I’ve noticed that lately, the title of this section has not always fit the content. That is because the Middle East has been fairly boring lately compared to Eastern Europe. However, just because most eyes are on Russia and Ukraine, that doesn’t mean that all is calm over in my part of the world.
On Friday, the port city of Mahshahr in southern Iran was rocked by a major explosion at a petrochemical plant. The authorities attribute it to a tanker that caught fire, but people are skeptical. This same plant came under attack by armed men in February. This blast is the latest in a recent series of mysterious explosions throughout the Islamic Republic.
In a move that I’ve been predicting for months, Lebanon is finally bankrupt. Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh al-Shami said, “Unfortunately, the state is bankrupt, as is the Banque du Liban [Lebanon’s national bank]…and the loss occurred due to policies for decades, and if we did nothing, the loss would be much greater.” Al-Shami predicts that the costs will be spread across the state, the banks, and the depositors.
There is a major political drama in Israel right now. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett lost his majority in the Knesset when Idit Silman stepped away from the coalition. Now, the division between the two sides is even. Bennett was warned that there was trouble brewing, but he didn’t heed the admonitions. Now, it is possible that if one member of Bennett’s coalition crosses sides, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might be able to form a new government!
Israel is preparing for a fresh round of rockets from Gaza. It seems that of late it has become part of the Ramadan festivities. The country’s concerns appear to have been confirmed yesterday when an explosion took place in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Central Gaza. The cause was determined to be a failed rocket launch. At the same time, Israel is keeping its eyes on the south it is also watching as Iran continues to increase its presence in Syria, moving its militia influence and IRGC troops ever closer to the border.
Let me remind you to join the 260k+ others who are getting their real-time updates on the Russia/Ukraine war from my Telegram channel. This last week has been especially tragic. I saw so many dead bodies in Mariupol, a city that Russia then annexed to Donetsk. Then came the images showing the remains of so many dead in the streets in Bucha. Locals claim that they were the victims of extra-judicial executions by Russian troops as they were pulling out. The Russian foreign minister has claimed that the pictures were all staged.
In the continuing effort to rebound the Russian currency, President Vladimir Putin has threatened to cut off gas supplies to any “unfriendly” nation that does not pay for the commodity in rubles. This includes many western European countries and the US. Whatever Putin has been doing has been working. The ruble has bounced back to near pre-war levels.
After seeing that Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, and Estonia expelled Russian diplomats on Monday, Italy, Spain, and Slovenia followed suit the next day. Yesterday, Norway and Greece joined in. Other EU countries expelled their Russian diplomats last week, and the US ordered 12 Russian representatives to the UN to leave the country.
Viktor Orbán has overwhelmingly won reelection in Hungary. Labeled as “Putin’s friend” by the international press, the Hungarian people instead saw something worthwhile in the man who has been labeled “right-wing” and a “nationalist”.
The United States and China are butting heads once again over Taiwan. The US just approved a $95 million boost to the island nation’s Patriot missiles system. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that the sale encroaches on Beijing’s sovereignty and security, and will endanger peace in the region.
