CENTCOM commander acknowledges he did not try to stop Taliban from entering Kabul “If someone actually made a decision, that would’ve been me,” Gen. Kenneth 'Frank' McKenzie told House lawmakers during a hearing today. Congress
US House passes measure to end maintenance for Saudi aircraft targeting Yemen Progressives' bid to get Riyadh to stop bombing Yemen may test Biden's commitment to Gulf allies. Congress
House Democrats back away from delaying Israel arms sale amid Gaza conflict The Biden administration will brief lawmakers on the proposed $735 million sale of JDAM guidance conversion kits and other weapons equipment. Congress
White House says Israel-Palestine peace 'not in the cards' for Obama The White House says it sees little prospect for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal before Obama leaves office, and is looking to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to bring ideas on how to prevent a one state reality when he comes to the White House Nov. 9. Congress
Congress probes US, Russia face-off in Syria A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Nov. 2. Palestine
State Department nominees face grilling over Iran deal Congressional angst over the JCPOA could spell trouble for diplomatic nominations. Congress
Congress muted ahead of Turkish elections The US is largely staying silent ahead of this weekend's controversial snap poll. Turkey
NSC opens office to oversee Iran deal implementation NSC Senior Director for non-proliferation Paul Irwin is set to head a new NSC directorate on implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. Congress
Senate to grill Kerry on Russian war in Syria A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Oct. 26. Iraq
US sends 'message' to Abbas with $80 million aid cut The State Department has notified Congress that it's cutting FY 2015 assistance to the Palestinians by 22%. Palestine
Bibi's Holocaust comments muddle congressional case against Palestinian 'incitement' Prime Minister Netanyahu accidentally undermines US lawmakers' singular focus on Abbas. Palestine
How Turkey is planning for Assad-led transition in Syria Ankara, still blurry, now agrees to name Bashar al-Assad ‘honorary president’ for six months. Syria
Does Iran even want Russia in Syria? Despite the stepped-up Russian role in Syria, it is still not clear whether Iran views this development in a wholly positive light. Iraq
Syrian Kurdish leader: Moscow wants to work with us A senior leader in the PYD is in Washington seeking more military support and expressing ambivalence about Russia’s latest intervention. Syria
Congress shows renewed interest in Iranian opposition after nuclear deal Iran hawks tout MEK as way to keep pressure on Tehran. Iraq