Middle Orient

This news roundup covers a series of developments related to the ongoing conflicts in Syria and its neighbouring regions. In Lebanon and Syria, Hezbollah members and others were wounded in a coordinated attack involving exploding pagers, which officials suspect was carried out by Israel. Meanwhile, the persistent use of torture …

The 47th Regiment is one of the IRGC’s most significant military formations, DEIR EZZOR 24 says. Local sources from the countryside of al-Bukamal, under the control of the Syrian regime and Iranian militias, reported that residents demanded the withdrawal of the 47th Regiment of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday. …

Analysis: Amid the largest West Bank raids in years, the Palestinian Authority remains both a powerless governing body and a partner in Israel’s occupation. Israel’s large-scale military operations in the northern West Bank, now in their third week, have resulted in mass detentions and targeted killings, leaving behind huge destruction. …

In-depth: Lebanon is in shock after Israel targeted Hezbollah’s telecom devices, injuring and maiming thousands. Many now fear all-out war is coming. Beirut – Patients screamed in pain and paramedic teams shouted frantic orders to attend to gaping wounds at Beirut’s Hotel Dieu hospital on Tuesday afternoon, after thousands of …

“Before el-Sissi, but also during his tenure, cars, motorcycles, clothes, drugs, medicines, alcoholic beverages, and weapons were smuggled through the Philadelphi Corridor over the years, lots of weapons: improved RPG-29 rockets that killed our soldiers in the Iron Swords War, hidden rocket parts, machine guns, mines, and more.” — Nadav …

Analysis: Isaac Herzog’s visits to Albania and Serbia underscore Israel’s expanding ties with the Balkans amid global isolation due to its war on Gaza. Israeli President Isaac Herzog concluded a historic first visit to Albania last week, following a similarly significant trip to Serbia, where both countries agreed to pursue …

Analysis: The Gaza war’s expansion into the West Bank has triggered fears in Jordan that Israel is seeking the mass transfer of Palestinians into the Kingdom. Since Jordan and Israel signed their 1994 peace accord, known as the Wadi Araba Treaty, the West Bank-Jordan border has been mostly quiet. However, …

Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal in Gaza is direct reoccupation and ethnic cleansing, fulfilling the Zionist timeline and securing his future, writes Emad Moussa. After the death of six Israeli captives in Gaza, and instead of caving to the mounting internal and external pressure to allow a ceasefire deal with Hamas, Netanyahu …

Beep, beep, boom. Thousands were injured and dozens killed in Lebanon this week when beepers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded in a coordinated manner on successive days. “We are opening a new phase in the war,” said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, though Israel has not officially acknowledged that …

Over the past eleven months, the world’s attention has been fixed on the Gaza Strip as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have conducted military operations against Hamas. As a major war in Gaza dominates the front pages, Iran’s proxy Hezbollah continues to launch a stream of aerial attacks into northern …