Turkey Poised to Invade Syria

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani gave a speech at a meeting of the Eurasian Economic Union in Armenia on Tuesday in which he said, among other things, that “the international community must confront America’s hostile and unilateralist approach by taking a definitive decision and effective actions.” The speech came even as Trump Administration officials have expressed an interest in entering into talks with Iran in order to defuse tensions, while refusing to back down on demands that Iran moderate its aggressive behavior.

Israel’s delegation to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan got a little bigger last Saturday when Katy Spychakov took the silver medal at the Windsurfing world championships in Lake Garda, Italy. Her name will be added to what is shaping up to be Israel’s largest-ever Olympic delegation. In related news, International World Games Association CEO Joachim Gossow was in Israel over the weekend as part of a tour to promote the 2021 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama as well as to help raise the profile of local sporting leagues in Israel.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave a televised speech Tuesday in which he broadly hinted that he is prepared to launch a military incursion into northern Syria if his proposal to create a “safe zone” in the Kurdish-dominated region is not accepted. “At the current stage, we have no other choice other than to proceed on our own path,” he said. “We cannot afford to lose a single day.”