Russian President Vladimir Putin has evaluated the evidence for and against claims that Moscow’s Syrian client used chemical weapons against civilians in rebel-controlled districts of Damascus, and – per an interview with the Associated Press – has expressed himself skeptical. The Russian strongman sought to cast doubt on the claims...

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A breaking story from Reuters this afternoon has it that a leading Syrian military official, former Syrian Defense Minister General Ali Habib, has defected from the regime and is now in Turkey. The defection, if confirmed, will be read along multiple dimensions. Analysts seeking to evaluate the morale and readiness...

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Opposition groups are sounding alarms suggesting that the Bashar al-Assad regime is once again planning to use chemical weapons. A spokesman for the Syrian National Council described the details: Two convoys transporting chemical weapons warheads were moved sometime in the last 24 hours, and have reached their destinations, said Khaled...

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Amid spiking tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean – The Israel Project’s illustrated situation analysis as of Monday is here – Iran has announced the development and deployment of a new warship. The declaration, conveyed by Iranian state media, is unlikely to calm matters: A senior Iranian commander announced on Tuesday...

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Hezbollah maintains an extensive terror network in the United States. It has sought to facilitate [PDF] attacks on U.S. airports. Its agents have targetted American embassies in Asia. A recent article by Matthew Levitt described how “the Hezbollah-Qods Force threat has sometimes eclipsed that of al-Qaeda.” In the context of...

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Israel’s Defense Ministry confirmed this morning that Jerusalem had carried out a successful anti-missile exercise over the Mediterranean. The test – which came amid renewed, destabilizing threats of attack from the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria – was reportedly conducted as a joint exercise with the United States. The missiles...

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Amid frustration at an inevitable Russian or Chinese veto of robust UN action targeting Syria in the aftermath of a mass chemical attack by the regime against opposition-controlled Damascus suburbs, the White House today pressed its case regarding potential military action. Criticism of the international bloc’s role in shielding the...

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Top administration officials declared today that they are committed to acting alone if necessary in striking the Bashar al-Assad regime, after a vote last night in Britain’s House of Commons saw the body rejecting Prime Minister David Cameron’s request to endorse British military action against Damascus. President Barack Obama pressed the U.S. case, and...

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Israel is preparing for an array of cyber threats in the event that Syria and its Iranian backers make good on days of threats to lash out against the Jewish state should the West act militarily against the Bashar al-Assad regime: An Israeli army spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Media Line...

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Iranian officials today escalated their threats against Israel, with multiple military figures declaring that Israel would be attacked in the event of Western air strikes against the Iranian-allied Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria: “Any military measure against Syria will draw the Zionists deep in the fire [as well],” said Major...

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