Middle Orient

Since Russia’s military strategy shifted to attack Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, Iran-manufactured unmanned aerial vehicles (UVAs) have been key to war effort. Gaining pace in October, Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 models have been used to target civilian buildings and have damaged about a third of the country’s power plants. For months, Tehran …

Russia once viewed the G-20 group of leading economies as the world’s key cooperative forum. No longer. The November 15-16 meeting in Bali will not be attended by Vladimir Putin and there is therefore little chance that his isolation will be illustrated through face-to-face condemnations from Western leaders.  That’s not to say that Russia …

The UN-mediated ceasefire between the government and the Houthis in Yemen that began in April this year ended on 2 October as both sides could not agree to extend it further. The announcement of the ceasefire was intended to halt all military attacks, facilitate movement of fuel ships to Hodeida …

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Turkish-Kurdish militia group, which is banned in Turkey as a terrorist organization, said on Monday that it was not involved in the Sunday explosion in Istanbul. “We have nothing to do with this incident and it is well-known by the public that we would …

A group of Iranian clerics visited the headquarters of the Baqir Brigade, Iran’s ally, in the city of Aleppo. The brigade has played a major role in curbing Russian influence in Aleppo in favor of Iran. Over the past few days, Iranian clerics have visited the headquarters of the Baqir …

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls Idlib, is taking advantage of the difficult living conditions of the people to attract more people into its ranks by offering high salaries. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is still the largest and most dominant faction in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, amid its continuous attempts …

Iran again bombed Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, targeting alleged headquarters of the Iranian-Kurdish opposition located in northern Iraq. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) bombed the Koysinjaq area in both Erbil and Sulaimaniyah provinces on the morning of Nov. 14. At least five rockets hit both sides of the border between …

CIA chief warns his Russian counterpart “on the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons” during face-to-face talks in Ankara. US and Russian spy chiefs traveled to Turkey’s capital for a delicate meeting amid increasing fears that Russia may be readying to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. CIA Director William …

Turkish security forces have arrested a Syrian woman they say confessed to carrying out the attack under instructions from Kobani, but both the Kurdistan Workers Party and Syrian Kurdish forces deny any involvement. Ankara pointed the finger at the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its Syrian offshoot as the …

More than 750 people were charged in three provinces in Iran for participating in recent protests against the government that started in mid-September over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the modesty police for not wearing her hijab correctly, according to reports over the weekend.