Lebanon: Saudi Arabia-Iran rivalry finds a new battlefront
The resignation of Saad Hariri as Lebanon’s prime minister has upended the country’s political establishment and escalated a war of words between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Shiite
A Saudi-orchestrated resignation throws Lebanon into turmoil
Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s abrupt resignation over the weekend was bizarre even by the often twisted standards of Lebanese politics: He made the surprise announcement from the Saudi capital in a pre-recorded message on a Saudi-owned TV station.
Iranian leader urges all Muslims to fight Israel
Iran’s top religious and political leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged all Muslims to engage in ‘different methods’ of fighting against Israel.
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.
Tillerson demands Iranian militias leave Iraq
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday demanded that Iranian ‘militias’ leave Iraq at a press conference in Riyadh, where the US diplomat is holding talks with top Gulf officials.
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.
Full Coverage: ISIS Takes Supply Routes into Baghdad; Threatens Iraq’s 2nd Largest Dam
The Shiite-Sunni sectarian war breaking out in Iraq is threatening a widespread regional war. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) is on the move as it threatens to cut off ‘supply routes to Baghdad.’ ISIS forces are within miles of the Haditha Dam, Iraq’s second largest dam, located on the Euphrates River. Meanwhile, Syria bombed ISIS targets inside of Iraq. The NY Times reported Iran is sending military aid including drones to Iraq. Those are just a few of the headlines we cover in today’s Full Coverage Report.
Obama Wants New Iraq Government, Without Maliki
The White House is convinced that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, is unable to reconcile the Islamic factions in the country and wants to see a new government installed without Maliki, The Wall Street Journal reported.
War Between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq threatens the entire region
Muslims fighting Muslims — so who is to blame? Perhaps Allah! Both sides, Sunnis backed by Saudi Arabia and Shiites backed by Iran, are blaming each other as sectarian violence threatens “unpredictable consequences” for the region.
Iraq Sees Obama as Jihad ‘Accomplice’
The Obama administration has been aware for two months that the al-Qaida-inspired group that has taken over two Iraqi cities and now is threatening Baghdad was training fighters in Turkey, according to a Shiite source in contact with a high official in the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Iran Deploys Forces to Fight Jihadists in Iraq
Iran has deployed two Revolutionary Guards units to Iraq to protect Baghdad, and the holy Shi’ite cities of Karbala and Najaf, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Iran Open to Shared Role with U.S. in Iraq
Shi’te Muslim Iran is so alarmed by Sunni insurgent gains in Iraq that it may be willing to cooperate with Washington in helping Baghdad fight back, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.
Iraq Christians Fear More Violence After Church Attacks, Killings
Minority Christians in Iraq feared more violence Saturday, June 29, after several Assyrian Christian shops and one church were attacked, killing two people and injuring a dozen others, church representatives said.
‘Ethnic Cleansing of Christians’ in Syria; 50,000 Flee
Islamic militants with ties to terror group al-Qaida have launched the “ethnic cleansing of minority Christians” in Syria, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee the embattled Syrian city of Homs and other areas, aid workers confirmed Tuesday, March 27.
Iran Detains Evangelical Pastor; Whereabouts Unknown
The whereabouts of an evangelical pastor in Iran remained unknown Saturday, August 27, some 10 days after he was detained by Iranian security forces as part of a reported government crackdown on Christian converts, Worthy News established.
BREAKING NEWS: Saudi Forces Free Kidnapped Christian Girls In Yemen
Saudi Arabia’s security forces freed two German Christian girls kidnapped nearly a year ago in neighboring Yemen but the fate of their abducted parents, their infant brother and a British engineer remained unknown, officials and Christians said Tuesday, May 18.
Israel Launches Ground Offensive in Gaza
On Saturday, January 3, Israel launched a ground assault against Gaza on what was the eighth day of its aerial assaults against the seaside strip of desert. Israel’s stated objective for the ground confrontation is to end all rocket attacks. The immediate objective of the ground operations, according to Major Avital Leibovitch, a military spokeswoman, “is to destroy the Hamas terror infrastructure in the area of operations.”
Christian Businessman Killed In Mosul
A Christian music store owner was shot and killed in Mosul, Iraqi police said Monday, October 13, the latest in a series of killings that has caused thousands of Christians to flee the northern city in recent days, BosNewsLife monitored.
Iraq: Serial Attacks on Churches Continue
A car-bomb exploded outside a Chaldean church in northern Iraq yesterday, injuring two people, a Baghdad bishop said. The blast is the 10th reported attack on Iraqi churches in two weeks.
Iraq: Coordinated Blasts Rock Churches
Four Iraqi churches and three convents were damaged in coordinated bomb blasts yesterday morning, the day many Iraqi Christians celebrate either Epiphany or Christmas Eve according to some Eastern liturgical calendars. At least six people were injured, one seriously.