Middle Orient

Iran’s April 14 direct attack on Israeli territory appeared intended to demonstrate Iran’s military technology advances and establish a measure of deterrence against Tehran’s main regional adversary.

Normally, I prefer academics to remain separate from politics. It’s fashionable among certain groups to “politicize” everything, which, basically means, one key for every lock on this planet. They hold the bizarre view that everything is “political;” therefore, not to talk about politics in a classroom is somehow being unfaithful …

Fuite des capitaux et exil des cerveaux, monnaie dépréciée, hyper-inflation, taux de chômage des jeunes au-dessus de 20%, l’économie iranienne paraît proche de la rupture. Mais établir un état des lieux d’un État qui s’est construit dans les sanctions occidentales depuis près de 15 ans, hormis la parenthèse de 2016-2018, …

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi traveled to Pakistan earlier this week to meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and to smooth tensions lingering from a skirmish between Tehran and Islamabad that erupted after Iran launched missiles into Pakistan, with Pakistan returning fire. There was no mention of longstanding plans to …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Iraq yesterday, the first time the Turkish leader has made the trip in over a decade, with a host of issues on the agenda including discussions related to counterterrorism, trade, water, and energy. At the top of the list of priorities is counterterrorism …

Iran’s April 14 missile and drone barrage against Israel demonstrated Iran’s growing strategic capabilities but also its limitations. Iran’s attack reassured its regional allies but also demonstrated that pro-Iranian factions closer to Israel’s borders perhaps pose a greater threat than Iran itself. The defeat of its missile and drone volleys …

The operational synergy between the Lebanese Army’s Intelligence Directorate and Syrian counterparts led to the capture of the three suspects in a border region shared by Syria and Lebanon. The Lebanese Intelligence Directorate, in collaboration with Syrian authorities, successfully apprehended the three Syrian individuals accountable for the abduction and subsequent …

North Press reported that the Syrian government forces appointed on Tuesday Suhail al-Hassan, as the commander of the 14th Special Forces Division in the Syrian government forces. Hassan was also assigned to be commander of the campaign against the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions aka the Syrian National Army (SNA) in …

Local sources told Sawt al-Asima that Israeli missiles struck a building occupied by regime army forces near Rawadi village. On Wednesday evening, the Israeli military targeted a structure housing regime army personnel in the rural area of Quneitra. Subsequently, aircraft dropped warning leaflets in the vicinity. Local sources reported that …

Public meetings between officials from Russia, Belarus, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Iran, and North Korea have surged in recent days, with at least 10 high-level bilateral meetings between April 22 and 26, underscoring the deepening multilateral partnership these states are constructing to confront the West. Russian Defense Minister …