Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Turkish Armed Forces may carry out a new operation in Syria if ‘terrorists’ do not move away from the Turkish border.
Read More »What Can Trump Offer Assad?
Two White House senior officials visited Damascus to meet with the head of Syrian Security and Intelligence, Ali Mamlouk, in an attempt to release two American hostages who have been kidnapped and forcibly hidden by the Assad regime for years.
Read More »Sunni agreement to expel Popular Mobilization Units from liberated Iraqi cities
Sunni political parties are using murders in Salahuddin province to demand an end to the presence of armed militias blamed for killings. The Oct. 17 murder of 12 people from the Sunni community in Salahuddin province north of Baghdad has raised the ire of Sunnis against Shiite factions present in …
Read More »Nagorno-Karabakh conflict tests Turkey’s hard power without diplomacy
Can Ankara’s “coercive diplomacy” in the south Caucasus yield tangible diplomatic benefits in the long run? Turkey once again assumed the role of “game changer” — this time in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. As with previous cases in Syria, Libya and the eastern Mediterranean, the big question is whether Ankara can …
Read More »Saudi Arabia condemns 'offensive cartoons' as calls grow for French boycott
The kingdom “rejects any attempt to link Islam with terrorism,” a Foreign Ministry source said. Saudi Arabia is the latest Muslim country to denounce French President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial comments on Islam and depictions of the Prophet Muhammad.
Read More »Israel showcases alignment with Greece, Cyprus
Israeli, Greek and Cypriot foreign ministers met today in Athens, showcasing again the strong strategic alignment between the three countries. Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi met this afternoon in Greece with his Greek and Cypriot counterparts, Nikos Denidas and Nikos Christodoulides. The trilateral meeting was dedicated to issues of energy, security …
Read More »No good news for Turkey from jihadi ranks in Syria
Ahrar al-Sham, a prominent armed group that has often collaborated with Turkey in Syria, is hit by infighting that plays into the hands of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and dampens Turkish plans to remold rebel factions in Idlib. Turkey has gained ample experience in organizing, training, equipping and using armed militants …
Read More »Erdogan sues Charlie Hebdo over caricature
An ongoing Turkey-France spat deepened after French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published a caricature of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, prompting legal action from Ankara. Turkish prosecutors launched a legal probe into the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo Wednesday after it published a cover containing an insulting cartoon depiction of …
Read More »Erdogan warns Turkey has 'right to mobilize' again against Kurdish forces
The Turkish president’s comments come a year after Turkey launched an offensive against Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria. A year after launching an incursion into northeast Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the possibility of another offensive against US-backed Kurdish forces in the war-torn country.
Read More »Outgoing IDF intel analysis chief: Changing world means revolution in intelligence
Outgoing IDF Intelligence Analysis chief Brig.-Gen. Dror Shalom has published an article about how he and others have been working up a revolution in intelligence to confront a constantly radically changing world.
Read More »