Middle Orient

Growing tensions surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war risk bringing the conflict within NATO’s borders, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned. “We do not disregard the risk of the Russia-Ukraine war spreading to a wider region,” Erdogan told Newsweek in an exclusive interview. “Allegations of sabotage and hybrid activities in Europe …

On 10 September, Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, captured the Red Sea port city of Mocha during a major offensive against Yemeni government-aligned forces. The group then advanced south, reportedly reaching the coastal town of Dhubab on 11 September, before moving against strategic islands near the Bab al-Mandeb …

A relative pause in fighting between the United States and Iran that ended in early September has brought the region back into a state of geopolitical tension. As the exchange of strikes, retaliations, and signalling between Washington and Tehran continues, there is a heightened expectation from Washington that the US …

E_159_26Download

Damascus, Syria – The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were dissolved by their commander-in-chief, Mazloum Abdi, on 25 August, bringing an end to Rojava, a 14-year-old experiment in autonomous self-administration in northeast Syria. Abdi is to take up a new role as a special adviser to President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whilst the …

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz responded to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s assertion that the Golan Heights are Syrian territory, saying the strategic plateau in northeastern Syria is an “integral and eternal part of Israel.” Katz said, according to The Times of Israel on Wednesday, September 23, that the Israeli army …

Amid the ongoing US–Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the emergence of a Saudi-Houthi confrontation has added a new layer of complexity to the Middle Eastern conflict, with the potential to widen and prolong the war while drawing additional regional actors into an increasingly broader confrontation. …

It took Houthi rebels less than 48 hours to seize Yemen’s Red Sea coast from pro-government forces in a resounding blow to U.S. interests and Washington’s regional allies. But the Houthis didn’t do it alone. Iranian Revolutionary Guard advisers were in the field helping direct the battle, people familiar with …

Une coopération secrète en matière de renseignement contre les Houthis pourrait amener Riyad à rejoindre une coalition anti-iranienne et à transformer l’équilibre des pouvoirs au Moyen-Orient. Ces derniers jours, les médias israéliens ont largement relayé les contacts entre l’Arabie saoudite et Israël, facilités par le Commandement central américain (CENTCOM). Selon …

Turkey and Hezbollah are quietly expanding channels of communication as Ankara seeks to manage the group and stop it from playing any destabilising role in Syria, while also trying to deter what it sees as growing Israeli threats in the region, according to analysts. The contacts come as tensions between …