Middle Orient

The Islamic Group in Lebanon has expressed surprise at Israel dragging its name into what it called the Israeli “attack” on the Syrian town of Beit Jinn (a town in the southwestern countryside of Damascus, near the occupied Syrian Golan Heights), denying Israeli accusations that it carries out any activities …

The Palestinian terror groups clearly want to hold on to their weapons: they evidently see that having weapons is the only way for them to control, directly and indirectly, any new government established in the Gaza Strip. They also evidently see that whoever is in charge of security in the …

“Hamas is committed to disarming according to the ceasefire agreement. But Hamas is not disarming. It is rebuilding its control,” Col. Nadav Shoshani tells a group of foreign reporters gathered at a base of the IDF’s 252nd Division in Gaza. Shoshani is the IDF’s international spokesman. The position is located …

Toplines Unspecified Iranian officials told The Telegraph on November 25 that the Houthis and some unspecified Iranian-backed Iraqi groups have become less responsive to Tehran.[1] The Iranian officials mischaracterized Iran’s relationship with the Houthis and Iraqi militias by misrepresenting how the Axis of Resistance functions, however. The Telegraph, citing unspecified …

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A Financial Times investigation unveiled that an Iranian company claimed to possess Western-origin nuclear-related technology, which highlights how Iran continues to adapt its procurement network to advance its nuclear program despite sanctions. The Financial Times reported on November 25 that an Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND) front company, …

Abstract: Iraq’s digital economy is one of its fastest-growing sectors, driven by an expanding youth population, a transition to e-governance services, and the potential for Iraq to become a regional data transit hub. As with militia monetization of Iraq’s oil sector, the telecommunications industry is attracting the attention of U.S.-designated …

In recent weeks, there has been a noticeable warming of relations between Syria’s new regime, led by President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, and Russia. This rapprochement has met with criticism from many Syrians, given that Russia was a key ally of the Bashar Al-Assad regime. During Syria’s civil war it took brutal …

Syria seems to be inching back towards fracturing. On November 23, unknown individuals killed a husband and wife from a Sunni Arab Bedouin tribe in Homs Province. Authorities found slogans written at the scene that are commonly associated with Alawite and Shiite communities, such as “Ya Ali, Ya Hussein.” Despite …

Hamas leaders and mediators from Egypt, the US, Qatar and Turkey are engaged in wide-ranging discussions in Cairo to iron out potential hurdles in the next phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, sources told The National on Tuesday. They said topics under discussion include Hamas’s disarmament, the mandate …