Middle Orient

Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis

Amid the ongoing delay in Iran’s response to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, senior Iranian military officials have stepped up their statements concerning Iran’s commitment to retaliate against Israel at the appropriate time, albeit with different characteristics than the Iranian attack on Israel in April 2024. E_196_24Download

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From Dubai to Albania: How Drug Money Fuelled Tirana’s Real Estate Boom

Court documents detail claims of how an alleged drug boss living in Dubai laundered money in his native Albania, helping to fuel a rapid rise in real estate prices. In September 2020, Klajdi Merkaj was getting ready to travel to Dubai with the intention of securing new funds for his …

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Pezeshkian in Iraq: Political Maneuver or Strategic Visit?

The visit of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Iraq raises several questions about the future of Iraqi-Iranian relations. Is Iraq heading towards radical and decisive changes? However, a reading of the factors and variables indicates that change in Iraq will not affect its relations with Iran politically or security-wise. The …

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IRGC Chief Says Iran’s Revenge On Israel Will Be Different This Time

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Hossein Salami warned the Israeli regime that Iran’s retaliatory action in revenge for the assassination of the Hamas chief in Tehran will be different this time. In remarks at a cultural conference in Iran’s Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province on Sunday, the …

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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis

Senior Iranian officials condemned the IDF’s activity in Judea and Samaria and accused Israel of striving to expand the scope of the “killings and crimes” against the Palestinians. Senior Iranian officials continued to threaten to respond to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran but stressed that the response would …

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Military-political escalation reflects division in Syrian opposition

Disputes among opposition factions in northwestern Syria have resurfaced after months of stagnation, when the Shamiya Front, a military faction affiliated with the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), announced it was suspending its work with the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) due to a conflict with its head, Abdulrahman Mustafa. The …

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Borders Without a Nation: Syria, Outside Powers, and Open-Ended Instability

In Syria’s border regions, changes in demographics, economics, and security mean that an inter-Syrian peace process will require consensus among main regional powers that Syria must remain united, that no one side can be victorious, and that perennial instability threatens the region. Summary Syria’s central authorities have lost sovereignty over …

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Why Israel is attacking the West Bank

Another chapter in the long, tragic story of Tel Aviv’s leaders choosing to live forever by the sword News about offensive Israeli military operations has shifted, for the moment, from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank. A series of Israeli raids and attacks against Jenin and other West Bank …

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FDD Profiles of Leading Iranian-Backed Militias

About Iran has built a network of Shiite militias, now fighting across the Middle East, whose fighters number in the tens of thousands. These militias include battle-hardened fighters as well as poorly trained recruits. They hail from countries across the Muslim world and have varying motivations and interests, but they …

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Elaborating On Iran’s Continued Opposition To The Zangezur Corridor

This is no longer a small matter after the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian Ambassador to share their concerns with him about his country’s support of this project. Iran’s continued opposition to the Zangezur Corridor was touched upon here last month, where it was concluded that it’s relying on …

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