Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Saudis and Israelis: small but significant actions

Two small military actions in recent days intrigue me. First, the Israelis intercepted in the Mediterranean what they described as a shipload of weapons headed to Hezbollah. Then the Saudis bombed Yemeni rebels. I don’t know quite what it all means… DrJimiGlide/Flickr

By
577495_091105_RicksSaudiYemen2.jpg
577495_091105_RicksSaudiYemen2.jpg

Two small military actions in recent days intrigue me. First, the Israelis intercepted in the Mediterranean what they described as a shipload of weapons headed to Hezbollah. Then the Saudis bombed Yemeni rebels. I don’t know quite what it all means…

DrJimiGlide/Flickr

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1
Tags: Israel, Middle East and North Africa, Palestine, Terrorism

latest

Is Soft Power Making a Comeback?

How to Get Chinese Elites to Support Democracy

South African History From Above

Why Did Trudeau Dawdle on Chinese Election Meddling?

Who’s Afraid of Europe’s Big, Bad Wolves?
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky
  2. 2
    Why Did Trudeau Dawdle on Chinese Election Meddling?
  3. 3
    No, the World Is Not Multipolar
  4. 4
    America Can’t Stop China’s Rise
  5. 5
    Biden Takes Aim at Putin’s Soft Underbelly in Central Asia
  6. 6
    Soft Power Is Making a Hard Return

More from Foreign Policy

An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.
An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.

A New Multilateralism

How the United States can rejuvenate the global institutions it created.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.

The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy

Beijing’s representatives are always scared they could be the next to vanish.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

The End of America’s Middle East

The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.

Trending

  1. The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky
    Argument
    Stephen M. Walt

  2. No, the World Is Not Multipolar
    Essay
    Jo Inge Bekkevold

  3. Why Did Trudeau Dawdle on Chinese Election Meddling?
    Report
    Justin Ling

  4. Ukraine Is Getting Its Abrams—but Not What It Really Wants
    Dispatch
    Jack Detsch

  5. Soft Power Is Making a Hard Return
    Essay
    J. Alex Tarquinio