Middle Orient

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to prepare for the evacuation of over a million civilians from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip ahead of an anticipated attack on the area. The statement comes following remarks from the United States stating that Israel has …

On February 7, 2024, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that at 9:30 p.m. (Baghdad time) its forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on U.S. service members, killing an Iran-backed Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on U.S. …

In a February 4, 2024 interview on Fox News, former U.S. President Donald Trump said that in January 2020, Iran had informed his administration of its intention to attack the Ain Al-Assad Air Base in Iraq but without causing casualties. The attack was to be a response to the U.S. …

Iran has long backed a network of armed groups in the Middle East to advance its regional interests. These groups, which include U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and which sometimes style themselves the “Axis of Resistance,” have conducted attacks on U.S., Israeli, and other targets for years. The number, pace, …

Yemen is a conflict-afflicted nation along the strategic Bab al Mandab Strait, one of the world’s most active shipping lanes. Since 2015, a civil war has pitted the Iran-backed Houthi movement against Yemen’s internationally recognized government, its backers, and other anti-Houthi forces. Foreign intervention complicates the conflict, which has contributed …

From the empty expanse of the desert, one of Jordan’s worst nightmares unfolded: the death of US troops on its soil. On 28 January, an attack drone infiltrated the darkness surrounding an isolated US outpost along Jordan’s border with Syria, known as Tower 22. The drone crept past the advanced …

Given that the U.S. presence is vital for the survival of the AANES, the prospect of withdrawal leaves the entire issue uncertain Akil Mahfouz writes in Athr Press. While the Autonomous Administration and the SDF exert significant control in eastern Syria, the region faces persistent high levels of perceived threats. …

Observers posit that the arrest campaign may be primarily driven by personal vendettas among regime officers, according to Baladi News. In recent hours, Syrian regime forces initiated a wave of arrests impacting numerous individuals, including prominent figures in the city of Quneitra, encompassing leaders of various detachments and checkpoints, as …

Iran aims to reinforce its forces in its areas of presence in Syria, according to Baladi News. Informed sources have disclosed that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard militias have withdrawn thousands of Syrian members affiliated with them from the Aleppo governorate. These members were relocated to positions in the governorates of …

Your daily brief of the English-speaking press on Syria. Explosions have been reported near a US army base in Syria following an attack linked to retaliatory US airstrikes against Iranian-aligned groups and their positions. Meanwhile, the United Nations and human rights organizations have called for increased aid for Syria, one …