Iran, China, and Russia Unite Their Navies for a Geopolitical Power Play in the Gulf of OmanIran, China, and Russia flexed their military muscles in a significant joint naval drill in the Gulf of Oman. The bold show of strength, led by Iran, signifies a mounting threat to the West …
Read More »North Caucasus: Militant Underground Becoming More Active – Analysis
Since the start of Russia’s expanded invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, underground militants, both ethnic and Islamist, in the North Caucasus have been relatively quiet. This lull is the result of Russia’s security services and, perhaps more importantly, the product of the militants’ decision not to take action lest …
Read More »Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (March 26 – April 2, 2024)
The activities of IDF forces in the Gaza Strip focused on three locations: Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where the activity ended on April 1, 2024. Hundreds of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist operatives were detained, including senior operatives, about 200 terrorists were killed and large quantities of …
Read More »Syrian Kurds say US presence important to regional stability
Thirteen years after the start of Syria’s conflict, countless woes remain for millions of Syrians. For people in the Kurdish-majority northeast, one concern tops all else: whether neighboring Turkey will carry out another ground invasion that could put an end to their semiautonomous region, carved out in the wake of …
Read More »ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency in February 2024
ISIS carried out at least 33 confirmed attacks in February in the Homs, Hama, Raqqa, and Deir Ez Zor governorates. These attacks killed at least 35 pro-Assad regime soldiers and 25 civilians and wounded at least 33 more soldiers and civilians. There were also eight high quality* attacks during the …
Read More »A Détente Option for Iran
America Needs a Simpler Policy—but Not Rapprochement On April 1, Israeli warplanes attacked a building in Damascus that is part of the Iranian embassy there, killing seven senior figures in the Iranian military. Tehran has yet to respond. But when it does, the scale and nature of its actions will …
Read More »Iran Is Winning the War
Right now things look good for Israel. But the Islamic Republic is playing the long game. And its advantages, alas, are many. Is there an ending to the Gaza war and all its complementary confrontations in which Iran and its proxies lose and Israel and the United States win? On …
Read More »Insecurity Erodes Chances of Civilian Rule in Niger and Mali
Some experts have expressed fears that with the increasing violence in the Sahel, due to the multiplicity of armed groups, it’s hard to see how a political transition could actually take place. “All parties now acknowledge that the challenges in the region are even higher than expected,” says Afolabi Adekaiyaoja, …
Read More »ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency in March 2024
ISIS carried out at least 69 confirmed attacks in March in the Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Raqqa, and Deir Ez Zor governorates. These attacks killed at least 84 pro-Assad regime soldiers and 44 civilians and wounded at least 51 more soldiers and civilians. There were also 19 high quality* attacks during …
Read More »Iran’s Grand Plan: Bring Down The Jordanian Regime, Attack Israel From The East, And Thwart The Western-Sunni Normalization Project – And This Could Begin This Friday, Iran’s Qods Day
Introduction In recent days, the grand Iranian plan is emerging – the plan with which the Islamic revolutionary regime is continuing despite the killing, in Israeli air strikes, the senior command of its IRGC Qods Force in Syria and Lebanon. The upcoming stage of this plan involves bringing down the …
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