Middle Orient

The Lebanese Council of Ministers agreed on August 7 to the objectives of US Envoy Thomas Barrack’s proposal to disarm Hezbollah.[1] The proposal’s objectives include a phased plan to completely disarm Hezbollah by December 31, 2025, and to ensure an Israeli withdrawal from its five permanent positions in southern Lebanon.[2] …

Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah group stands at a pivotal juncture, forced to weigh its future amid unprecedented US pressure to relinquish its weapons following a costly war last year that eroded its longstanding dominance over Lebanon’s security decisions. The Iran-backed militant group, which has dominated Lebanese politics and security since Israel’s …

In recent weeks, protesters in cities across northeastern Syria have taken to the streets to condemn the violence in the Druze-majority province of Suweida and call for justice. Over 800 people were killed in the southeastern province last month during clashes between Druze factions and government-backed Bedouin forces. “Kurds see …

As the starvation of Gaza gains increasing global attention, Israel has rushed to explain it away as an “unfortunate byproduct of war” or a “logistical failure”, rather than a well-documented deliberate policy of weaponising hunger. Israel’s instrumentalisation of food and water, however, did not start on 8 October 2023, when …

In late July, Turkish defense contractors used the 2025 International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) to showcase the latest additions to the country’s arsenal. Headlining the event were two striking developments: the “Tayfun Block-4” hypersonic ballistic missile and the “Gazap” bunker-busting, non-nuclear thermobaric bomb. Both weapons, now within the Turkish military’s …

Iran’s highest national security and foreign policy decision-making body, the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), established a Defense Council on August 3 to streamline decision-making during wartime.[1] The establishment of this body, which will operate under the SNSC, likely reflects Iranian leaders’ recognition of systemic operational failures during the Israel-Iran …

IDF forces continued extensive aerial and ground strikes in the Gaza Strip, eliminated terroristoperatives, and destroyed weapons and terrorist facilities. Hamas announced it was suspending its participation in indirect ceasefire negotiations, citingthe continuation of the “policy of hunger and killing.” Videos were published of Israeli hostagessuffering from malnutrition, for which …

As mass starvation spreads across Gaza, and with no end in sight to the war or military occupation, Israel’s renewed push for the clan management of public affairs in the West Bank and Gaza has been called a desperate attempt to bypass Palestinian statehood. The latest manifestation of this strategy …

Political consultations intensified in Lebanon on Tuesday ahead of a cabinet session at Baabda Presidential Palace, where ministers are expected to debate the sensitive issue of Hezbollah’s weapons. The session comes amid mounting tensions in the streets, with Hezbollah supporters staging late-night motorbike rallies in Beirut’s southern suburbs and regions …

Unifying and deradicalizing Syria’s armed forces will be the regime’s most formidable challenge. The United States has now lifted all sanctions on Syria, except on some individuals and entities associated with the former Assad regime. Additionally, the United States has revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Syria’s Hayat Tahrir …