Middle Orient

The massive armada of 350 drones, ballistic and cruise missiles, launched by Iran toward Israel in the early hours of April 14, marked a sea-change in the anti-Israel approach the Iranian regime has pursued since its foundation in 1979. Its anti-Israel policy was embedded in the broad strategy known originally …

The Houthi movement said it will expand targeting of maritime shipping into the Mediterranean Sea, which is probably part of an Iranian-led effort to impose an unofficial economic blockade on Israel. The Houthi movement announced on May 3 that it will begin targeting ships in the eastern Mediterranean that are …

Since the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7, journalists and media across the region have faced a hostile environment that has made reporting on the war exceptionally challenging. In addition to documenting the growing tally of journalists killed and injured, CPJ’s research has found multiple kinds of incidents of journalists …

Turkey and Iraq signed more than 20 agreements during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s first visit to the neighbouring country in more than a decade. In statements after the visit, attention focused on the ambitious Development Road project, a highway and railway corridor stretching 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) from the …

A recent UN investigation has determined that Israel has failed to provide evidence supporting its claim that employees of the United Nations Relief Work Agency (UNRWA) are members of Hamas and participated in the 7th October attack on Israel. In fact, the report concluded that UNRWA has one of the …

It was no surprise to see the newly elected Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, choose Saudi Arabia as the destination of his first official visit within weeks of assuming power. What was more surprising, however, was the joint announcement that emerged from this two-day visit in early April, which not …

The recent blow-for-blow strikes by Iran and Israel are bound to result in some introspection in Tehran, although this will not be immediately evident. For now, Iranian officials are seeking to show that the fusillade of drones and missiles the Islamic Republic fired at Israel on April 13 has reestablished …

Tensions between the United States and China are expanding beyond the Asia-Pacific region. The Middle East and North Africa is likely to be one of many venues in what might be a new Cold War between Washington and Beijing. We can imagine how Washington and Beijing’s respective global outlooks and …

Latest Developments Hamas condemned the Palestinian Authority (PA) on May 2 for the death of a terrorist in a West Bank shootout. Earlier on May 2, PA security forces in the West Bank city of Tulkarm shot a gunman who opened fire on their patrol. Several reports suggest that the …

The Israeli army announced on Tuesday that its forces had taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli army stated that its 401st Armored Brigade had taken “operational control” of the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side. It …