U.S.-backed Syrian groups take Raqqa district from Islamic State
A U.S.-backed Syrian coalition of Kurdish and Arab groups advanced against Islamic State in the jihadists’ Syrian capital of Raqqa on Sunday, taking the al-Qadisia district, they said.
Media
Israel Retaliates After Rockets Land in Israel For the Third Time in Three days
Israel will not tolerate any violation of its security on any front, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday shortly after the IDF retaliated against Syria for the firing of 10 projectiles onto the Golan Heights.
Report: 12 members of nuclear negotiating team arrested by Iran for espionage
At least a dozen senior officials who were part of the negotiating team that conducted talks with the west regarding the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program were arrested by Iranian authorities on espionage charges, Channel 2 citing an Iranian member of parliament reported Friday.
Palestinian Authority Deceives US, Uses Taxpayer Money To Pay Jailed Terrorists
Palestinian Media Watch, an organization that not only monitors Palestinian media but also does research on issues related to the Palestinian Authority, just released a new report detailing a billion-dollar fraud with money donated to the PA by Western countries, including the United States.
Syria army vows to ‘end IS’ in Raqa, Deir Ezzor after Palmyra win
Syria’s army vowed Sunday to follow its victory against the Islamic State group in the city of Palmyra with an advance against the jihadists in their other strongholds.
Iran fires 2 missiles marked with ‘Israel must be wiped out’
Iran test-launched two ballistic missiles Wednesday emblazoned with the phrase “Israel must be wiped out” in Hebrew, Iranian media reported, in a show of power by the Shiite nation as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visited Jerusalem.
Catholics should not try to convert Jews, Vatican says in landmark document
Catholics should not try to convert Jews and should work with them to fight anti-Semitism, the Vatican said Thursday in a major new document that drew the Church further from the strained relations with Judaism of the past.
Teflon Don: Trump rises again in latest poll
Donald Trump remains the clear Republican front-runner across the nation, and is defying the predictions of pundits again by gaining steam less than two months before the Iowa caucuses, according to a new poll.
Israel Air Force strikes targets in Syria near Lebanese border
The Israel Air Force attacked Syrian army and Hezbollah targets in the area around Qalamoun in Syria overnight Saturday, Israel Radio reported citing Syrian forces.
Iran’s Guard simulates capture of Al-Aqsa Mosque
Paramilitary forces from Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard have held a war game simulating the capture of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque from Israeli control, state media reported Saturday.
Obama huddles with Putin, backs France’s pursuit of deadly terrorists, on sidelines of G-20 summit
President Obama said Sunday at an international summit that America stands with France in its pursuit of those who committed the ‘horrific’ terror attacks in Paris and met informally with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Hezbollah weapons warehouses were the target of Wednesday’s Israeli airstrikes in Syria
The target of Israel’s alleged airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday evening were Hezbollah weapons warehouses, Arab media affiliated with the opposition to Syrian Preisdent Basher Assad reported Thursday.
Deal reached on Pacific Rim trade pact in boost for Obama economic agenda
President Obama hailed the historic 12-nation Pacific Rim trade deal completed here Monday as an accord that “reflects America’s values,” but within hours the administration had turned from the negotiating table to selling the agreement on Capitol Hill, a reflection of the harsh political climate the controversial pact is expected to face in Congress.
Gallup: Half Says Govt. ‘Immediate Threat’ to Freedom
A hair shy of half of Americans believe the federal government presents “an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens,” a new Gallup Poll finds.
Abbas decries Israel’s ‘attack’ on al-Aqsa mosque
The Palestinian Authority, Jordan and the Arab League slammed the Israeli government for an operation during which police officers found pipe bombs on the Temple Mount in the Old City in Jerusalem on Sunday.
Planned Parenthood baby parts videos prompt call to suspend European Commission funding
A member of the European Parliament has submitted written questions to the European Commission in the wake of the release of videos that depict Planned Parenthood officials involved in the possible illegal sale of baby parts from abortions.
Gay marriage fight may be over, but new battlegrounds opening up
The dust didn’t settle on the Supreme Court’s landmark gay marriage ruling before advocates began announcing their next agenda items in the fight for equality.
Pentagon Accuses Russia with Nuclear ‘Saber-Rattling’
Russia is “playing with fire” with its nuclear saber-rattling and the United States is determined to prevent it from gaining a significant military advantage through violations of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty, the deputy U.S. defense chief said on Thursday.
Eritrean Christians Caught Between Persecutors
Eritrean Christians are being forced to choose between living under a dictatorship that imprisons believers for their faith, or risking their lives by escaping Eritrea by way of Sudan.
The IDF has warned us about the next Lebanon War
Last November, a senior IDF officer warned of the implications of a Third Lebanon War. His name is Yair Golan, and he was at the time ending his stint as GOC Northern Command and transferring to Tel Aviv to serve as deputy chief of staff, Ynet reported.