Middle Orient

Hamas seems intent on building up a fighting force inside Lebanon. Early last December news emerged of a large-scale recruitment drive by Hamas in and around the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. Dubbed “The Al-Aqsa Flood” – in line with the name given to the October 7 massacre – the …

Bashar al-Assad issued an administrative order to retire about 7,000 volunteers, according to Shaam Network. The Ministry of Defense in the Assad regime’s government announced on Tuesday, January 2nd, the retirement of approximately seven thousand volunteers from Assad’s militias. Additionally, the Ministries of Defense and Interior unveiled the 2024 promotion …

Azadi Derik was responsible for the procurement and deployment of rockets within the YPG, according to al-Souria Net Turkish media have reported that the Turkish intelligence service have neutralized a senior commander of the Women’s Protection Units (YPG), an affiliate of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), in Qamishli, northeastern Syria. …

Farid al-Qasim, who had previously faced allegations of misconduct, is relieved of his duties with Salem Turki al-Antari assuming command, according to pro-government Athr Press The US-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) operating in the al-Tanf region of southern Syria has announced a significant change in its leadership, with Farid al-Qasim …

The Turkish FM said in a recent television interview that the Syrian regime’s insistence on preconditions was misguided, al-Souria Net reports On Thursday, Russian warplanes carried out airstrikes on the city of Idleb, resulting in civilian casualties. According to reports from the White Helmets, the airstrikes targeted a furniture workshop …

Turkey bears responsibility for possible war crimes in Syria, Human Rights Watch says Human Rights Watch says Turkey bears responsibility for some of the abuses and possible war crimes committed in Syria, mostly against Kurdish residents in northern Syria In swathes of northern Syria, Türkiye is an occupying power. It …

Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes on the evening of February 28, targeting three military sites in the Damascus countryside, according to Sawt al-Asima Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes on the evening of February 28, targeting three military sites in the Damascus countryside. According to private sources cited by Sawt al-Asima, Israel aimed …

Iran’s Ambassador to Damascus dismissed the notion that the withdrawal of IRGC commanders from Syria would halt Israeli military strikes, Shaam Network says Iran’s Ambassador to Damascus, Hussein Akbari, has dismissed the notion that the withdrawal of Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders from Syria would halt Israeli military strikes. Akbari views …

Europe stayed silent when Israel began pounding the besieged Gaza Strip with the kind of ferocity that could only lead to a genocide. In fact, Europe remained silent when the word ‘genocide’ quickly replaced the earlier reference to the ‘Israel-Hamas war’, starting on October 7. Those familiar with Europe’s political …

The clashes between Hezbollah and Israel are the closest to an actual war that the Lebanon-Israel border has seen since the war of 2006, which resulted in a rushed Israeli retreat, if not outright defeat. We often refer to the ongoing conflict between Lebanon and Israel as ‘controlled’ clashes, simply …