PMU react angrily to US attack on Kataib Hezbollah facilities near Syrian border

US strikes on Kataib Hezbollah near the Syrian border have sparked debate over whether the attack infringed on Iraq's sovereignty. Al-Monitor spoke to the PMU commander for western Anbar, where dozens of fighters officially under his command were killed.

Iraq

Critics say Assad unlikely to suffer under Caesar sanctions

The Syrian opposition backs the Caesar Act, recently approved by the United States, but questions whether the US administration is serious about implementing it and how it might affect the Syrian government and its allies.

Syria

Iraq on brink of abyss: What happens next?

The steadily increasing crisis in Iraq is getting deeper over time, opening the space for a total political collapse.

Iraq

Will Iran take up Trump’s offer to ‘make a deal together’?

President Donald Trump may be ready for another deal with Iran, and if so, Tehran’s leaders should take him up on it.

Iraq

US re-ups support for Sinai mission

The United States will continue to fund peacekeeping efforts in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula despite concerns over Russia's influence in the region.

Egypt

Could Congress' latest Syria sanctions bill backfire?

The congressional bill will exacerbate the economic situation in Syria and ultimately increase Syria’s dependency on Iran.

Syria

Tehran convenes allies against threats that include US

Iran outlined many concerns it shares with other participants at its recent security conference, especially about Afghanistan and the US presence there.

Russia

Rouhani claims US sanctions will pass

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told Japanese and Indian officials he believes that the United States will soon have no choice but to end its pressure campaign against Iran.

United States

Intel: Saudi court hands out death sentences in Khashoggi killing

A Saudi court handed down death sentences today to five people linked to the 2018 slaying of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while others will serve long jail sentences or be acquitted.

Saudi Arabia

Congress forces Trump to restore Palestinian aid

Congress has a plan to restore some of the Palestinian aid that President Donald Trump eliminated.

Palestine

Intel: Pentagon refuses to put timeline on Syria mission

Defense Secretary Mark Esper refused to put a timeline on the Pentagon’s scaled-down mission to defeat the Islamic State and guard Syrian oil fields at the agency’s last press briefing of the year.

Syria

UAE insists it’s not lobbying for sanctions against Turkey after all

Lobbyists for the UAE embassy in Washington have clarified their talking points to Congress.

United Arab Emirates