Middle East

During US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to the Gulf states this week, he made it clear that Iran would not be allowed to impose tolls on ships wishing to pass through the strait. 

"You Zionists must leave all of Lebanon. This land is the arena of resistance and steadfastness, not a playground for occupiers," he demanded in a social media post.

Rubio was in the UAE and then Kuwait. The visits to Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE are important, as these countries were attacked by Iran during the latest conflict.

CENTCOM is entering direct talks with the IRGC in Qatar in a rare military-to-military channel that bypasses usual State Department or CIA mediation.

Syrian authorities have maintained that the woman voluntarily left her family home and converted of her own free will. Her family, however, contends that she was abducted and is being held by force.

Mohammed Aydah, a Yemeni who reported for Saudi channel Al Arabiya, was killed by a car bomb in Mukalla, in eastern Yemen.

“The ISF welcomes its newest members from the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces. Their arrival strengthens the international effort to support the people of Gaza,” the Board posted on social media.

Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin's meeting with Deputy Commander Saddam Haftar of the Libyan National Army marks a major about-face from previous antagonisms.

A US State Department official claimed that Israel has withdrawn from southern Lebanon buffer zones, but two IDF sources denied this, and a Lebanese official said they were unaware of it.

Italy, France agree on coalition to support Lebanon after UN mission ends • S. Korean ships leave Strait of Hormuz • Iran rejects claim unfrozen funds to be spent in US