US Efforts to Crush Middle East “Axis of Resistance” Are Just Making it Stronger

Iran, confident in its economic clout and ability to rebuke Washington’s attempts to isolate it, has actually sought to increase its support for other members of the Resistance Axis since the U.S.’ decision to exit the Iran deal and attempts to threaten and isolate Tehran.

Whitney Webb
By Whitney Webb
A Hezbollah supporter waves her group flags during an election campaign speech by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, April 13, 2018. (AP/Hussein Malla)

BEIRUT – Since taking office, President Donald Trump has shown himself to be committed to “crushing” the so-called Axis of Resistance in the Middle East, an alliance -- composed of Iran, Syria, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah -- that opposes the West’s and Israel’s vision for the region. Over the course of his presidency, Trump has targeted the Resistance

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Here’s Why the Trump Administration’s New Iran Sanctions Will Fail

Unilateral US sanctions as a means of regime change or radically changing regime behavior have a strong record of failure, especially when applied to states with pricey primary commodities like petroleum.

Juan Cole
By Juan Cole
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative public policy think tank, in Washington, May 21, 2018. Pompeo issued a steep list of demands Monday that he said should be included in a nuclear treaty with Iran to replace the Obama-era deal, threatening "the strongest sanctions in history" if Iran doesn't change course. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speech on new sanctions on Iran lays out a wide range of Iranian behavior he would like to change, and specified harsh US financial sanctions as his instrument. Pompeo, a Kansas oil man backed by the Koch brothers, is just a former congressman and a virulent Christian fundamentalist with white nationalist

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An Israel-Iran War is Unlikely to Happen Any Time Soon

In September of last year, Israel held its largest military drill in 20 years, which was specifically designed to simulate a war, not with Iran or Syria, but with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Darius Shahtahmasebi
By Darius Shahtahmasebi
A U.N. peacekeeper observes construction workers building a wall along the Israeli border with Lebanon, in the costal town of Naqoura, south Lebanon, Feb. 8, 2018. (AP/Hussein Malla)

Writing in the Asia Times earlier this month, David P. Goldman lamented that an Israel-Iran war is unlikely to take place any time soon. His observation appears surprising considering the mainstream media has been hyping up the idea of such a war over the past few months. Nevertheless, he is correct. Short of something catastrophic that

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New Actors Could Be Drawn into Israel’s Coming War With Hezbollah

The looming showdown between Israel and Hezbollah will be nothing like the last. A new cadre of battle-tested Hezbollah fighters returning from Syria and a myriad of bolstered alliances have Israel scrambling.

Darius Shahtahmasebi
By Darius Shahtahmasebi
Hezbollah fighters advancing up a hill as they hold Lebanese, Syrian and their group's flags in the mountainous region of Qalamoun, Syria, Aug 28, 2017. (Syrian Central Military Media, via AP)

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL -- In mid-2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a short-lived ground war in Lebanon, the outcome of which has generally been accepted as a victory for Hezbollah, as Israel struggled to inflict any meaningful damage on the Lebanon-based group. As the Nation’s Sulome Anderson has explained: The 2006 war was an impressive win for the

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Nasrallah: Bush Administration Tried to Bribe Hezbollah to Cease Resistance to Israel

In a recent speech, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the George W. Bush administration tried to cut a deal with the group, stating the idea was hatched by former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Whitney Webb
By Whitney Webb
Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah speaks on a screen via a video link during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the death of Hezbollah leaders in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Feb. 16, 2018. (AP/Bilal Hussein)

BEIRUT, LEBANON – Speaking on Sunday, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, told residents in the town of Nabatieh that the United States had previously attempted to bribe Hezbollah in an effort to stop its armed resistance in defense of Lebanese sovereignty. Hezbollah, formed in response to the Israeli

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US Commander: ‘US Troops Prepared to Die for Israel’ in War against Syria, Hezbollah

Operation Juniper Cobra is not a routine exercise; it is a portent of a potentially devastating war against Syria, Hezbollah and Gaza for which Israel is actively preparing — a war likely to erupt within the coming months.

Whitney Webb
By Whitney Webb
Soldiers from the U.S. Army and the Israel Defense Force (IDF carry a litter with a mock patient during a mass casualty training as part of the combined missile defense exercise known as Juniper Cobra 18, Feb. 28, 2018. (U.S. Navy photo)

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL – Last Sunday, the largest joint military exercise between the United States and Israel began with little fanfare. The war game, dubbed “Operation Juniper Cobra,” has been a regular occurrence for years, though it has consistently grown in size and scope. Now, however, this year’s 12-day exercise brings a portent of conflict unlike

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