Middle Orient

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and The Critical Threats Project (CTP) at the American Enterprise Institute are publishing daily updates to provide analysis on the war with Iran. The updates focus on US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran and the Axis of Resistance’s response to …

As Israeli political elites increasingly frame Turkey the way they once framed Iran, could Ankara and Tel Aviv’s rivalry become the Middle East’s new faultline? The fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s government in Syria in December 2024, coupled with successive Israeli military campaigns against Iran since October 2024 and the setbacks …

From defence to intelligence, UAE-Israel ties have emerged stronger than ever from the Iran war. But how will this deeper cooperation affect the region? The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel appear to have emerged from the Iran war with a stronger relationship than ever. The UAE sustained the most …

Tehran has upended traditional maritime arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz and remains in the driver’s seat despite U.S. pressure, so authorities cannot expect to reverse this shift quickly even if the war ends soon. On April 28, a Japanese-owned, Panama-flagged crude oil tanker safely transited the Strait of Hormuz …

The first gathering in a decade by the Palestinian Authority’s dominant party will cast light on a post-Abbas future and governance in Gaza, among other issues. On May 14, Fatah launched its eighth General Conference, which will culminate in the election of officials to lead its various governing bodies. Because …

Trump Says Iran Response “Totally Unacceptable” President Trump has just issued a statement on his TruthSocial feed rejecting ‘unacceptable’ Iranian proposal for ending war. "I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called “Representatives.” I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE! Thank you for your attention to this matter." Iran …

Syria’s Interior Ministry has announced a new string of foiled Hezbollah assassination plots against high-level figures, attacks on minority figures and civilian targets, and weapons transfers, alleging the group and Iran-backed actors are seeking to undermine local security across the country. The nature of alleged Hezbollah network raids and planned …

The Iran war has widened differences between Saudi Arabia, which favors accommodation with Iran and Iran-backed regional actors, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which believes military confrontation with Iran and its allies can produce transformative change. Most of the Arab Gulf states are following Saudi Arabia’s lead by advocating …

Both Tehran and Washington are conducting military operations and threatening escalation to enhance their strategic leverage in negotiations to end the conflict. The brinkmanship renders a restart of major conflict as likely as an agreement that would resolve the major outstanding issues, including a full reopening of the Strait of …

As Israel entrenches its occupation of south Lebanon behind a so-called ‘yellow line’, villages are being systematically erased, and residents displaced Qlayaa, Lebanon – The birds are still singing in south Lebanon, but they are faintly heard over a soundscape that – after two and a half years of war …