Trump threatens to ‘devastate Turkey economically’ if it attacks Kurds in Syria
President Donald Trump threatened Turkey with devastating sanctions if America’s NATO ally attacked Kurds following a U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria.
Syria
U.S. backed Syrian forces: ISIS is taking its final breaths
Islamic State militants are ‘living their final moments’ in the last enclave they hold in Syria, near the Iraqi border, where the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have stepped up their attacks in the last two days, an SDF official told Reuters on Sunday.
After strikes in Syria, Netanyahu threatens to hit Iranian targets even harder
After confirming that Israel bombed an Iranian weapons depot in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday that the Jewish state will strike even harder if it proves necessary to prevent Iran from gaining a military foothold in Syria.
First-ever church in modern Turkey to be built starting February
Construction for the first-ever church to be built in the modern Republic of Turkey will begin in February, a move Syriac Orthodox believers have long been waiting for.
US military begins moving equipment out of Syria as pullout begins
The US military has removed some equipment from Syria, a defense official confirmed Thursday, following a report that the pullout ordered by President Donald Trump is now underway.
Trump’s Syria withdrawal undermined by Turkey’s rebuke
The fate of Kurds whom the U.S. relied upon to battle the Islamic State continued to roil President Trump’s hope for a Syria troop pullout Tuesday, with Turkey’s leader rejecting outright Washington’s demand that it hold back on attacking Kurdish forces after American forces depart.
Republican senators call on US to recognize Israeli sovereignty over Golan
US Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Tom Cotton of Arkansas on Sunday again called on the United States to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
US pullout from Syria to be done in ‘prudent’ way, Trump says
US President Donald Trump on Monday sought to end fears of an abrupt US pullout from Syria, saying the fight against the Islamic State group was not over and that withdrawal would be done in a ‘prudent’ manner.
Erdogan says only Turkey has power to ‘shoulder the heavy burden’ of Syria
In an op-ed published by The New York Times on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria and said that Turkey ‘is the only country with the power and commitment’ to protect the interests of Washington, the international community and the Syrian people.
Pompeo: 99 Percent of ISIS Caliphate Now Defeated
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be ‘singularly focused’ on rallying Middle East leaders to help the United States counter Iran’s global support for terrorism and military intervention during a weeklong jaunt across the region, the Secretary of State told the Washington Free Beacon aboard his plane en route to his first stop in Jordan.
U.S. ambassador to Israel: Trump’s peace plan to be presented in months
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said Sunday that the Trump administration’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan – the ‘deal of the century’ – will be presented ‘within the next several months.’
US-led coalition: Recent strikes destroyed nearly half of ISIS ‘propaganda’ cells
Recent precision strikes and coordinated attacks targeting the Islamic State’s media cells have diminished the group’s communications capabilities by nearly half in less than six months, according to the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Pompeo Launches Middle East Tour to Galvanize Region Against Iran
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to depart on a tour of the Middle East next week in a bid to galvanize regional leaders to confront Iran and remind allies that the United States is not disappearing from region amid the Trump administration’s decision to pull American troops out of Syria and possibly Afghanistan, according to senior State Department officials.
Bolton cautions Syria against using chemical weapons amid plan to pull US troops
Following the decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, National Security Adviser John Bolton reportedly cautioned the Syrian government on Saturday that the drawdown should not be viewed as an opening to use chemical weapons.
Pompeo accepted almost all Netanyahu’s requests, senior Israeli official says
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had almost all of his requests accepted during his meeting in Brazil with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a senior Israeli diplomatic official said Wednesday.
Trump gives no timetable for Syria, wants to protect Kurds
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States would get out of Syria slowly ‘over a period of time’ and would protect the U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in the country as Washington draws down troops.
Pompeo to Netanyahu: U.S. still committed to protecting Israel
Syria and Iran were on the agenda Tuesday when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met in Brasilia against the backdrop of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s inauguration.
Trump concedes: No ‘rush’ out of Syria, we’ve ‘almost’ eradicated ISIS
President Trump claimed Monday that he never said the U.S. would ‘rush out’ of Syria despite reporting that indicated he had ordered a rapid withdrawal.
Iranian cargo plane suspected of bringing arms to Hezbollah departs Tehran
A Fars Air Qeshm cargo 747 airliner left Tehran at 8 a.m. on Sunday and landed in Damascus at 10:30 a.m., returning to Tehran at 5 p.m. The 747 allegedly transported weapons to Hezbollah in September, according to a report from Fox News that was based on Western intelligence assessments. The aircraft also made suspicious flights in July and August to Damascus and Beirut.
Lindsey Graham: I ‘feel a lot better’ about Syria pullout after lunch with Trump
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Sunday he felt less concerned about President Trump pulling U.S. troops from Syria following a two-hour lunch with him at the White House.