Middle Orient

On January 19, 2024, a Hamas delegation, led by Hamas international relations Moussa Abu Marzouq, visited Moscow, in the organization’s second visit to Russia since its October 7 attack on Israel. The delegation met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also Putin’s special envoy to the Middle …

Iran successfully advanced five strategic objectives: 1) preemptively thwarting an imminent terrorist attack from Pakistani soil; 2) flexing its military muscles before the domestic and international audiences; 3) suggesting that Pakistani-emanating terrorist threats are as dangerous as threats from Israel and the US; 4) reinforcing perceptions of Pakistan as a …

Iran said it targeted a “Mossad spy headquarters” as “revenge” after the Islamic State claimed responsibility for suicide bombings that killed dozens in Tehran. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Tuesday it destroyed an Israeli spy headquarters in a series of airstrikes near the U.S. consulate in Erbil, Iraq, and …

An Iranian strike on Pakistan this week that drew a rapid military riposte and raised fears of greater regional turmoil was driven by Iran’s efforts to reinforce its internal security rather than its ambitions for the Middle East, according to three Iranian officials, one Iranian insider and an analyst. Both …

Iran launched missile strikes on three different countries this week – Iraq, Syria and Pakistan – while proxy militant groups it backs continue to target US and Western interests and fight Israel, stoking fears of conflict that could engulf the Middle East and spread to other regions. Why did Iran …

On the evening of Monday, January 15, Iran targeted sites in Syria and Iraq with 24 ballistic missiles from southern and western Iran, with a range exceeding 1,200 kilometers. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it launched four “Khaibar Shekan” (Khaibar Breaker) missiles towards what it described …

Key Takeaways: Palestinian fighters are attacking Israeli forces in areas of the northern Gaza Strip where Israeli forces conducted clearing operations previously.The Gaza Strip is experiencing the longest, largest-scale internet blackout since the Israel-Hamas war began.Israel and Hamas began implementing a deal on January 17 that aims to supply medicine …

Yemen’s Houthi militia group, which controls the capital, Sana’a and parts of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, has attacked another ship in the Gulf of Aden, following a rash of attacks over the past several weeks. Iran’s supreme leader is encouraging the Houthis, which serve as an Iranian proxy in the …

Turkey said it had destroyed 23 targets in overnight air strikes on Kurdish militants in northern Iraq and Syria, a further escalation of conflict south of its border. The attacks were the latest by Turkey since nine Turkish soldiers were killed in clashes with Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in …

ISIS carried out at least 14 confirmed attacks in December in the Homs, Hama, Raqqa, Aleppo, and Deir Ez Zor governorates. These attacks killed at least 19 pro-Assad regime soldiers and six civilians and wounded at least 14 more soldiers and civilians. There were also four high quality* attacks during …