Putin makes unannounced visit to the Middle East
Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Syria where he has held talks with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Syrian state media and Russia’s Interfax said on Tuesday.
War
‘We’re going to war, bro’: Fort Bragg’s 82nd Airborne deploys to the Middle East
The 600 mostly young soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, were headed for the Middle East, part of a group of some 3,500 U.S. paratroopers ordered to the region. Kuwait is the first stop for many. Their final destinations are classified.
Report: Hezbollah will attack Israel if US responds to Iran attack
Hezbollah will attack Israel if the United States responds to missile attacks carried out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday night, according to the Iranian Tasnim news agency.
Iranian attack scrambles House war powers vote
Top House Democrats’ plans to push a measure limiting the Trump administration’s war-making powers are in flux following an Iranian missile attack Tuesday on U.S. bases inside Iraq.
Red flag over Iranian Mosque at Soleimani funeral has eschatological overtones, means all-out war
An extremely portentous symbol was raised over one of Iran’s holiest mosques in the city of Qom Sunday for one of the myriad funeral rallies of fallen IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani, says a researcher at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University.
Honduras to designate Hezbollah as terrorist group
The office of Honduras’s President said Tuesday that the central American country will recognize Hezbollah as a terrorist group, following a recent decision by the German Bundestag to do the same.
US officials say “major” retaliation expected from Iran following Soleimani funeral
The US is anticipating a ‘major’ reprisal from Iran within the next day or two, according to unnamed officials, as the three-day mourning period for fallen Iranian general Qassem Soleimani wraps up across the Islamic Republic.
New Jesus Movie Planned: Actors Using Sign Language to Reach Deaf Audience of 70 Million Worldwide
Although numerous movies and television series with biblical themes and stories that have been produced over the years, there’s one audience that has never seen of the story of Jesus Christ in their own heart language — the estimated 70 million people worldwide who are deaf.
For Israel, Iran strike could be back on the table
Iran’s dramatic announcement that it no longer intends to honor its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers could soon revive discussions in Israel over a possible military strike on Iranian targets.
‘It was a mistake’: Pentagon backtracks on Iraq troop withdrawal amid chaos over general’s letter
The most senior U.S. military officer said that a letter appearing to announce an American troop withdrawal from Iraq was ‘a mistake’ and should not have been sent to officials in Baghdad.
Brushfires in Australia could become “mega blaze”
Australian brushfires have burned over 12 million acres in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, encompassing an area twice as big as Maryland, as officials over the weekend suggested the inferno may metastasize into a ‘mega blaze.’
War powers act put forward by Pelosi to limit Trump against Iran
The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on a resolution this week to limit the war powers of President Trump should a conflict with Iran erupt.
White House notifies Congress of Soleimani strike, fulfilling War Powers Act duties
The White House fulfilled its duties under the War Powers Act by sending Congress a notification of the airstrike that killed top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.
Trump warns Iran: US has targeted ’52 Iranian sites’ and will ‘hit very fast and very hard’ if needed
President Trump issued a stern warning to Iran on Saturday through a series of Twitter messages intended to deter the country from retaliating after the U.S.-ordered airstrike that killed Iran’s Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week.
Christian group warns of ‘chaos’ in Iraq after U.S. strike
A leading international group monitoring persecution of Christians says Iran, newly spurned by Thursday night’s drone strike that killed the Islamic republic’s elite military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani, may target Christians living in Iraq as revenge for the U.S. attacks.
Iron Dome defense system notes 85% success rate in 2019, IDF says
The Israeli military on Thursday released data on operational activity on all fronts in 2019, showing that its ‘campaign between the wars’ – an ongoing Israeli military and intelligence effort to disrupt the force buildup of the Iranian-Shiite axis throughout the Middle East – is nowhere near winding down.
Iranian regime offers $80 million for the head of Trump
The Islamic regime in Iran offered a reward of $80 million dollars on Sunday for the head of US President Donald Trump, following a US airstrike on Friday at the Baghdad International Airport that killed the chief of Iranian operations abroad.
Earliest Christian church in sub-Saharan Africa discovered in Ethiopia
Researchers have discovered what is thought to be the oldest church in sub-Saharan Africa in Ethiopia, allowing scholars to now reliably date the spread of Christianity to the continent to the Constantinian era.
Christians in India dragged to jail and charged with illegal medicine for healing prayers
Christians in central India accused of illegally practicing medicine spent Christmas Eve and Christmas in jail, later discovering that the charges against them applied to prayers for healing in which they had engaged.
Esper promises to pre-emptively strike Iran if U.S. receives intelligence of impending attacks
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday that the U.S. was anticipating more attacks from Iran following an assault on the American embassy Tuesday that caused serious damage, promising to pre-emptively strike the Islamic Republic if reliable intelligence of a forthcoming attack surfaced.