Syrian rebels claim Hizbullah took losses in fighting at Lebanon border

Syrian rebels claim Hizbullah took losses in fighting at Lebanon border

Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Hizbullah was said to have sustained heavy losses in fighting Sunni rebels along the Syrian border with Lebanon. The Syrian opposition asserted that nearly 100 Hizbullah troops were killed in the Syrian Army offensive to capture the rebel-held town of Qusair. The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at […]

Abbas gets heat from Congress after top aide praised Israeli’s killer

Abbas gets heat from Congress after top aide praised Israeli’s killer

Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — Congress has urged the Palestinian Authority to fire a leading official for praising a killer in the West Bank. Five senior House members have called on PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to dismiss his aide, Sultan Abu Al Einan, a leader in the ruling Fatah movement. The members said Al Einan […]

Hamas arrests outspoken critics of top donor Qatar

Hamas arrests outspoken critics of top donor Qatar

Special to WorldTribune.com GAZA CITY — The Hamas regime has begun arresting critics of its new ally, Qatar. Hamas security forces have sought to stop criticism of Qatar and its leading figures. Palestinian sources said the Hamas regime arrested a former Palestinian Authority minister after he criticized Qatar’s Sheik Yusef Qaradawi, deemed the leading Sunni […]

Blowback: Hizbullah in Lebanon hit by rocket attack from Syrian rebels

Blowback: Hizbullah in Lebanon hit by rocket attack from Syrian rebels

Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — For the first time in years, Hizbullah strongholds have been attacked in Lebanon. Sunni gunners fired two BM-21 Grad rockets toward Hizbullah strongholds in Beirut on May 26. Officials said the rockets fell near a church in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital. “This is an act of sabotage,” […]

The threat of sectarian war in Iraq looms larger

The threat of sectarian war in Iraq looms larger

Special to WorldTribune.com By Fariborz Saremi Sectarian tensions in Iraq are reaching a crisis point. A series of bombings in Sunni-dominated areas of Baghdad and its surroundings which resulted in over 700 hundred deaths in April, followed by 200 more deaths since Friday May 17, are indicative of the worsening security situation. Moreover, extreme forces […]

Fashion watch: Hamas won’t allow Western styles that lower ‘standards of manhood’

Fashion watch: Hamas won’t allow Western styles that lower ‘standards of manhood’

Special to WorldTribune.com GAZA CITY — Hamas has ordered security agencies to quell Western fashion in the Gaza Strip. Officials said the Interior Ministry has outlined standards of dress for young Muslims that rule out Western styles or haircuts. They said the ministry has recruited both the police and security forces for the campaign. “They […]

Iraqi policewomen to get training, ‘exposure to American culture’ in U.S.

Iraqi policewomen to get training, ‘exposure to American culture’ in U.S.

Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department has sponsored a visit by a delegation of Iraqi police officers for a training course in cooperation with the Iraqi Interior Ministry. The department’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs oversaw a three-week training course for 10 Iraqi women officers on criminal investigation and other issues. […]

Egypt lowers the boom on Sinai and wins release of security officers

Egypt lowers the boom on Sinai and wins release of security officers

Special to WorldTribune.com CAIRO — Egypt has employed negotiations and heavy military pressure to defuse an insurgency crisis in the Sinai Peninsula. The regime of President Mohammed Morsi has won the release of seven Egyptian soldiers and security officers held in Sinai. Officials said Bedouin gunmen released the seven unharmed on May 22 in a […]

Iraq’s Al Maliki continues to insist bogus device detects IEDs

Iraq’s Al Maliki continues to insist bogus device detects IEDs

Special to WorldTribune.com BAGHDAD — Iraq, in wake of a British court ruling, still insists that the thousands of British-origin fake bomb detectors remain effective. The government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki continues to claim that the ADE-651 hand-held device can actually detect bombs. The claims have come from Al Maliki as well […]

Morsi orders troops into Sinai after abduction of officers

Morsi orders troops into Sinai after abduction of officers

Special to WorldTribune.com CAIRO — Egypt has begun sending thousands of troops into the turbulent Sinai Peninsula. Officials said the Egyptian Army was sending scores of combat units to Sinai for another counter-insurgency offensive. They said the Army reinforcements were searching for seven officers abducted on May 16 near the border with Israel and the […]