Syria’s Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led government and its role in the massacre of well over a thousand civilians, mostly Alawites, in the northwest earlier this month continues to loom large not just internally but in Syria’s relationship with the...
US Says It Killed ISIS Second-in-Command in Iraq Airstrike
The US has announced an airstrike in Iraq that it claimed killed the deputy leader of ISIS. US Central Command said that on March 13, its forces "conducted a precision airstrike in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, that killed the Global ISIS #2 leader, chief of operations and...
Tehran Slams US Ending Waiver That Allowed Iraq To Buy Electricity from Iran
Iran on Monday denounced the US decision not to renew a sanctions waiver for Iraq that allowed it to purchase electricity from neighboring Iran, a move that's part of the Trump administration's so-called "maximum pressure campaign" against Tehran. "Such statements are...
CENTCOM: Five ISIS Fighters Killed by US-Backed Airstrike in Iraq
US Central Command said in a press release on Saturday that its forces backed an airstrike near Rawa, Iraq, that was launched by Iraqi Security Forces on February 12. The command claimed the strike killed five ISIS fighters and said its "initial post-strike clearance...
Yemen’s Houthis Ready To Restart Attacks on Israel If Gaza Ceasefire Fails
Yemen's Houthis are ready to restart attacks on Israel if there is an escalation of Israeli attacks on Gaza and the ceasefire falls apart, the group's leader said on Tuesday. "Our hands are on the trigger, and we are ready to immediately escalate against the Israeli...
CENTCOM Says Five ISIS Members Killed in US-Backed Airstrikes in Iraq
US Central Command said in a press release on Tuesday that its forces supported airstrikes near Kirkuk, Iraq, on January 31 that it claimed killed five ISIS operatives. The command said the airstrikes were carried out by Iraqi government security forces and "enabled"...
Pentagon Admits It’s Been Lying About the Number of Troops in Both Iraq and Syria
The Pentagon said on Monday that the US has more troops deployed in Iraq than it has been disclosing, an admission that comes after it revealed there are significantly more US troops in Syria than the US has said. For years, the Pentagon has said there are 900 troops...
US Considering Removing HTS From Terror List After Syria Takeover
The US is considering removing the al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from the list of US-designated terror organizations after the group led the offensive that ousted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Washington Post reported that US officials...
Al-Qaeda Linked Militants Seize Major Syrian City of Hama
Just over a week after taking Aleppo, the Syrian Islamist fighters led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have seized another major city. This time, they have taken Hama, Syria’s fourth largest city, which had not fallen during the protracted Syrian Civil War. Senior...
US Bombs ‘Iranian-Aligned’ Targets in Syria
The US military announced on Monday that it launched multiple strikes against "Iranian-aligned" targets in Syria, referring to Shia militias that are allied with Iran. US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed in a press release that the strikes were launched in...


