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Bahrain Prisoner Release
On Monday, April 8, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa announced a royal decree that unconditionally pardoned 1,584 people "convicted for riot and criminal cases,” marking the “highest number of pardoned prisoners since the pro-democracy uprising in 2011.”
Though Bahrain’s government has asserted that the country does not hold political prisoners, experts note that the term “riot” describes individuals imprisoned for demanding political change. The most high profile dissidents, notably Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Abduljalil al-Singace, and Hassan Mushaima, were not freed.
A Middle East Policy article by Mohammed Torki Bani Salameh studies Bahrain’s revised national security strategy.
Killing of Lebanese Official
On Monday, April 8, the Lebanese army announced the killing of Pascal Sleiman, the Lebanese Forces political coordinator in Jbeil who was abducted by Syrian gang members the day prior. Sleiman, who was known to oppose the existence of a large Syrian population in Lebanon, was then left in a Hezbollah-affiliated border area of Syria.
In response, a Lebanese Forces spokesperson asserted that the action would be considered a “political assassination until proven otherwise,” and the Lebanese government “threatened a crackdown on Syrian refugees in the country.”
This news has increased sectarian tensions and coincided with a surge of attacks against Syrians in Lebanon.
An article in Middle East Policy by Daniel Sobelman explores how Hezbollah has wielded coercive power over Israel in the state’s relationship with Lebanon.
Conflict in the West Bank
On Friday, April 12, the Israeli Defense Forces and special forces announced their efforts to locate a 14-year-old Benjamin Achimeir in the West Bank when he had not returned from shepherding. Dozens of settlers also stormed the village of al-Mughayyir, killing 26-year-old Jehad Abu Alia and injuring 25 other Palestinians.
On Saturday, Achimeir’s body was found by a drone; news outlets released that he was not shot but did not provide further details. Dozens of Israeli settlers then set fire to 12 homes and several cars in al-Mughayyir and about 15 homes and 10 farms in Douma, with reports indicating attacks on a minimum of 10 villages in some of the “worst violence” in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war.
Middle East Policy examines the escalating settler violence and property seizures in the West Bank as Israel continues its assault on Gaza.
Iran’s Retaliatory Attack on Israel
On Saturday, April 13, Iran launched more than 120 ballistic missiles, 170 drones, and over 30 cruise missiles at Israel in response to Israel’s airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. The operation “marks the first-ever direct attack by Iran on Israeli territory from Iranian soil,” and it coincided with the launch of dozens of missiles towards Israel from Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. According to the Israeli military, 99% of the projectiles were shot down, with the help of U.S. forces, though it cost $1bn for Israel to activate the necessary defense systems.
Israeli minister Benny Gantz expressed intent to “‘exact the price’ from Iran when [the] timing is right.” U.S. President Joe Biden communicated “ironclad” support for Israel’s defense against Iran, while warning its leadership that the United States will not participate in a counteroffensive.
This development comes days after Biden publicly stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the Gaza war was a “mistake.”
Middle East Policy contributor Farshad Roomi analyzes Iran’s ideological approach to its conflict with Israel.
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