Middle East
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom says the department has failed to adequately protect people fleeing religious persecution and to penalize violators of religious freedom.
“Leave the Kurds alone,” Iraqi first lady Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed wrote. “We are not guns for hire.”
New Jersey working to assist residents stranded in Middle East amid regional conflict, governor says
Gov. Mikie Sherrill criticized the federal response, stating that “this administration was slow to provide proactive notifications or adjust travel warnings until many were already in a dangerous situation.”
Israeli forces pound Iranian command centers; Jerusalem says Air Force has fired thousands of munitions to degrade the Islamic Republic’s power.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sent two Soviet-era Su-24 tactical bombers toward Al-Udeid Air Base, on Monday morning.
The IDF has been deployed across Lebanon’s south following Hezbollah’s decision to join the war on behalf of Iran.
Militias near the Iran-Iraq border are being considered an ally in internal fighting, according to “Reuters.”
“These Iranian actions reflected ‘an escalatory approach’ and did not indicate any genuine desire for de-escalation,” the Qatari foreign ministry stated.
Iran’s calculations in striking Gulf states are a subject of debate, with some analysts saying Iran is trying to leverage the U.S. back to the negotiating table.
Any civilians “near Hezbollah members, facilities or combat equipment are putting their lives at risk.”
“Go after Hezbollah who has American blood on its hands,” the senator urged.
The rescue mission came “at the request of security authorities,” Jerusalem stated.
