Category: Middle East

Alex Pretti’s killing is driving a rush of left‑leaning Americans to get guns, Iran is talking, Balochistan saw a major coordinated assault on security forces, and Nigeria’s Army hit a major terrorist stronghold in the northeast.

More than a book review, this is a portrait of David Petraeus as a great but imperfect man whose service and ideas shaped modern American warfare.

MS‑13 killer nabbed in Virginia as new governor limits ICE cooperation, mass protests in Tel Aviv over Arab crime, SDF–Damascus ceasefire already under fire in Syria, and the Army is back on track with up recruiting, retention, and higher standards.

Gaza sees heavy Israeli fire around Khan Younis and a Rafah crossing reopening, Iran ups the ante in the Strait of Hormuz as the Abraham Lincoln arrives, ISWAP overruns a Nigerian base in Borno, and a federal judge lets ICE’s “Operation Metro Surge” continue in Minnesota despite state opposition.

Saudi air defenses can’t realistically stop massed Iranian missile salvos, anti‑ICE protests in LA are escalating into physical attacks, Nigeria is urgently countering terrorist drones, Damascus blames the SDF for a major FPV drone strike near Kobani, and a Nevada federal judge just ordered the release of a convicted MS‑13 murderer from ICE custody, reigniting the immigration enforcement‑due process clash.

Minneapolis federal shooting amid protests, Iran’s empty “all-out war” threats against U.S. superiority, Winter Storm Fern’s 1.2M power outages on the East Coast, and President Trump’s praise strengthening U.S.-UK military ties.

Iran’s claim of Israeli‑made bullets in protest killings strains credulity, Ukraine’s air defenses scored a rare success against Kh‑22s, Washington pressures Nigeria to protect Christians, a Chicago carpenter was acquitted in a high‑profile threat‑to‑kill case, and Greenland’s survival‑first culture reveals what true preparedness looks like.

Federal authorities have placed active-duty Army units on standby amid escalating immigration protests in Minneapolis, as court rulings tighten ICE crowd-control limits, fringe pro-ICE activism collapses locally, regional tensions shift in Syria with a Kurdish withdrawal east of the Euphrates, and President Trump moves to assert U.S. control over postwar Gaza through a new international “Board of Peace.”

Iran crushed unrest after a currency-driven protest wave, the United States moved the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to raise deterrence, Syria’s government secured Deir Hafer near Aleppo after an SDF withdrawal, and Canada and China launched a strategic partnership to reset trade and diplomatic ties.

The UAE’s reported use of former U.S. special operations contractors to run a targeted assassination campaign in southern Yemen shows how a partner’s “counterterror” fight can slide into deniable contract killing, with shaky oversight and almost no accountability.

U.S. pressure is tightening across the Western Hemisphere as Washington warns Cuba, cracks down in Venezuela, Iran’s unrest turns deadlier under blackout conditions, and Minneapolis edges toward federal intervention amid escalating clashes over immigration enforcement.

The Army broke tradition by commissioning a senior NCO as a captain as Iran’s protests escalated, Venezuela began releasing political prisoners under U.S. pressure, and Alabama authorities captured a suspect after a deadly shooting.