Islamic State is applying Sharia rules in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor and imposing taxes on residents by force of arms. The Islamic State (IS) carries out almost daily operations in Deir ez-Zor against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the civilians it accuses of cooperating with the …

Iran and Iraq transportation ministries signed a document setting a roadmap for implementation of Basra-Shalamcheh railway connection, which should boost economic activity for both countries. The transportation ministers of Iran and Iraq have signed a memorandum of understanding to build the Shalamcheh-Basra railway and Shatt al-Arab bridge. The agreement includes …

Clearly it is no coincidence that Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz met in Amman with Jordanian King Abdullah one week only after hosting in his Rosh Ha’ayin home Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The Jan. 5 meeting between Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Jordanian King Abdullah was not their first meeting. …

On the anniversary of the death of former IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani and with the resumption of the nuclear talks in Vienna, Iran stakes out a hard line. An Arab diplomat who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity warned that for every day the talks aimed at reviving the …

Amid growing concerns over potential Russian offensive, hostilities continued in Donbas conflict zone despite restoration of July 2020 ceasefire. Fighting and shelling continued along Donbas contact line. Ukrainian military said three of its servicemen were killed in combat during month, while Russian-backed forces reported four fighters killed. Explosion in govt-controlled …

New Bulgarian PM Petkov faces a struggle reconciling the competing demands of his coalition allies if Bulgaria is to go a year without yet another election. With three parliamentary and two presidential elections and the fall from power of Boyko Borissov, 2021 was one of the most eventful years in …

The US administration has imposed sanctions on several Bosnian officials and a TV station for alleged corruption and for trying to destabilise Bosnia and Herzegovina, but experts said these measures alone might not do much to ease the country’s political crisis. Bosnian Serb political leader Milorad Dodik, his adviser and …

Serbian president may face an unusually tough year as a fragmented opposition consolidates itself and environmental protests continue. Ayear marked by crime and corruption scandals in the ruling Serbian Progressive Party caused some internal rife in this normally monolith party.

Prosecutors in Albania say a former minister used a remarkably simple scheme to funnel big bribes for public contracts. It still took them several years to find him out.On September 26, 2016, a warehouseman at state-owned Albania Railways called Arber Denizi opened his own business for the import and export …

The United States and its EU partners stepped up warnings of major consequences if Russia invades Ukraine as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to Washington on January 5 for a meeting dominated by upcoming talks with Russia. Blinken said he and Baerbock emphasized …