Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah, publicly took credit for recent gains made against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), The Washington Post reported yesterday. In a videotaped speech delivered to followers in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Hasan Nasrallah called on the region’s traditional...

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Lebanon marked the tenth anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Saturday, bracing from the effects of numerous political and security challenges stemming from the Syrian conflict, infiltration by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and Iranian meddling. All of Lebanon’s political factions took part in the...

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The Syrian army, aided by Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces, has for the past several days been conducting an intensive military campaign in southern Syria. These forces are trying to regain control of areas controlled by the Syrian rebels and radical Islamist groups, some of whom are close to the border...

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The Islamic Republic of Iran is motivated by a revolutionary ideology to support global terrorism, and is unlikely to moderate that support even after a successful nuclear deal with the West, according to experts who testified before a House Foreign Affairs Committee subcommittee hearing yesterday. The experts were Frederick W. Kagan of the...

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As the Lebanese army intensifies its fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other Islamist groups, the United States, its allies and Iran are increasing their aid to Lebanon. Earlier this week, the U.S. delivered more than $25 million of American weapons, including heavy artillery, to...

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Syrian government troops, bolstered by Hezbollah militants and officers of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), are continuing a recently-launched offensive in southern Syria. Opposition forces had been making inroads in the region, but on Tuesday the pro-regime forces had “taken a string of villages and hills” along the border of the Israeli...

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Iran is marking the 36th anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution with massive state-sponsored rallies. State television aired scenes from the rallies in Tehran and around the country on February 11, showing participants chanting (Persian link) “down with the U.S.”, “death to America” and “death to Israel.” On February 11, 1979, followers...

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The Syrian regime, with the assistance of commanders from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and thousands of Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon, is finalizing preparations for a new battle plan to combat opposition forces along its southern front, according to sources close to the Syrian regime (Arabic link). Over the past...

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An American embassy official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the United States has provided the Lebanese military with $25 million in aid. Providing armed assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is longstanding American policy: according to the official, “In 2014 alone, the United States provided over $100 million to...

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The foreign ministry of the tiny Gulf kingdom of Bahrain condemned Iran’s “blatant interference” in its internal affairs. The statement made last week comes in response to remarks issued by the Iranian foreign ministry that condemned the December arrest of a Bahraini opposition leader. The Bahraini foreign ministry called on Iran to “adhere to...

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