Joseph Votel

February 10, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

US-backed Syrian Free Army continues to patrol Tanf area in southern Syria

On February 9, the Syrian Free Army (SFA) said in a post on social media that it provided medical services to more than 60 Bedouin patients in southern Syria as part of a mobile clinic. The Syrian...

January 28, 2021 | Brig. Gen. Assaf Orion (Res.), RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

Moving Israel to CENTCOM: Another Step Into the Light

The new command shift, which is rooted in years of growing collaboration away from the limelight, promises to facilitate bilateral and regional security cooperation and burden sharing, while the IDF-EUCOM-CENTCOM...

September 9, 2020 | Clifford D. May |

The 9/11 anniversary and the 9/11 wars

Containing and disrupting jihadists is a mission worth accomplishing

April 1, 2020 | Bradley Bowman |

Lebanese Armed Forces must act against Hezbollah to retain America’s military aid

As Lebanon struggles with an economic crisis and the new coronavirus pandemic, momentum is building in Washington to curtail or end U.S. assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces. Such a move could diminish...

November 21, 2019 | Bradley Bowman, Andrew Gabel, Mikhael Smits 

U.S. Carrier Strike Group Transits Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. Navy’s Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG) transited through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, entering the Persian Gulf following months of Iranian attacks in the area. The high-profile...

October 8, 2019 | Bradley Bowman |

Trump Syria withdrawal decision immoral and short-sighted

While Washington should never leave American troops in harm’s way a day longer than national security interests require, President Donald Trump’s decision to pull back or withdraw U.S. troops from...

March 21, 2019 | Thomas Joscelyn |

Islamic State spokesman claims group remains a ‘reality’ despite losses

The Islamic State’s spokesman, Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir, released a lengthy speech on Mar. 18. His talk, which was translated into English by the so-called caliphate’s online media team, contains many...

February 23, 2018 | Romany Shaker

Egypt Launches Massive Anti-terrorism Operation ahead of March Elections

In a surprise move, Egypt launched a massive anti-terrori...

March 2, 2017 | Tony Badran |

Lebanon’s Armed Forces and Hezbollah Increasingly Intertwined

General Joseph Votel of U.S. Central Command reportedly visited Leban...

September 28, 2016 | Mark Dubowitz, Annie Fixler

The U.S. Is Helping Iran Fund Chaos in the Middle East

Would the White House knowingly transfer tens of billions of dollars to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah in Lebanon to finance the slaughter of Syrians...