TOP 2011 STORIES: With Syria in tailspin, Lebanon said under control of Iran, Hizbullah

TOP 2011 STORIES: With Syria in tailspin, Lebanon said under control of Iran, Hizbullah

Special to WorldTribune.com Wednesday, August 3, 2011 NICOSIA — The Lebanese government, amid the decline of its Syrian mentor, has lost control over much of the country. Opposition sources said the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati has lost control over the military and security services. They said the pro-Hizbullah government has watched how Iran […]

Iran opposition Mujahadeen Khalq nearing Iraq’s deadline for closing of camp

Iran opposition Mujahadeen Khalq nearing Iraq’s deadline for closing of camp

Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — The Iranian opposition is preparing to leave its main base in Iraq in exchange for international guarantees. The Mujahadeen Khalq said its members were prepared to leave Iraq’s Camp Ashraf by the end of 2011 if they receive guarantees from the United States and the United Nations for their safety. […]

Report: Syrian military deserters say Assad regime specified number of civilians to kill

Report: Syrian military deserters say Assad regime specified number of civilians to kill

Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The regime of President Bashar Assad has ordered the military to escalate attacks on protesters and provided troops with guidelines on how many dissidents to kill, a human rights group said. Human Rights Watch asserted that the Assad regime has ordered the military to kill civilians during every protest. The […]

Syria’s military takes time out from fighting rebel forces to conduct a missile exercise

Syria’s military takes time out from fighting rebel forces to conduct a missile exercise

Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Syria, amid the intensification of the Sunni revolt, has held a military exercise. The regime of President Bashar Assad reported a military exercise on Dec. 4 in eastern Syria. A Syrian government statement said the exercise was meant to test Assad’s huge Scud-class missile arsenal in any war. “Syrian missile […]

Report: Iran missile arsenal said hit hard by Nov. 12 blast at IRGC base

Report: Iran missile arsenal said hit hard by Nov. 12 blast at IRGC base

Special to WorldTribune.com JERUSALEM — Israel’s military has determined that a blast at an Iranian base could have significantly damaged the nation’s missile production capability. Officials said an explosion on Nov. 12 that rocked an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base outside Teheran harmed the nation’s ballistic intermediate-range missile program. They said the IRGC base, located […]

Arab Spring plus U.S. policy equals Arab Winter

Arab Spring plus U.S. policy equals Arab Winter

John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — After the heady and often dizzying political changes optimistically described as the Arab Spring, many of these same Middle Eastern states may be heading for what sadly looks like an Arab Winter. The seasonal political shift was predictable, but the end results remain in flux. The three great Middle […]

Russian Navy backs Syria, delivers weapons and S-300 air defense system

Russian Navy backs Syria, delivers weapons and S-300 air defense system

Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — Russia is said to have sent warships to deliver an advanced air defense system to Syria. Arab diplomatic sources said the Russian Navy arrived in the Syrian port of Tartous in late November and brought weapons and supplies to the regime of President Bashar Assad. “We see this as a […]

Explosion in Lebanon destroys Hizbullah facility said to contain missiles

Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — A major munitions warehouse of the Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah has been destroyed. Lebanese security sources said a Hizbullah arsenal outside the southern port city of Tyre was blown up on Nov. 23. The sources said the facility was believed to contain hundreds of missiles and rockets for the Hizbullah military. “Given […]

As the interntional community watches, transfixed, Iran advances towards its nuclear goal

John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Here we go again. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned that the Islamic Republic of Iran is developing the scientific technology needed to create a nuclear weapon. The UN watchdog agency presented an incriminating report at the organization’s Vienna headquarters which clearly states that Teheran appears to […]

Report: Palestinians planning diplomatic ‘third intifada’ to marginalize Israel

Report: Palestinians planning diplomatic ‘third intifada’ to marginalize Israel

Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The Palestinian Authority is focusing its efforts on a diplomatic offensive meant to delegitimize Israel, a report said. The Hudson Institute said the PA has embarked on what a report termed a “third intifada” or uprising, meant to expel Israel from the United Nations. The PA also intends to sue […]