Middle Orient

How the U.S.-Iran showdown has shattered the myth of an “unsinkable” defense umbrella—and why the Gulf monarchies are quietly shopping for a new guarantor. The “Oil-for-Protection” Deal That BackfiredFor generations, the strategic bargain between Washington and the Persian Gulf monarchies was strikingly straightforward: The United States guarantees the territorial integrity …

The Red Sea is becoming the “lesser evil” for shipowners, analysts said, as uncertainty in the Strait of Hormuz outweighs the threat posed by Yemen’s Houthi militants. The Iranian-backed rebels began attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea and its southern gateway at Bab el-Mandeb in late 2023, prompting most …

Three people including child hurt by falling debris in Kuwait; Qatar condemns ‘dangerous escalation’ after being hit for first time since April; Iranian soldier killed in US attacks Iran fired missiles and drones at Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar early Sunday in response to widespread American strikes, as a flare-up …

Les forces militaires iraniennes ont récemment mené des frappes aériennes massives contre les bases militaires de milices kurdes iraniennes, situées au Kurdistan irakien (nord – ouest). Ces attaques, sans précédent, témoignent de la crainte de Téhéran de voir ces milices devenir plus offensives à la faveur de l’instabilité générée par …

Russia is accelerating efforts to entrench its economic presence in Syria through a new logistics project at the Port of Tartous, signalling a strategic shift from military dominance to commercial leverage. The move comes as Moscow and Damascus engage in sensitive negotiations over the future of Russia’s military installations in …

The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced that it had dismantled cells affiliated with the Islamic State group and arrested a leader in the organization in southern Syria. The ministry said specialized units at the Interior Ministry, in cooperation with the General Intelligence Service, arrested Firas al-Dagher, a leader in the …

It would not be much of an exaggeration to say that, in recent years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been regarded by many observers as, if not the “weak link” in that part of humanity striving for a fairer world order, then, at the very least, the member of …

Despite other pressing priorities and the imminent end of the coalition mission, Zaidi’s trip is a vital opportunity to make sure Baghdad has the targeted assistance it needs to keep IS from resurging at a time of great domestic and regional turbulence. On the eve of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s …

The US president says he is ‘lifting sanctions’ on Turkey, but the pathway to closer defence ties is not clear-cut President Donald Trump says he will lift sanctions on Turkey and overturn a ban on selling the US’s Nato ally F-35 warplanes, but experts say he has “no magic wand” …

1 – Le Voyage de Monsieur Perrichon d’Eugène Labiche Le carrossier du Voyage de Monsieur Perrichon d’Eugène Labiche prononce deux phrases immortelles qui, grâce à un léger glissement sémantique, éclairent la pathologie des relations qu’entretiennent les Israéliens avec leurs voisins et victimes palestiniennes. «Vous me devez tout. Je ne l’oublierai …