{"id":6817,"date":"2024-12-06T09:10:43","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T15:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/?p=6817"},"modified":"2024-12-13T21:10:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-14T03:10:41","slug":"6817","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/2024\/12\/06\/6817\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIran, Hezbollah aim to bolster Assad as rebels bear down on Homs,\u201d<\/a> Reuters, 12-6-24.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran has ‘dramatically’ increased enrichment to near bomb grade -IAEA,\u201d<\/a> JPost, 12-6-24.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIf Iran continues on its expected uranium enrichment rate, it will be able to produce 12 nuclear bombs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSyrian rebels seize Iraqi crossing, choking Iranian lifeline to Hezbollah,\u201d<\/a> Iran International, 12-6-24.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cUS-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Syrian Kurdish fighters, seized the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor and a nearby Iraqi-Syrian border crossing used by Iran to arm Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Reuters reported on Friday. The Al-Bukamal crossing fell under SDF control on Friday, Reuters said citing two Syrian army sources. The border crossing in Deir ez-Zor was a key channel used by the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to transport weapons to Lebanon through Syria. “The IRGC established a land connection between the Resistance, linking Iran to Iraq, Iraq to Syria, and Syria to Lebanon. Today, you can get in a car in Tehran and disembark in the southern suburbs of Beirut,” former IRGC Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani had said in a 2019 speech. \u2026 Losing the Iraqi crossing could represent a huge blow to the regional hegemony Iran built up in the wake of the US invasion of Iraq and effectively split a so-called Shi’ite crescent spanning from the Iranian plateau to the Mediterranean.\u00a0 \u2026\u00a0 Local activists said the Syrian army and Tehran-backed forces had pulled out of Deir el-Zor before the SDF advance.\u00a0 Deir ez-Zor is the third city to slip from President Bashar al-Assad’s grasp in a week. Syrian opposition forces earlier captured the cities of Aleppo and Hama and are moving closer to capturing Homs, potentially threatening the capital Damascus and Assad\u2019s rule. \u2026 Iran plans to send weapons and personnel to Syria, a senior Iranian official said on Friday. [contrary to the NYT,] However, Russia doesn\u2019t have a plan to save Assad and doesn\u2019t see one emerging as long as the Syrian president\u2019s army continues to abandon its positions, Bloomberg reported Friday citing a person close to the Kremlin. Russia has launched a number of airstrikes against Syrian rebels over the past week; however, it has informed the Assad government that any intervention will be limited as it has other priorities at this time, Sky News Arabia reported Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cScience in Iran: A catalyst for corruption,\u201d<\/a> Index on Censorship, 12-6-24.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran conducts successful space launch, raising concerns over nuclear and missile programs,\u201d<\/a> AP, 12-6-24.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran\u2019s growing influence in the Black Sea region: Consequences and Western responses,\u201d<\/a> Middle East Institute, 12-6-24.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIran, Hezbollah aim to bolster Assad as rebels bear down on Homs,\u201d Reuters, 12-6-24. \u201cIran has ‘dramatically’ increased enrichment to near bomb grade -IAEA,\u201d JPost, 12-6-24.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIf Iran continues on its expected uranium enrichment rate, it will be able to produce 12 nuclear bombs.\u201d \u201cSyrian rebels seize Iraqi crossing, choking Iranian lifeline to Hezbollah,\u201d Iran International, … <\/p>\n

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