Middle Orient

Israeli forces carried out attacks in the Gaza Strip, Syria and on the border with Lebanon overnight into Sunday, amid concerns that the conflict between Israel and militant group Hamas could turn into a wider Middle East war. Hamas said at least 55 people were killed overnight in Israeli airstrikes …

Amid the escalating war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the region is bracing itself for a broader conflict. It will take concerted diplomacy – and considerable luck – to prevent this. The war, which threatens a destructive confrontation between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group – and, by extension, …

In the 1982 graphic novel ‘V for Vendetta’, penned by famous English author Alan Moore, words said by the protagonist particularly stand out: “Beneath this mask, there is an idea, Mr Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof.” This pop culture line feeds well into the very idea of tactically ‘eliminating’ terrorist …

The Iraqi military and Kurdish Peshmerga forces briefly clashed Sunday in a dispute over control of a strategic military post, killing three, Iraq’s military spokesperson said. The dispute was over who controls three vacated posts previously in the hands of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants. It marked further tension in …

Executive Summary On September 23, 2001, then-U.S. President George W. Bush signed Executive Order (EO) 13224, which “authorizes the U.S. government to block the assets of individuals and entities that provide support, services, or assistance to, or otherwise associate with, terrorists and terrorist organizations designated under the Order, as well …

How the Attack on Israel Could Backfire for the Group Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attacks, which killed over 1,000 Israelis, provoked outrage around the world. Politicians from Washington to New Delhi condemned Hamas and offered condolences to the Israeli people. Leading politicians traveled to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The devastatingly …

Fighting Hamas in Gaza Will Be Difficult and Costly Although the details are still difficult to predict, it seems very likely that Israel will mount a land invasion of the Gaza Strip in the near future. If and when that happens, the campaign will feature several elements common to any …

The Islamic Republic appears uninterested in a direct confrontation with Israel amid the latter’s war with Tehran-backed militants in Gaza, but has warned that its proxies remain ready to pull the trigger and “re-map” Israel. Since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Gaza militants, Iran — as a …

The West Bank was tense even before the Hamas-Israel war amid the emergence of armed groups and almost daily Israeli raids in Palestinian cities and towns. As the Hamas-Israel war rages in Gaza, Israel is intensifying raids and arrests in the West Bank in an attempt to prevent an eruption …

Ankara has politely shown the door to Hamas leaders staying in Turkey, according to two sources, as it walks a diplomatic tightrope, careful not to jeopardize its recent thaw with Israel while maintaining support for the Palestinian cause. Turkey has been trying to carefully calibrate its stance in the face …