Middle Orient

Unidentified gunmen assassinated Fadi Majed al-Saad, a former member of the Free Syrian Army, according to Baladi News. On Wednesday, unidentified gunmen assassinated a former member of opposition factions in the western Daraa governorate. The website of the Ahrar Horan Gathering said that unknown assailants targeted Fadi Majed al-Saad in …

Intelligence Online reported that Hakan Fidan and Ali Mamlouk have met again under Russian auspices, according to al-Modon. Intelligence Online reported that the head of Turkey’s intelligence service, Hakan Fidan, has held a new meeting with the head of the Syrian regime’s intelligence service, Ali Mamlouk. The meeting occurred under …

For the second time in just a week, Israel targeted the Aleppo International Airport last Tuesday. A message to Bashar al-Assad? For the second time in just a week, Israel targeted the Aleppo International Airport last Tuesday. This second attack comes amid an intensification of Israeli attacks on Iranian targets …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared on Friday that “without Turkiye, NATO is weak,” Turkish media reported. As Erdogan spoke to journalists following Friday prayer in Istanbul, he commented on NATO’s removal of a tweet about Turkish Victory Day (marked on 30 August) following a Greek complaint. “Greece’s negative approach …

Russia has demanded that Iran remove its forces and militias from areas in western Syria in order to avoid further airstrikes from neighbouring Israel, according to a report by Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. Citing a source reportedly close to the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, the outlet reported that in a …

It takes just a few seconds to post a tweet, but for one woman in Saudi Arabia it has resulted in a 45-year prison sentence which has shocked ordinary citizens across the kingdom. Nourah Bint Saeed Al-Qahtani was convicted in the Saudi Specialised Criminal Court on charges of using the …

A Turkish court decided to arrest senior Islamic State figure Bashar Hattab Ghazal Al Sumaidai, who wascaptured by the police, the state-owned Anadolu news agency reported on Friday. The militant, code-named Abu Zeyd, was captured in Istanbul in an operation carried out by police and Turkey’s intelligence agency, Anadolu said.

Latest Turkish-Greek war of words linked to electoral campaigns Turkish Greek bickering continued apace this week with Erdogan repeating his stock threats about descending on Turkey’s foes “unexpectedly in the night,” spurring further overwrought takes on how the two NATO allies might slip into war.

In spite of the opposition from US allies in the Middle East as well as many US Congressman — both Democrats and Republicans — the Biden administration appeared determined to reward the ruling mullahs of Iran whose policies and ideology are anchored in “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”. …

TÜRKIYE-GREECE President Erdoğan accused Athens of militarising what should be demilitarised Eastern Aegean islands, threatened to “do what was necessary”, and warned of a “heavy price” should Greece harass Turkish F-16 fighter jets. The latter warning follows Ankara’s accusation that Greece in August used the Russian-supplied S300 air defence system …