Iran building permanent military base in Syria - claim Iran is establishing a permanent military base inside Syria, a Western intelligence source has told the BBC. The Iranian military is said to have established a compound at a site used by the Syrian army outside El-Kiswah, 14 km (8 miles) south of Damascus. The report comes amid growing tensions over Iranian influence in Syria and across the region. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu recently warned that Iran wanted to establish itself militarily in Syria. "Israel will not let that happen," he said. Satellite images commissioned by the BBC seem to show construction activity at the site referenced by the intelligence source between January and October this year. The images shows a series of two dozen large low-rise buildings - likely for housing soldiers and vehicles. In recent months, additional buildings have been added to the site. However, it is impossible to independently verify the purpose of the site...

Trump shouldn’t repeat Obama’s mistake in Iraq and Syria Members of the U.S.-backed Syrian forces that captured Raqqa take a selfie Oct. 20 at the stadium where Islamic State fighters made their last stand in the city. (Asmaa Waguih/AP) THE FINAL capture of the Islamic State’s de facto capital of Raqqa  this week by U.S.-backed Syrian forces brings the would-be caliphate to the brink of extinction: It has  lost 87 percent  of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria and probably will soon be driven from the rest. But the terrorists’ defeat raises complex challenges for the United States in Iraq and Syria, where Iran and Russia are  entrenching their forces  and consolidating influence at the expense of U.S. allies. If there is a countering American strategy, it isn’t evident. While gratuitously  undermining  the Iran nuclear agreement, President Trump promised that the United States would resist Iranian aggression in the region. Yet the...

Iran is violating the deal Iran is not only violating the spirit of the no-nukes deal, it is violating its letter. The prologue to the deal explicitly states: “Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons.” This reaffirmation has no sunset provision: it is supposed to be forever. Yet the  International Atomic Energy Agency  (IAEA) recently stated that it could not verify that Iran was “fully implementing the agreement” by not engaging in activities that would allow it to make a nuclear explosive device. Yukiya Amano of the IAEA told  Reuters  that when it comes to inspections, which are stipulated in Section T of the agreement, “our tools are limited.” Amano continued to say: “In other sections, for example, Iran has committed to submit declarations, place their activities under safeguards or ensure access by us. But in Section T, I don’t see any (such commitment).” It is well established that Teh...