As Egypt and Qatar try to forge a ceasefire that would cut short Israel’s offensive against Gaza City, leaders in Cairo and other major Arab capitals are also moving forward with efforts to assemble a viable “day after” plan to govern and secure the Gaza Strip in a postwar period. U.S. and regional leaders assess that mounting Israel Defense Forces (IDF) casualties and an expanding global outcry over the severe humanitarian conditions in Gaza will eventually compel Israeli Prime Ministe...| The Soufan Center
Tensions continue to rise along the Lebanese border, centered around the town of Ghajar, a disputed area that straddles Lebanon and Syrian territory captured and occupied by Israel since 1967. Ghajar mushroomed into Lebanese territory as its population grew in the 1980s and 1990s, the same time period during which Israel occupied southern Lebanon| The Soufan Center
In the forty-five years since Iran’s Islamic Republic came to power, economic sanctions have been used as a key U.S. tool to try to change Iran’s behavior and curb Iran’s ability to fund and arm its wide network of regional armed factions.| The Soufan Center