The main building of the Natanz nuclear site was severely damaged in a blast this summer, which Tehran attributed to sabotage without delving into details about who was responsible and how it was carried out.

Russia has already deployed a ground-based laser weapon which could disable or blind US space-based sensors on orbiting surveillance satellites, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday.

Any incoming government in Yemen will need to stop the infighting in the south and address issues related to essential services, as well as be prepared to face a likely torrent of Houthi missiles.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced sanctions on Christopher Henzel, the US ambassador to Yemen. Iran on Wednesday slapped sanctions on the US envoy to Yemen, a largely symbolic gesture that followed the Trump administration’s sanctioning of the Iranian ambassador to the Houthi rebels.

Egypt appears to be leading Arab efforts to bring Damascus back to the Arab League and find a political solution to the Syrian crisis, in a bid to confront Turkey’s military ambitions in Syria.

Turkey and Azerbaijan deny that Syrian mercenaries were used in the recent offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh but four Syrians have told the BBC that after enlisting for sentry duties in Azerbaijan, they were unexpectedly thrown into battle on the front line.

Head of the government of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani revealed on Wednesday that the fighters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorist organisation had brought additional forces from Syria and did not leave the district of Sinjar in the Nineveh governorate.

Iran-trained Syrian fighters were killed in an attack by the Islamic State in a dawn attack on the desert outpost outside the Euphrates Valley town of al-Mayadeen reports Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

From the lack of a clear Israeli strategy on the Iran nuclear deal to the new Middle East approach of President-elect Joe Biden. What are the several geostrategic Middle East challenges Israel will have to face with the changing administration in the United States?

There has been no ambassador in either country since May 2018, when Ankara withdrew its envoy over escalating attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and Washington’s decision to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem.