Washington DC

25 June 2022; MEMO: The US has confirmed that it would not support the rehabilitation of the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar Al-Assad, in any way.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ambassador Barbara Leaf conveyed that the US will not support efforts to normalise or rehabilitate Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

The New York Times is the latest US news agency to conclude that Palestinian journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, was most likely killed by an Israeli soldier. A month-long investigation by The Times found that the bullet that killed Abu Akleh was fired from the approximate location of the Israeli military convoy, most likely by a soldier from an elite unit.

17 June 2022; MEMO: The United States yesterday imposed sanctions on Chinese and Emirati companies and on a network of Iranian firms that help export Iran's petrochemicals, a step that may raise pressure on Tehran to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Reuters reports.

21 May 2022; MEMO: The White House has not yet set a date for US President Joe Biden's visit to Israel, and this likely stems from the political crisis in Israel and the possibility of the government's collapse. This results from Meretz MK Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi's announcement of defection from the coalition, meaning the government is supported by a minority of 59 Knesset members.

20 May 2022; MEMO: After several high-profile defeats, America's most powerful pro-Israel lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), is said to be pouring millions of dollars into influencing Democratic congressional primary races to counter growing support for the Palestinian cause. AIPAC is pouring money, energy and resources to block women candidates who, if elected, are likely to align with a group of progressive politicians known as "the Squad", which includes the likes of

18 May 2022; MEMO: A Pentagon investigation into a US air strike that killed dozens of people in Syria in 2019 found that the initial review of the attack by the military was mishandled with reporting delays but stopped short of calling for disciplinary action.

The inquiry found that most people killed in the attack were Daesh fighters and that military officials didn't violate the laws of war or deliberately conceal casualties, reports the New York Times.

19 May 2022; MEMO: In an apparent slip of the tongue, former US President George W Bush has condemned the "brutal" and "wholly unjustified" invasion of Iraq, when he meant to say Ukraine. The gaffe-prone 75 year old made the remark yesterday during an address at the Southern Methodist University's Bush Centre in Dallas, Texas.

17 May 2022; MEMO: US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has introduced a resolution for Congress to recognise the Palestinian Nakba, a day after Palestinians marked the Catastrophe's 74th anniversary. Tlaib was the first Palestinian-American woman to be elected to Congress. The resolution was co-sponsored by Tlaib's fellow Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Betty McCollum and Marie Newman.

16 May 2022; MEMO: The United States has provided $219 million to its allies in Iraq and Syria in 2022, so far, in efforts to reportedly maintain the fight against the terror group, Daesh, and prevent its resurgence.

In a statement yesterday by the US-led international coalition to defeat Daesh, Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), it announced that it had given around $219 million to its "partner forces in Syria and Iraq" for the first quarter of 2022.

17 May 2022; MEMO: US President Joe Biden has authorised the redeployment of fewer than 500 American troops into Somalia, US officials said on Monday, after Donald Trump ordered their withdrawal during his presidency, Reuters reports.

Prior to Trump's withdrawal, the United States had about 700 troops in Somalia focused on helping local forces defeat the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab insurgency.