Ahead of today’s scheduled Russo-American peace talks in Alaska, Russian President Vladimir Putin has unveiled what he describes as a “historic and spiritual mission” to reclaim the territory for Russia. Speaking to state media before departing Moscow, Putin described Alaska as “an inseparable part of Greater Russia, part of our destiny and spiritual heritage, which was temporarily interrupted by a regrettable 19th-century property transaction.”

Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu holding a call to “discuss regional stability” in the Middle East is rather like a pair of arsonists congratulating each other on their commitment to fire safety.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. In the same breath, he endorsed Trump’s plan to transform the depopulated ruins of southern Gaza — where over 57,000 Palestinians have been documented killed by Israel to date — into a luxury resort. This grotesque flourish topped a day of backroom deals in Washington, where Trump pushed a ceasefire not as a path to peace, but as leverage for a normalization agreement with Syria.

Israeli special forces carried out a cross-border raid into southern Quneitra in the early hours of this morning (Wednesday July 2), arresting three men from the same local family. While the Israeli army later claimed the operation had targeted an “Iran-deployed terror cell,” local sources identified the detainees as unarmed civilians with no militant links — further fuelling scepticism about Israel’s stated motives.

In a heartwarming show of international solidarity — or perhaps nuclear trolling — Russia today announced its willingness to give sanctuary to Iran’s enriched uranium. Not Iranian people, of course. Just the radioactive stuff. Human beings from the Middle East, other than current and deposed tyrants and their families, remain notably less welcome in Moscow than uranium hexafluoride.

Israel’s latest military strike on Iran, dubbed 'Operation Rising Lion', was more than a show of force—it was a political signal. While missiles targeted IRGC infrastructure and killed its head, the operation’s name also raised immediate questions: was this a nod to Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last Shah, who uses the lion as his personal symbol and brand?

As Syria embraces hard-won freedom after almost 14 years of revolution and war and over half a century of tyranny, both Israel and Iran are increasingly focused on the same objective: to undermine the new government and weaken Syrian unity.

Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the US, is worried. Not about Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, not about the 56,000+ civilians Israel has killed there in the past 19 months, not about the crimes against humanity. No — he’s worried that the United States might, in some hypothetical future, support Syria’s internationally recognized claim to the occupied Golan Heights.

The European Union yesterday (Wednesday May 21) announced a formal review of its decades-old Association Agreement with Israel, citing the "catastrophic" humanitarian situation in Gaza. This decision comes amid mounting international criticism of Israel's military actions, which have resulted in over 53,000 Palestinian deaths since October 2023, with over 100 civilians killed in Israeli bombardment of Gaza on Wednesday and at least 38 civilians by noon today.

US President Donald Trump today concludes a historic whirlwind Middle East tour, but the message he leaves behind is louder than any press conference: Saudi Arabia is in ascendance, and Israel — under Benjamin Netanyahu — is being shown the door.