Middle Orient

Iranian leaders view the Arab states of the Persian Gulf as pivotal to their efforts to deter Israel from attacking key targets in Iran. Iran is pressuring the Gulf states to deny Israel access to their airspace for any retaliatory strike on Iran. Iranian officials display no hesitation to threaten …

Syria’s military has accused Israel of a targeted strike against its coast city of Latakia, 60 miles to the north of Lebanon. According to Syrian military sources speaking to The Associated Press, two civilians were wounded and a military post was damaged. The attack is the latest example of how …

Israel has announced the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas and mastermind of the October 7, 2023, attack that has since plunged the Middle East into an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday his nation has “settled its account” with Sinwar …

Analysis: Israel is trying to depopulate the north to geographically reconfigure Gaza into disconnected enclaves and maintain indefinite control, analysts say. Residents of northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp, along with those in the nearby towns of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, were urgently ordered to evacuate on 6 October as …

In-depth: As Israel’s war expands, Netanyahu has issued Lebanon a chilling threat: rise against Hezbollah and risk civil war or be destroyed like Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered Lebanon a choice. In an address last week, he called on the Lebanese to “stand up and take your …

Each new week brings new calamities for people in the countries neighboring Israel, as its leaders try to bomb their way to the promised land of an ever-expanding Greater Israel. In Gaza, Israel appears to be launching its “Generals’ Plan” to drive the most devastated and traumatized 2.2 million people …

Analysis: While the role of Lebanon’s army is restricted by politics and limited capabilities, it could play a key part in any future diplomatic solution. On 3 October, Israeli military forces struck a Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) post in Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, killing one soldier, as Israel pushed …

Israel’s dystopian weapons industry poses a threat to humanity, with the Hezbollah pager attacks setting a dangerous precedent, says Richard Silverstein. Israel specialises in weapons of mass destruction. In the 1990s, Israel pioneered the use of armed drones in warfare and was the first to use exploding cell phones in …

Israel is banking on unconditional US military support to engage with Iran. But Iran’s strategic assets may be deeper than anticipated, writes Emad Moussa. The weeks that followed the pager mass terrorism across Lebanon, and the soon-followed assassination of Hezbollah’s top leadership, have Israel drunk on tactical successes. With that …

The following article was written by Kurdish scholar Himdad Mustafa for the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). It expresses the hope that the international community can come to an understanding that a regime change in Iran can only come by creating a coalition of Iran’s ethnic “minorities.” Israel’s imminent …