Author: Michele Chabin, Washington Examiner
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Trump administration pushes diplomacy between Israel and a pair of long-hostile neighbors
JERUSALEM — President Donald Trump’s administration is working overtime to prevent a full-blown military escalation between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, and to cool rising tensions between the Jewish state and Syria. Bringing regional peace and new economic opportunities to the volatile region is one of the president’s very top priorities. Washington’s…
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Turkey’s expansionist Middle East aspirations don’t bother the Trump administration
JERUSALEM — In December 2024, after Islamic-led rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad’s brutal regime, President-elect Donald Trump gave Israel a rhetorical green light to expand its military reach in Syria. Capitalizing on Syria’s leadership void, the Israel Defense Forces quickly decimated its neighbor’s military infrastructure and widened the buffer zone between the two countries. Four…