Middle Orient

Hamas is continuing to discuss its desired political end state in which a Hamas-influenced government governs the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh gave a speech on May 15 that outlined this end state, which will include an “administration” for the post-war Gaza Strip …

The Lebanese Sunni military group the Al-Fajr Forces has reemerged in recent months after a long hiatus, joining the fight against Israel alongside Hezbollah on the Israel-Lebanon border. The Al-Fajr Forces – established in 1982 – are the military wing of Jamaa Islamiya, a Lebanese Sunni Muslim organisation also known …

As the world focuses on Israel’s war in Gaza, northwest Syria is undergoing a significant political upheaval that could lead to major instability. For the last three months, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an armed Sunni Islamist group that governs more 4.5 million people in the Idlib region, has been facing …

A year after the restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the two countries are working to ease regional tensions in the Middle East in exchange for promises of improved bilateral cooperation. But strains persist in the relationship between Riyadh and Tehran, and the two capitals are using …

Amid a shift in rhetoric among US officials regarding Israel’s ability to destroy Hamas, there has been growing uncertainty about whether that war aim is feasible. According to experts who spoke with The Algemeiner, Israel can remove the Palestinian terrorist group from power in Gaza, although efforts by the Biden …

A new report from Iran International said that the top commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Mohammad Reza Zahedi, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1. Zahedi, who was trying to evade Israeli targeting, had travelled from Tehran to Damascus …

AP reported that Belarus plans to deploy up to 200 troops to Syria to serve alongside Russian forces in the country, according to a Russian government document released Monday, a move strongly condemned by Belarus’ opposition leader. A draft agreement between Russia and its ally Belarus endorsed by Russian Prime …

On May 13, protesters established a sit-in tent outside the military court building in Idlib, calling for the release of detainees. Members of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) dispersed the gathering in a protest tent in the center of Idlib City, using force and batons amidst gunfire. Enab Baladi’s correspondent in …

Throughout history, fringe religious Zionist parties have had limited success in achieving the kind of electoral victories that would allow them an actual share in the country’s political decision-making. The impressive number of 17 seats won by Israel’s extremist religious party, Shas, in the 1999 elections, was a watershed moment …

It’s now been about four weeks since Iranian missiles filled Israeli skies, as humanity held its breath for nuclear war and possible extinction. If that strikes you as hyperbole, consider this: Had Israel suffered great damage, the war could have gone nuclear, and don’t think for a minute that Russia …