Middle East Geopolitical Reporting for 2026-04-15
We've collected the top geopolitical conflict articles from the Middle East and brought them all here. If you're tired of only having access to MSM versions of the story, you've found the right place. We’ll include all of the outlets we know of.
Iran will surprise aggressors with new tactics and capabilities if war resumes: IRGC
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns that the Iranian armed forces did not use their full capacity in their reprisal missile and drone attacks against US and Israeli assets across the region, and will unveil new capabilities that are far beyond the enemy’s imagination in the event of renewed aggression.
Presstv
Apr 15, 2026 - presstv.ir
US, Israel waged war on Iran while region already reeling from their crimes
The US and Israel waged an unprovoked war against Iran on February 28, as they were widely condemned for the genocide in Gaza and acts of aggression in other parts of the region.
Presstv
Apr 15, 2026 - presstv.ir
Hezbollah unveils 'hard-to-detect' drone as retaliatory attacks intensify
Hezbollah stages scores of retaliatory strikes against Israeli military positions and illegal settlements across the northern part of the occupied territories.
Presstv
Apr 15, 2026 - presstv.ir
US-Israeli war on Iran caused largest rise in energy prices in 25 years: Report
US-Israeli aggression against Iran has driven the biggest surge in global energy inflation in 25 years, according to a new report.
Presstv
Apr 15, 2026 - presstv.ir
Iran faces off with E3 over snapback sanctions as Russia and China back Tehran
Europe’s bid to reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran has ignited a fierce backlash, with Iran denouncing the move as “illegal” and vowing firm retaliation.
Presstv
Apr 15, 2026 - presstv.ir
Silenced in France: The unjust detention of a pro-Palestine Iranian activist
Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian academic who lived in France for eight years, has been unjustly detained for condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza on social media.
Presstv
Apr 15, 2026 - presstv.ir
IRGC is part of Iran’s national army: Pundit
Iranian academician states that Europe is not genuinely committed to labeling the IRGC as a “terrorist organization” and is facing significant pressure from the Israeli regime.
Presstv
Apr 15, 2026 - presstv.ir
Washington seeking regime change in Venezuela: Analyst
Podcaster and Journalist Esha Krishnaswamy believes the U-S military buildup in the Caribbean region is aimed at regime change in Venezuela.
Presstv
Apr 15, 2026 - presstv.ir
Gaza factions deliver disarmament plan
Hamas has delivered its final response to a 3-stage, 8-month disarmament plan.
Presstv
Apr 15, 2026 - presstv.ir
35 killed in Israel, over 8,000 injured since outbreak of Iran war, data shows
Israeli data showed Tuesday that 35 people have been killed and more than 8,000 injured since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28, Anadolu reports. The tally was given by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), an independent think tank affiliated with Tel Aviv University, though no independent reports have verified the actual number of casualties or the extent of dam...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Serbian president announces joint drone production with Israel
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday that Serbia and Israel will jointly produce military drones, claiming the partnership will result in the “best drones in this part of the world,” Anadolu reports. Speaking at an event marking the Day of the Military Police Special Unit “Cobras,” Vucic said the cooperation would be based on a 50-50 partnership. “We will do this together, half and h...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Israeli strike on police vehicle in Gaza kills 4, including child
An Israeli strike killed four Palestinians, including a child, and wounded others Tuesday after targeting a police vehicle in eastern Gaza City, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement, medical sources said. The bodies of the victims were taken to Al-Shifa Hospital in western Gaza City and Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in central Gaza following the strike, the sources told Anadolu. No immediat...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Iran says to use parts of oil revenue to rebuild damaged infrastructure
Iran will use part of its oil revenue to rebuild oil and gas infrastructure damaged by US-Israeli attacks, the country’s oil minister said on Tuesday, Anadolu reports. Oil sales in March and April were “satisfactory,” Mohsen Paknejad added in statements carried by the semi-official Fars news agency. He, however, did not give any figures about Iran’s oil sales. More than 3,300 people have been kill...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Iran says damage from US-Israeli strikes estimated at about $270B
Damage from US-Israeli strikes against Iran is estimated at about $270 billion, the Iranian government spokeswoman said on Tuesday, citing preliminary assessments, Anadolu reports. “One of the issues that our negotiating team is pursuing, and which was also pursued in the Islamabad talks, is the issue of war reparations,” Fatemeh Mohajerani told Russia’s RIA Novosti, according to Iran’s semi-offic...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Israeli airstrikes hit southern Lebanon and Tyre’s ancient citadel
Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Monday, targeting the town of Qantara and the outskirts of Tibnin, while artillery shelling struck the ancient citadel of Tyre, a site listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. According to the Lebanese National News Agency, the citadel area includes the shrine and tomb of Prophet Simeon the Just, raising concerns over damag...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Ukraine’s drone revolution is transforming the landscape of the ground war - analysis
Necessity is the mother of invention, so the saying goes, and Ukraine has had to innovate. Like Israel, Ukraine is an innovator in drones and unmanned ground vehicles.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Apr 14, 2026 - jpost.com
Cracks in Europe’s support for colonial violence and genocide
Spain was recently targeted by Israel’s antisemitism narrative after an effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blown up in El Burgo, during the Burning of Judas festival. “The appalling antisemitic hatred on display here is a direct result of the @sanchezcastejon government’s systematic incitement,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated on X, while noting that the Spanish ambassador to Israel ...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Hezbollah launches ‘hard-to-detect’ drone for first time: Israeli broadcaster
The Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that Hezbollah launched at least 40 drones towards northern Israel on Monday, causing significant damage. Among them was a drone deployed for the first time, equipped with an optical guidance system that makes it difficult to detect. According to the broadcaster, one of the drones crashed in the settlement of Kiryat Shmona. It said only a small number o...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Facing a Tuesday deadline, Hamas still opposes Board of Peace's disarmament plan
A Board of Peace representative met with Hamas' chief negotiator to discuss phase two of Trump's Gaza plan, but sources tell Haaretz no breakthroughs were made. Hamas officials said without guarantees that Israel implements phase one of the cease-fire plan, disarmament is not on the table
Haaretz latest headlines
Apr 14, 2026 - haaretz.com
Petition to suspend EU-Israel Association Agreement reaches 1M signatures
A European Citizens’ Initiative calling for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement has surpassed one million signatures, organizers announced on Tuesday, making it the fastest initiative to reach the threshold since the mechanism was introduced, Anadolu reports. Launched in Jan. 2026, under the title “Justice for Palestine,” the campaign has also exceeded the required national signa...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
The language of media as a weapon of war
The language of hegemonic media does not merely describe the world. It organizes it, hierarchises it and, above all, disciplines it. Within the dominant vocabulary of international relations, certain terms are systematically deployed to legitimise allies and delegitimise adversaries. This is not a semantic detail, but a central mechanism in the production of consent around the global order. A simp...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Fuel crisis in Gaza amid ongoing Israeli blockade
IMAGES: Protest in Gaza against Israeli death penalty law for Palestinian prisoners
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Extremist Israeli minister demands apology from German chancellor over ‘no West Bank annexation’
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has demanded an apology from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for saying that “there must be no de facto annexation of the West Bank,” Anadolu reports. “On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the German Chancellor should bow his head and apologize a thousand times on behalf of Germany, rather than daring to preach morality to us on how to cond...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Spanish premier slams Israel for violating international law
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez slammed the Israeli government on Tuesday for violating international law amid ongoing tensions with Iran, Anadolu Agency reports. “International law is today fundamentally being violated by one country, which is the government of Israel,” Sanchez said during a news conference after he held a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. He recalled tha...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Sudden anti-Israel rhetoric in South Korea: A call for Iran or human rights?
“It is disappointing that they do not reflect on the criticisms of people around the world who are suffering and struggling due to ceaseless actions against human rights and international law.” South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung, stated this in a post on the social media platform X on 11th April. Lee’s “stance” is drawing significant attention beyond political circles and reaching a public that...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Russia questions Trump’s Board of Peace
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has raised doubts about the Board of Peace announced by US President Donald Trump regarding Gaza, saying the initiative raises many questions. Kirill Logvinov, head of the ministry’s Department for International Organisations, said there were growing questions over the aims of the board, according to Novosti, a Russian state-owned news agency. He said recent developments ...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Amnesty warns French bill could criminalise solidarity with Palestinians
Amnesty International warned on Monday about the potential impact of a proposed French law aimed at penalising anti-Zionism, saying it could effectively make support for Palestinians a criminal offence. In a statement posted on the X platform, the organisation’s France branch criticised what is known as the “Yadan law”, warning it could lead to “criminalising support for Palestinians”. The stateme...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Turkish top diplomat says Netanyahu seeking to designate Turkey as a new enemy
Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan said Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to designate Turkey as a new enemy, amid rising regional tensions. Speaking during a meeting with editors at the Anadolu Agency headquarters, Fidan stated that Israel “cannot live without an enemy after Iran,” in reference to ongoing geopolitical developments. The Turkish minister’s statements come ami...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
UNESCO-listed shrine destroyed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon
Israeli forces have destroyed the shrine of Prophet Shimon the Just in the town of Shamaa in the Tyre district, according to official and local media reports. The Lebanese National News Agency reported that Israeli artillery shelling targeted the area of the ancient citadel in Tyre, where the shrine was located. The site was listed as part of a UNESCO World Heritage area, granting it international...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Jerusalem church leader condemns Trump’s self-comparison to Jesus
The Latin Patriarchal Vicar of Jerusalem, Bishop William Shomali has criticised US President Donald Trump over a post in which he appeared to compare himself to Jesus Christ, describing the act as “offensive and unacceptable.” Shomali’s remarks followed the circulation of a digitally altered image shared by Trump depicting himself with features resembling Jesus, in the context of criticism directe...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Italy shifts away from Israel, US over Mideast war
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni received a sharp rebuke from US President Donald Trump and suspended a defence agreement with Israel on Tuesday, signalling a shift in her foreign relations.The far-right prime minister was the only European leader to attend Trump's inauguration in 2025 and has sought to position herself as a bridge between Europe and his administration.While ties with Israel ...
AL-MONITOR: The Pulse of The Middle East
Apr 14, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Turkey’s war of words, and its boundaries - analysis
Words are one thing; actions are another. It is one thing for Erdogan to fulminate regularly against Israel. But talk of invasion?
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Apr 14, 2026 - jpost.com
‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’: Why a documentary on Russia resonated with the world - opinion
Like in the era of Joseph Stalin, when people whispered in their own homes out of fear of repression, today’s reality in Russia increasingly echoes those patterns.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Apr 14, 2026 - jpost.com
Newly approved West Bank settlements to be built on private Palestinian land, map shows
Five of the settlements are planned for the northern West Bank, an area with no prior Israeli presence. Their location amid Palestinian villages is expected to require a significant military presence, which the IDF chief warned would stretch manpower
Haaretz latest headlines
Apr 14, 2026 - haaretz.com
Italy halts renewal of military memorandum of understanding with Israel, prime minister says
The MoU reportedly includes the exchange of military equipment and cooperation on technological research. An Italian source told Haaretz that Italy halted military-level cooperation with Israel shortly after October 7, 2023, over Israel's war in Gaza
Haaretz latest headlines
Apr 14, 2026 - haaretz.com
West Bank students forced to study outdoors after illegal settlers block road to school
Palestinian students in the occupied West Bank were forced to hold classes outdoors after illegal Israeli settlers blocked the main road to school with a fence and barbed wire, Anadolu reports. Residents of Umm al-Khair village in the Masafer Yatta area in southern West Bank said the route was closed early in the morning, preventing around 55 students from reaching school. Villagers staged a sit-i...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Palestinians confront Israeli occupiers attempting to seize West Bank home
Palestinian residents confronted Israeli occupiers Tuesday who attempted to seize a home in the town of Shuyukh in the southern occupied West Bank, according to sources, Anadolu reports. A group of armed occupiers stormed the town in northeastern Hebron and raided a Palestinian home, trying to take it by force, but residents intervened and prevented the confiscation, sources told Anadolu. Fadi al-...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Berri’s calculated defection and the future of Shia politics in Lebanon
On 2nd March, when the Lebanese government declared a total ban on Hezbollah’s military and security activities, most of the commentary focused on Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Almost no one focused on the man who made it possible. Nabih Berri, speaker of parliament and leader of Amal, the other pillar of the so-called Shia duo, ordered his ministers not to object. For a figure who had spent three d...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Italy suspends automatic renewal of defense agreement with Israel
Italy has suspended the automatic renewal of its defense agreement with Israel, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Tuesday, Anadolu reports. “In light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel,” ANSA news agency reported citing Meloni’s talk with reporters in the northeastern city of Verona. She further said internati...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Hezbollah rejects any deal from US-backed Lebanon-Israel talks
A senior Lebanese Hezbollah official said on Monday that the group will not abide by any agreements resulting from direct talks between Lebanon and Israel being held in the United States, stressing its firm rejection of the negotiations. The remarks were made by Rafic Safa, a senior member of Hezbollah’s political council, ahead of expected talks in Washington between the Lebanese and Israeli amba...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Sanctioned tanker crosses Hormuz despite US blockade
International maritime tracking data on Monday evening showed that an Iranian “shadow fleet” oil tanker had successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz, despite the start of a US-imposed naval blockade on Iranian exports. The ship-tracking platform Kpler reported that the tanker Elpis, which has been under US sanctions since last year, traversed the strait carrying a shipment of oil, in a direct def...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Israel rejects Lebanon ceasefire during Washington talks: Report
Israel pre-empted a Tuesday meeting with Lebanon in Washington by rejecting a ceasefire during preliminary talks, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Anadolu reports. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu views the start of the talks as “a tactic to buy time without stopping the fighting, while showing goodwill toward the Americans and (US) President Donald Trump,” the daily said, citing Israe...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Algerian president, Pope Leo XIV call for justice for Palestinians
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Pope Leo XIV issued a joint call urging the international community to act urgently to achieve justice for the Palestinian people and support their right to establish an independent state. Speaking during a meeting at the Cultural Center of the Grand Mosque of Algiers, President Tebboune said the two leaders are delivering a unified message calling for a...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 14, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Six ships turned around as part of Strait of Hormuz blockade, US military says
WASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) - No ships have made it past a U.S. naval blockade of Iran's ports and coastal areas, and six merchant ships have followed orders to turn back, the U.S. military said on Tuesday, providing the first details on a day-old effort ordered by President Donald Trump after peace talks between the U.S. and Iran broke down.The U.S. military has said that the blockade, which s...
AL-MONITOR: The Pulse of The Middle East
Apr 14, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Israeli attack kills several people in Gaza refugee camp
Palestinians in Gaza recorded victims of an Israeli strike on the Shati refugee camp being rushed to a medical facility.
Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
Apr 14, 2026 - aljazeera.com
Drones, Iran war escalating horror as Sudan war enters fourth year
UN says hundreds killed by drone strikes over past three months, as medical charity reports two more deaths in Darfur.
Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
Apr 14, 2026 - aljazeera.com
Six ships turned around as part of Strait of Hormuz blockade, US military says
"No ships made it past the US blockade, and six merchant vessels complied with direction from US forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman," CENTCOM said.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Apr 14, 2026 - jpost.com
Norway to lift ban on wealth fund investments in Syrian bonds, document shows
The move by the $2.2 trillion wealth fund, the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, represents another step in Syria's re-entry into global finance.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Apr 14, 2026 - jpost.com
'We're on the same side': Israel, Lebanon envoys conclude historic peace talks
Israel and Lebanon’s ambassadors met in Washington to discuss disarming Hezbollah and achieving peace, with the US mediating talks to ensure Israel’s long-term security.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Apr 14, 2026 - jpost.com
Mossad chief Barnea: Iran mission incomplete until it results in regime change
This was the first time that the Mossad chief publicly addressed his role and views about regime change in Iran.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Apr 14, 2026 - jpost.com
Saudi Arabia asks US to end Hormuz blockade amid worries of possible Houthi retaliation - WSJ
Saudi officials appear to be weighing not only the direct risks in the Gulf, but also the possibility that Iran could respond through allied forces elsewhere in the region.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Apr 14, 2026 - jpost.com
Serbia and Israel to jointly manufacture combat drones, Serbian president says
'We will be doing it together, it will be half-and-half,' Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said about the joint weapons venture with Israel. 'We will have the best drones in this part of the world'
Haaretz latest headlines
Apr 14, 2026 - haaretz.com
As Iran war dragged on, Israel downed fewer missiles – and cluster missiles wreaked havoc
According to a Haaretz investigation, at the start of the Iran war only 5 percent of missiles hit Israel. By war's last days, the number spiked to 27 percent. Four out of five were cluster missiles
Haaretz latest headlines
Apr 14, 2026 - haaretz.com
Israel's top court rules IDF must allow women to apply to all combat roles
The justices further ruled that the IDF must allow women to be drafted into armored corps, special forces, infantry and frontline combat units by November of this year
Haaretz latest headlines
Apr 14, 2026 - haaretz.com
Lebanon wants partnership. Israel wants it to be a tool against Iran and Hezbollah
Iranian intervention in the war in Lebanon has highlighted the dangers facing Beirut, ahead of negotiations that will test its sovereignty and determine the future of the country. But as long as Israel remains focused on continued fighting, the most that can be hoped for is tactical achievements – not strategic gains
Haaretz latest headlines
Apr 14, 2026 - haaretz.com
U.S. and Iran's blockade on the Strait of Hormuz may again set Gulf ablaze
Despite Trump's latest move, all outcomes remain on the table – from a deal to a major regional war ■ The search for a victory image in Lebanon could trip up the IDF ■ Netanyahu descends again into cheapening the Holocaust as he strenghtens his grip on Israel's security establishments
Haaretz latest headlines
Apr 14, 2026 - haaretz.com
Iran’s parliament speaker backs Pope Leo after Trump criticism
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf praised Pope Leo XIV’s stance against the US-Israeli war on his country, describing his opposition of the conflict “inspires millions” amid rising regional tensions, Anadolu reports. “Honoring Pope Leo’s fearless stand! ‘I have no fear’ echoes as he condemns the war crimes of Israel and the US. This slogan lights the path for all who refuse to stay...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
6 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza despite ongoing ceasefire
Six Palestinians were killed and seven others wounded Monday in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, medical sources said, as Israel continued its violations of a ceasefire in effect since last October, Anadolu reports. Three Palestinians were killed and a fourth was injured in an Israeli strike in the central city of Deir al-Balah, a medical source said. Witnesses said an Israeli drone targeted...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Award-winning Israeli actress declines Independence Day honor after Gaza war petition controversy
Hana Laszlo informed organizers she has withdrawn from the traditional Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony over criticism of a petition she signed in August that some said accused Israeli soldiers of committing war crimes in Gaza
Haaretz latest headlines
Apr 13, 2026 - haaretz.com
Trump post depicting himself as Jesus removed from social media
US President Donald Trump on Monday deleted a controversial social media post that included an AI image that depicted himself as Jesus Christ, prompting charges of blasphemy from some of those in his conservative religious base, Anadolu reports. Trump posted the image on his platform Truth Social amid an increasingly tense public row with Catholic Pope Leo that has grown since the US president joi...
Middle East Monitor
Apr 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
IDF assesses Hezbollah unlikely to accept truce without Iran agreement
The IDF believes Hezbollah is interested in a truce but will keep fighting until it receives instructions from Tehran. Sources within Hezbollah and its supporters told Haaretz that anything short of a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon would be viewed as a surrender
Haaretz latest headlines
Apr 13, 2026 - haaretz.com
Israel reprimands Spain's top diplomat over the blowing up of Netanyahu effigy in latest rift
Israel's Foreign Ministry called the incident an 'appalling antisemitic hatred on display,' blaming Spain's government. A source in Spain's foreign ministry rejected the Israeli accusation, telling Reuters that the government 'is committed to fighting against antisemitism'
Haaretz latest headlines
Apr 13, 2026 - haaretz.com
Report: Diaspora Jews killed in antisemitic crimes at 30-year high
The Tel Aviv University report accused the Israeli government of failures in fighting global antisemitism, saying that the Israeli Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism has not contributed in any meaningful way to the cause, and in some cases has been an embarrassment