While claims that Russia is playing a large role in reconciliation talks between the Palestinian movement Hamas and the Syrian regime may be overstated, Moscow could benefit in several ways if the two sides restore relations.
Read More »Monthly Archives: January 2021
Egyptian who ruled in favor of ceding key islands to Saudi Arabia voted parliament speaker
Egypt’s parliament elected Hanafy Ali el-Gebaly as its new speaker, raising controversy as Gebaly chaired the Supreme Constitutional Court that validated an agreement under which Egypt agreed to transfer the strategic Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia.
Read More »Did Islamic State make comeback to opposition areas in countryside of Aleppo?
An attempted assassination of a journalist bearing the hallmarks of the Islamic State in the opposition-held city of al-Bab in the countryside of Aleppo has prompted fears about the escalation of IS operations and stirred demands to prosecute terrorist operatives in the area.
Read More »Iranian forces in east Syria redeploy after airstrikes
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its militias in Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, are trying to avoid further losses from suspected Israeli airstrikes by redeploying, hiding inside residential neighborhoods in large cities and putting their strategic weapons in underground tunnels.
Read More »How delays at Sudan’s largest port could actually boost trade with Egypt
Analysts expect the four-month suspension in Port Sudan to accelerate the launch of the Transit Trade Agreement between Egypt and Sudan and eventually bring economic and political benefits to Egypt.
Read More »Houthi terror designation could set off Yemen’s oil tanker ‘time bomb’
Experts say the terrorism label will complicate efforts to secure a decaying oil tanker in the Red Sea that could rupture at any moment and unleash another humanitarian and environmental catastrophe. Off war-battered Yemen’s western coast lies a rapidly deteriorating storage vessel that could at any moment become an oil …
Read More »Russia to Exit Open Skies Treaty, Escalating Military Rivalry With U.S.
Washington withdrew from the treaty, which lets countries make reconnaissance flights over each other’s territory, last year. Moscow’s move could signal difficulties for the Biden administration. Russia said on Friday that it was pulling out of a decades-old treaty that allowed countries to make military reconnaissance flights over each other’s …
Read More »What Should Be Addressed in Austin’s Confirmation Hearing for Defense Secretary?
Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday for his confirmation hearing to become defense secretary. If confirmed, he would become the first Black defense secretary in American history. Before the Senate is able to confirm his nomination, Congress must pass a waiver that …
Read More »Lavrov: Israel should inform Moscow of Iranian threats in Syria, not bomb them
Russian FM says if his government were given intel, it would take action so IDF wouldn’t have to, following recent reports of major strikes on Iran-linked sites in eastern Syria Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke out against Israeli airstrikes against Iran-linked sites in Syria on Monday, saying Jerusalem should …
Read More »Two Attacks Target Assad Forces in Quneitra Countryside
A state of security chaos persists in southern Syria, with the latest attack killing three at a checkpoint in Quneitra reports Alsouria Net. Three members of the Military Security branch of the Assad regime were killed, after an attack by unknown gunmen on a checkpoint in the countryside of Quneitra …
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