Author Archives: jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 14/5 The current tensions in Jerusalem are not traceable to a single source.  The always charged period of Ramadan, the cancellation of Palestinian elections, the attacks on Ultra-orthodox Jews and the response to these by Jewish far right … Continue reading →

Gideon Levy in an article in today’s Haaretz described the current ‘Palestinian violence’ in Jerusalem (ie the ongoing, random, thuggish assaults on Israeli Jewish civilians in the city) as ‘the most justified and restrained act of resistance against injustice and … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 23/4 Rising Tempo of attacks on US forces, facilities in Iraq by pro-Iran militias A notable uptick in attacks on US personnel and facilities in Iraq has taken place in recent weeks.  In the latest incident, five rockets … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 9/4 State Department, UN and NGO Reports cite pattern of grave human rights violations, assaults and targeting of women by Turkish-controlled Islamist militias Located in the north west corner of Syria, the Turkish-controlled Afrin area is largely off … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 26/3 What is the Significance of the Recent Flurry of Russian Mid-East related Diplomatic Activity? In an event covered in a variety of regional media outlets  but largely ignored further afield, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met on … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 12/3 On Sunday, a series of drone and missile attacks were launched at military and oil industry related facilities in Saudi Arabia.  Among the sites targeted was the oil storage yard at Ras Tanoura, which is the site … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 26/2 Largely ignored by the global media, the fighting in Yemen between the Saudi-supported government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Iran-supported Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement, is currently at its most intense since 2018. The Houthis (named … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 12/2 A joint military exercise involving the Turkish and Pakistani special forces commenced this week in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.  The exercise, dubbed ‘Ataturk XI-2021, is to focus on counter terror operations.  It is the … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 15/1 US designation of Houthis in Yemen forms part of efforts to cement hardline strategy toward Iran In a statement issued  Sunday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that his office was set to inform Congress of … Continue reading →

Jewish Chronicle, 15/1/21 I met Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis outside the oil town of Baiji, in Sunni central Iraq, five years before he was killed by an American drone. The war against ISIS was at its height, and the Iranian military mastermind … Continue reading →