS) group and al-Qaeda see the coronavirus as a threat, but some of their fighters also […]

Coronavirus Poses a Greater Threat to the Ayatollahs than US Sanctions Do

Con CoughlinApril 2, 2020 at 5:00 am The Iranian regime’s failure to grasp the significance of the outbreak in its own country has led 16 other countries in the region to claim that their own outbreaks originated in Iran. These include Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates. The European aid package, […]

Millions of Americans say coronavirus a ‘wake-up call’ from God

A stunning 44% of Americans polled said they see “the global coronavirus pandemic and economic meltdown” as “a wake-up call for us to turn back to faith in God,” as “signs of coming judgment.” By JOEL C. ROSENBERG APRIL 2, 2020 13:00  With the coronavirus pandemic causing unprecedented lockdowns and economic distress in the US […]

Syria blames Israel for airstrike on Homs province

Syria blames Israel for airstrike on Homs province  Wednesday, April 1, 2020 9:01:57 AM     On Tuesday evening, a missile strike hit military installations in the eastern part of Syrian Homs province, as reported by the Arab media, including the Syrian government’s news agency Sana. According to Sana, the Syrian air defenses, deflecting “the […]

Rouhani deplores US sanctions amid coronavirus outbreak

Iranian President: The Americans did not learn from this difficult situation and did not lift the illegal and cruel sanctions. Elad Benari , 02/04/20 Iranian officials are continuing their verbal attacks on the United States which continues to impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country. On Wednesday, it was […]

Draft of unity deal said to provide for Netanyahu to stay on in PM’s residence

Gantz reportedly wants to remain in his family home in any case even if he becomes prime minister in fall 2021 under a planned rotation agreement Jacob MagidTOI staffToday, 4:31 am A draft unity government agreement reportedly provides for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stay on in the official Prime Minister’s residence even after he […]

Trump warns Iran of ‘heavy price’ in case of attack on US troops

‘We don’t want hostility, but if they are hostile to us, they’re going to regret it like they’ve never regretted anything before,’ US president says By AFP Today, 5:28 am WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Wednesday of a “heavy price” if it or its allies in Iraq attack US troops stationed […]

Iran general visits Baghdad, tries to forge political unity

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and SAMYA KULLABApril 1, 2020 GMT BAGHDAD (AP) — A top Iranian general arrived in Baghdad this week to try and unify Iraq’s fractured political leaders, Iraqi officials said Wednesday, as stiff opposition by one major bloc thwarts chances the country’s latest prime minister-designate can form a government. Meanwhile, revenues from oil […]

U.S. believes Iran was ‘directly involved’ in killing of Iranian dissident in Turkey

(Adds quote from U.S. official, tweet by Secretary of State Pompeo, background) By Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) – The United States believes Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) was directly involved in the killing of an Iranian dissident last November in Turkey, a senior administration official told Reuters on Wednesday. Masoud Molavi […]

Iran is ramping up threats to US in Iraq

What appears to be going on in Iraq is some jockeying for position before the war. This is like the so-called Phoney War that preceded the invasion of France in April 1940. SETH J. FRANTZMAN APRIL 1, 2020 21:23 Iran and its proxies are increasing their systematic and coordinated threats against the US in Iraq. […]

For Saudia Arabia and Oil, April May Be the Cruelest Month

The kingdom made a huge gamble in launching a price war in the face of plummeting demand and now faces a critical test. By Ellen R. Wald April 1, 2020, 4:00 AM EDT The impact of Saudi Arabia’s decision to increase oil production amidst the demand-killing coronavirus pandemic may not be over yet. Three weeks ago, […]

Battling the invisible enemy: All of Israel’s IDF statements and Ministry of Defense details amid coronavirus battle

March 31, 2020 By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Since the battle against the coronavirus began in Israel the government has sought out various methods to contain the virus. Many of these have blended initiatives  from the Ministry of Health with other ministries, including the army and Ministry of Defense. Here is a look at the articles […]