NOTE: Middle East Eye asked me to contribute to an assessment of what 2019 will hold in store for the Middle East. I focussed especially on prospects for Israel and its relations with the other players in the region. Please read and disseminate it as widely as you can via social media and other ways. It may be an exaggeration to say that the … [Read more...]
Israeli Media Tout Putin’s “Deal of the Century”
Israeli media has been touting Bibi Netanyahu's latest foray to Moscow to see his Russian bro, Vladimir Putin, and take in a World Cup match, as a masterstroke of geo-political strategy. In reality, it appears to me a rehash of Israeli-Saudi-UAE talking points which start with Syria, but range far beyond. Here are some of the main points of the supposed … [Read more...]
Iraq Denounces First Israeli Attack on Its Forces Since 1973
Over the past few days, Syria reported that Iraqi Shiite militia were attacked by air in eastern Syria. There were major losses with media stories claiming that at least 22 were killed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights puts the death toll at 52. UPDATES: A new SOHR report raises the death toll and changes the nationalities of many of the victims … [Read more...]
U.S. Warns of Grave Consequences If Assad Retakes Southwestern Syria
The above video is my latest PressTV interview regarding Israeli minister's claim that the Trump administration plans to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan in a matter of months. The U.S. has engaged in yet another extraordinary breach of all previous foreign policy norms by (not so) tacitly threatening Syria's Pres. Assad with severe consequences … [Read more...]
