Defence

The commander of the Lebanese armed forces, General Joseph Aoun, appealed to the international community on Thursday (17 June) to support the army, warning that its “collapse” will fuel chaos and insecurity. His statement was addressed to representatives of various states at a French-sponsored conference to support the army. 

The leaders of NATO countries, representing thirty member states in Europe and North America, have identified China as a “systematic challenge” and promised to work together to address this. NATO leaders reaffirmed the Alliance’s dual-track approach of defence and dialogue towards Russia. They also pledged to continue to support NATO partners Ukraine and Georgia, bringing them closer to the Alliance.

France had already threatened sanctions and the withdrawal of its troops from Mali following the coup which brought to power Colonel Assimi Goïta. The French republic has now gone from threat to action, choosing to suspend "as a precautionary and temporary measure" its bilateral military co-operation with the Sahel country.

More than 20,000 Georgian servicemen have participated in the mission in Afghanistan since 2004, usually serving six monthly rotations.  Predominantly tasked with peacekeeping in the volatile Helmand province, Georgia was the largest non-NATO, as well as largest per-capita, contributor to ISAF mission. Dozens of Georgian soldiers were killed or injured during the Afghanistan operation.

US President Joe Biden will send a delegation to countries in the Middle East this week to discuss regional issues, according to Bloomberg News. The delegation will visit Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Jordan. 

Iran has explicitly admitted its role in supporting the Yemeni Houthi movement as they engage in battles on multiple fronts with the Yemeni government and its Arab coalition supporters. General Rostam Qasemi, one of the commander's in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on Wednesday (21 April) that weapons that the Houthis possess were provided by Tehran.

Iran has announced that it will raise its nuclear enrichment level up to 60 percent. The move, according to President Hassan Rouhani is a response to "nuclear terrorism". On Sunday (11 April) the Iranian Fuel Enrichment Plant in Natanz was attacked with Iran pointing fingers at Tel Aviv. Rouhani described the attack as a plot to weaken his country's position during the ongoing nuclear negotiations in Vienna.

The trio had been found guilty of "the crime of high treason in cooperation with the enemy," according to an official statement carried by Saudi Press Agency, but the statement did not provide details on who the enemy was.