MUST-READS

• Egypt-Russia
  Saudi Arabia’s hostile relationship with Russia is leaving Egypt stuck in the middle

  At a gathering of Arab leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh this weekend, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi read a letter from Vladimir Putin. "We support Arab nations in their effort to ensure a safe future and urge them to resolve all emerging challenges peacefully without any foreign involvement," the Russian president's message read, according to Sputnik News.

• Saudi-Egypt
  Though Cooperating in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Egypt Show Discord Over Syria

  Egypt and Saudi Arabia are cooperating militarily to thwart a power grab in Yemen by Shiite rebels, but the agreement on how to deal with the region's complex and intertwined conflicts may stop there. The two countries' diverging interests were evident at the Arab summit over the weekend, particularly over the crises in Syria and Libya.

• War in Yemen
  Saudi-led forces pound Yemen Shiite rebels as Iran sends aid

  The coalition has imposed a naval blockade on Yemen’s ports, Asiri told reporters in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. He said the move is intended to intercept weapons being shipped to the Houthis — seen by Sunni Saudi Arabia as proxies of its primary foe in the region, Shiite Iran.

   
  • CNN - Airstrike on Yemen refugee camp 'could portend Saudi ground incursion'
  • Defense News - Pakistan To Aid Saudi Coalition in Yemen
  • NBC News 'Meet the Press' Interview - Saudi Arabian Ambassador: Yemen Not a Proxy War
  • US News - UN rights office in Geneva, international Red Cross alarmed over civilian casualties in Yemen
  • Washington Post - Rebels push offensive in Aden, killing dozens with artillery fire
  • Bloomberg - Yemen Ports Under Blockade as Saudis Say Airstrikes to Intensify
• War in Yemen
  Opinion: Saudi Emerges as New Regional Leader

  "This operation is a very significant move by Saudi. First of all it addresses Saudi public opinion, which was getting increasingly worried about Iranian power surrounding the kingdom and the perceived Saudi impotence in the face of it and the fact that the US is pulling back from the region, thus leaving the arena free for Iran to expand its influence. So the fact that Saudi took aggressive action now is a source of wide public satisfaction within the kingdom," he said.

• Syria: Rebel Groups
  Jihadist coalition claims control of Idlib

  Jihadist groups belonging to the Jaysh al Fateh coalition say they have seized control of the city of Idlib, or at least much of it, from Bashar al Assad’s forces. In addition to the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, the Jaysh al Fateh alliance includes Ahrar al Sham, Jund al Aqsa, Liwa al Haqq, Jaysh al Sunna, Ajnad al Sham, and Faylaq al Sham, among others.

  • The Hill - Syrian president: ISIS expanding despite airstrikes
  • Guardian - US airdrops anti-Isis propaganda cartoon over Syrian city of Raqqa
  • Washington Post - Opinion: Stop the ‘barrel bombs’ in Syria
• War in Yemen: Oman
  Oman focus on humanitarian aid, not military offensive, in Yemen: official

  The sultanate is the only member of the Gulf Cooperation Council not taking part in the bombing campaign fronted by Saudi Arabia. “We are concentrating on the humanitarian side, not the offensive,” an unnamed government official told the Times of Oman on Friday.

• Anti-ISIS Campaign: Tikrit
  Iraqi army weighs cost of U.S.-led strikes in Tikrit as militiamen leave

  Since U.S. planes joined the battle to retake Tikrit last week, commanders here say the strikes have killed top Islamic State leaders and reduced the capacity of the militants to move. However, the decision to call in strikes is also a gamble — because it has drastically reduced the manpower of pro-government forces.

• Saudi - Pakistan
  Nawaz Sharif assures support to Saudi king Salman over strikes in Yemen

  Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has told Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz that he will soon send a high-level delegation to Riyadh to discuss cooperation for the Saudi-led strikes on Yemen, a top diplomat said.

  • Reuters - Pakistan evacuates hundreds during pause in Yemen strikes: Saudi official
• War in Yemen
  US rescues Saudi pilots from waters near Yemen

  A Defense Department official says U.S. forces rescued two Saudi airmen after they ejected from an F-15 fighter jet over waters south of Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is leading airstrikes against Iran-allied Houthi rebels.

  • Arab News - Saudi, Gulf diplomats evacuated via sea
• Saudi - Sweden
  Diplomatic row: Sweden says sorry

  In a message to King Salman, Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Lofven expressed “deep sorrow and regret over the current crisis in the relations between the two countries” while stressing his government’s keenness to maintain healthy relations between the two countries.

  • Defense News - Sweden Tries To Limit Damage With Saudis
  • CNS News - Saudi response to Swedish criticism tests Europe's reach
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