Author: Steven Sahiounie

Residents of a town in Syria’s eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr have reportedly blocked a US military convoy as it was attempting to pass through their community, as public outrage is boiling over the presence of American occupation forces in the energy-rich region of the war-torn Arab nation. According to a report published by Syria’s official news agency SANA, the convoy of armored vehicles had to turn around and head back in the directions it came from after locals of Jadeed Bakara town intercepted and expelled it from the area on Tuesday. The development came a week after a US convoy…

Iraq’s new Prime Minister Mohammed says he hopes to continue hosting tension-easing talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia since the two sides have already held several rounds of negotiations in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad since last April. Addressing his first press conference since the new government won the Iraqi parliament’s vote of confidence on Thursday, Shia al-Sudani said his administration has received signals for Iraq to continue hosting the dialogue between the two Persian Gulf countries. “We were asked to continue,” he said, without providing further information Back on September 24, the Iraqi foreign minister highlighted his country’s efforts to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia and…

The Israeli Central Elections Committee said on Wednesday, after processing 62% of the ballots, that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party leads the parliamentary elections. The vote count on Wednesday morning showed that Likud became the largest seat-holder in the Knesset with 33 seats, while incumbent Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party came in second with 25 seats. The Religious Zionism party ranked third with 14. The Ultra-Orthodox religious political party Shas and Defense Minister Beni Gantz’s National Unity Party received 12 seats each; United Torah Judaism religious conservative party and Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beytenu (Israel…

Algeria is hosting the 31st summit of the 22-member Arab League on 1 and 2 November, as countries in the region seek to tackle a spate of divisive issues on the agenda. Arab leaders are meeting in the Algerian capital, Algiers, for the first summit of the Arab League in three years, on 1 and 2 November. Algeria has taken over the rotating presidency of the League of Arab States (LAS). The 30th Arab League summit was hosted by Tunisia in 2019. Algeria’s Prime Minister, Aymen Benabderrahmane said before the gathering that the Palestinian issue would top the list of Arab priorities,…

The US and other forces in the Middle East have reportedly been put on alert Saudi Arabia has warned US intelligence officials of an imminent attack on its territory from Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. While no details of the intelligence in question was revealed by the newspaper, American, Saudi and allied forces in the Middle East have reportedly been placed on high alert. Iran intends to attack both the Kingdom itself and the Iraqi city of Erbil, where US troops are stationed, the officials told their American counterparts, according to the WSJ. Later on Tuesday, Pentagon…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The 2022 FIFA World Cup is about to open in November in the Islamic principality of Qatar in the oil-rich Persian Gulf. There have been continuing attacks on the government of Qatar from the beginning of the announcement that the tiny nation had been awarded the opportunity to be the first Arab nation to host the 2022 World Cup. The complaints against Qatar have focused on human rights abuses of the migrant workers who have built and maintained the infrastructure in Doha, and the lack of rights for the LBGT community. While football is…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The presidency of Lebanon’s Michel Aoun is coming to a close and politicians are anticipating a possible power vacuum if a decision cannot be made soon to fill the office. The parliament voted on October 24, but with only a week left to Aoun’s term, some ballots were left blank. Independent MP Michel Mouawad and scholar Issam Khalife both received votes. The next vote was set for October 27 by Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri. Prime Minister Najib Mikati is currently serving as caretaker, and politicians have suggested presidential powers could pass to…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator 13 people were killed and 58 wounded when Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired precision missiles and suicide drones at Kurds near Irbil and Sulaimaniya in northern Iraq on Wednesday morning. The attack was in retaliation after Iranian authorities accused Iranian Kurdish dissidents in Iraq of collaborating with Kurdish protesters in northwest Iran which is home to over 10 million Kurds. The first series of attacks began on Saturday, followed by more on Monday as Iran unleashed a wave of drone and artillery strikes targeting Kurdish positions. Koya, about 65 kilometers east of Irbil, was shelled. …

The sovereignty of Armenia is of value to America, the House speaker claims US House Speaker Nanacy Pelosi blamed Azerbaijan for the current flareup with Armenia and offered security assistance to Yerevan, as she arrived to the Armenian capital on Sunday. Pelosi said her trip was of prime importance in view of the “illegal and deadly attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenian territory.” “We strongly condemn those attacks. This was initiated by the Azeris and there has to be recognition of that,” she insisted. Border clashes erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan on Tuesday, with both sides accusing each other of initiating the violence.…

According to the Border Service, the two countries’ law enforcement agencies “are ensuring public order in border areas and are carrying out joint patrolling” of the motor road linking the Tajik cities of Khudzhand and Kanibadam and Jyrgyz settlement of Arka and Borborduk Additional forces and weapons are being withdrawn from the Kyrgyz-Tajik border in line with the agreements between the two countries, the Border Service of Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security said on Sunday. “Under the existing agreements, additional forces and weapons are being withdrawn from the state border to the places of their permanent deployment,” it said.…