NBC News last week described Israel as a “sanctuary” for wounded Syrians, with doctors having tended to scores of patients who have fled the war-torn country. More than 120 Syrians have received medical treatment in various Israeli facilities during the two and a half years of the Syrian civil war....

Turkish officials on Thursday leaked to Turkish media that normalization talks with Israel are going just fine: Talks to normalize frayed relations between Israel and Turkey “are on track and can be concluded at any time,” Today’s Zaman reported on Thursday, citing a Turkish official. “This should not surprise anyone....

In between boasts regarding Western collapse, Iranian and Syrian officials have again threatened to lash out against the U.S. and its allies – France is being explicitly named – should Western powers take military action against the Bashar al-Assad regime. Gen. Hossein Salami, acting commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard...

The Associated Press yesterday declared that the Egyptian-controlled Sinai Peninsula had become “a new front for jihad.” IDF intelligence records some 300 terror attacks which have been launched against Egyptian security forces in the area in recent weeks. A single attack saw 25 Egyptian police officers reportedly slain in “execution-style”...

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today approved a resolution authorizing President Barack Obama to use military force against Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime. The approved wording limits military action to 60 days with a potential 30 day extension, and includes strong language advocated by Sen. John McCain linking action to an...

News leaked late today that President Barack Obama’s national security aides are urging the administration to suspend “hundreds of millions” of dollars of assistance to Egypt. The move would come months after the Egyptian military responded to a week of mass anti-government protests, during which demonstrators called for the resignation...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has evaluated the evidence for and against claims that Moscow’s Syrian client used chemical weapons against civilians in rebel-controlled districts of Damascus, and – per an interview with the Associated Press – has expressed himself skeptical. The Russian strongman sought to cast doubt on the claims...

A breaking story from Reuters this afternoon has it that a leading Syrian military official, former Syrian Defense Minister General Ali Habib, has defected from the regime and is now in Turkey. The defection, if confirmed, will be read along multiple dimensions. Analysts seeking to evaluate the morale and readiness...

Opposition groups are sounding alarms suggesting that the Bashar al-Assad regime is once again planning to use chemical weapons. A spokesman for the Syrian National Council described the details: Two convoys transporting chemical weapons warheads were moved sometime in the last 24 hours, and have reached their destinations, said Khaled...

Amid spiking tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean – The Israel Project’s illustrated situation analysis as of Monday is here – Iran has announced the development and deployment of a new warship. The declaration, conveyed by Iranian state media, is unlikely to calm matters: A senior Iranian commander announced on Tuesday...