Free Republic

Saudi Arabia is satisfied with assurances from US President Barack Obama about the Iran nuclear deal and believes the agreement will contribute to security and stability in the Middle East, a senior Saudi official said. Saudi King Salman met Mr Obama at the White House last Friday to seek more support in countering Iran, and the US administration, on its part, aimed to use the visit to shore up relations after a period of tensions. The visit is the King's first to the United States since ascending to the throne in January, and comes after Washington agreed to a nuclear...

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, who is on a historic visit to the US, met American President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington on Friday, with talks focusing on reining in Iran and tackling trouble spots in the Middle East. Obama made the rare move of greeting King Salman at the doors of the White House, as he hailed the longstanding friendship between the two countries. This is King Salman’s first visit to the United States after assuming the throne in January this year. In his welcome comments, Obama said: “It is a great pleasure...

Instead of constantly smacking Israel with criticism, the Obama administration and its European comrades should be praising the Jewish state The entire free world owes Israel an enormous debt of gratitude. Were it not for a prescient strike against a Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007, which foreign media sources credit Israel with carrying out, the fanatics of Islamic State would now be in possession of their own nuclear facility. This revelation came to light thanks to a recent article on the NK News website by former US diplomat Dennis P. Halpin, who highlighted an intriguing tidbit of information that was...

Kerry admits that, despite the deal, Iran will continue to back terrorist groups across the globe and promises to boost military support and funding to Israel and Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. The letter comes in response to concerns among lawmakers, Israel, and other Gulf region allies that the nuclear accord will boost the Islamic Republic’s support for terrorism, while leaving traditional U.S. allies on the defense. “Important questions have been raised concerning the need to increase security assistance to our allies and partners in the...

Over the weekend, the undecideds in Congress got another confidence-builder from Iran on the nuclear deal that Barack Obama and John Kerry insist they support. If Congress approves the deal, it carries legal weight in the US, at least for the next 16 months or so until the next President takes office. The Iranian parliament must be rushing to provide the same level of legal commitment, right? Right? Er … no, not really: President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday he opposes a parliamentary vote on the landmark nuclear deal reached with world powers because terms of the agreement would turn...

Saudi forces have reportedly crossed the border into northern Yemen near a site where Houthi rebels have launched shelling attacks toward the kingdom.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Wednesday called for a coalition to combat terrorism in the Middle East. Opening a meeting with Putin in Moscow, el-Sissi said "the Egyptian people" are hoping for broader ties with Russia in all areas, particularly in fighting terrorism in the Middle East. El-Sissi's Russian visit, his second in the past three months, highlights Moscow's attempts to expand its influence in Egypt at a time when Egyptian-U.S. relations have soured in the aftermath of the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

The Iran nuclear deal has dramatically shifted Middle Eastern geopolitical tectonic plates, and has heralded a new reality in which Sunni Arabs need Israel more than ever. One of many misleading lines in President Obama’s address earlier this month heralding the Iran nuclear deal came when the statecraft salesman declared that “because this is such a strong deal, every nation in the world that has commented publicly, with the exception of the Israeli government, has expressed support.” The clear implication is that Israel stands alone and isolated in the international community in opposing détente and rapprochement with Iran. The American...

Intelligence officials are comparing a newly discovered secret Islamic State document to Hitler's "Mein Kampf," as it blames Israel for the rise of the Islamic State and crowns U.S. President Barack Obama as the "Mule of the Jews." Found in Pakistan's remote tribal region by American Media Institute (AMI), the 32-page Urdu language document promotes an "end of the world" battle as a final solution. It argues that the Islamic leader should be recognized as the sole ruler of the world's 1 billion Muslims, under a religious empire called a "caliphate." ...Retired U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency Director Gen. Michael Flynn...

Russia has ‘gifted' Egypt with a new missile corvette that was part of the inauguration of a new Suez Canal expansion project earlier this month, Egypt's army said. The move by the Russian government to "gift" Egypt the Molniya missile boat is "part of military cooperation between the Egyptian and Russian armed forces" as well as indicative of "Russia's support for Egypt and the matching visions of both countries on the war against terrorism," Egyptian military spokesman Mohamed Samir said in a statement Saturday. He added that the highly advanced missile ship will be a new addition to Egypt's "development...

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) used mustard agent in its fight against a Kurdish militia in Syria, testing has confirmed. Unnamed US government officials involved in investigating alleged chemical weapon use by Isil in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakeh confirmed mustard gas had been used, according to the Washington Post and CNN. Mustard gas, used during World War One, can cause blisters, blindness and respiratory damage and is an internationally-banned chemical weapon. Last month, members of a Syrian Kurdish militia, the People's Defence Units or YPG, reported that projectiles fired by Isil's jihadists had released...

Eritrean Suspect Confesses to Ikea Stabbing in SwedenCOPENHAGEN, Denmark — A 36-year-old Eritrean man has confessed to the deadly stabbing of two people at an Ikea store in central Sweden, his defense lawyer said Thursday."..."The man is recovering from surgery for unspecified severe injuries at a hospital in Vasteras, 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Stockholm. He woke up Thursday and was questioned by police. Due to his condition, he was not able to attend the custody hearing but participated via a telephone link. The Aftonbladet newspaper claimed B<>video surveillance from inside the Ikea store show the man stabbing...

A Muslim asylum seek beheaded an IKEA shopper in Sweden this week and killed another one. (Photo Bare Naked Islam) In response to the violent murders IKEA will quit selling kitchen knives in its store. It’s IKEA’s fault for displaying knives in the store. Breitbart.com reported: “ The IKEA superstore near Stockholm which witnessed a double murder this week by Eritrean asylum seekers has responded by ending the sale of kitchen knives in-store, and the government has stepped up its policing at asylum-lodgings to defend against a backlash. The response of the Swedish authorities to the ‘stabbings’ which killed what...

Emirates24/7: Ikea attack suspects identified By AFP Published Tuesday, August 11, 2015 The two suspects in a knife attack at an Ikea store in Sweden that left two dead are Eritrean asylum seekers, one of whom is in critical condition, police said Tuesday. The motive for the midday attack on Monday in the central town of Vasteras was still unknown, deputy prosecutor general Eva Moren told reporters. "The two suspects are both from Eritrea. They have been living at an asylum centre," she said, adding that the pair knew each other. "We know nothing about the motive yet, the...

Swedish Ikea store stops knife sales after attack "Stockholm (AFP) - The Ikea branch in central Sweden where two shoppers were fatally stabbed -- reportedly with knives taken from the shelves -- will temporarily stop knife sales, the store manager said Tuesday.

Sweden boosts security for asylum seekers after IKEA attack "Police in central Sweden have increased security at asylum lodgings, fearing a backlash after two Eritrean asylum-seekers were suspected of murdering two people at an IKEA store. A man and a woman were killed in a knife attack at an IKEA store in the city of Vasteras on Monday. Two suspects were detained by police, one of whom was seriously injured.

A man and a woman have died and another is seriously injured following a stabbing inside an Ikea store in Västerås, just outside Stockholm. ... Ikea has so far remained tight-lipped about the stabbings. ... Officers disclosed no other information about the identities of the attacker nor the victims. One witness told Swedish broadcaster SVT that the dead man appeared to have been aged around 25. But in an interview with regional Swedish newspaper VLT, store manager Mattias Johansson said that the victims were "three seemingly ordinary visitors" and said that an attack had taken place in the store's kitchen...

A car bomb attack at a police station has killed four people and injured up to 10 people, while the city's U.S. consulate has also come under fire, news agencies have reported. Reuters, quoting Turkey's Dogan news agency, reported that at a police station in the Istanbul neighborhood had been rocked by a blast early on Monday morning. The agency, quoting the Istanbul's governor's office, added that three attackers and a police officer had been killed in an exchange of gunfire following the explosion. Istanbul police headquarters confirmed to Dogan that three police officers and seven civilians were wounded in...

Palestinian news agency Ma'an reports that Egypt police raided several secret weapons depots in Sinai, discovered 190 fully assembled anti-aircraft missiles. Egyptian police on Saturday raided several arms depots in Sinai, believed to hold weapons meant for smuggling into Gaza, the Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported. According to the report, the Egyptian police uncovered secret caches of explosives in a desert in the center of the Sinai peninsula. The caches held 190 fully assembled anti-aircraft missiles and rockets in addition to explosives and ammunition.

Iranian officials confirmed Friday that General Qassem Soleimani, the heavily sanctioned Revolutionary Guard Quds Force commander, traveled to Russia last month and was conducting weapons deals, including discussion of the S-300 missile system, according to Reuters. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said Friday the U.S. is very concerned about the development. “Qassem Soleimani is subject to a UN travel ban and this travel ban requires all states to prohibit Qassem Soleimani from traveling to their nation and the only exception to that is if the Iran sanctions committee grants an exemption,” she said at UN headquarters...