The former CIA director commander of troops during the war on terror described instability in the Middle East in the direst terms during a Sept. 22 hearing. “Almost every Middle Eastern country is now a battleground or a combatant in one or more wars,” retired Army Gen. David H. Petraeus told the Senate Armed Service Committee. Moreover, Petraeus said, extremists who hate America are emerging as winners so far. Petraeus urged lawmakers to continue support of the Iraqi government, with a focus on preserving security in Baghdad. He described Syria as “a political Chernobyl,” and recommended rendering the Syrian air force unable to fly until the government there ends its “vicious” actions against political and cultural rivals. While supporting the nuclear deal with Iran, Petraeus advised that the U.S. assume the posture that the agreement would be a beginning of “a new, more complex phase … that will require intensified U.S. involvement in the region.” Petraeus predicated his remarks with an apology for the events involving classified material and an affair he had with a subordinate three years ago, which led to his resignation as CIA director.