Middle Orient

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip was achieved at a time when Iran and the “Axis of Resistance” which it leads are facing significant challenges at home and in the region, especially in light of the weakening of the axis and the consequences of the “12-Day …

According to a report by Israel’s KAN News, Hamas has already selected half of the technocratic government’s members, including figures sympathetic to the terror group, while the Palestinian Authority, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, chose the other half. Mediators, including Egypt, presented the full list to Hamas to ensure its approval, …

Toplines The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire monitoring committee has agreed to meet more frequently, likely to encourage greater dialogue between Israel and Lebanon. The US-led, five-member committee was established as part of the November 2024 Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement and is responsible for monitoring Israel and Lebanon’s compliance with the agreement.[1] US, French, …

Youssef Salameh, former Lebanese cabinet minister, said in an October 21, 2025 interview with Transparency News on YouTube that the Lebanese should be brave enough to sign a peace accord with Israel, stating that anything less than that would be meaningless. He added that Lebanon had always been a pioneer …

In a September 30, 2025 interview with the Iranian Tabnak website, reformist Sadeq Zibakalam, professor emeritus of political science at Tehran University, expressed criticism unusual for the Iranian political landscape. He attributed direct responsibility for the tensions in the region to the Iranian revolutionary regime instead of to its traditional …

Toplines An X account attributed to Mossad claimed on October 30 that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Political and Security Affairs, Ali Asghar Hejazi, and Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour have sidelined Khamenei and are “making decisions independently.”[1] CTP-ISW cannot …

Latest Developments Hezbollah Terrorist Eliminated: The IDF announced on October 31 that it had eliminated Hezbollah terrorist Muhammad Raslan, a maintenance operative in the group who was actively rebuilding terror infrastructure in southern Lebanon. The strike was carried out by Israeli Air Force assets operating under the IDF’s Northern Command …

As negotiations begin for the second phase of Trump’s ceasefire plan in the Gaza Strip, the two-year-old war is entering a new phase that could bring unexpected shifts. While attention is focused on the major issues on the negotiating table, it seems that the finer details in the more complex …

“We will hand over the rule in Gaza to the Administrative Committee,” said Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamas’ negotiating team, on October 26. The statement came on the heels of a meeting between Fatah and Hamas in Cairo under Egypt’s auspices, where both parties confirmed an agreement in which …

Israeli and Arab military officials have come together for meetings and trainings, facilitated by U.S. Central Command, on regional threats, Iran and underground tunnels. Even as key Arab states condemned the war in the Gaza Strip, they quietly expanded security cooperation with the Israeli military, leaked U.S. documents reveal. Those …