In Venezuela’s toxic brew, failed narco-state meets Iran-backed terrorism

As if the political and economic chaos wracking Venezuela wasn’t worrying enough, a couple of recent stories underscore the potential national security threat brewing there. First, last month’s designation of Venezuela’s vice president, Tareck El Aissami, as a drug kingpin by the U.S. Department of Treasury. Second, a CNN investigative report revealing that Venezuela’s embassy […]

Israeli intelligence weighs in on Hezbollah leader’s assassination

Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, said on Tuesday Israeli intelligence believes Hezbollah’s former military leader was murdered by his own men. Mustafa Badreddine was killed last year in an explosion, originally attributed by Hezbollah as an Israeli airstrike, and then an assassination from a rival Sunni militant group. A […]

Iran has constructed underground weapons factories in Lebanon for Hezbollah: report

Iran has established underground weapons factories for Hezbollah inside Lebanon, part of a broader Iranian armament effort that has helped Hezbollah expand its stockpiles to many times what it was 10 years ago, during the Second Lebanon War. The source of the information for the story is somewhat dubious. The story broke in a small […]

U.S. looks to resume sale of precision weapons to Saudi Arabia

The Trump administration is positioning itself to renew sales of precision guided weapon systems to Saudi Arabia, a move originally shelved by the Obama administration. The State Department has left a proposal for the arms sale with the White House for approval. The measure is seen as another form of the Trump administration taking a […]

Days after harassing US ship, Iran announces the successful test of new naval missile

According to reports released to Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim on Thursday, Iran has successfully test-fired a naval missile this week, highlighting recent aggressive interactions between Iranian forces and the United States Navy. According to Iraqi military officials, the missile, named the Hormuz 2, has a range of approximately 180 miles and was built entirely […]

U.S. general says Russia has violated a landmark arms control treaty

The Russians have reneged on a historic arms control treaty signed between the United States and Russia, an Air Force General said yesterday. The treaty, the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, was a critical aspect in ending the Cold War. It explicitly bans the testing, production, and possession of intermediate-range missiles fired from land-based […]

Iranian official: Thousands of Iranian fighters have been killed in Syria and Iraq

Approximately 2,100 Iranian sponsored troops have died while fighting in Iraq and Syria over the past few years, according to Iranian state-run media. The head of Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs told the Islamic Republic News Agency that “some 2,100 martyrs have been martyred so far in Iraq or other places defending the […]

U.S. envoy to U.N. says ‘we need to get Iran’ out of Syria

The United States supports the U.N.-led Syria peace talks, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Wednesday, saying Syria could no longer be a “safe haven for terrorists” and that it was important “we get Iran and their proxies out.” Haley spoke to reporters after U.N. Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura briefed the Security Council behind […]

Rouhani talks rights as Iran election nears, critic attacks him on economy

President Hassan Rouhani should apologize to the Iranian people if he cannot show that the economy has improved, one of Iran’s most prominent hardliners said on Tuesday, setting a battle line for a presidential election in May. Rouhani is opposed by hardliners who resent the nuclear deal he struck with world powers including the United […]

Iranian ships harass US Navy surveillance vessel twice in one week

Last Thursday, an American surveillance ship, the USNS Invincible, had a run-in with Iranian Naval frigate that U.S. officials characterized as “unprofessional.”  The ship was then harassed by Iranian vessels once again on Saturday, forcing it and the British ships it was accompanied by to change course to avoid a collision. The USNS Invincible is […]

Netanyahu to meet Putin, says Iran seeks permanent foothold in Syria

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday to voice opposition to what the Israeli leader charged were Iran’s attempts to establish a permanent military foothold in Syria. “In the framework of a (future peace agreement) or without one, Iran is attempting to base itself permanently in […]