MIDDLE EAST

Shi’ite rebels who stormed through Yemen’s capital Sana’a unopposed last month are now expected to seal their grip on the country by capturing oilfields and the strategically located Bab al-Mandeb strait. Huthi militiamen stormed in the capital on September 21st and easily took over government facilities, and now run checkpoints and patrols in the city as security forces are nowhere …

Shi’ite rebels in Yemen rejected the appointment of new Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Mubarak on Tuesday, in a major blow to hopes of restoring peace in the country.The Huthis had stormed into the capital on September 21st and established a strong military presence quickly, manning checkpoints and mounting patrols. “We strongly reject this nomination, which is not in accord …

The United States on Tuesday said that it was “horrific” watching the battle of Syrian Kurdish town Kobane in real time and insisted that it doesn’t want the town to fall to the Islamic State (IS). The three-week siege of Kobane seems to be on the verge of ending soon, despite the efforts of the US-led coalition in the town. …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said that Kobane was “about to fall” after Islamic State (IS) fighters advanced into the southwest part of the town, pressing home their three-week assault, which has reportedly cost around 400 lives. The prospect of the Syrian Kurdish town, which lies on the Turkish border, being captured by the extremists will likely increase pressure …

On Monday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned Sweden’s ambassador to Israel to protest Stockholm’s declaration to recognize the state of Palestine. Swedish Ambassador Carl Magnus Nesser was asked to come in by Aviv Shir-On, the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s deputy director general for Europe – Shir-On had “protested and expressed Israel’s disappointment” after Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Loefven declared his intention …

Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg on Monday said that it will protect Turkey, a member-nation of NATO, against attacks from extremist group Islamic State (IS), which is battling to capture territory in Iran and neighbor Syria near the Turkish borderline. “Turkey is a NATO ally and our main responsibility is to protect the integrity, the borders of Turkey. We …

Twenty extremists from radical group Islamic State (IS) on Sunday night were killed when they tried to occupy Syrian Kurdish border town Kobane, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said. According to the monitor, the extremists were killed by Kurdish fighters belonging to the People’s Protection Units when they tried to enter an eastern neighborhood of Kobane. The Kurdish militia …

The European Union on Friday said that Israel’s plans for building new settlement houses in East Jerusalem posed a threat to peace in the region and Israel’s relations with the EU, joining the US in its criticism of Israel’s decision – Germany, France and the US have all called Israel out on the planned settlement blocs. “This represents a further …

The following are some interesting figures from September: It will cost  $7.8  billion to reconstruct Gaza, according to a study by the Palestinian Authority. 43 members of the elite intelligence-gathering Unit 8200 of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sent a letter to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stating their refusal to serve in reserve duty in Palestine. The refuseniks decried many tactics …

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu promised that his government will do whatever it can to stop Islamic State (IS) militants from capturing the Syrian Kurdish town Kobane, saying that the Turkish Parliament has approved military action in Syria. The IS has been advancing towards the town of Ain al-Arab, known among the Kurds as Kobane, which lies close to the …