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By RICK GLADSTONE JANUARY 14, 2016 Even by today’s standards, the Middle East in the 1970s was chaotic. Bombings, hijackings and assassinations were daily headlines. In the midst of the mayhem, one of the most revered clerics in the Shiite branch of Islam vanished while visiting Libya . Criminal inquiries, books and speculation have abounded over the fate of the cleric, Imam Moussa al-Sadr, the charismatic Iranian-born scion of a powerful religious family who had made his home in  Lebanon  for nearly two decades and had become an ardent advocate of its impoverished Shiites. He and two colleagues have not been seen since Aug. 31, 1978, when they were reportedly spotted at the airport in Tripoli, the Libyan capital. Many have blamed agents of Libya’s former leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi , though a motive remains unclear. Yet a coming book about the fall of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran in 1979 has helped cast the disappearance in a...

RIYADH/DOHA   |  BY ANGUS MCDOWALL AND  AMENA BAKR Saudi Arabia's King Salman is seen during U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Erga Palace in Riyadh January 27, 2015. REUTERS/JIM BOURG (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is pushing for Sunni Muslim Middle East countries to set aside differences over political Islam and focus on what it sees as more urgent threats from Iran and Islamic State. Its new monarch, King Salman, has used summits with leaders of all five Gulf Arab states, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey over the past 10 days to reinforce the need for unity and find a way to work Why Pakistan may be a reluctant ally in Saudis' Yemen campaign Analysis: Domestic and regional political concerns raise the risks of being seen to ally on sectarian lines against Iran March 27, 2015   9:22AM ET by  Omar Waraich Saudi Arabia’s new policy of uniting Sunni Muslim powers against Iran’s Shia regime has resulte...

Davide Cazzoni, per Equilibri.net 1- The straightest and relatively easy route for Israeli aircraft, through Jordanian and Iraqi airspace. Amman would hardly react militarly and limit its retaliation to a public complaint. Going through Iraq makes Washington's consensus necessary, but US involvement would mean serious consequences for the region's stability. Entering Iran by overflying southern Al Faw Peninsula through Persian Gulf would not limit significantly US liabilities, while the route has not advantages in terms of length. 2- Bypassing Jordan through the Gulf of Aqaba and entering Saudi airspace means a much longer route, but Riadh complaining would not be a serious problem. Saudi Arabia-Iran regional rivalry is known. 3- The northern route through Mediterranian Sea (along Lebanese and Syrian coasts) and Turkish-Syrian border needs above all Ankara's consensus, which is not guaranteed despite of good relations with Jerusalem. In this scenario, with Esfahan as...