Middle Orient

On 10 March, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic relations as part of a Chinese-sponsored initiative that appears aimed at reducing tensions across the Middle East. Crisis Group experts offer a 360-degree view of the implications for the region’s many flashpoints. On 10 March, representatives of Iran and …

Diversification and Less Confrontation After a Decade of an Activist Foreign Policy (FPRI) — The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is in the last two years intensively pursuing a diversified foreign policy. This stems in part from disappointment with American reactions to the Houthi drone attacks on Abu Dhabi in February …

Twelve terrorists of the PKK’s Syrian wing, the YPG, have been killed in northern Syria as Ankara retaliated after a recent attack on Turkish soldiers, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said late Monday. Speaking in the central Kayseri province during an iftar dinner with earthquake victims, Akar underlined that Ankara continued …

Palestinians gathered intelligence on IDF operations in the West Bank on behalf of Hezbollah. Indictments were filed against two Palestinian West Bank residents after they had been recruited to conduct operations on behalf of Hezbollah and the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, the Shin Bet (Israel Security …

In the absence of any desire on the part of the Biden administration to support the Saudis — for decades one of Washington’s most important allies in the region — China has moved quickly to fill the diplomatic vacuum to launch its own initiative to restore ties with Iran.[T]he fact …

Ansar al-Islam (AAI) is a jihadist group that formed in September 2001 in Iraqi Kurdistan from the merger of two small groups: Jund al-Islam, which was then led by Abu Abdullah al-Shafi’i, and a splinter group of the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan, which was led by Mullah Krekar. In time, …

The new sanctions target individuals and companies across nine countries, including Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa, tied to a Belgian-Lebanese art and diamond dealer. The Biden administration announced sanctions Tuesday on what it described as an international money laundering and sanctions evasion network backing an art dealer …

The visit is Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s first since the start of the civil war and follows the Syrian foreign minister’s trip to Saudi Arabia last week. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan landed in Syria on Tuesday, the first such visit since the start of the civil war …

Reza and Yasmine Pahlavi arrived in Tel Aviv on Monday in a visit that could further fuel tension between Iran and Israel Reza Pahlavi, the son of late Iranian Shah, arrived in Israel on Monday on a trip that showed Israeli embrace of the Iranian figure who is seeking a …

Mekdad’s three-day visit to Tunis marks the first by a Syrian official since the North African country cut ties with the Syrian regime in February 2012 over its brutal crackdown against peaceful protests. Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad headed to Tunisia on Monday for a three-day visit in the latest …