Eurasia

The party has spent almost two decades building up a deterrence capacity, and now may be its prisoner. Since Hamas’ attack against Israeli towns on October 7, and the ensuing Israeli bombardment and military operations in and around Gaza, Hezbollah’s response in southern Lebanon has been mostly restrained. The party …

In an interview, Nur Arafeh discusses the ramifications of the conflict in Gaza and what it means for Palestinians. Nur Arafeh is a fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, where her work focuses on the political economy of the Middle East and North Africa, business-state relations, …

Following is the September 2023 installment of “ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency,” a monthly chronicle of attacks by the terrorist group ISIS in central Syria. A review of developments throughout 2022 and 2021 can be found here and here. The January 2023 edition can be found here, February’s here, …

The Strategic Case for Adhering to the Laws of War When Hamas-led Palestinian fighters launched their deadly assault in Israel on October 7, many foreign governments rushed to support Israel. The United States was particularly fervent in declaring that Israel had a right to self-defense, and it expedited military assistance …

A Plan to Return the Gaza Strip to Palestinians and Keep Israel Safe Israel’s offensive against the Gaza Strip is ramping up. After the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas spilled out of Gaza to stage a brutal attack on Israel on October 7, the enclave is now under siege. Israel has …

The White House has been discussing the possibility of using military force if Hezbollah joins the war in Gaza and attacks Israel with its huge arsenal of rockets, three U.S. officials and one Israeli official with knowledge of the situation tell Axios. Why it matters: Lebanon-based Hezbollah joining the war …

In talks with Middle Eastern governments, U.S. officials are broaching the subject of Gaza’s future without Hamas in charge. Biden administration officials and lawmakers support Israel’s plans to strike hard at Hamas but they worry their ally has no clear plan for who will govern Gaza if and when the …

Key points The logic President Biden used for removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan applies to Syria. Since a U.S. intervention should be defined by clear, achievable goals, and since long-range strikes, instead of occupying forces, can accomplish U.S. counterterrorism goals, there is no good case for keeping U.S. troops in …

At an October 17, 2023 meeting with members of Iran’s elite scientific circles, at the Imam Khomeini Husseiniya[1] in Tehran, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei instructed the commanders in Iran and the leaders of the resistance organizations that they must respond to Israel’s attacks against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. …

Commentators are comparing the Toofan Al-Aqsa offensive by Hamas against Israel with the 1973 Yom Kippur event, when a coalition of Arab armies led by Egypt and Syria, overwhelmed Israeli forces. But that was a war led by state-sponsored armies, whereas the latest attack on Israel has been carried out …