Middle Orient

Syrian passports: How German money funds war crimes in Syria

Syrians in Germany are forced to go back to the government that imprisoned or tortured them to get a new passport. Activists say the money they pay for passports funds a regime sanctioned by the German government. Even in high school, Adam Yasmin was political. When pro-democracy protests began in …

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Lebanon’s Offshore Governor

Offshore companies owned by the governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon have quietly invested in overseas assets worth nearly US$100 million in recent years, even as he has encouraged others to invest in his economically devastated country. Rumors of Central Bank Governor Riad Salame’s offshore wealth have swirled around …

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Spotlight on Iran

In recent months, the smuggling of advanced weapons from Iran to Judea and Samaria was thwarted by the Israeli security forces. The Special Operations Directorate of the IRGC’s intelligence organization and the Qods Force Special Operations Unit in Syria were responsible for those smuggling attempts. Those attempts provide further evidence …

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The axis of evasion: Behind China’s oil trade with Iran and Russia

Oil revenue is a lifeline for the Iranian and Russian economies, but Western sanctions have jeopardized both countries’ ability to ship oil and receive payments. In response, Iran and Russia have redirected oil shipments to China—the world’s largest importer of crude oil. In 2023, China saved a reported ten billion …

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Israel Kills Deputy Hezbollah Rocketry Chief

Latest Developments Israel killed Hezbollah’s deputy rocketry chief in Lebanon on March 29 and was accused by Syria of carrying out a separate airstrike against the Iranian-backed terrorist group near Aleppo. Ali Abed Akhsan Naim, deputy commander of the Hezbollah Rocket and Missile Unit, was targeted in a car in …

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Iran bites its tongue on Bahrain?

On March 12, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned four individuals for supporting the Iran-linked al-Ashtar Brigades in Bahrain. The four Bahrainis apparently live in Iran and allegedly support the al-Ashtar militant group via financial, technical, and other kinds of assistance. Given Washington’s close security cooperation with Manama, …

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Syria Today – Russia and Turkey “to Cooperate in Fight Against Terror”; SDF Clashes with Iranian Militias; ISIS Kills More Truffle Hunters

Russian President Vladimir Putin held separate calls with his Turkish and Syrian counterparts, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bashar Al-Assad, on Saturday, promising “closer cooperation” in the fight against terrorism in the wake of the deadly concert attack in Moscow, according to a Kremlin statement, MEMO reported. The statement noted that …

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Unprecedented Military Surge: Iranian-Backed Militias Bolstered in Western Damascus

Significant military support has arrived in the western outskirts of Damascus from the eastern regions of Homs, according to Shaam Network. In recent days, significant military support has arrived in the western outskirts of Damascus from the eastern regions of Homs. This influx, unprecedented in scale, bolsters the ranks of …

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Washington Denies Responsibility for Deir-ez-Zor Attack

The media office of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) responded to inquiries electronically, citing a US Department of Defense official on Tuesday, stating that the United States had not conducted any attacks in Syria within the past 24 hours. Unidentified warplanes struck approximately ten sites belonging to Iran-backed militias across …

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Syria Today – Deadly Attack on Deir-ez-Zor

The Israeli Air Force was responsible for overnight airstrikes in eastern Syria, which reportedly killed several Iranian-linked operatives, The Times of Israel has learned. The strikes in the Deir-ez-Zor or and al-Boukamal area targeted assets belonging to Iran’s Unit 4000, the Special Operations Division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ …

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