Middle Orient

Violence in Homs raises questions over whether Syria’s new authorities can enforce the rule of law, or if the country risks reproducing patterns of warlordism In late November and early December, the Syrian central city of Homs descended into a cycle of revenge killings and sectarian-coded attacks that exposed deep …

A leak of videos featuring Bashar Al-Assad has sparked outrage in Syria and beyond, with the latest revelation involving his Russian ally, Vladimir Putin. Bashar Al-Assad mocked his Russian ally, President Vladimir Putin, according to a series of leaked videos where the former dictator shows his callous disregard for Syrians’ …

E_222_25Download

The General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, congratulated Syrians on the first anniversary of the fall of the “defunct regime”, only hours after celebrations were banned in areas under his forces’ control. Abdi considered that with the fall of the regime, Syria had entered a new …

The Iraqi government did the right thing and froze the assets of Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis, but once the story made news on December 4, the government walked its decision back within hours. In November, the country’s Committee for the Freezing of Terrorists’ Funds put the two Iran-backed groups on …

E_220_25Download

E_221_25Download

As demolition of damaged buildings continues, new construction is set to begin, with aim of resettling evacuees and absorbing dozens of new families – especially those with babies KISSUFIM — Looking to build a brighter future, Kibbutz Kissufim, near the Gaza border, is planning to double its population and already …

If the agreement collapses, violence may be imminent. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have spent months negotiating with the government in Damascus how to implement their March agreement for the SDF to merge with the national armed forces. Mistrust of government centralization and recent sectarian massacres have shaken the …

The commander of the Israeli Air Force, Lieutenant General Tomer Bar, has unveiled a strategic plan codenamed “Bashan Arrow”, which aimed to destroy what remained of the strategic military capabilities of the Syrian regime’s army just hours after its collapse and the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December …