Category: Middle East

‘I Don’t Have Any Regrets’ Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Says of Deadly Afghanistan Withdrawal

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has shared that he has “no regrets” over the way in which the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, during which 13 service members and hundreds of civilians were killed in a suicide bombing attack near the Kabul airport. Austin made the admission before lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee on March 29…


Pakistani Taliban Target Police, Kill 4 in Roadside Bombing

PESHAWAR, Pakistan—Terrorists in Pakistan targeted the country’s police force in two attacks in a volatile northwestern province on Thursday, killing four officers and wounding six, officials said. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for both attacks. In one attack, police say a roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying officers, killing four of them. The officers were…


What’s Behind the Mass Protests in Israel

TEL AVIV—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’s postponing the process of passing a judicial overhaul in Israel in order to engage in dialogue with the opposition and reach an agreement on an acceptable framework. Netanyahu’s announcement on March 27 follows months of protests in opposition to the government’s judicial reform proposal, during which various…


PREMIERING 3/30 at 7:30PM ET: Natan Sharansky on Today’s ‘Evil Empires,’ the War in Ukraine, Soviet Communism, and the New Antisemitism

“When there is nothing to die for, there is nothing to live for … and that’s why I think that nationalism is a very good word when it goes together with freedom and human rights. The moment you separate them, you’re getting awful dictatorship or empty, shallow, decadent life.” I sit down with former Soviet…


Netanyahu Rejects Pressure From Biden to Halt Judicial Reform

HAIFA, Israel—Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu rejected pressure from U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday to halt the judicial reform that has sparked massive protests across the country. Israel is a sovereign country that makes its decisions according to the will of its people and not based on pressure from abroad, “including from the best of…


Senate Passes Bill to Repeal Iraq War Authorizations

The Senate passed a bill, 66–30, on March 29 that would repeal the 1991 and 2002 Iraq war authorizations. The first allowed the United States to enter the Gulf War, during which then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s forces were driven out of Kuwait. The second allowed the U.S. military to go into Iraq following reports that…


Senate Approves Bill to Repeal Iraq War Authorizations

The Senate approved legislation with bipartisan support on March 29 that would repeal the 1991 and 2002 Iraq war authorizations. The first Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) allowed the United States to enter the Gulf War, during which then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s forces were driven out of Kuwait. The second allowed the…


Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy More Effective Treatment for Fibromyalgia Than Drugs: Study

According to a recent Israeli study, a dedicated hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) protocol was more effective in reducing pain than available drugs in patients suffering from fibromyalgia following head injury. Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is a common condition affecting about 4 million U.S. adults or about 2 percent of the adult population. It is clinically characterized…


Canada Extends, Shrinks Anti-ISIL ‘Operation Impact’ Mission in the Middle East

Canada is extending a scaled-down version of its military mission in Iraq and the Middle East for another two years. Defence Minister Anita Anand announced the extension Monday afternoon, before the mandate for the mission known as Operation Impact was set to expire on Friday. The latest extension comes more than eight years after Canada first deployed troops…


Israeli Government Delays Judicial Overhaul Bill Amid Mass Protests

JERUSALEM—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on March 27 delayed a decision on bitterly contested plans for a judicial overhaul to next month amid concern that Israel’s worst national crisis in years could fracture his coalition or escalate into violence. It isn’t known whether the bill’s delay, amid a wave of protests, will satisfy either side…