Congress on verge of passing long-stalled Assad sanctions package

Congress is on the brink of sanctioning Syria’s Bashar al-Assad government after three years of struggling to get the legislation approved.

Syria

Intel: Why US is likely to raise concerns about China’s investment in Oman

A Chinese state-owned company has inked a deal to take over nearly half of Oman’s power transmission firm, which is valued at $2 billion.

Oman

Intel: How Iranian influence operations are receiving new scrutiny in Washington

The Senate is poised to follow the House lead in passing legislation to create a center to monitor Iranian, Russian, Chinese and North Korean efforts to sway US public opinion.

Congress

Will Libya become Turkey’s next Syria?

The recently signed Turkey-Libya military cooperation deal and maritime delimitation agreement threatened to raise tensions not only in Libya but throughout the Eastern Mediterranean with Turkey asserting the right to intervene militarily in Libya if requested and to drill for oil and gas.

Turkey

Is proposed site in Gaza really a hospital, or spy station?

Some Palestinian authorities have pledged to obstruct plans to build what they fear could be a US-Israeli military intelligence camp, while Hamas says the facility will be a field hospital in the Gaza Strip.

Palestine

Intel: Pentagon worried Turkey ‘spinning out’ of NATO orbit

Defense Secretary Mark Esper told an audience at a New York think tank he was worried that Turkey is “spinning out” of the NATO orbit.

Turkey

White House provides lifeline to US ties with Turkey and Saudi Arabia

Turkish and Saudi leaders look to Trump to prevent relations with the United States from going bad to worse.

Saudi Arabia

Israel’s love of Kurds weaponized by their foes

Israel's support of Kurdish autonomy in Syria is not always welcomed — at least publicly — by Syria's Kurds.

Israel

Intel: Lebanon aid wrangling exposes divide in Trump administration

The US Treasury Department today sanctioned one Democratic Republic of Congo-based and two Lebanon-based individuals accused of financing Hezbollah: Saleh Assi, Nazem Said Ahmad and Tony Saab.

Lebanon

Russia, US headed for new lows over terrorism, Syria

Despite claims that the Russian foreign minister's visit to Washington was genial and productive, by the time Sergey Lavrov landed back in Moscow, some of the areas of potential cooperation had already grown more snarled.

Syria

Rouhani looks to Japan’s Abe to pick up where Macron left off

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who appears to be seeking a mediator for the US-Iranian relationship, next week will visit Japan, a country where Iran has a lot of frozen assets.

United States

Senate recognizes Armenian genocide in latest black eye for Turkey

The Senate unanimously recognized the Armenian genocide today, the latest in a string of major blows against Turkey within a week.

Turkey