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
Pleasantries aside, can Trump deliver what Erdogan wants? Turkey expects President Donald Trump to help it avoid US sanctions over the S-400 affair, but many in Turkey question whether Trump has that power. Turkey
Intel: Why Washington still hasn’t sanctioned Turkey over Russian missile purchase President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that Turkey will receive the first shipment of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia next week. Turkey
Top US general’s retirement marks turning point in Mideast operations Will Gen. Joseph Votel's retirement result in the end of US low-budget warfare in the region? Iraq
Intel: Why Turkey is intent on proceeding with Russian arms deal The first shipment of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system will arrive in Turkey “within one week or 10 days,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced yesterday. Turkey
House panel advances bipartisan Saudi sanctions bill over Khashoggi murder The House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously advances a bill that would sanction Saudis involved in the Jamal Khashoggi slaying. Saudi Arabia
Turkey makes case to Congress to drop S-400 sanctions Turkey is making a final pitch to Congress to prevent US sanctions for purchasing a Russian air defense system, according to documents reviewed by Al-Monitor. Turkey
Congress advances bill sidelining Turkey on Mediterranean gas dispute The Senate advanced a bill rebuking Turkish attempts to drill for gas near Cyprus. Turkey
Qatar, Bahrain duck congressional backlash against Gulf arms sales As scrutiny grows over arms transfers to Washington’s Gulf allies, the Senate narrowly voted to allow weapons sales to Qatar and Bahrain. Saudi Arabia
Congress opens several new fronts in bid to block Gulf arms sales The House joined Senate efforts to stop the Donald Trump administration from selling arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia
G-20 summit could be last exit before all-out US-Turkey crisis Turkey doesn’t know “how to reply” to US Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan’s letter, a senior security source tells Al-Monitor. Turkey
Trump leaves Congress in dark on Mideast deployment to counter Iran The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee says Congress has yet to hear back from the Donald Trump administration on how long a fresh rotation of troops, ships and planes sent to counter Iran will remain in the Middle East. Congress
Republicans rebuke Trump over Gulf arms sales Congress is going on offense against President Donald Trump’s use of emergency powers to arm Arab states. Saudi Arabia
