Middle Orient

The precise nature of the recent Israeli strikes into Iran has partially obscured the serious damage these strikes inflicted on critical Iranian defense and military infrastructure. These strikes could disrupt Iranian ballistic missile production and leave Iran more vulnerable to future strikes, however. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted precise …

The assassination of Sinwar places Hamas at a crossroads at various organizational, political and military levels, especially in the context of the course of the war in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, and the movement’s role on the day after the war, which may affect its alliances and relations internally …

The Yemeni civil war erupted in late 2014 when the Houthi insurgent movement captured large swathes of the country, including the capital of Sana’a. By the following year, Yemen had become a key battleground in the Iran–Saudi proxy conflict. While Saudi Arabia and its allies waged war in support ofYemen’s …

Over the past decade, Iran’s regime has been involved in collaborations with criminal actors across the world, seeking to assassinate critics and adversaries, procure materials to advance its nuclear programme, circumvent international sanctions and money-laundering controls, and fund armed groups and terrorist organizations that have carried out horrific attacks. JR-Malley-Irans-critical-statecraft-How-Tehran-weaponizes-illicit-markets-GI-TOC-October-2024Download

The Iran-led “Axis of Resistance,” composed of a coalition of armed and political groups across Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, has been striving to play a significant role over the past year amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The military operations, tactics, and strategies of Hezbollah, a key player in …

Hamas after Yahya al-Sinwar: According to reports, Hamas would not elect a new head toits political bureau until March 2025 and would rely on the leadership of a committeecomposed of five senior members. The southern front: IDF forces continued operations in the northern Gaza Strip, focusing onthe Jabalia refugee camp …

Civil war veteran Samir Geagea hopes the Shiite militia will be pressed into a position where it has no choice but to disarm. There’s no love lost between Lebanese Christian leader Samir Geagea and Hezbollah. Geagea’s escaped his fair share of probable assassination attempts by the Shiite militant group over …

The leader of the U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in northeast Syria in an interview with The Associated Press called for international mediators to continue pushing for diplomatic solutions to the complex web of conflicts in the Middle Eastern country, including the escalating Turkish bombardment of Kurdish areas. Turkey has intensified its …

ISIS carried out at least 16 confirmed attacks in September in the Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Raqqa, and Deir Ez Zor governorates. These attacks killed at least 32 pro-Assad regime soldiers and one civilian and wounded at least 21 others. There were also five high quality* attacks carried out during the …

As part of the international efforts to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah, politicians inside and outside Lebanon have reiterated the need to implement UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1701, which was adopted in August 2006 and ended the war between Israel and Hizbullah at that time. This resolution …