Israel pounds Gaza after Hamas balloon bombings

Israel pounds Gaza after Hamas balloon bombings

On Monday morning, Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes against Hamas military sites in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian and Israeli sources. The Israeli response came on the heels of Hamas continuing to launch incendiary and explosive devices attached to balloons towards Israel. On Sunday, 28 fires resulted from these balloons launched from Gaza at […]

30 years ago Iraq invaded Kuwait and changed the Middle East forever

30 years ago Iraq invaded Kuwait and changed the Middle East forever

In the mid-summer of 1990, Saddam Hussein made a decision that changed the face of the Middle East and sealed the fate of Iraq and his own rule. In the early morning hours of August 2, 1990, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait and in a lightning operation, quickly took over the country in just two days.  […]

The Middle Eastern influence on the world oil market

The Middle Eastern influence on the world oil market

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), is an intergovernmental organization founded by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, and Venezuela. OPEC is considered to possess majority control of the world’s crude oil production and the most considerable influence on oil pricing. OPEC also sets production targets for each member country in an attempt to […]

The status of America’s forever wars in the Middle East

The status of America’s forever wars in the Middle East

The Middle East continues to be a hotbed of violence and conflict. U.S. troops have been fighting, advising, and training in the region for almost 20 years. While there will always be U.S. troops deployed to the Middle East under the jurisdiction of the Central Command (CENTCOM), many are questioning how much longer the U.S. […]

Lebanon: The next Middle East powder keg waiting to explode

Lebanon: The next Middle East powder keg waiting to explode

Lebanon isn’t in the news much these days but has the potential to blow up into a major conflict.  The country is facing a couple of big problems right now Firstly, Lebanon is going through one of the deepest economic crises in the world today — a crisis that puts it in the precipice of […]

The Pic of the Day: These Marines would respond in case of an emergency in Middle East

The Pic of the Day: These Marines would respond in case of an emergency in Middle East

U.S. Marines and Sailors with the Maritime Raid Force, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), prepare for a reconnaissance and surveillance mission aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) during Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) in the Atlantic Ocean Oct. 14, 2019. Bataan is underway conducting a COMPTUEX with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group […]

The Pic of the Day: Marines brief Middle East expert

The Pic of the Day: Marines brief Middle East expert

U.S. Marines and Sailors give a safety brief to Katherine Zimmerman, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Yemen and Africa subject matter expert, before she departs the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) in the Atlantic Ocean Dec. 19, 2019. The Bataan is operating in the Atlantic Ocean in support of naval operations […]

Trump orders more troops to Middle East as Iran prepares its response

Trump orders more troops to Middle East as Iran prepares its response

President Trump has authorized the deployment of additional troops to the Middle East as tensions with Iran are sky-high following the targeted killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commanding officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force. In addition to one paratrooper battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division’s Immediate Response Force (IRF), […]

The Pic of the Day: Special Forces operators blasting away in the Middle East

The Pic of the Day: Special Forces operators blasting away in the Middle East

A soldier assigned to U.S. Army Special Operations Command demonstrates firing positions on the M320 40mm grenade launcher to a member of the Saudi Arabian Naval Special Forces during joint forces weapons training in a tactical training area in Amman, Jordan, Aug. 28, 2019, as part of Exercise Eager Lion 2019. Eager Lion, U.S. Central […]

Escalation: Royal Marines commandos deploy to Middle East amid Iranian aggressiveness

Escalation: Royal Marines commandos deploy to Middle East amid Iranian aggressiveness

Britain’s premier maritime commando force is sailing toward the Strait of Hormuz for an exercise amid an international crisis triggered by Iranian aggression against two oil tankers last week. Royal Marines commandos from 42 Commando will be conducting visit, board, search and seizure drills, among other tasks, in close proximity to where the two tankers […]

It’s official: Air Force F-35s are being deployed to the Middle East

It’s official: Air Force F-35s are being deployed to the Middle East

For the first time, the U.S. Air Force is deploying the world’s most advanced fighter to the Middle East to participate in combat operations. While Marine Corps F-35Bs have already participated in combat operations over Afghanistan, this deployment marks the first outing for the Air Force’s F-35A iteration of the platform. The first F-35As reached […]