Links to FOUR reports: from the Associated Press and the Cradle, and to an article of commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 2-20-26 and WEST BANK and LEBANON.) — MCM
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U.S. ambassador causes uproar by claiming Israel has a right to much of the Middle East, by Sam Mednick and Samy Magdy | AP TEL AVIV — Arab and Muslim nations on Saturday sharply condemned comments by the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East. READ MORE . . .
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U.S. pulls hundreds of troops from Qatar, Bahrain amid Iran war buildup: report. From the Cradle. Hundreds of U.S. troops have been evacuated from military bases in Bahrain and Qatar in what officials described as a “precautionary move” amid preparations for a US strike on Iran, the New York Times reported today, citing anonymous Pentagon sources. READ MORE . . .
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FROM FEB. 20. Iran formally warns UN that ‘all U.S. bases, assets’ will become legitimate targets if attacked. From the Cradle. Iran officially warned in a letter to the UN on Thursday that U.S. military bases across West Asia will become “legitimate targets” if the Islamic Republic comes under attack by Washington. READ MORE . . .
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FROM FEB. 20 Iran, Egypt to restore full diplomatic ties after 47 years. From the Cradle. Tehran and Cairo reached an agreement on Friday to fully restore diplomatic relations and exchange ambassadors, with an official announcement expected at an agreed “zero hour” according to Mojtaba Ferdowsipour, head of the Iranian Interests Section in Egypt. READ MORE . . .
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FROM FEB. 19 Rubio declared a return to brutal western colonialism — and Europe applauded, by Jonathan Cook | Middle East Eye / Jonathan-Cook.net U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech at the Munich Security Conference was another troubling declaration of intent by the Trump administration. The explicit goal of U.S. foreign policy, he said, is to resurrect the western colonial order that persisted for some five centuries until the Second World War. READ MORE . . .
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