The disappearance and apparent assassination of Jamal Khashoggi have disrupted the Saudi government’s charm offensive in the United States. Think tanks are returning Saudi money. Defense contractors are worried about the end of lucrative arms deals. Sen. Marco Rubio says “no more business as usual.” The otherwise friendly editorial page of the Washington Post is...
Category: Middle East
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Intel Error: How the U.S. Inflates the Terrorist Threat
U.S. intelligence and media reports often make a fundamental mistake about “terrorists” in the Middle East, says Gregory Johnsen, former Fulbright Scholar in Yemen and well-informed author. IOW, he’s not a Washington armchair pundit. This mistake is this, Johnsen says.
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Israeli intelligence Sees Iran Consolidating Gains in Syria
From the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center in Israel comes this new Zionist assessment of Iran’s recent successes in Syria and Iraq. What does the report tell us?
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Telegram-ed to Death Row: Iraqi Intelligence Captured ISIS Leader With an App
The death sentence handed down last month to Ismail Alwan Salman al-Ithawi, deputy leader of the Islamic State, reminded me of the clever intelligence operation that nabbed four other top ISIS commander. Reminder to aspiring spies: Don’t trust your smart phone.
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Intel Wars: The Battlespace Over Syria, as Seen Through Israeli Eyes
A detailed report from Haaretz diplomatic correspondent Amos Harel recreates the incident last month in which Russian anti-aircraft forces shot down one of their own planes, amidst an Israeli attack on Iranian targets in Syria.