Is the Latest Violence the Third Iraq War?

Iraq is accusing a group of foreign nations of launching a de-facto war on their country, and it doesn’t include the United States or the UK. Try Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In a sign of growing tensions between an Iranian-led bloc of Middle East nations and a Saudi-led group, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told France24 news that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are funding and supporting terrorists in Iraq.

In an interview with France24’s Marc Perelman, Maliki said, “I accuse them of inciting and encouraging the terrorist movements… I accuse them of leading an open war against the Iraqi government.” … Continue Reading

Lebanese Terrorists Try to Hit Israel… from Syria?

The Syrian civil war has truly gone international, after Hezbollah terrorists from Lebanon attempted to plant explosives near the Israel border with Syria. Despite being from Syria’s neighbor, Hezbollah has been fighting inside Syria on behalf of the Syrian regime for some time. But Wednesday’s border attack on Israel from inside Syria highlights the regional range the fight is reaching.

Israel didn’t take any chances, with the IDF Twitter feed reporting that Israeli forces fired at the terrorists and recorded direct hits. The Washington Post reported that an anonymous Israeli official said that Hezbollah border explosives have been planted before. Such incidents are increasing, he said.

… Continue Reading

Egypt Bans Hamas Terror Group

From great promise to persona non grata. That’s how dramatic the blow to Hamas’ relationship with Egypt has been. The previous Egyptian government, led by a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood, had been making limited overtures to Hamas—with more expected due to the ideological links between Hamas and the Brotherhood.

But now that the Brotherhood has been labeled a terrorist organization by Egyptian authorities following the popular coup last summer, Ahram Online reports that Hamas has now been served with a temporary ban on activities in Egypt. While not good for Hamas, it’s good news for Israel and those who hope for peace. … Continue Reading

Opinion: Waning US Influence Means Chaos in Middle East

America’s talking loudly, but how big a stick are they carrying? Illustrative. Photo Courtesy of Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

It was 2005, and the world was looking brighter. Lebanon kicked out Syria’s army, Ukraine had a pro-West, pro-democracy revolution, Libya was in the midst of deconstructing their weapons of mass destruction and the world’s powerful bad guys seemed to be isolated into a two-nation axis of evil. It was a good year for the West and America.

Now it’s 2014. Lebanon is home to a powerful Iranian-led terror militia known as Hezbollah. The Iranians are popular with corporations racing to get a piece of the pie as sanctions disappear. North Korea has made multiple nuclear tests and Ukraine is under Russian threat. What’s a key element to all the bad news? America’s inability and disinterest in influencing world affairs. It’s a new world order now: fend for yourself. Goodbye Middle East stability. … Continue Reading

Israel Warns Iran Nuclear Deal Could Create ‘Many Nuclear Powers’

Radiation Warning Symbol. Public Domain.

The story of Pandora’s box is nothing more than a Greek myth, but a real life version with nuclear ramifications may be coming soon. With the major world powers intent on crafting a nuclear deal with Iran that would purportedly give everyone something—Iran gets a civilian nuclear program while the world gets safeguards against them building the bomb—Israel is warning that the deal could unleash the spread of nuclear weapons around the world.

Israel’s primary concern—and Iran’s primary demand in the nuclear talks—centers around Iran’s ability to enrich uranium for nuclear fuel. The West seems content to consider the peaceful states with such enrichment capacity as the model for Iran, but Israel is warning that North Korea and their slow-but-steady nuclear weapons program is more likely. And with rebellious Iran getting such a privilege of developing nuclear fuel, what would stop many more nations from demanding the same? … Continue Reading

Israel Reportedly Strikes Lebanon-Bound Missiles in Syria

The threat of advanced weapons reaching terrorists fighting in Syria remains, but there’s at least one nation doing something about it: Israel. For what is believed to be the seventh time during the Syrian civil war, Israel bombed a cache of weapons likely destined for Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon.

The latest attack, according to Time Magazine, targeted missiles capable of carrying larger warheads than any other missiles owned by Hezbollah. Considering the fact that Hezbollah has tens of thousands of missiles, these bigger ones must have been a change from normal. … Continue Reading