Israel SitRep: January 17, 2025
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Shia Islam
Good news and bad news from Lebanon as Nawaf Salam elected premier
Israel-bashing president of the International Court of Justice hardly seems the one to bring peace with neighbor
Op-eds
Lebanon Chooses Nawaf Salam, an Adversary of Israel, as New Prime Minister
International Court of Justice President Nawaf Salam Named as Prime Minister: ICJ President Nawaf Salam has been nominated as Lebanon’s next prime minister after consultations...
Flash Briefs
The role of Iraqi Shia militias as proxies in Iran’s Axis of Resistance
Iran’s 45-year trajectory from the Khomeini revolution to its current challenge to Israel, the West, and the Rules-Based International System (RBIS) led to developing and solidifying its “Axis...
Op-eds
With No Power or Constitutional Authority, Lebanon’s New President Won’t Disarm Hezbollah
After two years of deadlock, the proverbial white smoke has emerged from Lebanon’s parliament in Beirut’s Nejmeh Square. Former Lebanese Armed Forces commander Joseph Aoun has been elected...
Op-eds
Lebanon’s Aoun could move toward peace – if Hezbollah lets him
The Iran-backed militia is bowed but not broken – and it could still find a way to hijack Saudi funds for its own rehabilitation
Op-eds
‘Disengaging Armed Factions’: Tehran Recalculates Its Influence in Iraq
Tehran and Baghdad Discuss Regional Developments: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on January 8. The two leaders...
Flash Briefs
Iran-Backed Militias Face Crisis After Assad’s Fall in Syria
Four years ago, in January 2020, a US drone carried out a strike in Iraq near Baghdad International Airport, killing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force leader Qasem...
Op-eds
Tehran’s triad: propaganda, proxies, and preparedness
The regime in Tehran finds itself increasingly besieged by challenges, ranging from the faltering influence of its regional proxies to the prospect of an Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities, potentially...
Op-eds
Trump’s year of opportunity against Iran
What began as a year of resilience for Iran ended with the tide unmistakably turned against the Islamic Republic. Its Axis of Resistance is shattered, its currency is in freefall, its major cities...
Op-eds
The Shadow War
A review of Yonah Jeremy Bob and Ilan Evyatar, “Target Tehran: How Israel Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination—and Secret Diplomacy—to Stop a Nuclear Iran and Create a New Middle East” (Simon & Schuster, 2023).
Op-eds
American greatness requires great military power
Encouragingly, most Americans understand that
Op-eds
Khamenei’s Brilliant Failure
His strategy against Israel and the United States was working—until Hamas attacked Israel.
Op-eds
Israeli defense minister vows to prevent Hezbollah’s return to the border
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz visited Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops in southern Lebanon on December 22. He said that Israel had defanged Hezbollah, comparing the Iranian-backed organization...
Op-eds
The Options We Face in Syria – And What’s Good for Israel
The collapse of the Assad regime in Syria in the face of rebel groups, primarily Hayat Tahrir al-Sham headed by Abu Mohammad Al-Jolani, constitutes a...
Op-eds
Too Little, Too Late, By Biden on Iran
President Biden pulled punches when enforcing oil sanctions against Iran. Forsaking the leverage inherited from President Trump’s “maximum pressure,” Biden opted for “maximum deference” from the get-go, and with clearly disastrous results. Not only is there no deal in place today constraining Iran’s nuclear program, but Tehran’s theocrats have used oil export revenues – an estimated at $144 billion of which was earned during Biden’s first three years – to underwrite the cycle violence currently engulfing the Middle East.
Op-eds
Who will form the core of Jolani’s unified army?
Ahmad al Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), commonly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al Jolani, has unveiled a vision for post-Assad Syria. With HTS assuming control in the aftermath...
Op-eds
US military strikes Islamic State camps and personnel in central Syria
On December 16, the US military launched a second round of strikes against Islamic State personnel and infrastructure in Syria since the fall of the regime of Bashir al Assad on December 8. US operations...
Op-eds
Assad’s Enemies Are Not Our Friends
The United States shouldn’t make allies out of terrorists.
Op-eds
Assad exits and Khamenei’s strategy unravels
Lessons to be learned in the Middle East