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  • U.S. military completes temporary pier off Gaza; deliveries to start within days

    The U.S. Army has completed a temporary pier on a Gazan beach; trucks should begin hauling away the first 500 tons of aid for civilians within days, with thousands more tons in the pipeline, Pentagon officials said Thursday.

  • Israeli military takes control of vital Rafah crossing from Gaza into Egypt

    The Israeli military seized control of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on Tuesday and its tanks pushed into the southern Gazan town of Rafah after a night of air strikes on the Palestinian enclave.
    The Israeli offensive took place as mediators struggled to secure a ceasefire agreement between Israel and its Hamas foes and as the conflict entered its 8th month.
    The Palestinian militant group said late on Monday it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal but Israel said the terms did not meet its demands.

  • U.S. Shuffles Military Assets in Middle East After Gulf Pushback

    The U.A.E. informed the U.S. in February that it would no longer permit American warplanes and drones based at Al Dhafra air base in Abu Dhabi to carry out strikes in Yemen and Iraq without notifying Emirati officials ahead of time. That has prompted U.S. commanders to send the additional aircraft to Al Udeid air base in Qatar, the small Persian Gulf monarchy that hasn’t imposed similar restrictions, U.S. officials said.

  • U.S. Shuffles Military Assets in Middle East After Gulf Pushback

    The U.A.E. informed the U.S. in February that it would no longer permit American warplanes and drones based at Al Dhafra air base in Abu Dhabi to carry out strikes in Yemen and Iraq without notifying Emirati officials ahead of time. That has prompted U.S. commanders to send the additional aircraft to Al Udeid air base in Qatar, the small Persian Gulf monarchy that hasn’t imposed similar restrictions, U.S. officials said.

  • 9% spike in Mideast military spending driven by Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey

    The institute noted that three largest spenders in the region — Saudi Arabia, Israel and Turkey — all increased military spending last year. Saudi Arabia was the fifth largest spender in the world, with spending increasing 4.3% from the year prior to $75.8 billion in 2023. However, Saudi military spending from the 2014 through 2023 decreased by 18% compared to the previous decade.  

  • Israel military strikes northern Gaza in heaviest shelling in weeks

    Israel bombarded northern Gaza overnight in some of the heaviest shelling in weeks, panicking residents and flattening neighbourhoods in an area where the Israeli army had previously drawn down its troops, residents said on Tuesday.
    Tanks made a new incursion east of Beit Hanoun on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip, though they did not penetrate far into the city, residents and Hamas media said. Gunfire reached some schools where displaced residents were sheltering.

  • Middle East military burden is world’s highest in 2023 as Israel spending up 24%

    Middle East countries spent 4.2 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence in 2023, the highest rate globally, as Israel's military expenditure jumped by nearly a quarter amid its intensifying war in Gaza, according to new research.

    Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP, known as the military burden, is a measure of the relative economic cost of defence for a country.

    In 2023 the average military burden "grew substantially" for nations in the Middle East by 0.5 percentage points, according to the latest data by the Sweden-based think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri). The independent institute conducts research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.

  • Iran’s military stays on ‘high alert’ as diplomacy ‘relies on Gaza’

    While details remain unclear, Israel is suspected of having targeted military sites in central Iran and early warning facilities in Syria. The Iranians were informed that there would be Israeli activity via two regional channels carrying a message from the US, Amwaj.media has learned. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Arab diplomatic source alleged that Israel was planning to strike earlier this week, but that the targets it chose were vetoed by the Joe Biden administration. Amwaj.media could not independently confirm this assertion.

  • US confirms $240m in military sales to Iraq, Saudi Arabia

    The Defense Security Cooperation Agency has approved the sale of C-172 and AC/RC-208 aircraft contractor logistics support and training to Iraq, and multifunctional information distribution systems to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

    The United States Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of their approval of the possible foreign military sale of aircraft contractor logistics to the government of Iraq and multifunctional information distribution systems to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
    Valued at US$140 million, the DSCA gave the greenlight for the provision of contractor logistics support of its C-172 and AC/RC-208 aircraft fleet, which is expected to help the country overcome its current and future threats by sustaining the aircraft. The principal contractor will be Northrop Grumman, with the DSCA identifying that the sale will support the foreign policy and national security interests of its strategic partner.

  • Top US, Saudi military generals hold call after Iran attack

    Saudi Arabia’s Chief of General Staff Gen. Fayyad Al-Ruwaili held a phone call with Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. to discuss international allies and the security situation in the Middle East following Iran’s attack on Israel, Joint Staff Spokesperson Navy Capt. Jereal Dorsey announced on Monday.

    The two officials highlighted the partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia, reaffirming their commitment to promoting peace and stability in the region.