Over the moon (so to speak) that "Publishers Weekly" has just given my new novel "Phantom Orbit" about space warfare a starred review and called it "contemporary cloak-and-dagger intrigue at its finest." publishersweekly.com/9781324…

Per my tv hit today on @Morning_Joe …. youtu.be/mbwzegXyM2w ….. I mentioned a classic book written by @IgnatiusPost about the CIA in Lebanon in the mid 80s… and how I gave it to every young case officer in CIA’s Near East Division who I ever managed (true)….. It’s the best book on espionage I’ve ever read (fiction-ish 🤫) that deals with the actual feel of the Middle East and agent running. Enjoy!

Some good news from Lebanon

"A war that began without a clear strategy for victory seemed to be converging, perhaps inevitably, on an endgame missing a formula for peace," @IgnatiusPost writes. wapo.st/4sjavyr

"A new part of warfare that we saw in the Iran war is the use of cheap drones that can do enormous damage." @IgnatiusPost talks about how drones will make the world look very different in the near future. 🔗 Submit a question for David's next chat with readers here: wapo.st/41DSTm1

“The ability of the United States to defend its forces against drones is less than it needs to be.” - David Ignatius (@IgnatiusPost) of @PostOpinions on the threat of Iranian drones

"U.S. intelligence analysts have assessed that this campaign has a low likelihood of creating a stable, modernizing government," @IgnatiusPost writes. wapo.st/4b2xRSw

On a Washington Post online chat with readers today, the first question was about what's ahead for our beloved newspaper. Here's my answer, which the Post published online: I can't confirm the rumors because I don't know what management is planning. But as a 40-year veteran of The Post and former foreign editor, I want to celebrate the news coverage the paper's reporters have delivered and hope that despite the rumors we hold tight to what made The Post a great newspaper. I came to The Post when the now-legendary Tony Kornheiser, Mike Wilbon and Tom Boswell were our sportswriters. I was foreign editor when our brave reporter Caryle Murphy won a Pulitzer for her coverage of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (most other reporters fled; she stayed), and when David Remnick was our Moscow correspondent. I could go on, but the point is that there is a chain of excellence in our coverage of foreign news, sports and everything else that matters that's very precious and impossible to replace. We were always more frugal in our reporting expenses than the NYT or WSJ, and in tough times for The Post financially, that needs to continue. But as someone who loves The Post, I want it to remain a powerful, strong, global newspaper.

Listen to Dr. Tom Catena, a courageous Catholic relief doctor in South Sudan, explain why the Azerbaijani charges against his friend @RubenVardanyan_ are “completely false and absurd.”

Note this warning from human-rights lawyer @JaredGenser about the sharply declining health of his client @RubenVardanyan_ who is on a hunger strike to protest his trial in Baku. Ruben co-founded @Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, whose motto “Gratitude in action” was never more relevant.

Worrying news from human-rights lawyer Jared Genser that @RubenVardanyan_ has begun a hunger strike to protest his detention and trial in Baku, Azerbaijan. People who know Ruben’s remarkable humanitarian work will share my concern for him.

A deeply moving piece of reporting by the great @clarissaward from one of Assad’s liberated prisons in Syria.

Sec. Blinken was told Monday that IDF leadership believes it has accomplished its mission of degrading Hezbollah. “The IDF feels that now is the time to exit and go for a deal,” agreed an Israeli insider. “We can hopefully secure the deal in next 2 weeks.” washingtonpost.com/opinions/…

Here’s an example of innovative reporting provided every day by ⁦@washingtonpost⁩ reporters, in photo analysis by ⁦@sgreports⁩ and Jarrett Lay of damage Iran suffered in recent Israeli strikes. washingtonpost.com/world/202…

Great reporting by @khoureld and Hafiz Haroun about the world's most under-reported tragedy. A State Department funded report says America's close ally the UAE is among the countries pumping weapons into this terrible war. wapo.st/3Ye5fiW

Superb examination by Garrett Epps of SCOTUS on the edge of a cliff as its next term approaches. The Chaos of the Supreme Court’s Last Term—and What May Be Coming This Time washingtonmonthly.com/2024/0…

What kind of commander would Harris be? Here’s what colleagues expect. washingtonpost.com/opinions/…

The amazing @saadmohseni has been a voice for freedom in Afghanistan for two decades. His new book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the long, painful battle for a modern Afghanistan in which I’m convinced Saad and his friends will eventually triumph.

An eerie quiet as Biden races to silence the guns in Gaza washingtonpost.com/opinions/…

Biden scrambles to defuse the ticking Iran-Israel time bomb j washingtonpost.com/opinions/…

Painful news today that Martin Indyk has passed. He was an inspiring man who devoted much of his life to Israeli-Palestinian peace. He suffered decades of heart-breaking reversals but never stopped trying and believing. Rest in peace, my friend. washingtonpost.com/obituarie…