CENTCOM commander acknowledges he did not try to stop Taliban from entering Kabul “If someone actually made a decision, that would’ve been me,” Gen. Kenneth 'Frank' McKenzie told House lawmakers during a hearing today. Congress
US House passes measure to end maintenance for Saudi aircraft targeting Yemen Progressives' bid to get Riyadh to stop bombing Yemen may test Biden's commitment to Gulf allies. Congress
House Democrats back away from delaying Israel arms sale amid Gaza conflict The Biden administration will brief lawmakers on the proposed $735 million sale of JDAM guidance conversion kits and other weapons equipment. Congress
Trump hails Syria ‘breakthrough,’ lifts sanctions on Turkey President Donald Trump hailed an apparent Turkish decision to halt a military offensive in Syria as a major breakthrough and said now the United States was getting out. Syria
Al Jazeera spends more than $500,000 defending itself against attacks The Qatari broadcaster is under attack from Doha’s Gulf rivals. Saudi Arabia
Syrian Kurds bring demands to Washington The Syrian Democratic Council hopes to convince the Trump administration to rethink its withdrawal. Syria
Trump's Syria pullout divides Iran hawks Despite bipartisan rebuke, some see great benefits in fixing ties with Turkey. Iraq
Turkey lobbies Congress against lifting Cyprus arms embargo as tensions mount Ankara is scrambling to keep Congress from lifting a three-decade arms embargo on Cyprus as US-Turkey tensions mount. Turkey
Turkish foreign minister: US-Turkey deal 'not a cease-fire' Vice President Mike Pence announced that Turkish officials have agreed to suspend military operations in northeast Syria for five days to allow Kurdish forces to withdraw from the border area. Syria
Trump-connected lobbyist drops Turkish bank after indictment Halkbank had hired Brian Ballard’s firm in 2017. Turkey
Pentagon blames Turkey for strikes near US troops in Syria The Pentagon held Turkey responsible for shelling American units in the Syrian city of Kobani on Friday, in spite of denials from Ankara. Turkey
Intel: What’s in Congress’ new Turkey sanctions package Infuriated with President Donald Trump for greenlighting Turkey’s offensive against the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., are turning to sanctions legislation. Syria
Confusion reigns as Trump authorizes troop withdrawal from Turkish-Syrian border towns US President Donald Trump's announcement catches Pentagon, State Department and Syrian Kurds off guard as Turkey assumes a primacy of sorts in the president's thinking despite the S-400 fiasco. Syria
Congress pushes Trump to get tough on Idlib Congress is calling on the State Department to get tougher on calling out reported Syrian war crimes as forces loyal to the Bashar al-Assad regime attempt to advance deeper into Idlib, one of the opposition’s last holdouts in the war-torn country. Syria
