Israel has detected increased activity by Iran as it builds up its military presence in Syria. Is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad starting to change his mind about the long dominance of Iran and Russia in his country? Several intelligence analysts have assessed recently that with Assad’s regime stabilized, the Iranian …

The Islamic State maintains a presence in the Salah ad-Din area of northern Iraq. The Iraqi air force has reported conducting new airstrikes against enemy fighters. Pilots commanding F-16 fighter jets carried out the aerial strikes northwest of Mutaybija in Iraq’s Salah ad-Din province in the north of the country. …

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz is expected to sign security cooperation agreements with his Moroccan counterpart, Abdellatif Loudiyi. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz will make an official visit to Morocco next week, in the first such visit since the two countries agreed to normalize relations last year. During the Nov. …

The future of Iran’s presence in Syria seems to be dividing the Syrian leadership. Until a few weeks ago, he was among the strongest men in Syria — if not the strongest — but Javad Ghaffari’s last battle in the war-torn country was this time with no one other than …

While no one is watching, the social and economic geography in the South Caucasus is continuing swiftly to evolve. Signal among these developments, indeed its driving force, is the rebuilding of the Karabakh region following the expulsion of occupying military forces from the Republic of Armenia, or under its direct …

In the early hours of Nov. 7, three quadcopter drones armed with explosives detonated inside the grounds of the official residence of Iraq’s prime minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, injuring seven members of his security detail. Al-Kadhimi, who escaped with only light injuries, promptly released a statement appealing for calm. The question …

At its most recent meeting in Tajikistan this September, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) started a formal process to grant Iran full membership. This will be the second time the organisation expands after accepting India and Pakistan in 2017 — now extending its reach from Central and South Asia to …

The world’s historic pivot toward curbing carbon emissions is likely to spur unprecedented demand for some of the most crucial metals used to generate and store renewable energy in a net-zero emissions by 2050 scenario. A resulting surge in prices for materials such as cobalt and nickel would bring boom …

President Joe Biden and his advisers appear to be nearing a decision on whether to reappoint Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell when his term ends in February. But public outcry over persistently high inflation may have changed the terms of the discussion. Biden is deciding as inflation climbs to …

The recent crisis in Bosnia has highlighted the adaptability – and limitations – of Turkish policy in the Balkans. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently hosted in Ankara Milorad Dodik, the Serbian member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, to discuss the political crisis in Bosnia triggered by Dodik’s threat to abandon …