Operations

Syria’s defense minister was killed in a bomb blast for which Syrian opposition forces are taking responsibility, according to reports.

The Navy reportedly killed one person aboard a rapidly approaching motorboat after warning shots were ignored.

Iranian officials are once again threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz as sanctions against the country continue to bite at Iran’s economy.

Iranian news agencies have reported several statements from military and political officials that Iran could close the strait, a key oil pipeline in the Middle East.

“The control of the Persian Gulf region is in Iran’s hands,” said Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency.

Chances are slim that Afghanistan will backslide into a violent civil war once U.S. and coalition forces pull out of the country in two years, according to the outgoing U.S. ambassador. 

U.S. forces in Afghanistan are preparing to shift the entire training mission for the country's security forces over to local military leaders, just as the Pentagon is looking to pull millions in funding from the effort. 

Pakistani officials suspect a brazen attack against one of the country's military bases on Monday may have been the work of Islamic militants angered over the recent deal to reopen supply routes to U.S. and coalition forces. 

A slew of coordinated insurgent attacks across Afghanistan left more than 35 people dead on Sunday, according to reports.

The United States has lifted restrictions on roughly $2.5 billion in foreign aid to Pakistan following Islamabad's decision to reopen critical military supply routes in the country to American and NATO forces. 

The NATO first trucks in more than seven months are entering Afghanistan from Pakistan after Pakistan’s closure of NATO supply routes officially ended.

Vehicles carrying supplies crossed the border on Thursday, The Associated Press reported, after the two countries struck a deal on Tuesday to reopen the crossing.

The agreement to open up the supply lines was a step forward for the troubled U.S.-Pakistan relations, though many issues still remain.

Baghdad has begun to amass troops along the Syrian border amid reports that fighters from al Qaeda's Iraqi faction are looking to gain a foothold in Syria.