Middle Orient

Israel has been building up its assets in Syria, says a former CIA agent The suspected assassination of an Iranian commander by an Israeli air strike at the Iranian consulate in Damascus would have required on-the-ground intelligence from local operatives, according to an Israeli security analyst and a former CIA …

The March attack by Islamic State (IS) on a Moscow theater has dimmed the prospects for a substantial drawdown of the U.S. contingent of 2,500 military advisors and trainers still in Iraq.The upcoming U.S. visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani will focus on the U.S. troop presence as …

Iran is capitalizing on the widening rift between several post-coup leaders in the Sahel and Western countries, including the United States and France.Iranian leaders perceive that expanded relations with Africa’s leaders can help Iran circumvent U.S.-led sanctions and enhance Iran’s role as a supplier of sophisticated weaponry, particularly armed drones.Iran’s …

Historically, wars unite Israelis. Not anymore. Not that Israelis do not agree with Benjamin Netanyahu’s war; they simply do not believe that the prime minister is the man who could win this supposedly existential fight. But Netanyahu’s war remains unwinnable simply because liberation wars, often conducted through guerrilla warfare tactics, …

Iranian police on Saturday announced the arrest of a senior operative of Daesh with two other members of the group accused of planning a suicide attack during next week’s celebrations marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The police said Mohammad Zaker, known as “Ramesh”, and the …

More than three months have elapsed since the United States launched its naval task force Operation Prosperity Guardian, accompanied by American and British airstrikes in January, that aimed to deter Yemen’s Houthis from attacking Red Sea trade. Despite these efforts, the Houthis have not relented on their drone and missile …

In the Syrian village of al-Baghouz, in the eastern Deir Ezzor province, the last battles between the Islamic State organization and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by the International Coalition Forces, took place on February 9 and ended on March 23, 2019, marking the end of the organization’s geographical …

Saudi Arabia announced a packed calendar of events for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday, from theater to concerts and daily firework displays. Public and private sector employees in the Kingdom will get five days off from April 9, including the weekend, to mark the end of the holy month of …

One of the U.S.’s closest Mideast allies, Jordan, has been hit by demonstrations that, according to some analysts, have spilled over into a serious threat to the Hashemite Kingdom with open declarations of support for the Hamas terrorist organization. Jordan’s government has been one of the most vocal opponents of …

Iranian security forces battled simultaneous terrorist attacks by a militant separatist group in a southwest province that raged for nearly 17 hours, with intense gunfights in the streets of two cities that resulted in the deaths of 10 security officers and 18 militants, according to the Ministry of Interior on …