Israel's War With Iran Has Reordered the Middle East—but Not as Expected
The Middle East is undergoing a dramatic realignment—just not the one U.S. and regional leaders envisioned less than two years ago.
Before the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, years of painstaking negotiations brought Saudi Arabia to the cusp of a landmark deal for diplomatic recognition of Israel. That would have solidified an Israeli-Arab coalition against Iran, locked in U.S. support for Saudi security and opened the door to greater acceptance of Israel in the Arab and Muslim worlds.
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Fox News
27 minutes ago
- Fox News
Joint Chiefs chair spotlights 44 heroes who defended US base from Iran missile attack: 'Absolutely crushed it'
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine revealed details of the young skeleton crew who were left to defend Al Udeid Air Base as they faced an incoming barrage of Iranian missiles on Monday. "We believe that this is the largest single Patriot engagement in U.S. military history," Caine said, referring to the U.S. surface-to-air missile defense system. "We were joined in this engagement by the Qatar Patriot cruise." Caine said the 44 soldiers left on base after it was evacuated ranged in age from 21 to 28. They were left with only two Patriot systems to defend the base, which is a major headquarters in the Middle East and home to 10,000 deployed American soldiers. "Imagine you're that young first lieutenant. You're 25 or 26 years old, and you've been assigned as the tactical director inside the command and control element. You, at that age, are the sole person responsible to defend this base," Caine said. He did not say if any of the Iranian missiles got through the Patriot defense systems. The Qataris have claimed one missile penetrated air defenses. "There was a lot of metal flying around. And yet our U.S. air defenders had only seconds to make complex decisions with strategic impact." "Simply stated, they absolutely crushed it," he concluded. Iran launched a missile attack on the Qatari-based U.S. base in response to U.S. attacks on its nuclear facilities. President Donald Trump revealed that Iran had given the U.S. a heads-up on the attack, in an effort to symbolically hit back at the strikes without escalating the situation. Iran used short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles to attack Al-Udeid Air Base, but no casualties were reported. The Al-Udeid base serves as a hub for logistical operations for the U.S. mission to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria. It also hosts Central Command's forward headquarters, as well as its air forces and special operations in the region. It has also been used as a headquarters for British involvement in airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq.

Associated Press
42 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Photos of Israel's underground parking lots and subways became bomb shelters amid war with Iran
Israel (AP) — Israelis in Tel Aviv and other cities hunkered down in parking lots and metro stations for protection from Iran's retaliatory strikes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched Israel's military campaign against Iran on June 13, targeting its military and nuclear program. Missile sirens triggered beachgoers to get out of the sun and go underground. As the days of back and forth strikes continued, until a June 24 ceasefire announcement, people opted to sleep there overnight, lining parking spaces and metro corridors with tents, bedding and pets in tow. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.


Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Days after Iran strikes, Trump administration to brief Congress
Four Trump administration officials will brief senators Thursday afternoon on the U.S. bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities, as lawmakers and the White House clash over access to intelligence about the strikes. Senate Democrats have pressed the administration for days to fill them in on the extent to which strikes damaged Iran's nuclear program. The White House plans to limit how much classified intelligence it shares with Congress after the leak of a preliminary intelligence assessment this week undercut President Donald Trump's claims about the impact. The Trump administration has pushed back on the leaked Defense Intelligence Agency assessment, which found the strikes had set Iran's nuclear program back by just months. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement Wednesday that several Iranian nuclear facilities had been 'destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years.' And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the leaked assessment as 'low-confidence' and cited the Israel Atomic Energy Commission's determination that the strikes set back Iran's nuclear program by years. The briefing will give senators the chance to question Ratcliffe and Hegseth behind closed doors. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are also set to join the briefing. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is not expected to join. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) said Wednesday that he wanted to know how much enriched uranium Iran possesses and how long it would take the country to build a nuclear weapon. He also called on the White House to 'immediately undo' its plans to limit intelligence sharing with Congress. 'The administration has no right to stonewall Congress on matters of national security,' Schumer said on the Senate floor. 'Senators deserve information, and the administration has a legal obligation to inform Congress precisely about what is happening right now abroad.' Democrats have fumed that the administration has not moved faster to fill in lawmakers on the strikes, but they have split on how to respond to them. Most House Democrats voted to dismiss an effort by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) to impeach Trump for striking Iran without consulting Congress — but 79 Democrats voted to advance it. 'Yes, it's probably wrong for the president not to come to Congress,' Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California), the former House speaker, told reporters this week when asked about the impeachment effort. But 'we can't ignore what is at stake, which is our national security to make sure Iran does not have a nuclear weapon and our friendship with Israel.' The Senate is set to vote this week on a resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) to block Trump from using military force against Iran without congressional authorization, but its prospects are uncertain after Trump helped broker a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel, ending the conflict at least temporarily. No Republicans have committed publicly to voting for it. And Kaine has said he expects one Democrat — Sen. John Fetterman (Pennsylvania), an outspoken supporter of Israel — to oppose it. Fetterman defended the effectiveness of the strikes ahead of the briefing. 'To those who were 'unimpressed' or borderline gloating on a leak: Operation Midnight Hammer worked,' Fetterman wrote Thursday, citing comments from Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency on French radio that the centrifuges at Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment facility were no longer operational. 'I've been calling for and fully supported those strikes, and it made the world safer. It should transcend partisan politics.' Marianna Sotomayor contributed to this report.