Israel and Syria exchange fire near Homs, Arab media claims
Israel’s air force attacked a weapons depot situated in rural areas around Hisya, south of the Syrian city of Homs, Arab media reported Wednesday night.
Military
Trump calls for ending visa program after N.Y. attack, blasts Democrats
President Donald Trump on Wednesday seized on the deadly New York City truck attack to step up demands for stricter U.S. immigration laws, asking Congress to end a visa program that let the Uzbek suspect into the country and saying he might send him to Guantanamo Bay.
Army Corps of Engineers: Not all Puerto Rico officials are accepting FEMA’s help
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Maj. Gen. Donald E. Jackson told Senate lawmakers on Tuesday that some Puerto Rico officials have refused to cooperate with the military and the Federal Emergency Management Agency during ongoing recovery efforts.
U.S. Pursuing Rigorous New Nuclear Inspection Regime in Iran
The United States is pursuing a rigorous new regime for international inspections of Iran’s nuclear program that includes access to off-limits military sites as well as increased transparency on the Islamic Republic’s often obfuscated enrichment of uranium, the key component in a nuclear bomb, according to U.S. officials and congressional leaders spearheading the new inspection effort.
Iran Threatens Ballistic Missile Strikes on American Forces, Can Hit ‘All U.S. Bases’
A top Iranian military commander has threatened to launch ballistic missile attacks on U.S. forces in the region amid a public effort by the Islamic Republic to show off its advanced missile capabilities, according to U.S. officials and regional reports.
Israel-Gaza tensions boil after tunnel strike kills Islamic Jihad commander
Tensions continued to boil along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, with the Israel Defense Force (IDF) warning civilians in the area to keep away from the frontier after terrorist groups in the Palestinian enclave threatened retaliation following the destruction of an attack tunnel by Israeli forces on Monday.
U.S. ramps up air war against Islamic State in Yemen as fight subsides in Iraq and Syria
As the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria comes to a close, U.S. military and counterterrorism officials are setting their sights on the group’s growing presence in the war-torn country of Yemen.
Saudi Arabia to extract uranium for ‘self-sufficient’ nuclear program
Saudi Arabia plans to extract uranium domestically as part of its nuclear power program and sees this as a step towards ‘self-sufficiency’ in producing atomic fuel, a senior official said on Monday.
In defeat for Trump, judge blocks transgender military ban
A federal judge in Washington on Monday blocked President Donald Trump from banning transgender people from serving in the U.S. military, handing a victory to transgender service members who accused the president of violating their constitutional rights.
Iran’s nuclear chief says weapons-grade uranium only 4 days away
Iran’s nuclear program chief said Sunday that his country can begin producing weapons-grade nuclear material in just four days if the nuclear deal with foreign powers falls through, and stressed that international inspectors will not be given access to closed Iranian military sites.
Minister: Israel willing to act militarily to stop Iran from getting nuclear arms
Israel is willing to resort to military action to ensure Iran never acquires nuclear weapons, Israel’s intelligence minister said on Thursday in Japan where he is drumming up support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s tougher line on Tehran.
Report: Hezbollah to leave Syria to prepare for conflict with Israel
Hezbollah is planning to withdraw its forces from Syria in 2018 in order to bolster its presence along the border with Israel, Lebanese news site Lebanon 24 reported on Tuesday.
Iran sentences alleged agent for Israel’s Mossad to death
Iran’s judiciary says a court has sentenced an alleged agent for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency to death.
Iraq readies for final offensive on Islamic State near Syrian border
Iraqi forces are about to launch an offensive to recapture the last patch of Iraqi territory still in the hands of Islamic State, the military said on Wednesday.
2-Hour Air Support Delay in Niger Ambush That Killed 4 Troops: Dunford
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford said Monday that about two hours passed before fixed-wing and rotary French air support arrived in the Oct. 4 ambush in Niger that killed four U.S. soldiers.
Abadi defends role of Iranian-backed paramiltaries at meeting with Tillerson
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi defended the role of an Iranian-backed paramilitary force at a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday in Baghdad.
US ‘Can’t Allow’ Iranian IRGC Supply Lines Through Middle East, Sen. Tom Cotton Declares
A leading member of the Senate Armed Services Committee has warned that the danger posed by Iran towards Israel is only increasing as the Tehran regime extends its political influence and military footprint across the Middle East.
120 arrested as hard-line religious Jews protest against Israeli army service
At least 120 demonstrators were arrested in Israel on Thursday as several thousand ultra-Orthodox Jews blocked a major intersection in central Jerusalem to protest against efforts to force them to enlist in the Israeli military like their secular compatriots.
Israel strikes Syria, responding to errant mortar fire
The Israeli military says it has struck Syria in response to a mortar fired from the territory.
Netanyahu and Putin Discuss Iran Nuclear Program, Syria in Phone Call
Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the Iran nuclear program, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.